Written questions by Evans.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) undertake a review of the recording of dog on dog attacks by police forces and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing guidance to ensure consistency of reporting of those attacks.

Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent attacks by encouraging responsible dog ownership, to ensure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate and to make sure the full force of the law is applied. As part of this work, we will continue to consider how we can improve data collection and recording on dog attacks so that we are in a better position to take action.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of temporarily closing the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes to new applications on farmers.

The Government’s commitment to British farmers, including family farms, remains steadfast. We will always champion British farming to boost rural economic growth, strengthen food security and improve the environment. In the Budget announced last month, the Government committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes in 2025/26. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is open to farmers so they make their businesses more sustainable and resilient. We will continue to optimise it and our other farming schemes, so they work efficiently for all farmers, food security and the environment, especially for those that are too often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms.

Communities and Local Government, If she will make a comparative assessment of the effect of the (a) proposals in Planning Reform Working Paper: Planning Committee on the applicability of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and (b) protections afforded to the (i) habitats and (ii) species listed in Section 41 of that Act.

The government’s planning reform working paper on planning committees invites views on a number of proposals designed to support better decision making in the planning system. The working paper does not propose any changes which would affect the application of the biodiversity duties and protections under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

What estimate she has made of the cost of nationalising South Western Railway.

The exact costs associated with the transfer of a train operator’s services cannot be determined with any certainty at this stage. Each operator will have their own circumstances that need to be addressed to enable a successful transfer. The process to transfer South Western Railways will involve some mobilisation and due diligence costs, and the transfer programme as a whole will also incur costs, for example, to increase DfT Operator Ltd capacity. However, these costs are expected to be a fraction of the £110-150 million per year in fees to private operators that will no longer have to be funded by the taxpayer once all franchised services are back in public ownership.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of nationalising C2C.

The exact costs associated with the transfer of a train operator’s services cannot be determined with any certainty at this stage. Each operator will have their own circumstances that need to be addressed to enable a successful transfer. The process to transfer c2c will involve some mobilisation and due diligence costs, and the transfer programme as a whole will also incur costs, for example, to increase DfT Operator Ltd capacity. However, these costs are expected to be a fraction of the £110-150 million per year in fees to private operators that will no longer have to be funded by the taxpayer once all franchised services are back in public ownership.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of nationalising Greater Anglia.

The exact costs associated with the transfer of a train operator’s services cannot be determined with any certainty at this stage. Each operator will have their own circumstances that need to be addressed to enable a successful transfer. The process to transfer Greater Anglia will involve some mobilisation and due diligence costs, and the transfer programme as a whole will also incur costs, for example, to increase DfT Operator Ltd capacity. However, these costs are expected to be a fraction of the £110-150 million per year in fees to private operators that will no longer have to be funded by the taxpayer once all franchised services are back in public ownership.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will issue updated guidance on household recycling collections.

Simpler Recycling will mean that people across England will be able to recycle the same materials at home, work or school, ending the confusion over what can or cannot be recycled in different parts of the country. Ministers are currently reviewing final Simpler Recycling policy decisions, including guidance on the approach to collections, and we hope to provide further certainty and clarity to stakeholders as soon as possible.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of educational psychologists.

This department’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Educational psychologists play a critical role in supporting children and young people, providing statutory input into education, health and care assessments and advising the school workforce on how to support children and young people with SEND.As the employers of educational psychology services, it is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that their services are adequately staffed. The department is taking measures to support local authorities by investing in building the pipeline.The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from this year. This builds on the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.To support retention, following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this requirement has increased to three years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 11294 on Armed Forces: Cadets, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the ending of the additional SSI grant on the long term sustainability of school cadet forces.

The development and sustainability of school cadet units depends on a range of factors including senior leadership team support and the ability to attract and retain adult volunteers to manage and deliver cadet activities. Our commitment to supporting the school-based Combined Cadet Force and the Cadet Expansion Programme in schools remains unchanged. We are very aware of the benefits that cadet activity brings to the young people themselves and of the positive contribution that having a cadet unit makes to schools. Therefore, we continue to invest £3.6 million per year in the programme so that more young people can enjoy the benefits of the cadet experience, but I have also directed that a review be undertaken to ascertain how we can deliver more cadet activity both in schools and in the wider community settings. The role and support to the SSI will figure in this review.

What assessment she has made of the challenges of (a) recruiting and (b) retaining educational psychologists to ensure the effective processing of education, health and care plans.

This department’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Educational psychologists play a critical role in supporting children and young people, providing statutory input into education, health and care assessments and advising the school workforce on how to support children and young people with SEND.As the employers of educational psychology services, it is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that their services are adequately staffed. The department is taking measures to support local authorities by investing in building the pipeline.The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from this year. This builds on the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.To support retention, following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this requirement has increased to three years.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12597 on Agriculture: Subsidies, when he plans to make a decision on future financial aid schemes for the sector.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs. Defra meets regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November to Question 12597 on Agriculture: Subsidies, if he will (a) meet with UK fruit and vegetable growers and (b) provide a communication portal for the submission of views about future financial aid schemes for the sector.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs. Defra meets regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12597 on Agriculture: Subsidies, what steps his Department is taking to consult (a) fruit and (b) vegetable growers on future financial aid schemes for the sector.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs. Defra meets regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.

Whether he plans to continue to support the TRANSFORM prostate cancer screening trial.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, and the Government is strongly committed to supporting research into cancer. The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend, at over £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority.The TRANSFORM trial is an important example of prostate cancer research, as a £42 million screening trial which aims to find ways of detecting prostate cancer earlier. Prostate Cancer UK is leading the development of the trial, with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR. The TRANSFORM trial will also aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis today, ensuring that at least 10% of the men who are invited to participate in the trial are black, to inform a targeted approach for earlier diagnosis.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including prostate cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for setting out further grants through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

We are looking carefully at how to position further investment including grants as part of the Spending Review process. Eligible cattle, sheep and pig farmers can still apply for a funded vet visit to improve their animals’ health and welfare.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway in encouraging cage free systems of farming.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway has made grants available to improve the health and welfare of livestock. The grants have been codesigned with farmers, academics, vets and industry representatives.  We continue to work with the industry on how the Pathway can encourage cage free systems of farming.

What steps his Department plans to take to support (a) hospices, (b) GPs and (c) care homes, in the context of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled 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 rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for the next year in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to extend the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme after 2025.

The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme and legislation in place which will close it on the 31 of December 2025. The Government has committed to championing British farming, whilst protecting the environment, and is currently considering the best way to support our farming sectors in the future, including horticulture.

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of changes to National Insurance contributions on (a) hospices, (b) GPs and (c) care homes.

Resource spending for the Department of Health and Social Care is set to increase by £22.6 billion in 2025-26 compared to 2023-24 outturn, providing a real-terms growth rate of 4% for the NHS, the largest since before 2010 excluding Covid-19 years. The Government will support local authority services through a real terms increase in core local government spending power of around 3.2%, including at least £600 million of new grant funding to support social care.The government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year. Our tax regime for charities, including exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.The Budget will provide support for government departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer NICs costs only. Private sector firms or charities including hospices or social care providers that are contracted by central or local Government will not be exempt from these changes. General Practitioners are independent contractors and therefore will not be exempt from these changes.This is consistent with the approach to previous Employer NICs changes, as was the case with the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.DHSC will confirm funding for General Practice for 25/26 as part of the usual GP contract process later in the year, including through consultation with the sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle puppy smuggling.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto we will end puppy smuggling. We are considering the most effective ways to deliver our commitments and will be setting out next steps in due course.