Written questions by Stephenson.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department’s decision to end funding for the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme on levels of nature recovery.

We recognise the huge importance of nature friendly farming, and we will look to maintain momentum in the coming years. Decisions on funding of FiPL and other relevant programmes will be announced after the conclusion of the spending review.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's report entitled Delivering economic growth and nature recovery: an independent review of Defra’s regulatory landscape, published on 2 April 2025, whether he directed Dan Corry to consider the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in that report.

Dan Corry’s review of Defra’s regulatory landscape focussed on developing recommendations to ensure that the Department is driving economic growth while protecting the environment. As mentioned in the introduction to the review, Dan Corry was aware of several other strands of work in government that were relevant, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, so sought to complement this work and avoid duplication.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to Question 47409 on Mayors: Taxation, whether the list of taxes is exhaustive.

The government keeps all tax policy, including local taxes, under review.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to Question 48234 on Planning Permission, if she will set out her planned timeframe.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 53569 on 28 May 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled, Experimental AI could help councils meet housing targets by digitising records, published on 19 April 2025, for how long after digitisation will local authorities be expected to retain paper records.

Local planning authorities should consider several factors in the retention of their records. These include compliance with statutory requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulation, the Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Regulations, the requirement to hold evidence until the threat of a legal challenge has passed under the Limitation Act 1980, operational purposes and historic interest. In general, digital and hard copy records have the same status. The 19 April 2025 press release is focused on the AI tool ‘Extract’ and its ability to help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes. On the 9 June 2025, as part of London Tech Week, the Prime Minister announced the government’s intention to roll Extract out across the country by Spring 2026. As part of this long-term transition to digital ways of working the Department will consider how paper records should be dealt with.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning Inspectorate Performance update – April 2025, published on 25 April 2025, what steps she is taking to reduce the median decision time.

The Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets by 2027. Casework including nationally significant infrastructure projects, local plan examinations, critical Secretary of State casework, appeals against refusal of planning permission and appeals against enforcement notices are currently being prioritised over casework of lower general intrinsic economic value. It is, for example:Meeting all statutory timeframes for national infrastructure applications;Increasingly deciding planning appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the Ministerial measure), having already cleared a backlog of casework;Beginning to decide enforcement appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure) for the first time in many years, as it clears a long standing backlog of casework; andReducing the total number of live planning appeals by written representations every month (the highest volume area of casework) The Inspectorate is implementing actions to maintain performance in these areas performing well and to improve end-to-end times for other casework including by:Focusing available capacity of both salaried and contract (non-salaried inspectors) on reducing the amount of open appeals. The number of open planning appeals by written representations has reduced significantly during 2024 and continues to reduce.Using contract (non-salaried) inspectors to the full extent of their availability and expanding the range of casework they determine. In addition, the Inspectorate has designed and developed a new digital Appeals Service currently in Beta phase. This new service improves the process for submitting appeals, including reducing the number of invalid appeals submitted. In turn, this reduces the number of validation checks required and is speeding up the time taken to validate appeals. The new service has been expanded to cover all local planning authority areas. In five pilot local authority areas the digital Appeals Service is now being used to progress the appeal from receipt through to decision. This provides an interface for Local Planning Authorities and appellants to manage appeals and automate notifications which are expected to save time for participants, improve their experience of the appeals service and be a foundation for further improvements. The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm's Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance. The Inspectorate publishes updates on its performance on its website regularly.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May to Question 49985 on Planning: Appeals, when he plans to publish the guidance.

Guidance on the costs that may be considered when calculating planning fees will be published at the earliest opportunity following Royal Assent of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support efforts to scale up the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

On 19 May, the UK issued a joint statement calling for full aid resumption and for Israel to allow United Nations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) partners to operate independently. We will continue to convene international partners to increase pressure and take further steps to address the catastrophic situation on the ground. As I stated on 4 June, we are appalled by repeated mass casualty incidents at aid sites. No one should risk death or injury to feed their family. The UK will not support any mechanism that endangers civilians or politicises aid. We have committed £101 million this financial year in humanitarian support to trusted partners including UN agencies and NGOs.

If he will confirm when his Department will publish a fully-costed plan to achieve a Net Zero power grid by 2030.

The Clean Power Action Plan published in December 2024 outlines the Government’s approach to reaching clean power by 2030, including the need to deliver an estimated £40 billion a year of investment on average per year between 2025-2030. The vast majority of this investment will come from the private sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for farmers of being part of a National Landscape area.

England's National Landscapes are some of our most iconic and inspiring places. The specific merits for farmers will vary due to the unique local contexts. However, benefits range from additional support from National Landscapes teams, the ability to leverage a nationally recognised status, the public goods that come from a greater focus on nature in these areas, and opportunities arising from regenerative tourism. Farmers in National Landscapes also have access to our Farming in Protected Landscapes programme. This provides funding for farmers and land managers to work in partnership with National Park and National Landscape teams in England to deliver projects that achieve climate, nature, people and place outcomes. In the first three years of the programme, it engaged more than 7,000 farmers and land managers. As of April 2024, More than 5,500 projects have been approved across England’s 44 Protected Landscapes, with over £91 million provided in grant funding to farmers and land managers.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Protected Landscapes programme in helping to protect communities from flooding.

The impact of flooding across England’s 44 Protected Landscapes varies according to their local context and geographies. Work undertaken by Protected Landscape organisations makes a valuable contribution to protecting communities from flooding. The Protected Landscape Targets and Outcomes Framework sets out how Protected Landscapes will deliver a proportionally bigger contribution to national environmental targets than other areas. For example, approximately 130,000 hectares of peat will be restored in Protected Landscapes by 2050 which is 60% of the national target. This will enhance natural flood management.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 70 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s publication entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook of March 2025, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the statement that much of the additional development in the next five years is assumed to take place on current green belt land.

The government is committed to preserving Green Belts which have served England's towns and cities well over many decades, not least in terms of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another. However, we know that there are simply not enough sites on brownfield land registers to deliver the volume of homes that the country needs each year, let alone enough that are viable and in the right location. The government’s new approach to the Green Belt, including prioritising the release of lower quality grey belt land and introducing ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature, is set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December. On 27 February, Planning Practice Guidance was published to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, and to support a consistent approach to determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. This new guidance will support authorities in producing Local Plans, while also making sure that planning applications and development on suitable grey belt land can proceed in the short-term in areas without an up-to-date plan. The government has also provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increased NICs on the financial viability of Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. While retail, hospitality and leisure are devolved responsibilities, the UK Government is committed to supporting the Welsh tourism and hospitality sectors. In February, the Government announced a £15 million investment for Venue Cymru and the Newport Transporter Bridge. These are two key projects that will help boost the tourism and culture sectors in Wales.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2025 to Question 50278 on Coking Coal: Imports, if he will encourage businesses to source coal domestically used in (a) steel making, (b) the cement and chemical industries and (c) patent fuel manufacture.

Coal mining in Great Britain has been in long-term decline and there are only a handful of coal mines currently operating – these are unaffected by the Government commitment to not grant new coal licences and can continue in line with their existing consents. This includes a coal mine at Aberpergwm, Wales, that supplies coal suitable for certain domestic industrial processes. The source of coal for use in industry is a private commercial matter for the organisations involved.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ensure that the Spending Review recognises the contribution of the nature friendly farming budget in (a) supporting farmers, (b) restoring nature and (c) tackling climate change.

We recognise the huge importance of nature friendly farming, and we will look to maintain momentum in the coming years. The budgets for which will be set in the Spending Review.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of wildlife management and protection legislation in relation to (a) the number and (b) nature of (i) reported offences and (ii) successful prosecutions for wildlife crime.

Wildlife crime is abhorrent, and significant sanctions are already available for judges to hand down to those convicted of such crimes. Anyone who commits an offence under existing legislation can face up to a six-month custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine. The Government’s view is that where any wild animal is killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime. One obvious difficulty for reporting wildlife crimes and successfully bringing prosecutions is they often occur in remote areas of our countryside so there may not be a witness. Defra also recognises the view of many stakeholders that the complexity and disparate nature of wildlife legislation is a factor in the challenges experienced in successfully prosecuting wildlife offences. While we have no specific plans currently, we will continue to seek opportunities to consolidate legislation to achieve more consistency and clarity. In the meantime, Defra supports the valuable work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). It is a principal funder of the Unit which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis, and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help achieve the release of the remaining Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

Since day one, this Government has been clear that we need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, better protection of civilians, significantly more aid consistently entering Gaza, and a path to long-term peace and stability. The remaining hostages must be released and the only way to return them safely is through a deal. The UK is playing an active role in coordination with our international partners and continue to urge all parties to re-engage in ceasefire negotiations to get the hostages out and to secure a permanent end to the conflict.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The UK is taking firm steps to expand humanitarian aid in Gaza, working with trusted partners including UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations to deliver food, healthcare, and shelter. A significant portion of our Financial Year 2024/25 funding has already reached Gaza, including life-saving medical supplies. Some remain prepositioned at border crossings or in regional warehouses due to access constraints. On 19 May, the UK co-signed a joint donor statement urging Israel to fully restore humanitarian aid access to Gaza and permit the United Nations and other aid organisations to operate independently. The UK continues to press for safe, unhindered humanitarian access.

Representing the Church Commissioners, if she will hold discussions with the Church of England on the potential merits of heating church buildings with boilers that are compatible with hydrated vegetable oil.

The National Church Institutions, Cathedral and Church Buildings Department does not recommend that parish churches use hydrated vegetable oil for heating. They have issued the following advice available here: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/hydrogen-and-hydrotreated-vegetable-oilsAll the Parochial Church Councils across England have been encouraged to undertake an energy audit as part of the commitment of the Church of England to reach net zero by 2030. The audit should be conducted on a church-by-church basis to identify the best local heating, insulation, and lighting solutions.An energy audit enables informed decisions to find the most suitable technology to replace boilers, heating, lighting and insulation. It also allows the parish church to apply for grants from the National Church Institutions, which may be able to help a parish install new technology, equipment and materials to make their buildings more efficient to operate.Details of the grants can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/net-zero-carbon-church/short-guide-grants-and-projects-help-your-church-get

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 44048 on Environmental Delivery Plans, whether measures that require permanent maintenance will be funded from the initial levy.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44048 on 24 April 2025.