Written questions by Dillon.

Whether his Department has issued guidance to the Atomic Weapons Establishment on proposed restructuring.

AWE notified the Ministry of Defence last year of its intent to conduct a reorganisation to strengthen the company as it embarks on the challenge of designing and manufacturing the next generation of the UK’s sovereign nuclear warhead.The ongoing restructuring will not reduce the overall number of employees, as the company will continue to hire appropriately qualified skilled professionals, including scientists and engineers. This activity will ensure AWE has the right people with the right skillsets in place to deliver defence outputs, both now and in the future.The precise nature of the reorganisation is an operational matter for AWE. AWE will work closely with the trade unions throughout the consultation period and are committed to approaching the process with fairness, care and respect for its employees.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of planned redundancies of (a) scientists and (b) other staff at the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the (i) supply and (ii) maintenance of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

AWE notified the Ministry of Defence last year of its intent to conduct a reorganisation to strengthen the company as it embarks on the challenge of designing and manufacturing the next generation of the UK’s sovereign nuclear warhead.The ongoing restructuring will not reduce the overall number of employees, as the company will continue to hire appropriately qualified skilled professionals, including scientists and engineers. This activity will ensure AWE has the right people with the right skillsets in place to deliver defence outputs, both now and in the future.The precise nature of the reorganisation is an operational matter for AWE. AWE will work closely with the trade unions throughout the consultation period and are committed to approaching the process with fairness, care and respect for its employees.

What recent steps he has taken to ensure rural community owned businesses are included in the Small Business Strategy.

The Small Business Plan outlines how we will make thriving small businesses a reality across the UK, whether across towns or countryside. Rural areas offer significant growth potential and fulfilling the needs of people and businesses in rural areas is at the heart of our policymaking. The Plan was developed through engagement with a large number of key stakeholders and trade associations including roundtables with farms and community-based businesses. The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed, ensuring that all intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas and include community-owned businesses.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) VAT and (b) business rates on the hospitality sector.

In April 2026, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with ratable values below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that eligible hospitality businesses, including pubs, benefit from much-needed certainty and support. Ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, the Government prevented RHL business rates relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. Business rates are a vital source of Local Government funding and support critical local services, including children's and adult social care. As such, the Government has no plans to abolish business rates for pubs. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption that applies to most goods and services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to specialist mental health support for farmers in rural areas.

Defra is supporting farmers’ access to specialist mental health services through funding the Farmer Welfare Grant, which is designed to offer tailored support as well as prevent further cases of poor mental health by helping to build resilience within farming communities. The Department of Health and Social Care are investing to give mental health the same priority as physical health. This includes hiring 8,500 new mental health support workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment closer to home, including in rural communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource provides free business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression and suicide.

Whether her Department plans to review inheritance tax reliefs for agricultural property.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed Community Right to Buy on the establishment of community owned businesses.

Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are introducing a new community right to buy to give communities stronger powers to protect a range of assets which are important to them. This will help to ensure that community owned businesses have the spaces they need to operate effectively, meeting the needs of the community and benefiting the local economy.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of automated translation tools for use in the asylum decision making process.

The Home Office does not currently use AI or automation for interpreting or translation purposes. The Home Office is currently exploring the technology landscape for translation and transcription solutions with the view to better understand the capabilities and their current maturity, along with the risks and benefits. The intent is to understand the feasibility and adequacy of utilising this type of technology to support processes within the Migration & Borders system. This exploration is also supportive of engaging with experts and academia to ensure a well-informed and evidence-based approach. The Home Office is investing in innovative techniques, including AI, to explore how we can improve productivity, speed up processing the asylum backlog, streamline the provision of accommodation and support, and restore order in the asylum system. This will not be at the cost of compromising on accuracy due to the complexity and importance of asylum decisions.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a rural community ownership fund.

The Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, which will conclude in March 2026. Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026. The evaluation will assess the impact of assets across a range of different types of geography including assets based in rural areas.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on improving rural broadband coverage for farming communities.

Defra officials are in regular contact with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and continue to work closely with the department on connectivity issues facing rural and farming communities. Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. This includes farms and other rural businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Farming Resilience Fund in supporting farmer wellbeing.

An evaluation of the Farming Resilience Fund has been completed and is due for publication before the end of this year. The survey includes a question on impact of the scheme on farmers' wellbeing.

What plans her Department has to help support the financial needs of families, including their (a) eligibility for benefits and (b) access to childcare support.

Universal Credit is designed to be a flexible benefit which offers support for both those in and out of work. It provides an invaluable safety net for millions of customers through the standard allowance and additional elements. The government recognises the value of this safety net to millions of people and has therefore legislated for the first ever sustained above-inflation uplift to the UC standard allowance. In September we launched the Best Start in Life website for carers and parents, providing information on the government childcare offers available and an eligibility checker. Independent, free and anonymous benefit calculators are available to help people check what benefits they may be entitled to. The calculators can be accessed on the Government website at: https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

What steps his Department is taking to support diversification in (a) vineyards, (b) farm shops, (c) tourism and (d) other small rural business.

The Department’s flagship plan for Small and Medium Sized Business is giving rural businesses the tools they need to grow and diversify. Our plan will help businesses to tackle late payments, improve access to finance, and streamline licensing. Targeted funding and Growth Hubs will provide tailored advice alongside sector-specific schemes to encourage innovation and local investment. DBT also provides advice and support for businesses via business.gov.uk, including access to the Business Academy and international market teams. These measures help rural businesses to thrive, create jobs, and strengthen local economies.

Whether her Department plans to review the effectiveness of the Childcare Funding system.

We see the early years as more than just childcare and central to our mission to give every child the best start in life. The department is focused on reforming the childcare system to ensure it is fit for purpose, so children get the best start in life and that high quality early education is available to all who need it.To ensure that the early years funding system is hardwired to support those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need, the department will review early years funding, including the early years national funding formulae, consulting on a set of changes by summer 2026.We will review how funding is distributed nationally and locally to ensure the funding system remains fair and effective at reflecting the costs of delivery and supporting those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need. The department will set out full details in the consultation next year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of small-scale, family-run farms to local economies in England.

Defra does not collect data which classifies whether farms are family-run and does not hold any data on the economic contribution of small-scale, family run farms to local economies in England.

What support is available to households requiring removal of spray foam insulation installed under government grant schemes.

In any instance where insulation is installed improperly under a government-backed scheme, consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the insurance-backed guarantee. Where the measure has not been installed correctly, homeowners should contact their installer or use the TrustMark dispute resolution process to seek redress (https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowner/information-guidance/if-things-go-wrong). As part of the Warm Homes Plan, Government is reviewing the entire landscape - from how installers work in people’s homes to where homeowners turn for rapid action and enforcement if things go wrong. We are planning to consult on proposals for retrofit system reform early next year.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that families of children with SEND in rural areas have equitable access to early parenting support.

Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life sets out how the government will invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to expand and strengthen family services.This will include £500 million for rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in supporting parents of children with additional needs. This will help identify children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who may need extra help, making links with local early years settings and health services. We will also fund more evidence based parenting offers and set clearer rules to ensure that funding is used on high quality parenting programmes.This will be supported by a new national Best Start digital service, linked to ‘My Children’ on the NHS app, bringing together the advice and guidance parents need in one place, and linking families to local services.The Families First Partnership programme is embedding Family Help as a seamless offer of family support delivered by multi-disciplinary, community based teams. This includes a broad range of professionals, including those working in SEND. The location of services will be determined by local authorities, with partners, and we encourage areas to consider family hubs as a location.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of specialist evidence-based parenting support for families with children with SEND.

Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life sets out how the government will invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to expand and strengthen family services.This will include £500 million for rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in supporting parents of children with additional needs. This will help identify children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who may need extra help, making links with local early years settings and health services. We will also fund more evidence based parenting offers and set clearer rules to ensure that funding is used on high quality parenting programmes.This will be supported by a new national Best Start digital service, linked to ‘My Children’ on the NHS app, bringing together the advice and guidance parents need in one place, and linking families to local services.The Families First Partnership programme is embedding Family Help as a seamless offer of family support delivered by multi-disciplinary, community based teams. This includes a broad range of professionals, including those working in SEND. The location of services will be determined by local authorities, with partners, and we encourage areas to consider family hubs as a location.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of digital parenting programmes in supporting families of children with SEND.

Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life sets out how the government will invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to expand and strengthen family services.This will include £500 million for rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in supporting parents of children with additional needs. This will help identify children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who may need extra help, making links with local early years settings and health services. We will also fund more evidence based parenting offers and set clearer rules to ensure that funding is used on high quality parenting programmes.This will be supported by a new national Best Start digital service, linked to ‘My Children’ on the NHS app, bringing together the advice and guidance parents need in one place, and linking families to local services.The Families First Partnership programme is embedding Family Help as a seamless offer of family support delivered by multi-disciplinary, community based teams. This includes a broad range of professionals, including those working in SEND. The location of services will be determined by local authorities, with partners, and we encourage areas to consider family hubs as a location.

What steps she is taking to promote agricultural (a) careers and (b) skills development among young people in rural constituencies.

In October, the department published the Post-16 education and skills white paper, setting out a strategy to build a world-class skills system aligned with student and employer needs. Central to these reforms is Skills England, which provides expert insight into current and future skills needs. The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company to increase young people’s exposure to industry. They work with sector bodies, such as the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture to embed employer insight within careers education. Through a network of careers hubs, the Careers & Enterprise Company connects careers provision in schools and colleges to the needs of local economies through strategic partnerships with local government. Several careers hubs covering rural constituencies work in line with local skills improvement plans by supporting young people’s career readiness and delivering application and interview support.