Written questions by Smith.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of an agreement with Ukraine on egg imports on domestic egg production,.

Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.We consistently consider the views and impact on our domestic industry, and this is reflected in our approach to tariff liberalisation support for Ukraine. We will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.

Whether he considered including people suffering from Long Covid within the Clinical risk group eligible for the covid-19 vaccination in the Autumn 2025 vaccination programme.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness (hospitalisations and deaths) arising from COVID-19. Population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.On 13 November 2024, JCVI published advice on who should be offered vaccination in autumn 2025. On 26 June 2025, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice that in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to the following groups:adults aged 75 years and over;residents in care homes for older adults;individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book).The Government has no plans to change eligibility for autumn 2025. It has accepted the JCVI advice for this campaign in full. As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are responded to within the appropriate time frame; how many complaints have been recorded against the RPA each year for the past five years; and what processes the RPA is putting into place in order to deliver the next generation of the Sustainable Farming Incentive effectively.

The Rural Payments Agency RPA) are supporting Defra as they continue to develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive. This includes fully considering deliverability and opportunities to simplify scheme administration. The RPA administers a wide range of services, including applications for Grants and subsequent payments, applications for cattle documentation to support animal traceability requirements and applications for licences. Performance is reported each year within the RPA Annual Report and Accounts within the Performance Overview section. This provides the most recent public information across all areas of the Agency’s delivery. The table below shows the number of complaints received by the RPA over the last 5 years. YearNumber of Complaints Received*2020 / 20216572021 / 20224972022 / 20234402023 / 20243492024 / 2025322 *Between 01/04 and 31/03 of each year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that supermarkets are required to use packaging that is recyclable through household recycling systems; and whether she has considered taking legislative steps to promote the use of such packaging.

The Government is taking several steps to incentivise the use of use or recyclable packaging by supermarkets and other producers.Under the UK wide Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme, which came into effect on 1 January 2025, producers are incentivised to reduce their material footprint and use easier to recycle packaging by being required to bear the end-of-life costs associated with packaging that they place on the market. The Scheme Administrator, PackUK, can modulate (increase or decrease) the household packaging waste disposal fees for each category of packaging a producer supplies. This will reflect the environmental sustainability of the packaging and provide an incentive to the producer to use more environmentally sustainable packaging.Additionally, under Simpler Recycling, every household and workplace (such as businesses, schools, and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). This includes cartons (as part of the plastics recyclable waste stream). More consistent collections will help reduce contamination, improve material quality and boost recycling rates.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the influence of the Chinese state on British residents.

Upholding national security and keeping the public safe is the first duty of Government.The Government, working alongside operational partners, keeps potential threats to the UK and its residents, including from China, under constant review and, where necessary, we use all the tools at our disposal to mitigate these.Where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.Where individuals have concerns for their safety, they are advised to contact the police via 101, a local police station or dial 999 in an emergency.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies on China of the case of Carmen Lau.

Upholding national security and keeping the public safe is the first duty of Government.The Government, working alongside operational partners, keeps potential threats to the UK and its residents, including from China, under constant review and, where necessary, we use all the tools at our disposal to mitigate these.Where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.Where individuals have concerns for their safety, they are advised to contact the police via 101, a local police station or dial 999 in an emergency.

Media and Sport, how community sports teams can become youth hubs; and how they can access funding for community sports facilities.

Sports facilities provide important community hubs for people of all ages to be active and connect people to the places in which they live.On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.DCMS funding for youth spaces is delivered through the Better Youth Spaces (BYS) fund. This is £30.5 million of capital funding for small scale capital equipment to help youth organisations to better support the young people they work with across England. DCMS also has responsibility for Young Futures Hubs. The first eight of 50 hubs will be operational by the end of this financial year, with a remaining 42 to be established where they will have the most impact by March 2029.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with the Palestinian Authority to support a two-state solution.

I refer the Hon Member to the announcements made by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary on 21 September, further details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-formally-recognises-palestinian-state.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking in response to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 3 September to question 71442.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing economic sanctions on Israel in relation to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 17th September to Question 74580.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to address regulatory failings highlighted in the independent review by Malcolm Sheehan KC concerning the collapse of football index.

The Independent Review announced by the previous Government and conducted by Malcom Sheehan KC made a number of recommendations for the Gambling Commission and Financial Conduct Authority, both of which are independent of Government. All recommendations of the report have since been implemented.

What steps she is taking to support children who arrive at school by (a) state-provided buses and (b) taxis to make use of free breakfast clubs.

The government is committed to offering every primary aged child a free breakfast club and is currently working with 750 early adopter schools to test how best to implement this policy ahead of national rollout. Transport will be considered as part of this.Free breakfast clubs should be at least 30 minutes immediately before the start of the compulsory school day. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopter-guidance-for-schools-and-trusts-in-england/breakfast-clubs-early-adopter-guidance-for-schools-and-trusts-in-england.Local authorities’ statutory duty requires them to arrange free travel to enable an eligible child to travel to school for the beginning of the school day, and to return home at the end of the school day. While local authorities are not required to make travel arrangements to enable eligible children to attend breakfast clubs, we encourage them to work with schools to find solutions wherever possible.

Whether she plans to (a) alter the statute of limitations and (b) review time limits for claims for (i) brain injuries and (ii) other lifelong conditions resulting from (A) medical and (B) clinical negligence.

Limitation periods set statutory time limits within which a party must bring a civil claim, or give notice of a claim, to the other party in a dispute. For negligence resulting in personal injury (which would include clinical negligence claims) the limitation period is normally three years from the date of the alleged negligence or the date of the claimant’s knowledge of damage, whichever is later.However, under Section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980, this period can be extended at the court’s discretion, if it appears that it would be equitable (fair and reasonable) to all parties to allow an action to proceed.The Government has no plans to reform the law.

Whether he has considered including lipedema as a relevant condition for NHS prescription of (a) Mounjaro injections and (b) other weight loss treatments.

Semaglutide, brand name Wegovy, tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, and liraglutide, brand name Saxenda, are approved for the management of obesity. They are recommended as cost-effective for use on the National Health Service for people who have a body mass index (BMI) over a certain threshold, and one or more weight-related comorbidities.The marketing authorisations for tirzepatide and other weight loss medicines do not include an exhaustive list of qualifying comorbidities, and it is for the prescriber to apply their clinical judgement in determining whether a patient meets the eligibility criteria.The exact causes of lipoedema are not clear, and the NHS.UK website states that it’s not caused by being overweight, and that it is a separate condition to obesity.The NHS is currently rolling out tirzepatide in primary care, using a phased approach based on clinical need. Approximately 220,000 individuals are expected to be eligible over the next three years. NHS England worked with clinical experts, NHS integrated care boards, patient and public representatives, healthcare professionals, charities, and royal colleges on its prioritisation approach, which it set out in its interim commissioning guidance, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/interim-commissioning-guidance-implementation-of-the-nice-technology-appraisal-ta1026-and-the-nice-funding-variation-for-tirzepatide-mounjaro-for-the-management-of-obesity/At the current time, patients will be eligible for treatment in primary care if they have a BMI of at least forty, and four or more out of five ‘qualifying' conditions. The qualifying conditions for tirzepatide treatment are cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to expand testing capacity for the bluetongue virus.

All diagnostic testing for bluetongue virus is conducted at the bluetongue national reference laboratory at The Pirbright Institute. Current testing capacity is sufficient to meet the demands for disease control and movement testing. Nevertheless, Pirbright has the provisions to expand its testing capacity, if required, to meet higher demand. The Official Laboratory in Weybridge is also designated by Defra for the purpose of surveillance and post-movement tests for bluetongue if required which provides additional capacity.

Food and Rural Affairs, if Pirbright lab will prioritise blood samples from sheep farmers in northern England ahead of the Kelso ram sales on 12 September 2025.

All pre-movement tests for bluetongue virus performed at Pirbright are reported within three working days of receipt, with no prioritisation given to particular samples. Pirbright has the provisions to expand its testing capacity, if required, to meet higher demand.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the turn around time for results on livestock samples at the Pirbright lab has been in the latest period for which data is available.

The Pirbright Institute is the UK national reference laboratory and provides a commercial testing service five days a week. Results from submissions from private vets are reported within three working days from the time samples are received at the lab, as stated on Pirbright’s website.

Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on the future of neighbourhood plans that have been started but not completed by local authorities; and if she will make funding available for the delivery of such plans.

Following the Spending Review, my Department has announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026. The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.

What discussions he has had with (a) campaigners and (b) stakeholders on treatment for (i) lobular breast cancer and (ii) other rare cancers.

Improving outcomes and experiences of cancer treatment, including lobular breast cancer and other rare cancers, is a priority for the Government. Engagement with campaigners and partners is vital to achieving this.My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, accompanied by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Health, met with representatives of the Lobular Moonshot Project on 14 July 2025 to discuss their work. Following this meeting, the Chief Scientific Adviser and officials from the Department and the Medical Research Council (MRC) met again with the Lobular Moonshot Project to provide advice on existing funding options. Both the MRC and the National Institute for Health and Care Research have committed to continuing to work with the Lobular Moonshot Campaign team to support the development of fundable research proposals in this area and help drive our collective ambition to increase understanding and effective management of this disease.In April 2025, I attended an event with Cancer Research UK, Macmillan, and Cancer52. The was followed by a roundtable in May 2025, in which I met with Cancer52 members, representing a wide range of cancer types, to discuss how the National Cancer Plan can prioritise rare cancers, to make a meaningful difference to how patients experience cancer treatment, and to bring cancer survivability back up to the standards of the best in the world. I have also met with brain cancer campaigners and All-Party Parliamentary Group members on several occasions since taking up post.The National Cancer Plan will include more details about improving treatments for all tumour types, including lobular breast cancer. The Department continues to engage with a wide range of cancer partners on the Plan, including charities and patient representative bodies.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease not being eligible for free prescription charges as chronic health conditions.

While the Department has made no assessment, approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments.