Written questions by Snowden.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints the Rural Payments Agency has received from farmers in the last 12 months; and what the most common issues raised were.

Between 01 June 2024 & 31 May 2025 the Rural Payments Agency, received 363 complaints. The most common issues raised were regarding the application and claims process for the Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes and outstanding payments. During the 2024/25 Financial year 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2025 The number of complaints received decreased by 7.7% compared to the previous year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of agri-science on (a) improving soil health and (b) reducing chemical inputs in farming in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

Defra has not made any assessments or carried out any research on soil health or reducing chemical inputs in farming in (i) Fylde constituency or (ii) Lancashire, specifically. Defra understand the importance of soil health and will be developing a soil health indicator which can be applied nationwide to assess soil health. The indicator will assess soil health over time and track changes in the abilities of soils to deliver sustainable food production, carbon storage, reduction in runoff and soil biodiversity. The Department is funding research into exploring the impact of agriculture on soil health and reducing chemical inputs to farming. However, none of these field sites are in Lancashire or the Fylde constituency.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending permitted developments rights to require local consent for the installation of wireless broadband masts.

The government is committed to supporting investment in high-quality, reliable digital connectivity so that communities can benefit from faster economic growth and greater social inclusion. My Department continues to keep permitted development rights under review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of Government-supported agri-science programmes to small and medium-sized farms in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

Since 2021, the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) has been Defra’s flagship programme for supporting research and innovation in farming in England to help farmers, growers and foresters increase productivity, sustainability and resilience. FIP encourages smaller organisations to be involved in the innovation process. Of the 603 organisations that have received funding through the programme to date, 480 have been small or medium in size. In February the Secretary of State announced a further £63 million for competitions starting in 2025/6. This includes the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) fund with £20.6 million across 2025/6 which is focussed on farmer-led, smaller-scale innovation grants and supports trialling new technology and methods on farms. ADOPT is aimed at on farm trials which can deliver quick results, with project costs between £50,000 and £100,000. We have funded a support hub, led by ADAS, to encourage famers to collaborate and to increase participation rates. In addition to this we will also pay support grants of £2,500 to allow smaller farming operations to access our grants by covering professional fees related to applications.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Rural Payments Agency in delivering timely payments to farmers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The Rural Payment Agency (RPA) makes payments for schemes and grants against published performance indicators and continues to look at opportunities to issue payments as promptly as possible. Performance in relation to the financial year (1 April to 31 March) is reported each year within the RPA Annual Report and Accounts and will be published next month.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support innovation in agri-science to improve farming (a) productivity and (b) sustainability in (i) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Since 2021, the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) has been Defra’s flagship programme for supporting research and innovation in farming in England to help farmers, growers and foresters increase productivity, sustainability and resilience. In February the Secretary of State announced a further £63 million for new competitions starting in 2025/6. Competitions currently open include low emissions farming and precision breeding with up to £12.5 million across each; the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies fund with £20.6 million across 2025/6 which provides farmer-led, smaller-scale innovation grants and supports trialling new technology and methods on farms; and a £5 million Investor Partnerships programme which will blend government grant money with private investment to bring cutting edge technology to market, giving farmers and food producers faster and more widespread access to state-of-the-art innovations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58327 on Beer: Sales, when he expects the assessment of the beer market to be completed; and whether the findings will be published.

The intention is to complete the review this summer. Ministers will then consider the report’s findings and, following discussions with those parties that have contributed to the review, whether any further steps should be taken.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the support provided by the Rural Payments Agency for (a) new and (b) young farmers who apply for funding under new environmental land management schemes.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) administer agreements and issue payments for Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). Both a) new and b) young farmers were eligible to apply for agreements under the SFI Expanded Offer, whilst the scheme was open for applications until March 2025. RPA issues a range of supporting communications including online 'how to apply' videos and regularly shares reminders and updates across their channels. Direct communications are issued to agreement holders, and the Rural Payments Helpline is available Monday - Friday.

Media and Sport, how many schools engaged with Historic England’s Heritage Schools Programme in each region in the most recent academic year for which data is available.

The most recent academic year for which DCMS holds data is September 2023 - July 2024. 582 schools have engaged with Historic England’s Heritage Schools Programme, with approximately 116,400 children participating. The regional breakdown is as follows:RegionNo. of schoolsApprox. no. of children benefittingEast9018,000Midlands22144,200North East & Yorkshire13527,000North West489,600South West8817,600Total582116,400 There was no delivery in London and the South East in the 2023-24 academic year, however Historic England are supporting Surrey Museums to run a Heritage Schools programme in their area this year.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local planning authorities on the installation of wireless broadband masts.

The government is committed to supporting investment in high-quality, reliable digital connectivity so that communities can benefit from faster economic growth and greater social inclusion. Chapter 10 of the National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’s policy on supporting high quality communications infrastructure and on how telecommunications and mobile network infrastructure should be considered. The Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England (April 2022) sets out the considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with farming representative organisations on the (a) efficiency and (b) responsiveness of the Rural Payments Agency.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) meets regularly with a range of farming representative organisations at a strategic and operational level to discuss effectiveness, ideas for improvement and upcoming delivery plans. Meetings take place each month alongside organisations having an open dialogue with the RPA, sharing valuable insight and feedback to help continuously improve their services.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58327 on Beer: Sales, whether his assessment of the beer market will include consideration of (a) tied house arrangements and (b) their impact on market access for guest beers.

The beer market review, with specific reference to market access for small brewers, will cover all subcategories of the pub sector, including leased and tenanted pubs. It will not however consider the merits of different pub models.The government is separately conducting a statutory review into the operation of Pubs Code and the performance of the Pubs Code Adjudicator. Interested parties can submit their views to the call for inputs until 14 August 2025. The Pubs Code applies to large pub-owning businesses with 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales, covering around 8,000 pubs.

Innovation and Technology, what steps is Ofcom taking to ensure telecommunications providers adhere to the Electronic Communications Code on the visual impact of broadband infrastructure.

The Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 include a requirement for operators to minimise the impact on the visual amenity of properties as far as reasonably practicable when installing apparatus. It is Ofcom’s role as an independent regulator to investigate any complaints from local planning authorities about telegraph poles sited in a way which is not consistent with these requirements. Ofcom has in the past opened investigations into whether specific operators have failed to comply with their obligations when installing apparatus. These can be found on Ofcom’s enforcement page here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57447 on Local History: Education, how (a) local historians, (b) museums and (c) heritage organisations can contribute to (i) curriculum development and (ii) enrichment in local history education.

Schools determine which organisations they work with to support the teaching of local history. This can include local historians, museums and heritage organisations.The Curriculum and Assessment Review carried out extensive engagement with the education sector, including teachers, lecturers, leaders, civil society organisations, students and parents, through its Call for Evidence and roundtable events. This provided an opportunity for bodies and individuals with an interest in local history to contribute to the Review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support local authorities to (a) monitor and (b) reduce particulate pollution in (i) residential and (ii) agricultural areas in Fylde.

Local authorities review and assess air quality in their areas and publish an annual report on their actions to improve local air quality including local monitoring data which is assessed by Defra. Fylde council have reported continued compliance with the Air Quality Objectives set by central Government and have an Air Quality Strategy in place aimed at further reducing pollution from key sources. Defra supports local authorities through the provision of clear detailed statutory guidance and a helpline provided via contractors. We also host the Air Quality Hub; a resource and knowledge-sharing platform for local authorities. The Government will publish a revised Environmental Improvement Plan, to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery information to help meet the ambitious Environment Act targets.

Whether she has considered the potential merits of reducing the price of a veterans’ railcard to that of an armed forces railcard.

There are no current plans to reduce the price of the Veterans’ Railcard. Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of air pollution in (a) Fylde and (b) other semi-rural areas; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate the impact of air pollution on public health.

Local authorities review and assess air quality in their areas and publish an annual report on their actions to improve local air quality including local monitoring data which is assessed by Defra. Fylde council have reported continued compliance with the Air Quality Objectives set by central Government and have an Air Quality Strategy in place aimed at further reducing pollution from key sources. Defra supports local authorities through the provision of clear detailed statutory guidance and a helpline provided via contractors. We also host the Air Quality Hub; a resource and knowledge-sharing platform for local authorities. The Government will publish a revised Environmental Improvement Plan, to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery information to help meet the ambitious Environment Act targets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that (a) rural and (b) farming communities receive appropriate tailored mental health services.

Defra’s Mental Health in Agriculture team is working with experts across government and the third sector to improve mental and physical health outcomes for rural and agricultural communities. They are identifying requirements and developing options as to how they can further support DHSC and third sector investment in mental health interventions for those communities.

Communities and Local Government, how many projects have benefitted from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Fylde constituency.

We do not hold constituency level data, but Fylde Borough Council received a UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation between 2022-25. For 2025-26, in line with new devolution deals, funding will be allocated to Lancashire Combined Authority for the area. In Fylde Council, thirteen projects were supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) between 2022-25 and three new projects are forecasted to receive funding in 2025-26. Across Lancashire Combined Authority, 380 projects were supported by UKSPF between 2022-25 and 57 new projects are forecasted to receive funding in 2025-26.

Whether he plans to build more community diagnostic centres.

The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out that we will deliver additional community diagnostic centre (CDC) capacity in 2025/26 by expanding several existing CDCs and building up to five new ones, as well as increasing the number of CDCs offering services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.NHS England is working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for additional investment, including new CDCs. New CDCs should be positioned in a location that addresses local need and health inequalities. Details of future sites will be set out in due course.£1.65 billion of capital funding has been made available in 2025/26 for secondary and emergency care, which includes £0.6 billion for investment in diagnostics. This will enable the NHS to expand existing CDCs and build new CDCs as part of our Elective Reform Plan. It will also enable the completion of 2024/25 schemes.The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective and urgent care capacity, including the £1.65 billion investment already announced. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.