Written questions by Anderson.

Communities and Local Government, what support his Department plans to provide through the Plan for Neighbourhoods to (a) towns and (b) villages in South Shropshire constituency.

On 25 September the government announced the Pride in Place Programme, supporting 244 of Great Britain’s most in need neighbourhoods with up to £20 million each over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.New areas across England were selected using a robust, metrics-based methodology based on deprivation (the Index of Multiple Deprivation) and community need (the Community Needs Index) to identify areas with the poorest social and economic outcomes. The Pride in Place strategy sets out how this government will support all places throughout the UK, with communities given new tools and powers to shape their neighbourhoods in a way that is truly reflective of local need. We want to make it as easy as possible for communities in places such as South Shropshire to make the changes they want to see, acknowledging that local people are best placed to understand local priorities.The full list of areas and place selection methodology was published and is set out on gov.uk here.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to launch a smaller village halls grants scheme.

While there are currently no plans to launch a new smaller village hall grants scheme, we continue to support village halls through the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund. This scheme has provided grants to help modernise facilities, improve accessibility, and enhance energy efficiency.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to implement gigabit rollout in rural areas on those areas.

More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These premises fall predominantly in rural areas. As of the end of March 2025, over 1.2 million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.The connections delivered by Project Gigabit benefit rural and hard to reach communities, helping households and businesses access the digital connectivity needed to transform lives and drive economic growth.We are committed to ensuring 99% of premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032.

If he will take steps to introduce a young cancer patients travel fund.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to the Rt Hon. Member for Clapham and Brixton Hill on 1 April 2025 to Question 42011.

Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) legal support has been made available for local nature recovery strategies.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) were established by the Environment Act 2021. Responsible authorities must follow the LNRS regulations and have regard to LNRS statutory guidance when preparing the LNRS for their area. Over FY23/24 and FY24/25, Defra provided a total of £14 million to responsible authorities to prepare LNRSs. Further funding has been made available to responsible authorities in the current financial year to support their transition to leading and coordinating delivery of the LNRS for their area. Defra and Arm’s Length Bodies have provided advice to responsible authorities to help them prepare their LNRS but have not provided direct legal support to individual responsible authorities. Responsible authorities are able to use the funding they have been provided to obtain legal support if they choose to do so.

What assessment she has made of the number of police forces.

This Government is committed to addressing the strategic challenges policing faces. We specifically recognise the problems around fragmentation and resultant inefficiencies across the 43 police forces, which many police system leaders have highlighted.The policing system must be equipped to serve the public effectively and to make efficient use of its funding and resources. This is why the Home Office will publish a White Paper on police reform later this year. It will include a comprehensive package of reforms to policing in England and Wales that will drive quality, consistency and efficiency.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for community land projects.

The government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy. In March, we announced a £20m 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area. The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of a single remote gambling duty on the sustainability of the horseracing sector.

The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. The proposed changes are intended to reduce complexity and improve compliance. The Government engaged with a range of stakeholders, including the horse racing sector throughout the consultation period and is now analysing submissions. The potential impact on horseracing and its workforce as well as the broader economic and social implications will be considered carefully as part of the process. If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, the legislation will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish a call for evidence on park home sales commission.

The government recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home.The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

What steps he is taking as part of the Valour programme to support veterans in South Shropshire constituency.

This Government remains committed to delivering on our manifesto promise to ensure that veterans in South Shropshire and across the country achieve the recognition, support and opportunities they deserve.That is why we recently launched VALOUR, our commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support. This will be an institutionally resilient system that will reform the system at the local, the regional, and the national level, ensuring that support is available across the country, and that it is tailored to the needs of veterans in the communities where they live.The VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint to roll out VALOUR across the country next year.Details regarding the VALOUR development funding will be released in the coming months. Existing organisations throughout South Shropshire will be able to apply for this funding and, if successful, will be recognised as a VALOUR support centre. This process will recognise existing best practice in local communities, while maintaining agility and flexibility across the sector.I would ask the hon. Member to encourage organisations and veterans in your constituency to sign up for updates and to register their interest in taking part in future surveys or focus groups on VALOUR. This collaborative approach will ensure that this service works for those who need it. More information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valour-information-and-next-steps

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending permitted development rights on farm productivity.

The Government’s commitment to farming and food security remains steadfast, which is why the government is investing £2.7 billion a year into sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, with funding for our Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150%. Our recent food strategy publication committed to a joined-up approach across the food system to supporting healthy resilient and sustainable food production. Planning reforms are one of several levers the government is using to support farmers. As part of this, Defra hosted a series of planning reform roundtables in June, led by Minister Zeichner, to discuss planning issues affecting farmers and is now considering the feedback.

Whether he is taking steps to increase the number of apprenticeships within his Department.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across the civil service to break down barriers to opportunity. The Scotland Office considers the use of apprenticeships for all relevant recruitment campaigns.

Whether she is taking steps to increase the number of apprenticeships within her Department.

Apprenticeships are available to new and existing Wales Office staff and my Department promotes these opportunities through Ministry of Justice (MoJ) intranet bulletins and Wales Office staff newsletters. When vacancies arise, the Department also considers if posts may be advertised as apprenticeships.

Whether he is taking steps to increase the number of apprenticeships within his Department.

The Northern Ireland Office remains committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government’s commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services. As a department, the Northern Ireland Office annually recruits a Communication Apprentice through the Government Communications Service.

What steps he is taking to increase apprenticeship opportunities within his Department.

In DBT, apprenticeships remain a core element of the learning and development offer for all employees. We are taking active steps to continue to increase apprenticeship opportunities within the Department, with commitment to our recently launched DBT Apprenticeship Plan for 2025-2026. This includes offering all new Executive Officer (EO) vacancies as apprenticeships, encouraging those at the start of their careers to consider an apprenticeship route as default.DBT are also committed to support the new ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA) Programme which seeks to support individuals kickstarting their careers whilst undertaking the Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship, with placements launching across government and within DBT in January 2026.DBT also supports the Government’s commitment to improving digital skills through the TechTrack scheme which is committed to supporting 2,000 digital apprenticeships by 2030.

Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on gigabit voucher take-up in rural areas.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses via local community broadband projects.As of March 2024, 296,400 premises were able to take-up a gigabit-capable broadband connection as a result of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, the vast majority of which are in rural areas.We continue to support broadband suppliers to deliver voucher projects that have been approved as part of Project Gigabit.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to help increase the number of community (a) pubs and (b) social clubs.

This Government recognises the crucial role that pubs and social clubs play in our communities, supporting local economies, providing a sense of community pride, and fostering belonging and connection. We want to support communities to take ownership of assets that are important to them. Community Right to Buy, introduced in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, will help local people acquire valued community spaces, such as pubs and social clubs, if they come up for sale, keeping these assets in the hands of the community.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to local environmental improvement projects through the Water Restoration Fund.

The Water Restoration Fund (WRF) was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, with a total of £11 million, based on water company fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023, due to be invested into local projects to improve our waterways. Going forwards, this government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters, which could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out later in the year.

What steps he is taking to help reduce petrol prices in rural areas.

The Government will implement the Competition & Markets Authority's recommendation to help drive down pump prices by introducing a statutory open data scheme, Fuel Finder, at the end of 2025. This scheme will increase fuel price transparency, enabling drivers to compare prices easily and make more informed decisions on where to buy petrol and diesel. By introducing this statutory open data scheme, petrol filling stations will face increased competition, leading to a reduction in fuel prices across the UK, including in rural areas.

What steps he has taken to increase apprenticeship opportunities within his Department.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is expanding apprenticeship opportunities through its upcoming Talent Strategy. With 83 apprentices currently in post, the Department is broadening the offer by launching a Social Mobility Apprenticeship Programme, procuring new contracts aligned with its core delivery and mission priorities, and promoting opportunities through targeted outreach and engagement. It is also improving the apprentice experience through stronger networks and dedicated guidance. DESNZ continues to recruit through Civil Service schemes and remains fully committed to creating meaningful, high-quality early career pathways for both new and existing staff through a growing apprenticeship offer.