Written questions by McMurdock.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, whether she plans to expand the 30-month review period to adults who claimed asylum before 2 March 2026.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of post-2020 border processes on food import volumes.

The Border Target Operating Model Impact Assessment frames economic analysis around business costs/benefits, check rates, and biosecurity risk. It does not model or quantify changes in food import volumes attributable to the post‑2020/BTOM border processes. Defra publishes statistics on overseas trade of food, feed and drink imports (Chapter 13: Overseas trade - GOV.UK). UK agri‑food import patterns are influenced by various factors, making it difficult to attribute changes to border processes alone. The latest official statistics show that in 2024 the value of UK food, feed and drink imports rose by 6.6% to £64.1 billion, with fresh fruit and vegetable imports increasing 12% over the same period.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of retail food price inflation since 2020 attributable to changes in trading arrangements with the EU.

Consumer food prices are shaped by a variety of factors, such as agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Several of these factors are affected by the UK's trading arrangements with other countries, including the EU. Any changes in food prices can reflect changes in one or more of these elements. Although the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU allows zero tariffs and zero quota trade, leaving the EU Single Market and Customs Union had an impact on agri-food trade. Under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), imported consignments of products of animal origin (POAO), and plant and plant products (P&PP), including from the EU, are subject to a range of border controls. Defra estimates the measures introduced through the BTOM would have a minimal impact on consumer food price inflation of less than 0.2 percentage points in total over a 3-year period. The Government is working to agree a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement with the European Union to make agrifood trade with the UK’s biggest trading partner cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. Final_Border_Target_Operating_Model.pdf

What the total value of compensation paid for emergency medicine negligence claims has been in each of the last three years.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR publishes data for payments made for their clinical schemes in their Supplementary Annual Statistics (SAS), which are available at the following link:Supplementary-Annual-Statistics-NHS-Resolution-2024-25-ACC-CHECKED-V4.xlsx.These tables include payments made in each relevant year for damages and legal costs, and average damages and legal costs.Please note that the values for payments reported for each year in the SAS will be different from those reported in the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA). One of the differences is that our SAS dataset will take into account the periodical payment order (PPO) payments paid after the settlement year, the ARA will not. Future PPO payments, due after 31 March 2025 are not included in the data provided to this request.Sheet 6 of the Additional Annual Statistics shows the total damages value of settled clinical claims by speciality as of 31 March 2025, including ‘Emergency Medicine’. The Additional Annual Statistics are available at the following link:https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fresolution.nhs.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F11%2FAdditional-Annual-Statistics-NHS-Resolution-2024_25-ACC-CHECKEDv2.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINKThere is a detailed explanatory note which sets out the detail of what the damages value covers.Also, in 2022 NHSR published a thematic review about learning from emergency medicine compensation claims, which can be found at the following link:https://resolution.nhs.uk/2022/03/28/learning-from-emergency-medicine-compensation-claims/

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of food consumed in the UK that was domestically produced in each of the last five years.

The proportion of UK food consumption that is domestically produced is shown in the below table, for the latest available years. This information is published annually in Defra’s Agriculture in the UK report. 2020202120222023202454%58%58%58%57%

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase domestic food production capacity.

This Government allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. It is targeting public money where it delivers most value – supporting nature, because all farms need healthy soils, abundant pollinators, and clean water to produce good food. The Government will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through Environmental Land Management (ELM). For example, Defra has streamlined the actions available under the SFI26 offer, reducing complexity while still having actions available for all farm types. This means the Government removed around a third of the previous actions – particularly those that weren’t delivering for food production or the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the UK’s vulnerability to external shocks in food supply.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with situations that have the potential to cause disruption. Defra works closely with industry and across Government to identify and monitor risks to food supply. In compliance with the Agriculture Act 2020, the United Kingdom Food Security Report (UKFSR) is presented to Parliament at least once every three years, most recently in 2024. This examines past, current, and future trends relevant to food security and presents a full and impartial analysis of UK food security. In the intervening years, the UK Food Security Digest (UKFSD) is published containing a selection of summary statistics on issues relevant to a range of aspects of food security, drawn from national and international sources. The most recent report was published on 11 December 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve long-term food security.

The Food Sector is one of the UK's 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. Defra works closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of import-related costs on food prices.

Defra modelling shows consumer food prices are driven by domestic farmgate prices, agricultural and food import prices, exchange rates and manufacturing costs. ONS input producer price inflation rates for domestic and imported food inputs were 2.1% and 1.2% respectively in January 2026. This compares with 1.7% and -3.1% in January 2025. Import prices are driven by movements in global commodity markets. For example, cocoa prices have risen strongly since 2024 following poor weather conditions in West Africa and contributed to UK chocolate prices rising 14.7% higher in January 2026 compared to the previous year. The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD)’s latest forecast, published November 2025, suggests that they expect food price inflation to peak at 4.3% at the start of 2026 and average 3.8% over 2026.

Pursuant to Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 110313 on NHS: Standards, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the variation between NHS trusts in protocols for monitoring patients after initial triage.

Patients are triaged upon initial entry to accident and emergency departments, after which their condition and any deterioration is monitored through observation at clinically appropriate intervals. How this happens and how often is down to local clinical decision making and governance.There is a national target that patients receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival in accident and emergency. This assessment considers patient acuity, ensuring those most unwell and at greatest risk are identified and prioritised, so that clinical oversight can be adjusted accordingly and to ensure the sickest patients are seen first.On 9 February 2026 NHS England published guidance on the Model Emergency Department, which is intended to set out a consistent national framework by defining the core principles and pathways of high‑performing emergency departments. The guidance recognises that there is variation in how emergency departments operate across National Health Service trusts, reflecting differences in local populations, clinical judgement, and governance arrangements.The Model Emergency Department does not remove local decision‑making, but provides a shared national model, including extended emergency medicine ambulatory care, to support greater consistency, faster decision‑making across urgent and emergency care pathways, and stronger whole‑system responsibility for performance. This approach is intended to improve patient experience and patient flow, with lower waiting times and reduced overcrowding.

Pursuant to Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 110313 on NHS: Standards, whether any national guidance exists on the reassessment of patients whose clinical condition deteriorates while waiting in Accident and Emergency departments.

Patients are triaged upon initial entry to accident and emergency departments, after which their condition and any deterioration is monitored through observation at clinically appropriate intervals. How this happens and how often is down to local clinical decision making and governance.There is a national target that patients receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival in accident and emergency. This assessment considers patient acuity, ensuring those most unwell and at greatest risk are identified and prioritised, so that clinical oversight can be adjusted accordingly and to ensure the sickest patients are seen first.On 9 February 2026 NHS England published guidance on the Model Emergency Department, which is intended to set out a consistent national framework by defining the core principles and pathways of high‑performing emergency departments. The guidance recognises that there is variation in how emergency departments operate across National Health Service trusts, reflecting differences in local populations, clinical judgement, and governance arrangements.The Model Emergency Department does not remove local decision‑making, but provides a shared national model, including extended emergency medicine ambulatory care, to support greater consistency, faster decision‑making across urgent and emergency care pathways, and stronger whole‑system responsibility for performance. This approach is intended to improve patient experience and patient flow, with lower waiting times and reduced overcrowding.

Pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Top UK music acts awarded £1.4 million funding to raise profile, published on 2 March 2026, what steps are being taken to ensure recipients from across the entirety of the UK are aware of, and able to access, funding through the Music Export Growth Scheme.

UK-based music small and medium-sized enterprises can apply for Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) funding. Information on MEGS is available on the 'Find a Grant' service on Gov/UK. My department's MEGS delivery partner the BPI has a dedicated section on its website and shares details of MEGS funding rounds on its social media channels. When MEGS funding rounds open, my department shares information on how to apply for the scheme with its regional teams across England and Department for Business and Trade offices in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The BPI shares information on new MEGS funding rounds with UK music trade bodies, arts organisations, with the music press and direct to some music companies.

Pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Top UK music acts awarded £1.4 million funding to raise profile, published on 2 March 2026, what independent analysis his Department has commissioned of the calculation that there is a £14 return for each £1 granted through MEGS.

The figure referenced in the press release was supplied by the BPI and is based on analysis of commercial outcomes reported by MEGS recipients in previous funding rounds. This is an industry estimate produced by the BPI and reflects their assessment of the scheme's impact on participating businesses. The estimate is based on industry held commercial data and is not used as an official Government economic metric.

Pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Top UK music acts awarded £1.4 million funding to raise profile, published on 2 March 2026, how many of the 68 acts awarded funding are based in Essex.

In the latest round of Music Export Growth Scheme awards announced on 2 March, one Essex-based act, 'Essosa', received grant funding.

Pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Top UK music acts awarded £1.4 million funding to raise profile, published on 2 March 2026, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the UK music industry on the future priorities of export support programmes; and how these discussions are shaping future policy design.

The UK Government's Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June 2025, set out creative industries trade and investment priorities for the period up to 2035 and announced an up to £30 million Music Growth Package which will include export support. My department continues to hold discussions with the UK music sector about targeted export support that will best enable UK music businesses to grow internationally.

Pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Top UK music acts awarded £1.4 million funding to raise profile, published on 2 March 2026, if he will publish a list of each act who has been granted MEGS funding; and how much each act has received.

The list of acts that received grant awards in the latest funding round of the Music Export Growth Scheme announced on 2 March 2026, were as follows:Amber Run, anaiis, And Also The Trees, Andrew Cushin, Antony Szmierek, As It Is, Asta Hiroki, Aurora Orchestra, bar italia, Bear's Den, Beth McCarthy, BIG SPECIAL, Black Country, New Road, Black Josh & Lee Scott, Cage Fight, Canned Pineapple, Cassyette, Chalk, Chartreuse, Chloe Slater, Common Saints, DANIEL AVERY, Dark Tropics, Daytime TV, Dry Cleaning, Eleni Drake, Elles Bailey, Erotic Secrets of Pompeii, Essosa, EYNKA, Finn Forster, Gaynor O'Flynn, Girl In The Year Above, Halina Rice, Hana Lili, Harriet, Jalen Ngonda, King Jammy, LASTELLE, Leifur James, Maiah Wynne, Matilda Mann, MEGA, Mica Millar, Modern Woman, Naomi Scott, Nightbus, Nina Nesbitt, NOVELIST, Panic Shack, PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING, PVA, Qendresa, Samm Henshaw, Seb Lowe, SOTA, Stornoway, Summer Pearl and Zola Marcelle, The Cinelli Brothers, The Molotovs, The New Eves, The Snuts, The Wellermen, Tropic Gold, Ulrika Spacek, Wes Nelson, Will Samson, Witch FeverFor commercial reasons, we do not disclose individual MEGS grant awards. In this funding round, individual grant awards ranged from £5,000 to £50,000.

Pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Top UK music acts awarded £1.4 million funding to raise profile, published on 2 March 2026, what steps he is taking to ensure that funding granted is exclusively used to promote the act and not for other purposes.

All businesses awarded MEGS funding were required to submit an application prior to approval which detailed the proposed activity to be delivered if the application was approved - that proposed activity was then assessed to ensure it satisfied the scheme eligibility criteria, specifically that the activity promoted the act outside of the UK.All successful businesses are issued a Grant Agreement to confirm the activity that the MEGS funds can be spent on. Once the business signs that Agreement, MEGS funding is then available but can only be claimed by the business after the activity has taken place and evidence is provided to demonstrate that the activity has taken place and been paid for in full.Both the British Phongraphic Industry and the Department for Business and Trade complete checks on the evidence supplied to confirm that the activity has been completed in line with the Grant Agreement and not for other purposes before any funds are paid to the business.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK beef hits US shelves tariff-free for the first time – cutting costs for UK businesses, published on 2 March 2026, whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on the potential impact of the reciprocal beef quota with the US on UK-EU trade relations.

We are delighted that as of January 1, 2026, UK farmers can, for the first time, make use of an exclusive 13,000 tonne quota for export to the United States. What the government has agreed with the US does not impact on our ability to negotiate trade agreements with other trading partners.Choosing between the US and Europe is a false choice. The UK can and must do both - improve our trading relationship with Europe while agreeing deals with the US and other nations.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK beef hits US shelves tariff-free for the first time – cutting costs for UK businesses, published on 2 March 2026, what steps he is taking to support small and medium-sized farmers to access the quota for beef exports to the US.

The Department is supporting UK meat producers to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal. This week, the first agri‑food trade mission visited the United States, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; it provided UK meat producers with direct engagement with a wide range of businesses and opportunities across the US meat sector. The Department will continue to support further market engagement throughout the year, working closely with partners including the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the National Farmers' Union (NFU).

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK beef hits US shelves tariff-free for the first time – cutting costs for UK businesses, published on 2 March 2026, whether any of the reciprocal 13,000 tonne quota for beef from the United States is subject to equivalent environmental standards as British farmers.

Yes, all beef imported under the reciprocal 13,000‑tonne quota from the United States must meet the UK’s food safety and hygiene standards in precisely the same way as is required of British farmers. It also has to meet wider import requirements, including equivalent welfare standards at slaughter. This deal, which secures UK access to the US market for the first time, does not change the UK’s high environmental standards.Our approach to trade agreements has ensured, and will continue to ensure, that imported agrifood products meet the UK’s high food standards. We will always maintain UK levels of statutory protection in relation to human, animal or plant life or health, animal welfare, and the environment.