Written questions by Babarinde.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the farming industry in Eastbourne.

The Government is backing British farming. We are prioritising investment that supports the Government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery. We are investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery. Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme, and up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration. We do not hold that information at a constituency level.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a reduction in the annual tax-free cash ISA allowance on people in (a) Eastbourne and (b) the UK.

The Government is committed to incentivising greater saving and investment. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) help people save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. The Government recognises the important role that cash savings play in helping households build a financial buffer for a rainy day. The Government also wants to see more consumers participate in capital markets and benefit from the long-term financial security and returns that investing can provide. The impact of any changes to ISAs would be set out in a tax information impact note. The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.

What steps his Department is taking to support people living in fuel poverty in Eastbourne constituency.

The Government's review of the 2021 fuel poverty strategy and the latest fuel poverty statistics confirm that a new plan is needed to accelerate progress to alleviate fuel poverty. We have therefore consulted on a revised fuel poverty strategy, with a focus on improving the energy performance of homes, supporting low-income households with energy affordability and protecting them from high prices. The consultation closed on 4 April and we are considering the responses received. It is imperative that fuel poor homes benefit from the transition to net zero. We are investing £13.2bn in the Warm Homes Plan over the Spending Review period (up to 2029/30), in line with the Manifesto commitment. This is a major step forward in the Government’s plans to upgrade 5 million homes over this Parliament and cut energy bills for good. Support is also available through the Warm Home Discount schemes which provide eligible low-income households across Great Britain with £150 off their winter energy bill. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.

What steps her Department is taking to support jobseekers in Eastbourne.

The Get Britain Working White Paper published in November set out plans to deliver fundamental reform of our health, employment and skills system, that will help support economically inactive people in all areas in England get back into work.We committed to:Delivering a new jobs and careers service to support people to get into and on at work, available to everyone regardless of whether they are in receipt of benefits.Asking local areas across England, including the Greater London Authority, to develop local Get Britain Working plans which are intended to join up new support and enable local areas to develop a system wide approach to tackling economic inactivity.Funding Trailblazers to help accelerate a more locally led and joined up approach to tackling economic inactivity and the rising number of young people who are not participating in education, employment or training.Delivering a Youth Guarantee for 18-21 year olds in England so that young people benefit from support to access education, training opportunities or help to find work.Launching Connect to Work, a forthcoming voluntary, locally led, Supported Employment programme that will help, primarily economically inactive, disabled people, people with health conditions and other complex barriers to employment to get into and stay in work. The Greater London area will host several Trailblazers, covering both inactivity and youth. This will involve working closely with a range of local partners, including those based in West London. Additional funding will also be given to the Greater London Authority to support the development of their local Get Britain Working plan, to cover the four sub-regional London partnership areas delivering Connect to Work.

What steps her Department is taking to help support economic growth in the hospitality sector in coastal towns.

The Government is committed to supporting small and local businesses in the hospitality, tourism, and services sectors, which provide a significant contribution to the UK economy and society.We have launched a licensing taskforce to make recommendations to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth that exist within the UK’s licensing framework. The industry-led Taskforce has shared its findings with the Government, and we aim to update publicly by the summer. We have prevented retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) business rates relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier. From April 2026, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000. The Treasury has, and will continue to, meet with the RHL sector to discuss these reforms. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%. We have protected small businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package. Furthermore, the Department of Business and Trade will soon be publishing its Small Business Strategy, which will announce further measures to support small businesses in the hospitality sector and to revitalise high streets. Through The Hospitality Support Scheme, the Government is working with Pub is the Hub and providing funds to help community pubs adapt to changing local needs, ensuring these vital social hubs continue delivering for their communities. Additionally, we have funded a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. On 23 December 2024, this Government announced the outcome of Round 4 of the Community Ownership Fund, the largest ever round to date.

What steps his Department is taking to support the energy efficiency of homes in Eastbourne.

The Warm Homes Plan will help households, including those in Eastbourne, take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating. Support is available under current government schemes including the Energy Company Obligation, the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Warm Homes: Local Grant, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Recommendations for home energy improvements is also available at the GOV.UK ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in Your Home’ webpage. Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out by October.

Whether her Department plans to introduce additional support measures for businesses affected by increases in National Insurance Contributions in Eastbourne.

The Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to fix the public finances and create the long-term stability in which businesses can invest and thrive. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. The Government has also taken a number of other steps to support businesses. At the Spending Review, the Government increased the financial capacity of the British Business Bank to £25.6bn, which will enable a two-thirds increase in support for SMEs across the UK. This investment is expected to crowd in tens of billions of pounds of private capital and will support innovative businesses to start, scale, grow, and stay in the UK.The Government is also continuing to take measures to tackle late payments, which severely impact the cash flow of small businesses. This year we will be laying requirements for large companies to include information about their payment performance in their Annual Reports and launched the Fair Payment Code. We will be launching a consultation on additional legislative measures to address late payments and long payment terms.The Department for Business and Trade will, this year, be publishing its Small Business Strategy. This will set out how the Government will go further in delivering its manifesto commitments to support SMEs in areas such as access to finance, business support, late payments, regulation, access to markets, and revitalising High Streets.

What steps her Department is taking to support the provision and availability of vocational educational programmes for pupils across Eastbourne.

As announced in the Spending Review, the government is making over £1 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29.This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages across the country including in Eastbourne. This includes: Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life. T levels, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them for work. Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focussed level 4 to 5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. Skills Bootcamps giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills with a job interview on completion and ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications. We have also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

What steps his Department is taking to support clean energy initiatives in Eastbourne constituency.

The Department is supporting clean energy initiatives in Eastbourne through funding and regional delivery mechanisms. The Greater South East Net Zero Hub provides technical and coordination support to local authorities and community groups to develop renewable energy projects. The Community Energy Fund offers grants of up to £140,000 for feasibility and business case development of community-led schemes. A further £1.28 million has been allocated to the Hub for 2025/26 through the Great British Energy Community Fund to continue supporting clean energy delivery in the region. Eastbourne-based projects are eligible to apply.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support local media in(a) Eastbourne constituency and (b) East Sussex.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Eastbourne and East Sussex. Government understands the important work that local news does across the UK, including outlets such as the Argus, the Eastbourne Reporter and the Eastbourne Herald. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors to discuss our planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has now been set up to consider the issues in more detail and we will announce more in the coming months.

What steps she is taking to increase funding for training in (a) Sussex Police and (b) other local police forces.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. That is why we have increased funding for policing in England and Wales by up to £1.2 billion this financial year. Sussex Police will receive up to £423 million in 2025-26. This is an increase of up to £28.5 million compared to the previous year.Training standards and the national policing curriculum are set by the College of Policing. Forces provide local training and development at several different levels ranging from initial entry, leadership and ongoing development..

What steps she is taking to help support people with childcare costs in Eastbourne constituency.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.From the start of September 2024, eligible working parents have been entitled to 15 hours a week of early education and care from the term after their child turns nine months. From September 2025 this will extend to 30 hours, matching the three and four-year-old offer to support children right up until starting school.In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This represents a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25 as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements, so eligible working parents of children aged from nine months can access 30 hours of funded childcare.As announced at Spending Review 2025, the government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.Additionally, the Universal Credit childcare offer supports claimants with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours they work.Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of crimes committed using social media in (a) Eastbourne and (b) the South East.

The Online Safety Act gives social media companies new duties to protect all UK users on their services, including users based in Eastbourne and the South East. Under the regulation, platforms need to take steps to reduce the risk their services are used to facilitate illegal activity. They need to remove illegal content when it does appear. They need to offer UK users reporting routes so that they can report illegal content, and they need to take effective action in response. Ofcom oversees these duties and has strong powers to enforce compliance.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support single parents to secure affordable accommodation suitable for their children following a separation.

Local housing authorities set their own allocation schemes, governed by a legal framework set by central government. This allows councils to design schemes in a way that best meets local needs. Local housing authorities may consider a household’s size and needs when allocating housing. They may also take into account the circumstances of a separated parent who needs to accommodate visiting children. Local housing authorities must publish a summary of their allocation scheme and ensure that advice and information is available free of charge to everyone in their area about the right to apply for an allocation of accommodation. Applicants have the right to information that will enable them to assess how their application is likely to be treated under the authority’s allocation scheme, including whether they are likely to fall within any of the priority categories and whether accommodation appropriate to their needs is likely to be made available. Allocation schemes must also be framed so as to give applicants the right to be informed of certain decisions and the right to review certain decisions. The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. On 2 July, the government set out its plan for kickstarting a decade of social and affordable housing renewal and I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on that day (HCWS771).

What proportion of the increased funding for employment support will be allocated to the hospitality sector in coastal towns.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper made clear that the additional funding for employment support is aimed at all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits, who want help to get into or return to work.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that services provided through the Buy with Confidence Scheme complete satisfactory work.

The Buy With Confidence scheme is run solely by local authority Trading Standards departments.Local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales operate independently from central government and are responsible for the provision of Trading Standards services. This includes responsibility for assessing businesses joining the scheme, business compliance and enforcement if things go wrong.DBT has strengthened consumer law enforcement through the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The Act gives local authorities the ability to apply to the courts for civil sanctions to impose monetary penalties on businesses who exploit their customers.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support seaside tourism in Eastbourne constituency.

With coastal and countryside destinations making up 25% of domestic day trips and 31% of domestic overnight stays in 2023, DCMS recognises tourism as a key sector with the potential to contribute strongly to economic growth and pride in place of an area. DCMS and VisitEngland have transformed England’s visitor economy landscape through a new and robust structure of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) – sharing priorities, resources and targets to help attract more visitors who stay for longer. Over 40 LVEPs have now been accredited, including the East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex LVEP, aiming to drive investment and spend across regions and support the government's devolution agenda. VisitBritain’s GREAT-funded international marketing campaign launched at the beginning of this year. ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ has used the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural and coastal destinations.

What steps he is taking to support the mental health of (a) victims and (b) survivors of crime.

Too many people with mental health issues, including victims and survivors of crime, are not getting the support or care they need. This is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.We are committed to improving mental health care for people with a range of mental health conditions, and to shifting the focus from treatment to prevention as we make the National Health Service fit for the future.This Government is recruiting 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services. More than 6,700 extra mental health workers have been recruited since July, latest data shows. The latest recruitment milestone means the government is more than halfway towards its target of hiring an extra 8,500 mental health staff by the end of this Parliament, helping get people the care they need so they can get back to work, school and doing what they love.We are transforming mental health services into 24 hour a day, seven day a week neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach, and increasing access to evidence based digital interventions. People will get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including through self-referral for Talking Therapies.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the recruitment of teachers in (a) Eastbourne constituency and (b) East Sussex.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest impact on children’s outcomes. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.To support this key pledge, we recently announced a 4% pay award for 2025/26, building on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a near 10% pay award for teachers since this government came to power. We also announced a teacher training financial incentives package worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax free. We also announced targeted retention payments worth up to £6000, with 10 schools in the Eastbourne constituency, and 31 schools in East Sussex qualifying for these.The teaching workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers, between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools. In Eastbourne constituency there are 30 more secondary and special school teachers, with 457 FTE teachers this year.

Whether she plans to reintroduce a direct train service between Eastbourne and London Bridge.

Operators must make the best use of train paths when planning their timetables to meet current and future demand, while ensuring value for the taxpayer. Govia Thameslink Railway is currently engaging with stakeholders and actively developing proposals for a direct service between Eastbourne and London Bridge and will ensure that stakeholders are kept updated on any progress in this area as soon as possible.