Written questions by Morello.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to prevent supermarkets from cancelling orders from vertical farms at short notice.

The Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists, which includes practices such as cancelling orders at short notice. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 we can introduce regulations to increase transparency and protect growers, including those with vertical horticulture systems, from unfair commercial practices. We are already making progress on developing ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations for the fresh produce sector, which will cover growers that sell directly to retail. These regulations could require that contracts include clear rules on notice periods, fair termination clauses and processes for changing agreed terms.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the fruit-growing sector on access to innovation funding for harvesting technologies.

We recognise the specific needs of the horticulture sector, and Defra ministers and officials meet regularly with a variety of growers from across the sector, including representatives from the fruit-growing sector, to discuss a wide range of issues to help us understand how best to support the sector.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that people who automatically qualified for full Council Tax Support under legacy benefits will continue to receive support under revised local support schemes.

Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually. The Department for Work and Pensions provides data to councils for use in the administration of LCTS schemes in order to determine eligibility.

For what reason she plans to implement changes to the Access to Work scheme in phases from May 2025, prior to the conclusion of her Department’s consultation.

No changes have been made to Access to Work policy. We will announce any changes before they are implemented. Current operational guidance is published online at GOV.UK. Following the consultation, which concluded on 30 June, we will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of soil carbon stored within national landscapes.

Natural England estimates that 649,485,339 tonnes of carbon are stored below ground in National Landscapes. Source – Spatial Prioritisation of Below Ground Carbon Storage 2023 (England) | Natural England Open Data Geoportal.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Access to Work funding on disabled people in West Dorset.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of Access to Work funding on disabled people in West Dorset and currently does not have plans to do so. Access to Work spending has however increased every year since 2021/22. In 2023/24, the average amount an individual received across all Access to Work provision was around £4,180, which is around a 6% increase in real terms compared to the previous year. Demand for the service has increased - in 2023/24 Access to Work provision was approved for 67,720 people, an increase of 32% in real terms in comparison to the previous year. We are pleased to confirm that Access to Work will continue to be funded as part of the Spending Review 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of agricultural automation technologies on the future resilience of the fruit and horticulture sector.

The Government recognises that accelerating the application of automation in horticulture is key to delivering growth, sustainability and resilience. Increasing the application of automation in priority farming sectors such as horticulture is a key objective for Agri-Tech within the Government’s Industrial Strategy Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. Automation would also have the potential to reduce (though not eliminate) reliance on seasonal migrant labour. As part of the Industrial Strategy, this Government has allocated at least £200 million to the Farming Innovation Programme until 2030, which will continue to enable agri-tech innovation and growth. This includes research and development into the applications of automation in the horticulture sector. Defra has reviewed the role of automation in horticulture. It found that a range of new innovations and technologies, including automation, could boost productivity and resilience, but barriers like cost and access to funding remain.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Dorset Council and (b) other local authorities on the treatment of legacy benefit claimants in Council Tax support schemes.

Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually. The Department for Work and Pensions provides data to councils for use in the administration of LCTS schemes in order to determine eligibility.

What steps she is taking to address the impact of Access to Work delays on disabled people in (a) West Dorset and (b) other rural areas.

The Access to Work Scheme is centrally administered and makes no distinction between the processing of applications from different regions. Demand for Access to Work has been growing. In 2023-2024, 67,720 people were approved for Access to Work provision. This is around a 32% increase when compared to the previous year. We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work. Despite this, the number of Access to Work applications waiting to be processed is continuing to grow, with over 62,000 applications outstanding as of February 2025. In addition, the average processing time for Access to Work applications was 92 days from April 2025 to June 2025. We are prioritising customers who are making new applications, those who are due to start a job within the next 4 weeks, or those whose existing grant requires renewal. We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them. This combination of delays, poor experience and perceived inconsistency by some customers means the Access to Work scheme needs reform in order to support disabled people starting or continuing in employment better, and to support their employers more effectively.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the withdrawal of passporting to full Council Tax support for legacy benefit recipients on low-income households.

Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually. The Department for Work and Pensions provides data to councils for use in the administration of LCTS schemes in order to determine eligibility.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the (a) development and (b) deployment of (i) robotic and (ii) automated fruit-picking technologies.

The Government recognises that automation in horticulture (including robotic and automated fruit picking technologies) is a highly productive and valuable component of our wider agricultural system. Defra is supporting the development and deployment of robotic and automated fruit-picking technologies through targeted investment with the Farming Innovation Programme of £15 million into the development of horticultural robotics, automation and engineering innovation to date. Furthermore, the Government has allocated at least £200 million to the Farming Innovation Programme until 2030, which will continue to enable agri-tech innovation and growth, including technologies that will benefit the horticultural sector.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of charging VAT on carbon offset donations on levels of public engagement with climate action.

Payments that are freely given without the expectation of receiving something in return are not in the scope of VAT. This is a fundamental principle of how VAT operates. Donations made to carbon projects are outside the scope of VAT. This means that VAT should not be charged on carbon offset donations. There are no plans to change this position.

If she will make it her policy to exempt donations to verified carbon offsetting projects from VAT.

Payments that are made voluntarily, without expectation of receiving goods or services in return, fall outside the scope of VAT. This is a core principle of the VAT system. As such, donations to verified carbon offsetting projects are not subject to VAT, and VAT should not be charged on these donations.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling people to Gift Aid donations made to certified carbon offsetting projects.

The Government recognises the vital role played by the charity sector and the generosity of the British public. That is why we supported charitable giving with over £1.7billion in Gift Aid in tax year 2025. Donations to UK registered charities recognised by HMRC, that are involved in or run certified carbon credit projects, are already allowable for Gift Aid, an example being ‘The Woodland Trust’. The UK Government is a strong supporter of the responsible voluntary use of high-integrity carbon and nature credits as part of climate and nature strategies. This commitment is reflected in the launch of the Principles for Voluntary Carbon and Nature Market Integrity and the government consultation which closed in July on their operationalisation, which will further the UK's ambition to become the green finance capital of the world.

Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of youth work on (a) the wellbeing of and (b) employment outcomes for young people.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We know the impact that youth work has on young people’s life chances, including on their wellbeing and their employment outcomes. That is why we are co-producing an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, with young people, sector experts and cross-government colleagues.The Strategy will better coordinate youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level, moving away from siloed working - ensuring we are better coordinated and more than the sum of our parts. We will publish the Strategy in the Autumn.

What recent discussions she has had with (a) HMRC and (b) stakeholders on the VAT treatment of voluntary payments made to international carbon offsetting projects.

HMRC engaged with stakeholders prior to clarifying the policy on the VAT treatment of voluntary carbon credits in 2024. As of 1 September 2024, payments made to non-statutory carbon offsetting projects for the purchase of voluntary carbon credits are in the scope of VAT where the place of supply is the UK. Payments made to international carbon offsetting projects are outside the scope of UK VAT.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure youth work funding is distributed (a) across the country and (b) rural areas.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. Local Authorities fund youth services from their Local Government Finance Settlement in line with local need. To support Local Authorities, we launched the £8 million Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support local authorities across the country to build back capability to improve local youth offers. The selected local authorities for the pilot include a mix of urban and rural areas.In addition, we are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy. The strategy will support better coordination of youth services across the country and will increase access to opportunities, in particular in underserved areas. The Strategy will be published in Autumn and will be supported by funding, across the SR period to develop new youth facilities and improve existing ones, as well as further funding to support local youth service provision.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of national landscapes on levels of tourism in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural constituencies.

The Government recognises that our National Landscapes, such as the Dorset National Landscape, are among our nation's greatest assets and are significant drivers of domestic and international tourism for rural communities.No assessment has been made on the impact of national landscapes on levels of tourism. The Office for National Statistics has published data sets on business activity including tourism, Enterprises in National Landscapes, Trails and Parks, which can be found at Enterprises in National Landscapes, Trails and Parks 2023 - Office for National StatisticsDetails of tourism and visitor management undertaken by Dorset National Landscape in the West Dorset constituency can be found at Tourism and Visitor Management | Dorset National LandscapeWe continue to work with VisitEngland to promote rural and coastal destinations and support the work of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships, such as the Visit Dorset Business Support Hub, in developing and marketing their local visitor offer, in which National Landscapes play a crucial role.

What recent steps her Department has taken to support the provision of specialist SEND services in mainstream schools.

The department know that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. The government committed to addressing this by improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units. We are encouraging schools and local authorities to set up more of these provisions to increase capacity in mainstream schools. We will work with the sector to increase capacity and extend best practice across the system, so that every child or young person with SEND can access a suitable school placement.The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Of this funding, Dorset has received £5 million in July. We also continue to work very closely with the local authority and trust leaders on proposals to establish, and expand, high quality resource bases and SEN unit provision.The department has also invested £22 million in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces in mainstream primary schools. The aim is to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, including pupils with autism. The PINS programme is being evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.Across the Dorset integrated care board (ICB) footprint, 37 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26.

Whether her Department is taking steps to increase the number of new SEND schools.

The department know that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. The government committed to addressing this by improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units. We are encouraging schools and local authorities to set up more of these provisions to increase capacity in mainstream schools. We will work with the sector to increase capacity and extend best practice across the system, so that every child or young person with SEND can access a suitable school placement.The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Of this funding, Dorset has received £5 million in July. We also continue to work very closely with the local authority and trust leaders on proposals to establish, and expand, high quality resource bases and SEN unit provision.The department has also invested £22 million in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces in mainstream primary schools. The aim is to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, including pupils with autism. The PINS programme is being evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.Across the Dorset integrated care board (ICB) footprint, 37 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26.