Written questions by Hayes.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities her Department provides in its Whitehall premises.

The Department’s main Whitehall building, 2 Marsham Street, has (a) four single sex bathroom facilities on its five floors, consisting of three cubicles that contain a toilet, and a shared station of three washbasins and hand-drying facilities. 2 Marsham Street has (b) ten gender neutral/accessible bathroom facilities that are individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms with a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities. These are also wheelchair accessible.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of grants for farmers to support (a) sustainable and (b) regenerative agricultural practices in Lincolnshire.

The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production across the country, including Lincolnshire, over this Parliament. All our Environmental Land Management schemes will continue, and we will continue to evolve and improve them in an orderly way. We have committed nearly £250 million in funding up to 2030 to improve productivity, trial new technologies and drive innovation in the agricultural sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to reverse the decline of the swift population in England.

The decline in swifts is likely due to the lack of insect food for chicks, poor weather, and lack of nesting spaces. However, to better understand and develop solutions to address the causes of decline, we have funded projects through Natural England's Species Recovery Programme. Additionally, The National Planning Policy Framework explicitly promotes features which support priority and/or threatened species such as swifts. As part of our work to develop a set of national policies for decision making, we intend to consult on changes which require swift bricks to be incorporated into new buildings unless there are compelling reasons which preclude their use, or which would make them ineffective. As an interim step ahead of the consultation we have published updated Planning Practice Guidance setting out how swift bricks are expected to be used in new development, and signposting to further guidance including the British Industry Standard, Part 2 of the National Model Design Code, the Future Homes Hub Homes for Nature Guidance, and the RSPB’s Guide to Nestboxes.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the National Fire Chief's Council consultation response to her Department’s policy on (a) wildfires and (b) risks to firefighters.

The National Fire Chiefs Council’s response to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning in England is already in the public domain. This can be found on their website here: 250523-Heather-and-Grass-Burning-in-England-Consultation-Response-FINAL.pdf

Food and Rural Affairs, what measures her Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.

The Government has a robust set of policies in place to ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes in place, and to ensure continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure. In line with these policies, these arrangements are regularly tested to maintain organisational resilience and ensure readiness to manage significant disruptions effectively. Defra undergoes Cyber Assessment Framework assessments annually and uses the results of these assessments and lessons learned from exercises/testing to help minimise the likelihood, impact, or time and cost of recovery of critical services. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the sources of littering in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

Local councils are responsible for keeping public land clear of litter and refuse and are best placed to respond to littering problems, in a way that is tailored to the community in which they occur. They have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal, including fixed penalty notices of up to £500 and prosecution action which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £2500. The Pride in Place Strategy sets out how Government will support local action by bringing forward statutory enforcement guidance on both littering and fly-tipping, modernising the code of practice that outlines the cleaning standards expected of local authorities, and refreshing best practice guidance on the powers available to local authorities to force land and building owners to clean up their premises. The Countryside Code makes clear visitors’ responsibilities in protecting the environment when accessing the outdoors. It includes the important headline message “Take your litter home – leave no trace of your visit”. The team at Natural England continue to work with partners to help amplify the messaging, including Keep Britain Tidy and National Highways.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many agricultural business have received Sustainable Farming Incentive grants in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025.

As of the 1st of January 2025, there were 32,200 Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements in England. This was made up of 25,300 agreements in the Sustainable Farming Incentive 23 and 6,900 agreements in the Sustainable Farming Incentive Expanded Offer. This includes agreements for agricultural businesses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed deposit return scheme has adequate collection zones in Lincolnshire.

The regulations set rules requiring all supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents that sell drinks that are in the scheme to host a return point, unless they qualify for an exemption. A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) has been appointed to run the scheme. It’s a not-for-profit group, led by businesses. UK DMO is responsible for ensuring there is a comprehensive network of return points so that consumers are easily able to return their containers, including in rural areas. The DMO will undertake regular reviews of the return point network to consider the number, location and accessibility of return points.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the resilience of long-term water supply in Lincolnshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) continually assesses the resilience of water supply across England, including Lincolnshire, to balance the needs of public supply, agriculture, and the environment. The National Framework for Water (2025) identified key actions for the EA to take forward to develop this resilience. These include creating a user-friendly, digital service for abstractors to ensure sustainable water use, coordinating drought management, and shaping long-term multi-sector water resource plans. It also invests in water transfer schemes, such as the Trent-Witham-Ancholme transfer, which play a vital role in securing future supply. In Lincolnshire, the EA is a key partner in the Strategic Pipeline Alliance, which is constructing hundreds of kilometres of interconnecting pipelines to support climate resilience. Additionally, the EA is working with Anglian Water on the proposed Lincolnshire Reservoir near Sleaford. Once operational, it will supply up to 166 million litres of water daily, securing resources for the region's future.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of animal welfare abuse have been recorded in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Defra does not collect figures for animal welfare abuse incidents by local authority area.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents involving dangerous dogs have been reported in Lincolnshire in each of the last 10 years.

Defra does not hold this data. This information may be collected by the NHS, individual police forces or local authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Defra follows Government guidance which sees a Union Flag flying daily at the main sites which have the facility to do so.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the funding provided to the National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit in March 2025 will be allocated to local partnerships in Lincolnshire.

Defra does not provide financial allocations to local partnerships for tackling wildlife crime but instead provides funding directly at the national level, to the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), and in 2025/26 is providing £424,000. Home Office, similarly, does not provide financial allocations to local partnerships. Home Office provides funding directly at the national level. In 2025/26 the Home Office has provided the NWCU with £450,000 and the National Rural Crime Unit with £365,000.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that meat imported illegally into the UK is seized at the border.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra is working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle meat smuggling, with the support of Border Force, port health authorities and local authorities. Defra has committed £3.1 million for Dover Port Health Authority to work in partnership with Border Force in seizing meat smuggled via the Port of Dover in 2025/26, additional to over £9m of funding provided to date. Defra is considering the recommendations in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on meat smuggling.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

No money has been spent by Defra on social media influencers since July 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in Lincolnshire.

The Greater Lincolnshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) demonstrates strong local commitment to hedgehog conservation. Following online public consultation, where hedgehogs emerged as one of the most frequently mentioned priority species, the draft LNRS includes specific actions to support hedgehog recovery. These targeted measures include creating suitable feeding habitats, encouraging property owners to leave gaps in fencing to improve garden connectivity, and building hibernacula to provide essential winter shelter. Nationally, there are several projects underway which will enable the conservation of our hedgehogs. The first National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy has been published by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Natural England (NE), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Forestry England all contributed to the strategy, which highlights the factors causing a decline in native hedgehog populations. In addition, NE is co-funding the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered will also produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge. These hedgehog-specific initiatives complement broader environmental improvements in Lincolnshire, including the designation of the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve - the first in the new King's Series. Such landscape-scale conservation efforts create the connected habitats that hedgehogs and other wildlife need to thrive.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Exact costs are not available for the amount the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science’s spent on dedicated home office equipment although they are low for this three-year period.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s (VMD’s) spend on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years is: YearTotal FY2022/23£10,579.77 FY2023/24£6,248.34 FY2024/25£3,235.72 The VMD is unable to differentiate between costs that are associated with the provision of equipment for use at home relating to a workplace adjustment, and formal working contracts versus any costs associated with hybrid working arrangements. Obtaining this information could only be achieved at a disproportionate cost. The VMD, in common with other directorates and Government departments, has agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Animal and Plant Health Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

For desk-based Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) staff, APHA Directors have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service in line with departmental policies.