Written questions by Denyer.

What plans her Department has to (a) review and (b) update the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847.

At present there are no plans to review or update the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847. Whilst the Department for Transport continues to ensure that the UK’s maritime legislation is fit for purpose, there has been no pressing need identified to warrant parliamentary time to review this Act.

Pursuant to Question 103540 answered on 13 January, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential impact of the extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain on the Child Poverty Strategy.

In developing the Child Poverty Strategy, the Child Poverty Taskforce considered all children across the UK, including migrant children and children in families subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds condition.The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of AI technologies on the environment as part of her Department's work on the Greening Government Commitments for the period 2025 to 2030.

We are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities, including on the use of AI. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the delay in publishing the Greening Government Commitments for the period 2025-2030 on (a) the timetable for achieving Net Zero within the civil service and (b) the Government's environmental policies.

We are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities, including on the use of AI. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the Greening Government Commitments for the period 2025 to 2030; and for what reasons this has not already been published.

We are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities, including on the use of AI. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment.

What her planned timetable is for reviewing the legal framework for domestic abuse.

The Home Office is conducting a scoping review into the legal framework of domestic abuse to ensure it captures the experience of adolescents, which will conclude this year.

What additional resources she plans to provide to ensure the police can meet the expectation set out in the Freedom From Violence and Abuse Strategy for police forces to follow the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

We know that more needs to be done to ensure the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme is as effective as it can be for victims and survivors.We are working closely with the Independent Office for Police and Conduct and National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to review the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, and better understand the barriers forces face when applying the statutory guidance, including any resourcing implications.In the VAWG Strategy, we committed to create a clearer, more consistent framework for police and other agencies to improve implementation of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. We will also develop and roll out a digital tool, to support the police to make better decisions when disclosing to victims and survivors.

What proportion of the funding over the next three years in the Freedom From Violence and Abuse Strategy is a) new funding and b) a continuation of existing funds.

The cross‑government VAWG Strategy, published on 18 December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims — delivering our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG within a decade.The Strategy is underpinned by at least £1 billion of funding across government over the Spending Review period, alongside wider investment across government and existing commitments such as funding to put thousands more neighbourhood police officers on our streets.

What steps his Department is taking to support families who have experienced baby loss in Bristol Central constituency.

Both the North Bristol NHS Trust and the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust have dedicated maternity bereavement teams who provide support for families experiencing baby loss. This includes practical help with funeral arrangements, accessing financial support, and investigations, as well as ongoing emotional support, attending appointments, and supporting them when meeting and making memories with their baby. Counselling or access to psychological support are available, and spiritual or religious support is provided by chaplaincy teams in collaboration with external religious leaders at the family's request. Support for families during subsequent pregnancy is also provided. Local teams ensure all those experiencing early pregnancy loss are made aware of the resources available to them through partners and charities, many of whom they work with regularly, and will signpost families on to them where appropriate for ongoing support.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department about the potential impact of the extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain on the success of the Child Poverty Strategy.

The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this Government will take to reduce child poverty and to reverse the trend from 2010-2024. Responsibility for the Child Poverty Strategy lies with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Education, as co-chairs of the Child Poverty Taskforce.

With reference to page 97 of the Government's document entitled Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, updated on 23 December 2025, when the new guidance to aid local authorities in their understanding of their statutory duties and interaction with No Recourse to Public Funds will be issued.

The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this Government will take to reduce child poverty and to reverse the trend from 2010-2024. The new guidance document designed to assist local authorities’ understanding of their statutory duties and interaction with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) will be published in the Spring.

How many children whose families are subject to No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions are living in poverty.

The Department does not hold this data. We recognise the distinct challenges faced by those subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition and have engaged with organisations who have made representations on behalf of children subject to NRPF and will continue to do so. As part of the Child Poverty Strategy, the Department is working with the Home Office to develop questions on NRPF for inclusion in the Family Resources Survey 2026/2027, with the data first published in March 2028. This is a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK.

What definition his Department uses for new exploration in the context of a Transitional Energy Certificate; and whether that definition includes seismic activity.

The North Sea Transition Authority will publish detailed guidance on the application and assessment process for Transitional Energy Certificates in due course, including plans to ensure that the changes do not adversely impact seismic and other activity which is not for the purposes of oil and gas exploration.

Whether Transitional Energy Certificates will be required to supply environmental statements that (a) include Scope 3 emissions and (b) consider potential environmental impacts in line with what is required from other production.

Transitional Energy Certificates will give the holder exclusivity over a specific area of the seabed. These areas of the seabed must be adjacent to an existing licensed block and will be managed on an ‘out of round’ basis by the North Sea Transition Authority. Prior to undertaking any development activities within areas covered by Certificates, project developers will need to submit applications for consents or directions in accordance with the requirements of offshore environmental impact assessment legislation and associated guidance.

With reference to the North Sea Future Plan published on 26 November 2025, if he will clarify his Department's definition of a (a) managed, (b) prosperous and (c) orderly transition; and how these terms will be applied when deciding whether to approve a Transitional Energy Certificate.

The North Sea Transition Authority will publish detailed guidance on the application and assessment process for Transitional Energy Certificates in due course.

What assessment she has made of (a) the availability of global supply of the feedstocks used for sustainable aviation fuel and (b) the amounts of that feedstock the Government has identified as being needed for decarbonisation of (i) road transport and (ii) aviation.

As of the 1st of January 2025, a market for low carbon fuels for use in aviation and road transport has been supported under two separate schemes: the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). Targets under both the SAF Mandate and RTFO are set considering global availability of feedstocks and competing demands between transport modes and across sectors of the economy. Any proposals to introduce or change future targets under the RTFO or SAF mandate scheme design will always consider these competing demands. Accordingly, the Department published a Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF Mandate, alongside the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) Order 2024 SI No.1187 which introduced the scheme. The Cost Benefit Analysis set out our assessment of the availability of sustainable feedstocks and considered potential feedstock and production constraints. The Department is confident that the SAF Mandate targets have struck the right balance between ambition and deliverability.

What is the timeline for the introduction of new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in supported housing.

The Autumn Budget 2025 included an announcement to introduce four new earned income disregards into Housing Benefit for residents in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation. This will remove a significant barrier to entering work or increasing hours, ensuring that work pays and residents are better able to achieve financial independence from Autumn 2026. The Department’s latest data for August 2025 shows there were around 300,000 working-age people on Housing Benefit living in either supported housing or temporary accommodation of which around 200,000 were living specifically in supported housing.

What steps his Department is taking to address the 18% of people who are dying annually in poverty in Bristol Central, as identified in Marie Curie's Dying in Poverty 2025 report.

This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it. Support is available through the social security system to those who are unable to work, are on a low income or have additional costs as a consequence of a long-term health condition or disability, but are not eligible for pensioner benefits because of their age. For those nearing the end of their life, the Government’s priority is to provide financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way this is applied is through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) which enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain welfare benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods, and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. The Universal Credit Act 2025, ensures that all SREL claimants will receive the higher LCWRA rate, no matter when they make their claim.

How many people are expected to be supported by the introduction of new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in supported housing.

The Autumn Budget 2025 included an announcement to introduce four new earned income disregards into Housing Benefit for residents in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation. This will remove a significant barrier to entering work or increasing hours, ensuring that work pays and residents are better able to achieve financial independence from Autumn 2026. The Department’s latest data for August 2025 shows there were around 300,000 working-age people on Housing Benefit living in either supported housing or temporary accommodation of which around 200,000 were living specifically in supported housing.

With reference to July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education, whether primary schools are required to teach about same-sex families.

The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.