Written questions by Lam.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the food procured by public sector bodies in (a) England, (b) Kent and (c) Weald of Kent constituency is from British farms.

The previous Government did not hold information about where the food served by public bodies comes from. However, at January’s Oxford Farming Conference, it was announced that, for the first time ever, the Government would monitor just that. The initial phase of the work to better understand the data available across public sector food supply chains is near completion. It will inform further work to develop a mechanism via which the Government is able to better understand how much of the food bought by the public sector is from British suppliers.

Whether her Department holds data on the number of people who have illegally arrived in the UK via small boat crossings having previously been deported.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 March to Question 35056.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing employer National Insurance Contributions and the National Minimum Wage on manufacturing businesses in (a) Kent and (b) the Weald of Kent.

The Government protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs in 2025-26. My Department published an Impact Assessment for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, which includes a breakdown of the expected impacts by sector and region.We recognise the importance of manufacturing and the tourism sector to local economies such as Kent and the Weald of Kent, where many businesses (particularly SMEs) are sensitive to changes in employment costs. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to work closely with industry stakeholders and across departments to monitor the health of the visitor economy and to ensure that tourism voices are reflected in wider policy discussions.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing (a) employer National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on care homes in (i) Kent and (ii) Weald of Kent constituency.

The Government has considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2024.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to Kent in 2025/26 means that they have seen an increase to their core spending power of up to 7% in cash terms.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing (a) employer National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on GP practices in (i) Kent and (ii) Weald of Kent constituency.

We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise and National Minimum Wage rise was implemented in April 2025. General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services. We are investing an additional £889 million into GPs to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing (a) employer National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on hospices in (i) Kent and (ii) Weald of Kent constituency.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.The employer National Insurance contribution rise was implemented in April and the planning guidance, published on 30 January, sets out the funding available to integrated care boards and the overall approach to funding providers during this next financial year. It takes into account a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices. Further information on the planning guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/Regarding the national minimum wage, independent organisations, such as charities and social enterprises, including hospices in Kent, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate, and how to recoup any additional costs they face if they choose to utilise the terms and conditions of NHS staff on the Agenda for Change contract.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing (a) employer National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on pharmacies in (i) Kent and (ii) Weald of Kent constituency.

We took the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement.The Department considered the increases to employer National Insurance and the National Living Wage as part of the funding arrangements for community pharmacy in 2024/25 and 2025/26. We have increased funding for community pharmacy to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future as well as a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing (a) employer National Insurance Contributions and the (b) National Minimum Wage on dental practices in (i) Kent and (ii) Weald of Kent constituency.

We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise and National Minimum Wage rise was implemented in April 2025.The National Health Service’s planning guidance for 2025/26 has now been published, and sets out the funding available to integrated care boards (ICBs), including the dental ringfence. Dental practices are businesses and decide how they operate themselves, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations. It is up to dental practices to set employee pay and conditions.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

How many asylum seekers aged 25 years and under require special educational needs provision.

The department does not hold or collect information regarding how many asylum seekers aged 25 and under require special educational needs provision.

For what reason HM Treasury did not meet (a) 81 and (b) 77 per cent of its target response times to correspondence from MPs and Peers in (i) Q3 and (ii) Q4 of 2024.

Since July 2024, Treasury ministers have received over 7,000 pieces of correspondence from Members. That is significantly more than usual, creating a significant backlog. Officials and Private Offices are working hard to reduce the backlog and clear outstanding cases as quickly as possible.

For what reason HMRC Policy did not meet (a) 100 and (b) 87 per cent of her Department's target response times to correspondence from MPs and Peers in (i) Q3 and (ii) Q4 of 2024.

I refer the honourable member to the answer to question UIN 54166.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Overseas Development Assistance funding has contributed to the (a) establishment and (b) ongoing operation of foreign abattoirs since July 2024.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office deploys Official Development Assistance (ODA) to fund a range of organisations and programmes which address the productivity of farmers and small-medium enterprises in agri-food value chains in developing countries.Figures for the UK 2024 ODA are due to be published in Autumn 2025 through the Statistics on International Development report. ODA is an international measure and is collected and reported on a calendar year basis.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 35595 on Agriculture: Subsidies, how many producer organisations have written to him to express concern over the discontinuation of the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme on 31 December 2025.

Since January 2025 there have been 16 pieces of correspondence addressed to Defra ministers by producer organisations, expressing their concern over the discontinuation of the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme on 31 December 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many abattoirs he has visited in (a) England, (b) the South East of England and (c) Kent.

As Minister for Farming, I have visited abattoirs and will continue to do so.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of microplastics on artificial sports fields on the (a) respiratory health and (b) safety of children while playing sports.

Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs) currently play a crucial role in getting more people active across the UK. They provide durable, safe, year-round playing surfaces which can sustain up to 80 hours of use per week - significantly more than grass pitches, helping more people to access the benefits of physical activity.The Government is aware of potential impacts which AGPs have related to the spread of rubber crumb - which contains microplastics. While, currently, there is no clear alternative, DCMS continues to work closely with Defra and the wider sector to help identify a viable long-term solution, which can maximise opportunities to get active in the most healthy and sustainable way possible.In 2017, the European Chemical Agency published findings from a study which found there is no reason to advise people against playing sports on synthetic turf containing recycled rubber granules as infill material. Further European-led research published in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment in 2020 reported there were no health concerns for AGPs, and in 2024 the US Environmental Protection Agency published a report noting no significant difference in chemical exposure between players on artificial grass and those on natural grass fields.

Representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to Questions 48 and 49 of the Questions to the General Synod on 10 February 2025, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential implications for their policies of the comments made by the Bishop of Salisbury that external authorities must approve the implementation timeline for Project Spire; and if the Church Commissioners will list those external authorities.

The Church Commissioners have had informal and constructive dialogue with the Charity Commission about how to implement the Church Commissioners’ response to their historic links to African chattel enslavement (known as “Project Spire”).This informal engagement has now concluded, and subject to authorisation by trustees the Church Commissioners anticipate that they will make appropriate applications to the Charity Commission.Project Spire’s implementation timeline depends on this external authority to the extent that the Charity Commission will determine how long it takes to come to a decision.

Representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners plan to set up a new charity to administer Project Spire, in the context of the Bishop of Salisbury’s comments at the General Synod in February 2025.

Subject to the decision of trustees and the approval of the Charity Commission, the Church Commissioners plan to set up a new charitable fund, which they propose to call the Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice, as part of the delivery of Project Spire.

Representing the Church Commissioners, how much money has been spent on (a) research funding, (b) salaries and (c) legal advice for Project Spire.

The Annual Reports of the Church Commissioners’ contains information on fees relating to forensic accounting services provided to support a research project into the fund of Queen Anne’s Bounty, one of the Commissioners’ predecessor bodies. Information (2023, p.105; 2022, p.105; 2021, p.90) can be viewed here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/governance/national-church-institutions/church-commissioners-england/who-we-are/publicationsFurther information will be included in the Church Commissioners’ Annual Report and Accounts for 2024, which will be published next month.

Representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to p.10 of the report entitled Church Commissioners' Research into Historic Links to Transatlantic Chattel Slavery, published on 1 January 2023, for what reason that report was not peer reviewed to an academic standard.

Peer-reviewed publications are usually written for an academic audience. For instance, an academic journal will send a proposed article to anonymous peer reviewers. Likewise, an academic monograph proposal will be sent for peer review. Documents intended for a public audience go through a different process of internal review.The report was initiated in 2019 via a query raised at the Church Commissioners’ Audit and Risk Committee. It is rooted in the Church Commissioners’ risk management and fiduciary duties as a 320-year-old in-perpetuity endowment fund and responsible investor. Accordingly, the analysis in the Church Commissioners’ report was underpinned out by independent professional accountants who deployed fundamental forensic techniques: detailed transactions analysis, account reconstruction and asset tracing. An overview of the work carried out by the independent accountants can be found here. The Church Commissioners also engaged independent, expert, professional historians as advisors in compiling its report.

Representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have (a) made or (b) have held discussions with the Charity Commission on making an application to authorise an ex-gratia payment under section 105 or 106 of the Charities Act 2011 in relation to Project Spire.

The Church Commissions have not made an application to the Charity Commission to seek authority for a payment under section 105 or 106 of the Charities Act 2011 in relation to Project Spire.The Church Commissioners have held discussions with the Charity Commission about making an application to authorise an ex-gratia payment under section 106 of the Charities Act 2011 in relation to Project Spire.