Written questions by Spencer.

What professional accreditations will new mental health practitioners employed in schools be required to hold.

We are currently working with colleagues at the Department for Education and NHS England to consider the options.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the impact of her increased housing targets on sewerage capacity by (a) water company region and (b) constituency.

The Government recognises the importance of water and wastewater provision on new developments. Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of Water Resource Management Plans and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans.The way that water resources are planned for is being considered as part of a commission reviewing the Water Sector Regulatory System, as recently announced by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Thames Water’s surface and foul water drainage asset management in the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency.

It is important for companies to maintain assets to ensure compliance with legal obligations and continuity of service for customers now and into the future. There are two common performance commitments that Ofwat uses, alongside other information, to monitor the health of wastewater assets. These are treatment works compliance and number of sewer collapses.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the impact of excluding pitch fees from pension credit applications on park home residents.

No such discussions have taken place. Pitch fees can usually be met through Housing Benefit. In cases where there is a tenancy of over 21 years, then the pitch fees are not eligible for Housing Benefit but instead may be met by the housing cost element in Pension Credit, subject to the usual Pension Credit eligibility rules.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) flood risk and (b) primary navigation assets along the non-tidal Thames that are below their target condition lie within the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities. That’s why this Government launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after winter flood season. The Government is investing over £1.25 billion in 2024/25 to build and maintain flood defences to scale up national resilience. We continue to target investment where it’s most needed to ensure that communities are protected from the devastating impacts of flooding and coastal erosion. There are currently no flood risk assets on the River Thames within the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. However, the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation scheme (MWEFAS) reduces impacts of Thames flooding. Assessments carried out post-flooding showed that it performed as designed. Approximately 7% of primary purpose navigation assets below required condition are within Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. Where assets are not at required condition, this identifies that work is needed. It doesn’t present a risk of failure, or compromise performance in a flood, because mitigation measures are put in place such as more frequent inspections by the Environment Agency (EA). Defra ministers regularly meet with EA leadership to discuss its performance and delivery of departmental priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Environment Agency’s performance on flood risk asset management along the non-tidal Thames; and what discussions he has had with that agency on improving its performance.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities. That’s why this Government launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after winter flood season. The Government is investing over £1.25 billion in 2024/25 to build and maintain flood defences to scale up national resilience. We continue to target investment where it’s most needed to ensure that communities are protected from the devastating impacts of flooding and coastal erosion. There are currently no flood risk assets on the River Thames within the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. However, the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation scheme (MWEFAS) reduces impacts of Thames flooding. Assessments carried out post-flooding showed that it performed as designed. Approximately 7% of primary purpose navigation assets below required condition are within Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. Where assets are not at required condition, this identifies that work is needed. It doesn’t present a risk of failure, or compromise performance in a flood, because mitigation measures are put in place such as more frequent inspections by the Environment Agency (EA). Defra ministers regularly meet with EA leadership to discuss its performance and delivery of departmental priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the condition of flood risk assets along the non-tidal Thames on flood risk in that area.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities. That’s why this Government launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after winter flood season. The Government is investing over £1.25 billion in 2024/25 to build and maintain flood defences to scale up national resilience. We continue to target investment where it’s most needed to ensure that communities are protected from the devastating impacts of flooding and coastal erosion. There are currently no flood risk assets on the River Thames within the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. However, the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation scheme (MWEFAS) reduces impacts of Thames flooding. Assessments carried out post-flooding showed that it performed as designed. Approximately 7% of primary purpose navigation assets below required condition are within Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. Where assets are not at required condition, this identifies that work is needed. It doesn’t present a risk of failure, or compromise performance in a flood, because mitigation measures are put in place such as more frequent inspections by the Environment Agency (EA). Defra ministers regularly meet with EA leadership to discuss its performance and delivery of departmental priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) ability of river users to safely navigate the Thames river and (b) potential economic impact of the proportion of navigation assets along the non-tidal Thames that are below their target condition.

(a) The safety of river users navigating the non-tidal Thames is a priority for the Environment Agency (EA), although it remains the responsibility of the master of their vessel to ensure the safety of it and everyone on board. The EA have measures in place to ensure the safety of river users which include regular inspections and maintenance of assets, marking obstructions and hazards in the channel. The hydraulic locks on the Thames also have a ‘public power’ setting which reduces the speed that the locks fills or empties, to ensure that they can be safely operated by the public when there is no Lock & Weir Keeper on duty. (b) The EA engages regularly with businesses operating on the River Thames. The EA is developing a strategic management plan for assets on its navigable waterways. This plan looks to set out the performance of its assets and identify the investment required to maintain these assets to deliver that performance at an acceptable level of risk. Although some assets are currently classed as below required condition this does not necessarily mean they are inoperable.

Food and Rural Affairs, the performance standards he expects Thames Water to meet in response to a sewer flooding incident.

The Environment Agency expects water and sewerage companies to take all possible measures to avoid pollution incidents and to mitigate environmental impact if they occur. Thames Water’s current performance on pollution incidents is unacceptable and the company needs to increase the scale and pace of action set out in its Pollution Incident Reduction Plan.

With which countries she is negotiating a reciprocal agreement on uprating state pensions.

My department is not negotiating any reciprocal social security agreements.

What steps she is taking to (a) train, (b) recruit and (c) retain educational psychologists.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, the department knows that current workforce shortages are a barrier to delivering its ambition for an inclusive mainstream education system.Whilst it is the responsibility of local authorities, as employers, to recruit to their educational psychology services, the department is taking measures to support these services by investing in building the training pipeline.The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from this year. This builds on the £10 million currently being invested in a cohort of over 200 trainees who began their training in September 2023.Following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. To support local authority services to recruit and retain their educational psychology workforce, this requirement will increase to three years for those trainees beginning their course this year. This will allow local authority services to benefit from the public investment in training and will support their delivery of statutory assessments and wider work.

Which schools are participating in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme; and how much funding is provided to each school as part of the Early Language and Support for Every Child in Surrey.

There are 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme currently, following the continuation of the programme for an additional academic year, which was announced in July 2024. The full list of schools registered to deliver the NELI programme is published online at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/neli-nuffield-early-language-intervention-programme.The department and NHSE are funding nine Early Language and Support Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinders, one per Department for Education region and each receiving £500,000 in the 2024/25 financial year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of improvements to sewage works discharging into the river Mole and (b) extent of further work needed to reduce storm overflows from those sites.

The Environment Agency (EA) has 31 Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) schemes in the current investment period 2020-25. These cover the Mole catchment as a whole. The schemes involve a range of actions including increasing storm tank capacity, investigations at Sewage Treatment Works in the catchment and monitoring. These schemes are on target to be completed by the end of the year and will be reviewed by the EA.

What assessment she has made of the economic impact to businesses and communities in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency of the M25/A3 improvement works.

National Highways (NH) is delivering a scheme on the M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange and selected surrounding roads to reduce congestion, improve safety, support planned housing and economic growth, and improve provision for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders crossing or using routes in the vicinity of M25 junction 10. During the economic assessments of this scheme, NH appraised the economic impact of road user delays during construction, as well as the long-term benefits for the whole scheme across the aggregate area. As this did not separate out the assessment by areas, the impact in the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency specifically cannot be quantified.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of improvements to Weybridge sewage works and (b) extent of further work needed to reduce storm overflows from that site.

The Environment Agency (EA) has required Thames Water to improve the Event Duration Monitoring of storm overflows at Weybridge Sewage Treatment works as part of the current Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) 2020-25. The EA has inspected Weybridge Sewage Treatment Works in 2024 and is currently investigating possible permit breaches at the site. The regulators will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, will not hesitate to hold companies to account. Further improvement schemes are planned as part of the WINEP 2025-2030 including tightening of environmental permit limits for phosphorous.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the causes of delays in repairing bridge 142 in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency.

To ensure public safety and prevent access to the bridge, Egham Hythe (Bridge 142) will be closed until the Environment Agency (EA) has completed the necessary repair. Following a tree strike in 2023 the EA has conducted several specialist surveys of this bridge which identified cracks within the iron structure. The bridge refurbishment will require Defra grant in aid funding to be allocated to it and we will ensure this forms part of future Government Spending Review bids. Any temporary crossing would similarly require new Defra funding in order to be progressed. The EA is, however, exploring possible routes for partnership funding, which may help accelerate the refurbishment programme

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of improvements to Chertsey Sewage Works and (b) extent of further work needed to reduce storm overflows from that site.

The Environment Agency (EA) has required Thames Water to significantly improve the storm tank capacity at Chertsey Sewage Treatment works as part of the current Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) 2020-25 to reduce the frequency of storm overflows. The current completion date for this work is 31 December 2024. The EA will be inspecting the site to confirm the improvement scheme has been completed and will issue an updated environmental permit accordingly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned upgrade and improvement works at the Animal and Plant Health Agency on (a) current and (b) future trade agreements.

Work to safeguard and enhance the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) site in Weybridge continues. This capability ensures the Government can continue to manage a wide range of biosecurity threats which may otherwise affect our ability to trade. Defra is committed to the strongest possible standards of biosecurity which protects the country, boosting our resilience against animal diseases and protecting our economic growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement powers he has over the Environment Agency if they fail to remove (a) a tree under the Wey Bridge and (b) other waterway obstructions.

The Environment Agency (EA) is accountable to Parliament via the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). As the principal sponsor of the EA, Defra works closely with EA officials at every level to provide constructive challenge and support on EA performance and delivery. Defra ministers regularly meet with the EA leadership to discuss the EA’s performance and delivery of departmental priorities. The EA has powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where the EA undertakes watercourse maintenance to reduce flood risk, it focuses its efforts and resources on those areas where the consequences of flooding for communities, businesses, property and infrastructure are greatest. The EA measures, and reports on, the percentage of assets that are at target condition. Where assets are not at required condition, this identifies that work is needed. It does not present a risk of failure, or compromise performance in a flood, because mitigation measures are put in place such as more frequent inspections by the EA.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) staff training and (b) equipment for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis in schools.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, Academies and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions.The accompanying statutory guidance, entitled Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions, makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.The guidance is clear that policy should include how it will be implemented, what should happen in an emergency situation and the role individual healthcare plans play in supporting pupils. The policy should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.The department included a reminder to schools of these duties in its regular schools’ email bulletin in both March and September this year. In the same communication, the department also alerted schools to the newly created Schools Allergy Code. The Code was developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA) and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, who are all trusted voices on the matter of allergies. The department has now also added a link to the Code to its online allergy guidance on GOV.UK.Regarding equipment, in 2017, the Department of Health (now the Department of Health and Social Care) published non-statutory guidance to accompany a legislative change to allow schools to purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy, without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. This guidance is kept under review and gives clear advice to schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils in schools.