Written questions by Farnsworth.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the inclusion of fruit and nut bars in the location restrictions for high fat, sugar and salt products since October 2022 on businesses; and what steps he is taking to support investment by affected manufacturers of fruit and nut bars.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever.Restrictions on the promotion by location of ‘less healthy’ food and drink products in stores and their equivalent places online have been in place since 2022. These restrictions apply to categories of products that impact most on childhood obesity, which were chosen following public consultation.Only fruit and nut bars that are high in saturated fat, salt, or sugar are in scope of the restrictions. The products that are in and out of scope of the restrictions are set out in the Schedule to the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 and we have published guidance to support industry on complying with the restrictions.We published a detailed impact assessment on the costs to industry and the benefits of this policy on the GOV.UK website. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the restrictions and will publish a Post Implementation Review within five years of the restrictions taking legal effect.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary trade negotiations on the cut flower and plant sector; and when small flower‑selling businesses will be impacted by changes.

The Government is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing trade barriers for British producers and retailers. While those negotiations are ongoing, we cannot comment further on the SPS agreement. The Government is aiming to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027, subject to discussion with the EU.

Whether he will publish an economic impact assessment on the potential impact of the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model within the advertising and promotion regulations, specifically in relation to business investment, reformulation, and product innovation.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. As part of this, the Government committed to updating the standards behind the restrictions on advertising ‘less healthy’ food or drink products on television before 9:00pm and online at any time, as well as the restrictions on the promotion of ‘less healthy’ food and drink products by location and volume price by applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).The advertising and promotions restrictions currently rely on the outdated NPM 2004/05. The new NPM has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice from the United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, particularly in relation to free sugar and fibre. Applying it to the restrictions will strengthen these policies by bringing more products of concern for children’s health into scope.The Government published the new NPM on 27 January. Application of the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions would be subject to a full public consultation. A consultation-stage impact assessment of the direct costs to businesses and intended health outcomes would be published alongside. A final impact assessment would be published prior to amending the advertising and promotions restrictions legislation.

What steps she has taken to appoint a Retail and Hospitality Envoy.

The Government will make an announcement on the appointment of the Retail and Hospitality Envoy in the coming weeks.

What his priorities are for the UN Climate Change Conference 2025.

The Secretary of State and Minister for Climate are in Brazil to fight for our national interest. By working to protect the global ecosystem and speed up the clean energy revolution globally we can unlock investment in energy security, lower bills, and create good jobs for the British people.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning the duty rates applied to textile footwear with other textile-based safety equipment.

The UK’s Tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff (UKGT), adheres to global classification standards. We continue to monitor the UKGT to ensure our Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule functions as effectively as possible, supports domestic priorities, and provides a stable operating environment for businesses. Businesses are welcome to request partial or full liberalisation of the import duty applied to the products under this commodity code, including textile footwear and textile-based safety equipment, either through the online feedback form or the next business suspensions window. There will be further opportunities to apply for tariff suspensions in due course. Further information, including dates of the application window, guidance, and methods to apply, will be announced on GOV.UK.

If she will take legislative steps to create new commodity codes under Section 64 of the UK Global Tariff to include the use of sustainable materials in safety footwear.

UK customs commodity codes are matched to the EU’s, to enable the Windsor Framework in NI and facilitate trade with the EU. However, other mechanisms can be used to provide different tariff treatment for goods. If businesses would like to propose a lower rate of duty on a product, they can make a duty suspension application to the Department for Business and Trade.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the rights of property buyers in the context of consultations on home buying and selling reform and the provision of material information in property listings.

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, property listings must already not omit information that the average consumer needs to make an informed transactional decision. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the proposals set out in the home buying and selling consultations published on 6 October 2025. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to prevent developers seeking to (a) reduce and (b) remove obligations under agreements entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on viability grounds; and whether he plans to reform the viability assessment process.

The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure.As part of this commitment, we are reviewing the planning practice guidance PPG on viability.Further details will be set out in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to improve Child Maintenance Service (a) communication with service users, (b) maintenance calculations and (c) handling of arrears.

Communications & Our Digital ServiceThrough the Service Modernisation Programme, the CMS are ensuring customers have a greater choice of how they communicate access our service. The CMS has made improvements to customer communications, through more use of SMS text and email, and a full review of its letters making them easier for customer to understand. The online digital service 'Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance' through GOV.UK is open to any parent who needs unbiased advice and support to make an arrangement. My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC) offers customers the ability to update their information and request changes, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For those customers who need to contact the CMS by telephone, steps have been taken to update the service through efficient call routing. The CMS telephony opening hours are regularly reviewed based on the demand requirements. CMS have extended their telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet this demand. The CMS has also recently introduced online messaging functionality to enable customers to respond to requests for information at a time that suits them. This is currently only available on a limited number of processes, but plans are in place to roll it out to all key processes. Maintenance Calculation Review The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends. Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Arrears & ComplianceThe Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support and the Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to make sure parents comply. Where parents fail to pay their child maintenance, the Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings orders, removal of driving licences, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison. The Service is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families. The CMS has a low percentage of unpaid maintenance with 7% (£734.3 million) of the total maintenance due to be paid since the CMS began in 2012, still to be collected through Collect & Pay. This has steadily fallen since the 17% due to be paid in March 2015.

Whether his Department plans to allow self-funded Pre-implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy as an add-on to NHS-funded IVF treatment.

Commissioning decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his EU counterparts on streamlining the import process for flowers.

Plant health import requirements are kept under continuous review, through the UK Plant Health Risk Group. Following such a review, most imports of cut flowers into GB from the EU no longer require an accompanying phytosanitary certificate and notification by importers. Where phytosanitary certificates are still required, we are transitioning to digital certification via the IPPC ePhyto solution, which is a faster, safer and more cost-effective option. Defra has prioritised securing ePhyto agreements with EU countries, with arrangements now agreed for a range of plant products, including cut flowers, from: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden. Several other EU countries are due to have the capacity to export using ePhyto rolled out during 2025. The Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, set up under the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, provides a platform for information sharing and discussion on each of the Parties’ import requirements and processes. It is at this forum that the UK has discussed with the European Union the development of the UK’s IPPC ePhyto solution. Defra is also seeking to negotiate a SPS agreement to help boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. The UK and EU are like-minded partners with similarly high standards. We have been clear that a SPS agreement could boost trade and deliver significant benefits on both sides. A SPS agreement could reduce trade friction and deliver significant benefits to the EU and the UK, but delivering new agreements will take time.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to end delays in border checks for flowers and plants imported from the EU.

The department does not recognise the assertation that there are routine delays. GB plant health services have significantly increased the number of plant health inspection staff to service the demand for import checks in England and Wales of EU plants and plant products and Inspector levels are being monitored to ensure these meet demand and ensure minimal trade disruption.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there is an adequate number of trained and skilled staff conducting checks on flowers and plants at UK border posts.

Checks at Border Control Posts are handled by trained staff working to standard operating procedures, ensuring inspections are undertaken safely and efficiently. APHA’s plant health import inspection process is accredited to the ISO 17020 Inspection Standard which is subject to external audits from the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS). Inspectors are rigorously trained and are equipped to ensure SPS goods are handled safely and with care. GB plant health services have significantly increased the number of plant health inspection staff to service the demand for import checks in England and Wales of EU plants and plant products. Inspector levels are being monitored to ensure these meet demand and ensure minimal trade disruption.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that contract negotiations take into account variations in unit prices between dentistry practices (a) across England and (b) that are geographically close to one another; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of such variations on recruitment of dentists.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of their local populations and to determine the priorities for investment.Differential Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) rates allow providers to use differing pay rates to reflect the local market rates. From April 2024 a new minimum UDA value of £28 was set to support practices with historically low UDA rates. ICBs can also influence the UDA rate locally, which may help to support local interventions.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the cap on the number of Crown Court sitting days on the average time taken for cases to be heard.

Every year, the Government and the Judiciary agree a number of sitting days and an overall budget in what is known as the Concordat process.In June, the Judiciary reached an agreement with the former Lord Chancellor to sit 106,000 days in the Crown Court within a total budget of £275 million.To support efforts to maximise capacity, the Lord Chancellor has since agreed to fund an additional 500 days.But there has been over listing against this budget – with more trials scheduled than the funding allows.As a result of that, approximately 1,600 sitting days had to be withdrawn. The level of impact will vary across regions and is being managed closely to ensure there is minimal disruption to all involved.