Written questions by Onn.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with organisations such as the UK Seafood Federation to (a) advocate and (b) promote seafood.

I welcome the creation of the UK Seafood Federation, and I am pleased that Defra officials attended the launch on 15 January 2025. UK seafood businesses play an important role in boosting the growth of local economies by providing jobs, and are a vital part of our food security, bringing a heathy and nutritious source of food to dinner tables across the country. The UK Government is committed to continue working work with industry organisations, such as the UK Seafood Federation, to create a more secure, sustainable, and economically successful seafood sector. My Department looks forward to working closely with the UK Seafood Federation, as it does with other industry bodies, to promote UK seafood both domestically and abroad, boost trade, and deliver the best outcomes for UK businesses.

What recent progress she has made on discussions to establish a direct rail link between London and Cleethorpes.

The Secretary of State knows the introduction of a direct train to London from Cleethorpes and Grimsby has been a longstanding local ambition. We are working with industry to understand the timetabling, financial, operational and infrastructure issues that would need to be resolved before a service to Cleethorpes could be introduced, once the East Coast Mainline timetable change has been implemented this December. Infrastructure and operational assessments made by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and Network Rail have confirmed that LNER services could call at Cleethorpes and Grimsby without major infrastructure changes. However, for LNER trains to serve Market Rasen station, significant infrastructure work, estimated to cost £15 to £20 million, would be required. The introduction of this service would be subject to funding and a thorough business case process.

What recent progress she has made with National Highways on the next round of RIS3 funding: and whether the A180 will be included in this funding stream.

The multi-year Spending Review, concluding in late spring, will help frame the 5-year RIS3 funding envelope that National Highways has to operate, maintain, renew and improve the strategic road network in the next road period starting in 2026. Once the level and profile of RIS funding is confirmed, National Highways can plan what it will deliver and when, including the scope, ambition and timing of major renewals projects, such as the A180 in North East Lincolnshire.

When it was decided that community interest companies should be ineligible for capital funding provided to NHS mental health trusts in the 2024-25 financial year; and whether he plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of making community interest companies eligible.

Government capital funding is provided for specific purposes, and for the National Health Service is for NHS organisations to manage their assets and provide NHS services. Community interest companies (CICs) are therefore outside the remit of most of this funding.However, there may be some instances where integrated care systems (ICSs) can commission and fund other organisations including CICs to provide NHS services; for example, the Mental Health Urgent and Emergency Care programme funds, amongst other things, new and improved facilities and alternatives to accident and emergency, and hospital admission such as crisis houses and cafes, safe havens and step-down services.Any changes to the current capital regime, including funding distribution will be considered during the development of the 10-Year Health Plan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2024 to Question 12940 on Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures: Regulation, whether he has made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of rectifying unregulated cosmetic procedures.

We have made no estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of rectifying complications relating to cosmetic procedures.

Innovation and Technology, if he will have discussions with Meta on the potential impact of (a) the adequacy of its customer support team and (b) accounts being temporarily disabled on UK businesses; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of legislating minimum service standards in those areas to support UK businesses that rely on the services of (i) Meta and (ii) other online platforms.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings with Meta on a range of issues, including their support for UK businesses. The Online Safety Act (OSA), enacted in October 2023, requires in-scope platforms to have clear and accessible terms of service setting out what kinds of content are allowed on their platforms and in what circumstances they might suspend or ban a user. The Act also mandates that platforms provide users and affected persons with an accessible complaints process if they consider their account has been unfairly restricted or suspended.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to protect the accounts of online businesses business from being erroneously temporarily disabled.

The Government acknowledges the impact of disabled accounts on businesses and that tech platforms need robust complaints systems. The Online Safety Act (OSA) requires in-scope services to have clear and accessible terms of service setting out the kinds of content allowed on their platforms and in what circumstances they might suspend or ban a user.The OSA also requires in scope services to enable users and affected persons to complain to the service provider if they consider that the provider is not complying with any of their relevant duties or if they believe their account has been unfairly suspended.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential importance of business support functionalities by online platforms such as META.

Adoption of digital technologies, including social media such as META's Facebook and Instagram platforms, can significantly increase business productivity. The Department is working with the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce and the Cross-government Review of Technology Adoption on new ways to support this.It is also important for government to provide and promote business support through a range of channels, to expand access. The Business Support Service offers tailored information and advice on social media, including Facebook, and organisations like the British Business Bank and local Growth Hubs maintain a presence on a range of online platforms including LinkedIn and YouTube.

For what reason his Department withdrew the NHS contract from the Waltham Dentist Practice; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that withdrawal on the provision of NHS dental appointments.

The decision to terminate the contract for the provision of National Health Service dental services with Waltham Dentist Practice was taken by NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) as a contractual matter. We cannot comment further due to commercial sensitivity.The funding from this contract remains allocated to dental services in the region and the ICB is engaging with other dental practices in the area to find solutions for NHS patients to access treatment with alternative providers.

Whether his Department has had discussions with the Post Office on the potential closure of the post office in Victoria Street, Grimsby; and if he will take steps to prohibit the closure of this and other high-street branches.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has had no discussion with Post Office Limited on the potential closure of the post office in Victoria Street, Grimsby. However the Secretary of State and I have met with the Post Office Chair, Nigel Railton, to discuss his proposals for the future of the company. No decision to close any or all of the remaining DMBs have been taken. Post Office are in dialogue with the Unions and postmaster representative bodies about future options for the DMBs. Although Post Office has the freedom to make commercial decisions regarding the composition of its network, Government sets the parameters for the Post Office to operate in. Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria which require 99% of the UK population to be within three miles of their nearest Post Office outlet. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens.

With reference to her Department's statistical release entitled Children looked after in England including adoptions, last updated 14 November 2024, how many children were looked after in a (a) relative and (b) friend foster placements per local authority area on 31 March 2024.

The latest figures on children looked after who were cared for in a relative or friend foster placement by age, gender and ethnicity and at local authority level are shown in the attached tables. The department does not hold the data broken down separately into a) relative and b) friend foster placements, so we cannot provide this more detailed breakdown. Data has been provided for children looked after as at 31 March 2024.Full information on the former placement arrangements of children looked after who are in a relative or friend foster placement is not held in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide the information requested without exceeding the cost threshold applicable to central government.

With reference to her Department's statistical release entitled Children looked after in England including adoptions, last updated 14 November 2024, how many children that were looked after in (a) relative and (b) friend foster placements on 31 March 2024 had also been in (i) an unrelated foster placement, (ii) another relative or friend placement, (iii) a children's home and (iv) other provisions for looked-after children.

The latest figures on children looked after who were cared for in a relative or friend foster placement by age, gender and ethnicity and at local authority level are shown in the attached tables. The department does not hold the data broken down separately into a) relative and b) friend foster placements, so we cannot provide this more detailed breakdown. Data has been provided for children looked after as at 31 March 2024.Full information on the former placement arrangements of children looked after who are in a relative or friend foster placement is not held in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide the information requested without exceeding the cost threshold applicable to central government.

With reference to her Department's statistical release entitled Children looked after in England including adoptions, last updated 14 November 2024, how many children were looked after in (a) relative and (b) friend foster placements broken down by (i) age, (ii) gender and (iii) ethnicity on 31 March 2024.

The latest figures on children looked after who were cared for in a relative or friend foster placement by age, gender and ethnicity and at local authority level are shown in the attached tables. The department does not hold the data broken down separately into a) relative and b) friend foster placements, so we cannot provide this more detailed breakdown. Data has been provided for children looked after as at 31 March 2024.Full information on the former placement arrangements of children looked after who are in a relative or friend foster placement is not held in the form requested. Due to the way in which the data is held, analysts in the department would not be able to provide the information requested without exceeding the cost threshold applicable to central government.

What estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the electrification of onshore marine ports.

We are committed to Britain becoming a Clean Energy Superpower and ports are a key part of that mission. Ports are primarily private entities and the cost of electrification of onshore marine ports varies from port to port depending on the port's needs. The cost can be significantly higher or lower depending on the electricity demand and the distance from a connection point.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK SHORE funding; and what is the status of the future of that funding.

The UK SHORE programme has funded over 150 projects and has leveraged over £100m private investment, supporting all levels of research and development including feasibility studies, trials and demonstrations in a commercial environment. The funding is benefitting all 12 regions in the UK, supporting over 350 organisations, including over 200 SMEs.All projects are detailed on Innovate UK’s website and we are conducting in independent evaluation assessment of the programme which is measuring its impact and helping us shape future support as well as policy.Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, DfT now has its budget for the next Financial Year (2025 / 2026). We are waiting for the internal business planning process to conclude before we can confirm what that means in terms of funding for individual programmes.

What steps her Department is taking to develop the electrification of ports.

The new Government’s manifesto made it clear that the “grid has become the single biggest obstacle to the deployment of cheap, clean power generation and the electrification of industry.” My Department meets regularly with ports and District Network Operations (DNOs) to understand the challenges they face in relation to electrification, to signpost information and to raise their concerns across government. As a mission driven government, the Secretary of State for Transport attends the Clean Energy Mission Board, which is chaired by DESNZ Secretary of State, a key focus of which grid investment and connection's process reform.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of GB Energy supporting grid connection.

Great British Energy (GBE) will drive clean energy deployment. Across its different functions, GBE will offer a range of support to turbocharge the growth of energy projects, including through project development. The electricity grid is a key enabler for the deployment of clean power generation and Government will work with industry to upgrade our national transmission infrastructure. I do not anticipate that GBE will be directly involved in providing grid connections. However, by working with National Energy System Operator, Ofgem, The Crown Estate and other stakeholders, GBE could provide a coordinated approach to grid connections, helping to accelerate and derisk the delivery of clean energy technologies.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency's paper entitled, A summary of England’s revised draft regional and water resources management plans, published on 21 March 2024, whether he has issued a deadline to water companies for the (a) design, (b) planning and (c) building of new water supplies.

Water companies are required to publish a statutory water resource management plan (WRMP) every 5 years. If the need for new water supplies is identified as a result of the assessments carried out to develop the WRMP, the company will set out the timescales within which the proposed schemes will be delivered in order to meet the forecast need. The detailed design, planning and building of these schemes is managed by the individual water companies to deliver the schemes within the timescales set out in the WRMP. The water companies report on the progress with delivery of their statutory WRMPs to Defra every year via the WRMP Annual Review process.

What recent steps his Department has made on tackling unregulated cosmetic procedures; and whether he plans to follow up on the previous Government's consultation on that matter.

The Government is currently considering what steps may need to be taken in relation to the safety of the non-surgical cosmetics sector and will set out its position at the earliest opportunity.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing tariffs on Chinese-produced imported titanium dioxide in the context of recent tariff decisions taken by the (a) EU and (b) US.

The Department remains alert to significant trade remedy cases between WTO members and will continue to closely monitor those cases where the UK has an interest. While there has not yet been an assessment, as the Trade Remedies Authority has no open investigations on imports of dumped or subsidised titanium dioxide, we would encourage UK producers to contact the Trade Remedies Authority, who may consider an investigation, if they do have concerns.