Written questions by Chowns.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Environmental Statements under section 20(2)(a) and (3) of the Environment Act 2021, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will not have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by any existing environmental law.

Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill concerning development and nature recovery will not reduce overall levels of environmental protection. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved. Natural England will be empowered and given the tools to deliver the conservation measures needed to secure the aims of the EDP. The government is confident that this more strategic approach to the assessment of negative effects, and delivery of conservation measures, strikes the right balance and will result in better environmental outcomes that go further than simply offsetting harm as required under current legislation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 12807 on Public Appointments, what recent progress he has made on publishing an updated list of significant public appointments.

An update will be provided in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase the level of funding for local authorities to ensure the maintenance of public rights of way.

The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review. Local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly including for public rights of way matters. My department does not provide any additional funding.

How many enquiries have hon. Members made to HMRC on errors that led to constituents being overcharged tax in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those enquiries resulted in HMRC repaying overcharged tax in each of the last five years.

HMRC receives enquiries from hon. Members through a variety of channels, including calls, emails and letters, covering a wide range of topics. HMRC does not systematically record which of these enquires specifically relate to instances of overcharged tax, nor whether they resulted in a repayment.Obtaining this information would require a detailed analysis of every enquiry raised by hon. Members. The level of resource needed to conduct such an in-depth review would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold for written parliamentary questions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that forest risk commodities implementing legislation supports the UK's commitments under the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Dialogue on (a) making finance available to smallholders, (b) supporting transition towards sustainable production and (c) strengthening enabling conditions.

The Government recognises the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course. The Government is taking action to support our FACT Dialogue commitments, working with smallholder farmers to improve sustainable practices and encourage forest-friendly businesses. For example, the Official Development Assistance funded ‘Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use’ programme supports the development of new business models which provide jobs and livelihoods, while protecting and restoring forests.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US President's Executive Order entitled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, published on 24 April 2025; and if he will issue guidance to UK nationals on the compatibility of involvement in seabed mining operations with UK membership of the International Seabed Authority.

The Government notes the US Executive Order on 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. The UK is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is committed to the continued work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to finalise the draft exploitation Regulations. The UK supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining by the ISA until there is sufficient scientific evidence to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining on marine life, and until the ISA adopts robust, enforceable regulations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan) in response to the question from the hon. Member for Waveney Valley, during the Urgent Question on Middle East Update of 6 May 2025, Official Report, column 588, if he will publish his most recent risk assessment.

The Government published a summary of the assessment process and decisions that led to the suspension on 2 September of export licences for items that could be used by Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Further information on the assessment process can be found on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account/summary-of-the-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-accountThe Foreign Secretary has committed to keeping Parliament updated.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.

The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.

The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.

If she will make an estimate of the potential revenue that could be raised through (a) equalising capital gains tax with income tax rates and (b) applying a 2 per cent tax for people with assets over £10 million, to be paid on the excess amount over £10 million.

The Government continually keeps the tax system under review. Published estimates for illustrative tax changes can be found in HMRC’s Direct effects of illustrative tax changes bulletin including changes to Capital Gains Tax [1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes-bulletin-january-2025

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 49218 on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, whether her Department plans to (a) make an assessment of the potential merits of exploring more tailored mechanisms to reduce the frequency of assessments for people with (i) Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and (ii) other clearly documented, severe and long-term health conditions where improvement is unlikely and (b) involve (A) people with lived experience and (B) relevant charities in the (1) development and (2) implementation of such mechanisms.

As stated in our response to Question 49218, we are not planning to exempt specific conditions, but we are planning to reduce reassessments for those with the most severe conditions.We aim to do this in Universal Credit through guaranteeing that for both new and existing claims, those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will not need to be reassessed in the future. In PIP, we are exploring ways we could use evidence from other services to reduce the need for some people with very severe conditions to undergo a full functional assessment. In the Green Paper, we also promised to review the PIP assessment to make sure that it is fit for the future. I shall lead the review in close consultation with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, and other experts. To get this right, I am bringing together stakeholders to agree the scope and timing of the review. I will then publish Terms of Reference for the review in due course.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, whether she plans to limit the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for the up to 1.75 million homes that are subject to these charges, and bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager.The government is determined to end the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ entirely and we will consult this year on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders. This consultation will help gather further data on this matter.The Department do not hold specific information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the energy used to run artificial intelligence technologies on the UK's net-zero emissions targets.

Embracing the opportunities that AI can provide to drive growth and productivity in the economy is a government objective. Building the low carbon economy of the future will lead to significant increases in electricity demand across many sectors. These projected increases were a key part of the analysis that underpinned the department’s Clean Power Action Plan, consistent with our net zero targets. This set out how, by unlocking new low carbon electricity generation, improving access to the electricity grid and efficient use and operation of the energy system - which can be supported by new technologies such as AI - we will achieve Clean Power by 2030 and maintain secure, resilient energy supplies.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, for what reason the Government does not hold that information.

The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for the up to 1.75 million homes that are subject to these charges, and bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager.The government is determined to end the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ entirely and we will consult this year on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders. This consultation will help gather further data on this matter.The Department do not hold specific information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, if she will collect comprehensive information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for the up to 1.75 million homes that are subject to these charges, and bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager.The government is determined to end the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ entirely and we will consult this year on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders. This consultation will help gather further data on this matter.The Department do not hold specific information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Government to end badger cull with new TB eradication strategy, published on 30 August 2024, what progress he has made on the TB eradication plan; and when it will be published.

We have started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB (bTB) eradication strategy to drive down bTB rates in cattle, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. To ensure it benefits from the latest evidence, we have reconvened a panel of experts, led by Professor Sir Charles Godfray, to independently consider independently any substantive new evidence that builds on the 2018 strategy review. The panel expects to report its findings back to Defra from late June 2025. The strategy is being co-designed with farmers, vets, scientists, and conservationists. It will consider a range of measures including boosting cattle testing, reducing the spread of disease through cattle movements, and deploying badger vaccination on a wider, landscape scale. The existing Bovine TB Partnership for England has been re-structured to form a Steering Group that is overseeing the co-design of the strategy, and topic specific Working Groups who will develop recommendations for the Steering Group. The Steering Group are aiming to develop a draft strategy for Ministers to consider by spring 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek (a) regulatory alignment and (b) a closer relationship with the European Union on chemicals regulation as part of UK-EU reset discussions.

This Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU across a range of areas. It is too early to discuss scope or specific areas in any greater detail.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing the Holiday Activities and Food programme on a permanent basis.

The government is committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme and the impact it has on children, young people and families. We are very pleased that the overall funding for the HAF programme in 2025/26 is again more than £200 million, with delivery across England taking place at Easter, summer and Christmas.Funding beyond March 2026 is subject to the multi-year Spending Review and any decisions will be made as part of the Review taking place later this year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 34127 on Pain: Women, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is undertaking any research into (a) patient and (b) healthcare professionals' experiences of (i) menopause care and (ii) the prescription of hormone replacement therapy.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £2.7 million study that aims to find out if adding testosterone to standard hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce menopausal symptoms beyond its effect on sexual function. This research will provide health care professionals with the evidence required to have informed discussions with their patients and will help to shape and inform better menopause care for women. A separate study is exploring inequalities in menopause care. Through interviews with women and with healthcare professionals in general practice, this research aims to understand the experiences of obtaining information, care, and support for the menopause in general practice. The NIHR is also currently funding research to determine whether there are ethnic and social disparities in HRT prescribing in the United Kingdom. This information will inform future work to develop a risk calculator to show a woman’s individual risks or benefits from taking HRT, providing the first UK data on women who are taking HRT, which will identify a cohort who are not taking HRT and estimate a potential unmet need. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of women’s health, including research on patient and health care professionals’ experiences of menopause care and on the prescription of HRT.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek closer environmental cooperation and collaboration with the European Union and its agencies as part of the UK-EU reset.

At the UK-EU Summit on May 19th, the Government announced the intention to agree a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and marketing standards - as well as pesticides.