Written questions by Goldsborough.

What steps she is taking to address the increase in the remand population across the prison estate.

We are committed to working with partners across the criminal justice system to effectively manage the growth in the prison remand population, which currently sits at a record high.On 17 October 2024, we announced plans to allow magistrates’ courts to hand down custodial sentences of up to 12 months for a single triable either way offence – doubling their current powers.The change will help us bear down on the remand population by ensuring those on remand are tried and sentenced quicker.This change will help us to better manage the pressure on reception jails and maximise the space across the prison estate, created by SDS40. The Statutory Instrument to increase magistrates’ courts sentencing powers was laid on 28 October 2024 and these changes will come into force on 18 November 2024.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that people facing homelessness are discharged safely from hospital.

The Department is committed to promoting safe and timely discharge for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness to appropriate accommodation. Every acute hospital has access to a care transfer hub to manage discharge for people with more complex needs, who need extra support. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have published guidance and supporting materials for health and care staff on discharging people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. This ensures that every health and care interaction with a homeless person acts as an opportunity to provide support and signposting, with the aim of ending rough sleeping. This joint guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the development of the Government’s plans for social and affordable housing.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of delivering Single Justice Procedure prosecution notices by (a) signed and (b) tracked post to ensure receipt.

The Single Justice Procedure (SJP) Notice is a prosecutor notice which is issued and served by the prosecutor.The rules governing service of SJP Notices is covered by Rule 4 of the Criminal Procedure Rules - The Criminal Procedure Rules 2020 (legislation.gov.uk).There is no requirement for an SJP Notice to be sent by either signed for or tracked post and to do so would be a decision for the prosecutor.If a defendant does not know about the case until after it has finished, they can make a statutory declaration to that effect, which will start the proceedings again from the beginning.This Government is determined to ensure the SJP operates fairly and transparently. We are currently reviewing potential changes to the Procedure and will consider legislative reform if necessary.

How many Single Justice Procedure prosecution notices went undelivered in 2023.

Single Justice Procedure Notices are served by the individual prosecutors and not the magistrates’ court. We therefore do not hold the data in relation to the number of notices that went undelivered in 2023.

Which (a) people, (b) companies and (c) other organisations pursued prosecutions under the single justice procedure in 2023.

The attached table shows the number of people prosecuted under the Single Justice Procedure in 2023 by Prosecutor type.

How many people were prosecuted under the single justice procedure by offence in each month of 2023; and what the plea rates were for offences charged under the single justice procedure in the same period.

The attached table shows the number of people prosecuted under the Single Justice Procedure by offence in each month of 2023 and the plea rates for offences charged in the same period.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure defendants under the Single Justice Procedure are aware they have the option to elect for a court hearing.

This Government is determined to ensure the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) operates fairly and transparently. We are currently reviewing potential changes to the Procedure and will consider legislative reform if necessary. As it stands, there are multiple points in the SJP process where a defendant is notified of their right to elect for a court hearing. When a prosecutor presses charges under the SJP they issue the defendant with a SJP Notice. The information leaflet which accompanies the SJP Notice states that the defendant will need to decide whether or not they want to go to court and explains the process should they elect for a court hearing. The SJP Notice also provides the following link - Single justice procedure notices - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), which is publicly available and where it states clearly ‘You can choose if you want to go to court or not’. The plea form, which defendants responding to an SJP Notice are asked to fill out, also states that, if pleading guilty, the defendant must choose whether they want to go to court and there is a tick box with the options ‘Yes – I want to come to court’ or ‘No – I do not want to come to court’.

How many people were serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2024.

Information that would enable us to answer this question robustly is not collated centrally and to obtain it would involve a manual interrogation of courts and prison records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.

What the minimum tariff lengths were for people serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2024 who were sentenced (a) on or before 9 November 2000, (b) between 9 November 2000 and 4 April 2005 and (c) after 4 April 2005.

Information that would enable us to answer this question robustly is not collated centrally and to obtain it would involve a manual interrogation of courts and prison records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will publish the findings of Lord Banner KC's review of national infrastructure projects.

We intend to publish the review in question in due course.

How many people serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2024 (a) were serving a recall and (b) have never been released.

Information that would enable us to answer this question robustly is not collated centrally and to obtain it would involve a manual interrogation of courts and prison records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.

How many people serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2024 were sentenced (a) on or before 9 November 2000, (b) between 9 November 2000 and 4 April 2005 and (c) after 4 April 2005.

Information that would enable us to answer this question robustly is not collated centrally and to obtain it would involve a manual interrogation of courts and prison records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of Temporary Housing Subsidy rates on local authority budgets.

DWP pays local authorities a Housing Benefit subsidy for temporary accommodation cases but this is subject to limits to incentivise local authorities to find settled accommodation for residents and to ensure good value for money for the taxpayer. Local authorities usually pay the costs of temporary accommodation upfront and then claim back from DWP through the Housing Benefit subsidy. The rate of subsidy is usually based on 90% of the January 2011 Local Housing Allowance rates and maximum subsidy caps of £500 and £375 per week are in place in some high rent areas. DWP collects data on local authority Housing Benefit expenditure and levels of Housing Benefit subsidy paid, including temporary accommodation expenditure in England, Scotland and Wales. Housing Benefit expenditure and subsidy data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) We understand that local authorities are subject to many funding pressures which are impacting their budgets. However, any increases to the subsidy rates for temporary accommodation would need to be taken in the context of the government’s missions, goals on housing, and the fiscal position.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to work with local authorities to reduce the number of people in temporary accommodation.

Homelessness levels are far too high and too many families are living in temporary accommodation. We will take the action needed to tackle this issue and develop a long-term, cross-government strategy, through working with Mayors, councils and key stakeholders, to end homelessness for good.Homelessness legislation sets out that local authorities should try to place individuals within their own area, and when this is not possible, they should place the household as near as possible to the original local authority. The Government is clear that local authorities should, as far as possible, avoid placing households out of their borough. However, this is not always possible when there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation. If a local authority places a household into accommodation in another local area, they are required by law to notify the local authority of any placement, to ensure there is no disruption to education or employment.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting Controlled Environment Facilities from Biodiversity Net Gain requirements.

Following consultation in 2022, exemptions to the biodiversity net gain requirement set out within the regulations are narrow and focussed. This keeps the policy ambitious, whilst being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local authorities. My officials engage widely with stakeholders involved in delivering biodiversity net gain to increase our understanding of overall implementation. We will continue to engage with the horticulture sector and others, with evidence from industry to substantiate any suggested improvements to the requirement being crucial.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a new national accreditation for sustainable Controlled Environment Agriculture food production.

The Government is committed to a prosperous horticulture sector. Unlocking innovation is integral to enabling our growers to improve productivity sustainably, and to contribute to our food security. We are working with the industry to stimulate this, including through the adoption of Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) technologies enabling crops to be grown and harvested year-round in a climate-controlled environment. The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government's proposed planning reforms on food security.

This Government places great importance on our agricultural land and food production. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. The Framework is also clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. Food security is national security, which is relevant to all five Government missions and central to our primary mission to grow the economy. Boosting Britain’s food security is one of the core priorities of this Government. We need a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports British farmers. The only way to do this effectively is to listen to farmers and others with a stake in our food system, countryside and nature. We will consider relevant evidence and analysis, including that contained in Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy, as we develop our plans to support our farmers and food and drink businesses, boost food security, invest in rural communities, deliver growth, manage waste more effectively across the supply chain, improve resilience to climate change and tackle biodiversity loss.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government’s intended planning reforms on Controlled Environment Agriculture.

The Government is committed to a prosperous horticulture sector. Unlocking innovation is integral to enabling our growers to improve productivity sustainably, and to contribute to our food security. We are working with the industry to stimulate this, including through the adoption of Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) technologies enabling crops to be grown and harvested year-round in a climate-controlled environment. We are committed to working across Government and are reviewing responses to the recently closed consultation which asked for sector views on our proposed approach to revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the impact of Biodiversity Net Gain regulations on Controlled Environment Agriculture.

Following consultation in 2022, exemptions to the biodiversity net gain requirement set out within the regulations are narrow and focussed. This keeps the policy ambitious, whilst being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local authorities. My officials engage widely with stakeholders involved in delivering biodiversity net gain to increase our understanding of overall implementation. We will continue to engage with the horticulture sector and others, with evidence from industry to substantiate any suggested improvements to the requirement being crucial.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will work with the relevant control bodies to enable vertical farms to apply for organic accreditation.

Organic production is internationally recognised as a soil-based system, that is strictly regulated by assimilated organic Regulations 834/2007 and 889/2008. Vertical farming relies on hydroponic production, the method of growing plants with their roots in a mineral nutrient solution or in an inert medium, which is specifically prohibited within organic production systems. Therefore, it is not possible to certify vertical farming as organic.