Written questions by MacAlister.

When his Department plans to publish its conclusions on the recommended (a) scales and (b) durations of Community Benefit Fund payments for (i) solar farms and (ii) associated Battery Energy Storage System developments.

On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The working paper intends to gather insight on proposals for mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain, including the types of energy infrastructure that could be captured, an appropriate level of benefit, and how best this could be calculated. The responses to the working paper will inform next steps on approach and policy design, and the government expects to publish a full response in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers in the north of England reliant on cross-border stock movements following the extension of the bluetongue virus restricted zone.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 4 June 2025 to question UIN 57569. We continue to work closely with industry representatives to ensure that keepers are kept up to date with developments and that issues and concerns are addressed promptly. In order to minimise the burdens on keepers whilst ensuring controls are proportionate to risk, from 1 July 2025 cattle may move to live from England to Scotland without a pre-movement test if vaccinated with a BTV-3 vaccine that prevents viraemia in that species and 21 days have elapsed since completing the full course of primary vaccination. Defra is working closely with vaccine manufacturers to understand supply availability.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the steel industry in Wales.

Welsh steel has a bright future under this government. Our improved deal with Tata Steel UK has delivered £1.3 billion investment and protected over 5,000 jobs.We have committed a further £2.5 billion for steel over the course of this Parliament with our Steel Strategy due to be announced soon.Steel communities are the heart of Wales. I have allocated over £70 million Transition Board funding to help people, businesses and communities with retraining, business support and growth, and regeneration.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to invest in tennis facilities following the end of the Park Tennis Project.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel tennis in Britain. It receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

What steps he is taking to increase the provision of mental health services in rural areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for providing mental health services to meet the needs of their local populations.As part of our plan for change, we will reduce delays and provide faster treatment.We are working with NHS England to transform mental health services, shift care from hospitals to local communities and increase access to support for people across the country, including rural areas.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

The Department is keen to encourage employees to become foster carers, and to support those already providing foster care or care for their family and friends by providing time off where necessary. Fostering related leave, which forms part of our special leave provision, can be planned or unplanned, and may be paid or unpaid, and our current provision is as follows:leave during an assessment for approval, specifically discretionary special paid leave for up to five days in a 12-month period, which can be taken in whole or half days;additional leave during the approval process or when child is in placement, comprising of an additional five days of paid or unpaid leave in a 12-month period at a line manager’s discretion, for example, for meetings, training, unforeseen emergencies relating to their fostering role, and to accommodate an emergency placement, among other reasons; andadditional leave at the start of a planned permanent placement, which is additional discretionary special paid leave for up to 10 days in a 12-month period. If both parents are employed, one parent would receive up to 10 days and the other up to five days.In addition, foster carers are also entitled to the same statutory and departmental dependents and carers related leave provisions as for all other employees with caring responsibilities. These being:three days of paid emergency carers leave over a rolling one-year period, with discretion to allow paid leave up to a maximum of five days;emergency leave for dependants that provides one day of special leave to allow an employee to attend hospital when a dependant is admitted to accident and emergency;the statutory right to take up to a week’s unpaid leave in any 12-month period to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need, with the leave being able to be taken in half days, full days, or as consecutive days;paid bereavement leave of up to five days, which can be granted to an employee following the death of a dependent, although there is a limit of five days for this type of leave, there is discretion to exceed this limit where circumstances are particularly traumatic, for example the death of a child; anda carer’s passport, to enable a carer and their manager to document the flexibilities needed to support the carer in combining caring and work.All employees, regardless of caring responsibilities, are entitled to the same flexible working provisions. While flexible working is discretionary and isn't an automatic right, such arrangements provide employees with some degree of flexibility over how, where, and when they work. Some frequently used arrangements are outlined below, although this list is not exhaustive:part-time, for those contracted to work fewer hours than standard full-time hours;compressed hours, which are standard working hours covered in fewer working days;job sharing, an arrangement where a job is split between two;part-year or term time working, where employees work fewer than 365 days per year and have contractual periods of attendance and non-attendance, for example, a set period of non-attendance for school holidays; andflexi-time system, which allows employees using the Department's flexi-time system to vary their start and finish times, vary the time and length of their lunch break, and take time off.Foster carers working at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Food Standards Agency have access to flexible working arrangements, paid time off, and additional support for training and settling a new child into their home.All employees at NHS England, the NHS Business Services Authority, the Health Research Authority, the Care Quality Commission, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, NHS Resolution, the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and the UK Health and Security Agency have access to flexible working. These arm’s length bodies have no specific provisions for foster carers, but rather access to general carers and special leave policies.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellent, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, NHS Resolutions, the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and the UK Health and Security Agency work with foster carers on a case-by-case basis to accommodate reasonable requests. The Human Tissue Authority does not have any specific provisions for foster carers.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does offer our employees who are foster carers flexible working but not paid time off for training or settling a new child into their home. The Department provides a strong offer to all staff with respect to annual leave and hybrid working, as well as flexibility around taking unpaid time off, along with employee wellbeing support through the 24/7 service of our Employee Assistance Programme. DESNZ public bodies similarly exercise a range of flexible working policies that can support staff with caring and other responsibilities.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring outside of their employment. In addition, foster carers may apply for flexible working when settling a new child into their home. We do not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off for foster carers for (A) training and/or (B) settling a new child into their home. Employees are able to take annual and flexi leave as required and request flexible working. In the Ministry of Justice, special leave may be granted to foster carers who need time off work to attend to their caring responsibilities. It may be planned or unplanned, and paid or unpaid. Employees may request special leave for several reasons including: to undertake an assessment process to gain approval that they are suitable to foster; to take time off when the child is first placed with them settle the child ensure appropriate childcare arrangements can be put in place to allow the employee to continue to work; and to take emergency leave to care for dependants. At the discretion of a manager, special leave without pay may be granted for other personal reasons not mentioned above.

Innovation and Technology, whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

There is no central cross-government wide policy for foster care leave. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) does offer employees who are foster carers flexible working, but not paid time off for training or settling a new child into their home. My Department provides a strong offer to all staff with respect to annual leave and hybrid working, as well as flexibility around taking unpaid time off, along with employee wellbeing support through the 24/7 service of our Employee Assistance Programme. DSIT public bodies similarly exercise a range of flexible working policies that can support staff with caring and other responsibilities.

Whether the Prime Minister's Office offers employees who are foster carers (a) flexible working, (b) paid time off for (i) training and (ii) settling a new child into their home and (c) other support.

Foster carers provide an incredibly important role and the Government is keen to support any employees providing foster care. Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring outside of their employment. In addition, foster carers may apply for flexible working when settling a new child into their home.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring outside of their employment. In addition, foster carers may apply for flexible working when settling a new child into their home. Foster carers can also receive an additional 5 days of paid or unpaid leave in a 12-month period at the discretion of their line manager. This leave can be used for meetings, training, unforeseen emergencies related to their fostering role, or to accommodate emergency placement. At the start of a planned permanent placement, foster carers can receive up to 10 days of discretionary special paid leave in a 12-month period. If both parents are employed, one parent would receive up to 10 days and the other up to 5 days. Foster carers are also eligible to claim pre-school and school-age child support for childcare. These provisions are designed to support foster carers in balancing their professional responsibilities with their fostering duties. Employees also have a statutory right to take unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

All employees of DWP, including foster carers, have access to flexi time and can exercise their legal right to request other kinds of flexible working. Specific provision exists for foster carers to have paid time off for their initial assessment, training or attendance at formal meetings. Once approved as a foster carer, specific provision also exists for paid time off to deal with emergencies and for ongoing training and further formal meetings. In addition, any foster carer may apply for time off under provisions that are not restricted to foster care, such as paid compassionate leave. Other support provided for all employees is available for foster carers to use, such as professional advice and counselling from our employee assistance service. For Arms-Length Bodies in scope there are different mechanisms in place for supporting their employees. These details are provided below:The Pensions Regulator (TPR) ‘s adoption policy allows those members of staff who are fostering with the intention to adopt to get paid time off for settling a new child into their home as well as for five introductory adoption meetings. Those who are fostering without the intention to adopt have the statutory right to apply for flexible working along with all employees. While TPR does not offer specific training or support for those members of staff who are foster carers, their Employee Assistance Programme offers general support to them as they go through the process and beyond. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) does not currently have a specific Foster Policy, but all employees can request flexible working arrangements and take carers or dependency leave as outlined in its Flexible Working and Family Leave policies. While MaPS' policies align with statutory provision, it prioritises and expedites requests to ensure timely support for colleagues who receive requests for placements at very short notice. It is committed to supporting colleagues through options like paid leave, special paid leave, or unpaid leave, as agreed with line managers. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not have a specific policy that covers employees who are foster carers. All their employees can apply for flexible working, and they offer hybrid working. HSE advises line managers of employees who are foster carers, to look sympathetically at any request for paid time off using our special leave policy. The Pensions Ombudsman have not been advised by any current employees that they are foster carers. They do not have an explicit reference in their policies regarding special leave as it relates to foster care but do have good mechanisms to demonstrate flexibility around dependents and care needs.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

The Department for Business and Trade allows foster carers to take paid special leave for both training and to settle a new foster child into their home. Employees also have the statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment.DBT has an Employee Assistance Programme which provides impartial and confidential advice, counselling and online resources for all employees. The department also has dedicated parents’ network who provide advice and support to working parents.Arms length bodies have their own individual policies and procedures relating to foster carers.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

The Department for Transport does not have a specific policy to support foster carers (except where staff are fostering to adopt and may be eligible for adoption leave). It has policies to support carers, including parental leave, paid and unpaid special leave, and flexible working, which will support employees who are fostering children. This applies to the department and executive agencies.East West Rail, High Speed Rail 2, and London and Continental Rail (which are Arms Length Bodies sponsored by DfT) have policies specifically allowing paid leave for settling fostered children. Other Arms Length Bodies apply policies to support carers in a similar way to DfT.

Media and Sport, whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has a number of policies which support employees who are foster carers and, subject to line manager approval, include:A dedicated fostering employee policy where employees may be granted 5 days paid leave and up to 15 days unpaid leave. This overall entitlement can be taken as followed:Up to 5 days paid leave during assessment for approval processes;Up to 5 days unpaid leave during the approval process or when a child is in placement (including training and settling in);Up to 10 days unpaid leave at the start of a planned permanent placement.Note: staff who are fostering to adopt also have a statutory right to request up to 5 days paid special leave to attend pre-adoption appointments.Flexible Working arrangements, such as flexi-time or compressed hours. All employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees have a statutory right to make two flexible working requests in a 12 month period.Unpaid and/or paid special leave, including 5 days paid leave for both a domestic emergency and for emergency dependent leave.Our arm’s length bodies are independent employers and are responsible for implementing their own internal employee policies for foster carers, in addition to the statutory right for employees who meet qualifying criteria to request flexible working arrangements and emergency leave related to a dependent.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Main Top Level Budget areas offer flexible working to all employees (role permitting), and legislation provides a day-one right to submit a request for flexible working. Foster Carer’s Leave is available, including up to five days Special Paid Leave (SPL) during assessment for approval as a foster carer; up to five days SPL during the approval process or when the child is in placement, and up to 10 days SPL at the start of a planned permanent placement. If both parents are employed by the MOD, then one can receive 10 days and other a maximum of five days. Other support (beyond flexible working and Foster’s Carer’s Leave) available to foster carers comes in the form of family leave, other categories of special leave and pastoral provision, such as from line-management, networks and the Employee Assistance Programme. Paid time off for training and developmental activity is available when it is undertaken in the course of benefiting a MOD role. For those Arm’s Length Bodies that employ public servants, responsibility for their human resources policies is delegated to the organisation and it has not been possible to confirm each organisation’s policy regarding foster carers in the time available for a Parliamentary Question.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

Employees at the department have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period and this will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring.The department also provides employees who are foster carers with time off, paid and unpaid, for a variety of reasons relating to their fostering role, including to settle a child into their home or for training. This is in addition to any statutory right to time off to care for family and dependants.Other support available within the department includes access to an Employee Assistance Programme, staff networks, the ability to request flexible working on an informal basis and Mental Health First Aiders.​Information on the support provided by the department’s arms-length bodies can be found in the attachment.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring outside of their employment. In addition, foster carers may apply for flexible working when settling a new child into their home. We do not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off for foster carers for (A) training and/or (B) settling a new child into their home. Employees are able to take annual and flexi leave (if eligible) as required and request flexible working. In addition to the statutory right to reasonable unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, and the statutory right to 5 days unpaid leave for those with caring responsibilities, the Department and its arm’s length bodies offeran additional 5 days’ off as paid leave for carers (with the exception of the Environment Agency)an additional 5 days’ off as paid leave for those with dependents If the fostering arrangement leads to Adoption (Fostering to Adopt), both Adoption Leave and Parental Leave may be applied for. Other Support Parental Network: Defra’s Parental Network is a staff-led, informal group. It provides support and information for want-to-be, soon-to-be and current parents, as well as line managers or those supporting parents as part of their role. Carers Network: The Defra Carers’ Network is a staff-led group providing support for carers who work at Defra. A carer is anyone who cares for a friend or family member who, because of an illness, a disability, a mental health problem, or an addiction, cannot cope without their support.

Communities and Local Government, whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support.

At MHCLG:(i) Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring outside of their employment. In addition, foster carers may apply for flexible working when settling a new child into their home.(ii) We do not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off for fosters carers for (A) training. (B) Up to 10 days in a 12-month rolling period can be taken at the start of a planned permanent placement to help the child settle. If both parents are employed by the department, one parent would receive up to 10 days and the other up to 5 days.Employees are able to take annual and flexi leave as required and request flexible working. In addition, employees are able to take upto 15 days paid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant.(iii) Prospective adopters under a 'fostering to adopt' arrangement, can take up to 5 days paid leave in a rolling 12 month period. Employees can also take 5 days special leave without pay to attend meetings, training, unforeseen emergencies relating to their fostering role or to accommodate an emergency placement. In addition, we also allow employees to take up to 5 days paid special leave to attend non emergency medical appointments for dependants where these cannot be booked in working time.Employees of Arms Length Bodies are able to take annual leave as required and request flexible working. In addition, employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant. Other paid or unpaid time off provisions vary between each individual employer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of issuing a Regulation 12 determination under the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 confirming that the use of ionising radiation for the generation of electricity from nuclear energy using oxide fuel of low enrichment in fissile content in light water cooled, water moderated thermal reactors is considered an Existing Practice for projects such as those proposed by Great British Nuclear.

In his role as Justifying Authority for nuclear energy, the Secretary of State can consider a broad class or type of practice under Regulation 12 of the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004. A determination to justify a broad class or type of practice would assume that all potential nuclear reactor designs in scope of that class or type of practice would result in a similar balance of benefits and detriments. Where there is sufficient evidence to make such an assessment, the Justifying Authority remains open to the possibility of accommodating a broader range of designs in a class or type of practice when assessing justification applications.