Written questions by Mayer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the potential cost savings to the public purse of introducing a mandatory minimum requirement that 30% of tyres procured for government fleet vehicles be retreaded.

Defra is working on a review of the Government Buying Standards which set out how Government procurement can take account of environmental and social impacts whilst ensuring value for money. This review considers the lifecycle impacts of fleet vehicles, including measures to reduce waste and raw material consumption associated with vehicles parts such as tyres. As part of this work, Defra has made no specific estimate of the potential cost savings arising from a mandatory minimum target on government tyres being retreaded.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waste and raw material consumption in government fleet maintenance including through the use of retreading.

Defra is working on a review of the Government Buying Standards which set out how Government procurement can take account of environmental and social impacts whilst ensuring value for money. This review considers the lifecycle impacts of fleet vehicles, including measures to reduce waste and raw material consumption associated with vehicles parts such as tyres. As part of this work, Defra has made no specific estimate of the potential cost savings arising from a mandatory minimum target on government tyres being retreaded.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ban the live sale of decapod crustaceans to the public to be consumed as food to ensure compliance with the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015.

There are no plans to ban the live sale of decapod crustaceans to the public to be consumed as food.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to adapt existing farming subsidy schemes to incentivise the (a) housing of (i) pigs and (ii) poultry in woodland and (b) the planting of woodland in permanent pasture to support (A) animal welfare, (B) climate and (C) biodiversity objectives.

Our in-field agroforestry offers under the Environmental Land Management schemes include support for establishing and maintaining silvopastoral systems, where trees are planted in pasture to realise their multiple benefits such as enhanced animal welfare and supporting biodiversity. Under Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, land managers can plant and maintain in-field agroforestry systems up to an average of 400 trees her hectare, as well as create, manage and restore Wood Pasture and Parkland systems. Land managers can be supported to design agroforestry in a way that meets their objectives through the Agroforestry Plan capital item.

What recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of Network Rail’s energy costs.

Network Rail is required to consider value for taxpayers’ money in the way that it runs the railway. This includes in relation to energy costs. External factors, including the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have driven fluctuations in energy prices and have increased Network Rail’s energy costs. To mitigate any further fluctuations and increase its use of renewables, Network Rail has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (CoPPA) starting from 2026, that will see 49.9 megawatts (MW) of clean renewable energy generated, enough to power around 15% of Network Rail’s annual non-traction energy consumption.

Whether Network Rail’s debt will be transferred to Great British Railways.

The detailed design of GBR is underway and the Network Rail debt is being considered as part of this work.

What recent assessment she has made of the air quality on the rail network; and whether her Department plans to issue updated guidance on air quality on the rail network.

The Department is funding monitoring and research to assess air quality in stations and onboard trains through the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). This includes the £5.5 million Air Quality Monitoring Network, which is collecting data at up to 72 stations across Great Britain. Where issues are identified, Network Rail and train operators are required to implement Air Quality Improvement Plans. RSSB has also undertaken two studies to assess air quality onboard trains, with further testing planned in 2026 on different rolling stock types, including newer bi-mode, tri-mode and electric trains. The Department keeps its air quality policy and the guidance it provides to industry under review as further evidence becomes available and continues to consider whether any updates are needed.

What steps her Department is taking to improve cross-government understanding of developments in drone technology, and what plans the has to improve inter-departmental collaboration on the regulation and deployment of drones.

This government is delivering the Future of Flight Programme which is a joint programme between the whole of government, the Civil Aviation Authority and industry. A key strategic objective of the Programme is to achieve routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights by 2027. This year we spent over £21m to fund necessary regulatory changes and to support industry to commercialise the innovation that was made possible through the Future Flight Challenge. The Regulatory Innovation Office has identified drones as one of its first set of five priorities and, jointly with the previous Minister for Aviation, set the Civil Aviation Authority six key priorities to unlock growth in the sector. As the Minister for Aviation, I chair the Future of Flight Industry Group which brings together key stakeholders across central and local government, the regulator and the industry to agree the strategic directions and ensure that the UK's ambition reflects the sector's needs.

What transparency, reporting and accounting requirements will be placed on the Office of Rail and Road to undertake effective monitoring and competition oversight of GBR’s retail activities.

GBR’s licence will require it to comply with a code of practice, which will be owned and managed by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The code will govern GBR’s retail industry management functions and other relevant activity. It will incorporate clear requirements for how GBR interacts with all market participants and impose separation of decision-making where relevant.Under this approach, third parties will be able to challenge any GBR decisions or actions they consider to be non-compliant, by raising them directly with the ORR. The ORR will be required to investigate and, if it considers that GBR has not complied, it will be able to demand corrective action by issuing binding orders.

When her Department plans to publish the consultation on the technical detail of the new small parcels regulatory arrangements.

At Autumn Budget 2025, the government announced the removal of the low value imports relief and published a technical consultation covering the design and implementation of the new LVI customs arrangements. You can read and respond to the government’s consultation here: Reforming the customs treatment of low value imports into the United Kingdom - GOV.UK

Media and Sport, on what dates the industry working group established to support development of the local media strategy has met to date, and what the planned timescale is for its next meeting.

The Government is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of local journalism. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story. Following a roundtable between ministers and local news editors in the Spring to discuss our planned approach to the Strategy, an industry working group was established to consider the issues in more detail and explore areas for collaboration. The group has met so far on six occasions, on the following dates:5th June 202525th June 202510th July 202524th July 20252nd September 202516th October 2025 At least one more meeting of the group is intended in 2026 before the Strategy is published.

What assessment her Department has made of the number and type of businesses that will be impacted by business rates relief changes announced in the Budget 2025 in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) the East of England and (c) the UK.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in the manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible RHL properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. Around 82,100 RHL properties in the East of England are expected to benefit from these lower tax rates. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. The Government is also supporting small businesses to grow by extending SBRR so that businesses opening second premises can retain their SBRR for three years, tripling the current allowance.

Media and Sport, what the planned timescales are for the commencement of the statutory notices review.

The Government committed to a review of statutory notices as part of the response to recommendations made by the Licensing policy taskforce in July, including in relation to alcohol licence notices. The review is being taken forward as part of the Local Media Strategy to support local journalism.We recognise that local press and statutory notices in particular continue to play a central role in keeping communities informed about decisions that affect local services and amenities. In this context, the industry’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions, helping public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively. DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of statutory notices and overall public engagement.This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future, and will be taken into account in the statutory notices review, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices in print local newspapers, including the impact this has on local transparency and the newspaper industry. The review will also take forward final decisions on the future of alcohol licence notices. More detail including timescales of the review, and the Local Media Strategy more broadly, will be announced in due course.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the Public Notice Portal’s contribution to improving public engagement with statutory notices, and how its archive and consultation functions will be incorporated into the forthcoming local media strategy.

The Government committed to a review of statutory notices as part of the response to recommendations made by the Licensing policy taskforce in July, including in relation to alcohol licence notices. The review is being taken forward as part of the Local Media Strategy to support local journalism.We recognise that local press and statutory notices in particular continue to play a central role in keeping communities informed about decisions that affect local services and amenities. In this context, the industry’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions, helping public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively. DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of statutory notices and overall public engagement.This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future, and will be taken into account in the statutory notices review, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices in print local newspapers, including the impact this has on local transparency and the newspaper industry. The review will also take forward final decisions on the future of alcohol licence notices. More detail including timescales of the review, and the Local Media Strategy more broadly, will be announced in due course.

If she will publish a list of the total amount allocated to highways maintenance funding by the department, including one off grants, for the years (a) 2021/22; (b) 2022/23; (c) 2023/24; (d) 2024/25 to Central Bedfordshire Council.

The total highways maintenance funding, including one off grants, allocated to Central Bedfordshire Council for the financial years (a) 2021/22; (b) 2022/23; (c) 2023/24; and (d) 2024/25 is set out below. Local Authority2021 to 20222022 to 20232023 to 20242024 to 2025Central Bedfordshire6,941,0006,941,0008,632,2007,643,000 To note, the above figures include funding from the Integrated Transport Block (ITB), which provides support for a range of local transport maintenance and enhancements. This funding stream is not limited to highways maintenance. All highways maintenance allocations are published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations

Innovation and Technology, with reference to Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what steps her Department is taking to expand Basket 3 to include additional animal tests for phase-out.

The Government’s publication “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. The Strategy uses a ‘baskets’ approach to group animal tests according to how ready they are for replacement, based on the maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets are not exhaustive and will be reviewed and refined in consultation with the research community on a regular basis, and research and development priorities will be published biennially from 2026.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what the evidential basis was for including the reduction of the use of fish endocrine disruption tests by the end of 2035 in Basket 3.

The Government’s publication “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. Multiple stakeholders and experts in this area, including Defra and the Veterinary Medicine Directorate, were consulted during the development of the three baskets approach, which groups animal tests according to how ready they are for replacement, based on the maturity of potential alternative methods. They concluded that basket 3 was the most appropriate timeline for fish endocrine disruption tests.

What comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the (a) cost-recovery model for statutory fees and charges and (b) use of such fees and charges as a demand-management tool.

Proposals to introduce new fees or charges are considered on a case-by-case basis. Government departments develop proposals in line with their needs and policy intent, underpinned by the rules in Managing Public Money (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-public-money). Full cost recovery is the standard approach to the setting of fees and charges for public services.If a department were to incorporate demand management as a policy objective when devising a fee or charging scheme, this would be considered as part of assessing the proposals.

What assessment she has made of the risk of organised-crime groups targeting high-value freight loads during peak retail periods; and what steps she is taking to improve freight-security measures.

This Government recognises the serious threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy. Through the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme (MFGS), the Department for Transport and industry partners are projected to deliver up to £35.7m of joint investment to enhance driver facilities and improve security at truck stops across England. Drivers are now seeing the improvements that the scheme has been able to support, with more in development. The scheme is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve driver facilities, including investment in security measures. The Home Office is working closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime. The Home Office has regular discussions with key partners, including Opal, about tackling organised freight crime.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of Network Rail’s progress in (a) undertaking risk assessments for assets that do not comply with its internal standards and (b) evidencing its (i) identification and (ii) management of associated safety risks.

This is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the independent rail safety regulator and enforcement body for Britain’s railways.