Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of declining domestic oil and gas production on UK manufacturing sectors.

The Government recognises the importance of oil and gas for a wide range of industrial and manufacturing purposes, including in the production of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers. Oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come. The Government’s North Sea Future Plan sets out our approach to managing existing oil and gas fields for their full lifespan, while not issuing new licences to explore new fields, supporting a fair, orderly and prosperous transition. There isn’t a single standalone assessment specific to any individual manufacturing sectors.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of staff perceptions of staffing levels and their ability to deliver safe patient care in the NHS.

The Department assesses the state and sentiment of the National Health Service workforce through the annual NHS Staff Survey.The full findings of the NHS Staff Survey is available at the following link:https://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/national-results/Employers are best placed to determine their workforce needs based on local needs. In addition, the 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how national supply will be achieved and will be making sure that staff are better treated, have more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.

What assessment he has made of the capacity factors of a) wind and b) solar electricity generation in the UK.

The capacity or load factors of wind and solar electricity generation in the UK depend on several factors, including site location and technology choices. The department publishes estimates of capacity factors for generic installations of solar PV, onshore wind, and offshore wind electricity generation in the UK as part of its Generation Costs publications. The relevant publications can be found here: Annex A (Generation Costs Report): annex-a-additional-estimates-and-key-assumptions-2025.xlsx (view the ‘Technical and Cost Assumptions’ section for load factors).Generation Costs Report: Electricity Generation Costs 2025

How much Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust spent on agency staff in each of the last three financial years.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What estimate he has made of the amount of backup generation capacity required to support a) wind and b) solar electricity generation.

The Capacity Market is government’s main tool for ensuring continued security of electricity supply in Great Britain. It is technology neutral and provides incentives for all forms of capacity, including generation, storage, consumer-led flexibility and interconnection to be on the system to deliver when needed. The volume of capacity procured through the Capacity Market is set based on advice from National Energy System Operator (NESO) in their annual Electricity Capacity Report. Through the Capacity Market we have secured a total of 57.4 GW for the coming winter, meaning we can have confidence that we will have sufficient capacity available to deliver electricity when needed.

What support is being provided to schools and colleges in areas with higher than average rates of students not achieving a grade 4 in GCSE a) English and b) Maths.

The department has committed £27.7 million this financial year to raise reading standards. We are introducing a statutory reading check for pupils in year 8 to help ensure schools are identifying and providing targeted support to pupils.In the 2025/26 academic year, the department rolled out a secondary pilot of the English Hubs programme, to help address reading needs for schools most in need. In January 2026, all schools were given access to Unlocking Reading, a continuing professional development programme. English Hubs will continue supporting secondary schools into the 2026/27 academic year, with an increased number of schools receiving intensive support from literacy specialists.A national network of 40 Maths Hubs is supporting schools to improve teaching quality.  This network aims to improve the teaching of mathematics for all pupils in publicly funded schools by providing school-to-school support focussed on subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers, supporting teaching quality as well as workforce recruitment and retention.Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, reforms to the national curriculum and GCSEs will deliver clearer, better sequenced content grounded in essential knowledge and skills. Schools also benefit from the universal regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, a sector-led approach providing access to high quality school improvement support.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of anti-social behaviour on people’s decision to move home.

Tackling Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) is a key commitment as part of improving confidence in policing and local responses to crime as set out in the Government’s Plan for Change.In the year ending September 2025, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed that around 38% of people experienced or witnessed some type of ASB, and there were 1 million police recorded incidents. We know, however, that ASB goes underreported to the police and other agencies. The latest CSEW data (YE March 2025) indicates that depending on the type of ASB, between 63-93% of ASB incidents are not reported to any agency. We are committed to ensuring better support and information is available to victims of ASB, including on how to report ASB.The Home Office recognises that persistent ASB can have a significant impact on individuals’ quality of life and sense of safety, particularly in the areas where they live, work, and visit. While the Home Office does not make a specific assessment on the impact of ASB on people’s decisions to move home, tackling ASB remains a priority to help ensure people feel safe in their neighbourhoods.To support this, every police force in England and Wales now has an anti-social behaviour lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the public to implement their individual ASB.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to address factors linked to public perception of safety such as a) litter and b) graffiti.

To improve public perception of safety with regard to litter and graffiti, the Government has enabled and supported local action by providing a clear legal framework of statutory powers and responsibilities of local councils and setting national standards. Local councils have legal powers to take enforcement action against both littering and graffiti offenders. Anyone caught littering or graffitiing may be prosecuted in a magistrates’ court. Alternatively, councils may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot fine) of up to £500. Councils also have powers to tackle any persistent or unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative effect on a community’s quality of life by issuing Community Protection Notices and Public Space Protection Orders.To support local councils to make good use of their fixed penalty powers for littering and related offences like graffiti we have recently published new Statutory Guidance, Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them, in Parliament. Local authorities will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers, which is available at: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them - GOV.UKWe have also published the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse statutory guidance which outlines the standards expected of local authorities and other duty bodies (e.g. National Highways) with regards to their duty to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. This guidance can be found on: Code of practice on litter and refuse - GOV.UKFurthermore, there is advisory guidance on managing graffiti and flyposting for local councils and businesses, which is available here: 15681_GRAFFITI_AND_FLY_POSTING_MANAGEMENT_GUIDANCE.PDF.The guidance outlines the options available to local councils and others for tackling these issues with examples of good practice.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Powering the farms of the future with £50 million tech investment, published on 14 April 2026, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that farmers in Essex are able to participate in the Farming Innovation Programme.

The Investor Partnerships initiative is part of the Farming Innovation Programme. An interim evaluation, published in 2025, shows that the programme is on the right track to deliver long term improvements to productivity and the environment, and Defra continues to monitor the effectiveness of the funding. The Farming Innovation Programme aims to benefit English farmers and growers. Therefore, farmers based in Essex are in scope. Funding opportunities are promoted through multiple channels, including Press Notices, The Farming Innovation Programme website and Defra’s Farming Blog. The Modern Industrial Strategy, published last year, committed to spend at least £200 million through the Farming Innovation Programme by 2030. As part of this, at the NFU conference in February the Government announced £70 million to support investment in agri-tech research and development from 2026, including £30 million for the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies fund.

What steps he is taking to increase residential and nursing care capacity to reduce the need for out-of-area placements.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population. Under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for services, including residential and nursing care, and must consider how providers might meet that demand. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those related to the commissioning described above. As part of their assessment process, the CQC collects a range of evidence and engages directly with local authorities to inform assessment outcomes. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene.All reports are made available on the CQC’s website. Essex County Council was rated ‘Good’ by the CQC. Their assessment was published on 27 June 2025 and can be found at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/essex-0625

What estimate he has made of the level of misuse of Motability Scheme vehicles in the last five years.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme, including identifying and tackling misuse of the Scheme, sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.  Any misuse of scheme vehicles is taken seriously and Motability Operations has a dedicated unit that works to prevent, detect and handle such cases, and take action where appropriate. Motability investigates the information it receives about misuse of scheme vehicles and works with a range of partners.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Powering the farms of the future with £50 million tech investment, published on 14 April 2026, what metrics her Department will use to measure the impact of the programme on farm productivity and sustainability.

The Investor Partnerships initiative is part of the Farming Innovation Programme. An interim evaluation, published in 2025, shows that the programme is on the right track to deliver long term improvements to productivity and the environment, and Defra continues to monitor the effectiveness of the funding. The Farming Innovation Programme aims to benefit English farmers and growers. Therefore, farmers based in Essex are in scope. Funding opportunities are promoted through multiple channels, including Press Notices, The Farming Innovation Programme website and Defra’s Farming Blog. The Modern Industrial Strategy, published last year, committed to spend at least £200 million through the Farming Innovation Programme by 2030. As part of this, at the NFU conference in February the Government announced £70 million to support investment in agri-tech research and development from 2026, including £30 million for the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies fund.

What steps he is taking to ensure that vehicles provided under the Motability Scheme are used in accordance with scheme rules.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme, including ensuring vehicle use is in accordance with Scheme rules, sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The Department for Work and Pensions meets regularly with Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, to discuss the Scheme’s operation.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of referrals made by local authorities to enforcement agents for the collection of council tax debt in (a) England, (b) Thurrock, (c) Basildon and (d) Essex in the last 12 months.

The government does not collect data on the number of households which have missed council tax payments or data on the actions councils take to recover these debts. The government expects councils to proportionate in the actions they take to recover debts and sympathetic to those in hardship.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of British nationals who obtained medical degrees overseas and subsequently applied for roles within the NHS in each of the last five years.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Powering the farms of the future with £50 million tech investment, published on 14 April 2026, what her planned timeline is for the roll-out of new agri-tech tools to farms.

Defra is derisking decisions on new technologies through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, which can aid the affordability of agri-tech tools. Grants are available to a range of farms, including small and medium farms. The final round opened on 17 March with grants of up to £25,000 available for each of three themes: equipment to boost farm productivity, slurry management, and animal health and welfare. Going forward, the Government wishes to build on what has worked well across all its grant schemes with the aim of bringing the strongest elements together from 2027. As part of this work, the Government will look at the specific types of equipment and technology that could be included. The Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) fund is part of the Farming Innovation Programme with £50 million of funding announced to date. This fund is focussed on farmer-led, smaller-scale innovation grants and supports trialling new technology and methods for adoption on farms. Through the Farming Innovation Programme our investment in the research and development pipeline of innovative technology from concept to deployment aims to derisk adoption and enable wider take up, lowering costs for farmers and growers. As such, technologies developed within the Farming Innovation Programme will be available for use by small farmers.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on of the number of people currently in council tax debt in (a) England, (b) Thurrock, (c) Basildon and (d) Essex.

The government does not collect data on the number of households which have missed council tax payments or data on the actions councils take to recover these debts. The government expects councils to proportionate in the actions they take to recover debts and sympathetic to those in hardship.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of council tax debt enforcement on the level of demand for local authority homelessness services in (a) England, (b) Thurrock, (c) Basildon and (d) Essex in the last 12 months.

The government expects councils to be proportionate in the actions they take to recover debts and sympathetic to those in hardship.The government has now published a response to its consultation on council tax administration setting out a package of reforms to the enforcement of council tax debts. These will deliver a fairer and more supportive system for taxpayers, reducing the number of households facing enforcement action. This consultation response can be found on gov.uk here.

What estimate he has made of the proportion of Mobility Scheme users who exceeded 10,000 miles per year in the most recent year for which data is available.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Powering the farms of the future with £50 million tech investment, published on 14 April 2026, what plans she has to continue or expand agri-tech investment beyond the current funding round.

The Investor Partnerships initiative is part of the Farming Innovation Programme. An interim evaluation, published in 2025, shows that the programme is on the right track to deliver long term improvements to productivity and the environment, and Defra continues to monitor the effectiveness of the funding. The Farming Innovation Programme aims to benefit English farmers and growers. Therefore, farmers based in Essex are in scope. Funding opportunities are promoted through multiple channels, including Press Notices, The Farming Innovation Programme website and Defra’s Farming Blog. The Modern Industrial Strategy, published last year, committed to spend at least £200 million through the Farming Innovation Programme by 2030. As part of this, at the NFU conference in February the Government announced £70 million to support investment in agri-tech research and development from 2026, including £30 million for the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies fund.