Written questions by Hudson.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure rural and semi-rural communities have access to pharmacies.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for understanding the health needs of their areas and for commissioning services to meet those needs. Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served and must keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform ICBs when reviewing applications for National Health Service pharmacies.The Pharmacy Access Scheme provides additional funding to further support pharmacies in more remote areas. Additionally, in rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 NHS online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in cases of flu on NHS healthcare provision.

During winter there is an increase in hospital admissions from seasonal respiratory conditions such as flu. This can impact hospital occupancy and the flow of patients through hospitals, which in turn impacts on accident and emergency, and ambulance services. Respiratory conditions can also impact the number of staff absences, which can further increase pressure on the provision of health care. This year the number of beds occupied with flu has been higher than last year. The latest data shows there were, on average, 4,693 patients in hospital with flu in the week ending 12 January 2025, above the peak figure of 2,478 reported during winter 2023/24.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the labour supply for abattoirs in (a) England and (b) the UK to meet requirements for (i) processing, (ii) food hygiene and (iii) veterinary oversight.

The UK benefits from having a resilient meat processing sector. However, the Government has recognised the challenges the sector continues to face with the recruitment of both skilled and seasonal labour. We support the industry in its recruitment and training of more domestic workers, including through apprenticeship schemes, and in utilising the benefits that automation can bring. There are currently sufficient levels of veterinary resource for delivery of official controls in approved meat premises. This is mainly through a recruitment pipeline from overseas, however, efforts are being made to attract domestic trained and qualified vets to this area of veterinary public health. The new Government has also confirmed the Seasonal Worker visa allocation for 2025, with 2000 visas available for the poultry sector to help with the pre-Christmas surge in demand.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure hospitals are able to meet increased demand as a result of increased hospital admissions for flu.

The national approach on priorities for winter planning was issued by NHS England on 16 September, setting out the key steps to be taken to support the delivery of high-quality care for patients this winter. The Minister of State for Health also made a statement on winter preparedness in the House of Commons on 18 December 2024.The National Health Service is supporting vaccination efforts for COVID-19, flu, and the respiratory syncytial virus, ensuring that local partners promote population uptake, and that NHS trusts ensure eligible staff have access to vaccinations.In addition, due to the action taken by the Government this winter, NHS hospitals will be free of strikes and focused on caring for patients.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the ability of the abattoir network in (a) England and (b) the UK to meet the needs of food (i) production, (ii) processing and (iii) security.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government is committed to maintaining a resilient food supply chain. Defra recognises the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays in achieving these goals by providing a competitive route to market for producers. England benefits from an established and resilient meat processing sector which despite some challenging circumstances in recent years has continued to process high quality products ensuring the supply of food and maintaining food security. The Government has full confidence that this will continue to be the case.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the level of Government funding to (a) hospices and (b) the palliative care sector.

The Chancellor and I work closely with the Health Secretary on issues related to health and social care funding. The Government announced in December 2024 that we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, as well as £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices. This will help to ensure that hospices in England can continue to deliver the highest quality end of life care possible for their patients, families, and loved ones. In England, integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for the Smaller Abattoir Fund.

The Smaller Abattoir Fund closed on 30 September 2024. For the future, Defra plans to simplify and rationalise grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. We are in the process of agreeing how we will use capital to achieve outcomes through the Spending Review process, and we will confirm any future grant rounds in due course.

What information his Department holds on how many abattoirs there were in (a) England and (b) the UK in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.

On 1 April 2023, there were 207 approved abattoirs in England, and a further 42 in Wales and Northern Ireland. On 1 April 2024, there were 200 approved abattoirs in England, and a further 41 in Wales and Northern Ireland. The Food Standards Agency does not hold information on the number of abattoirs in Scotland, as the competent authority is Food Standards Scotland.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to protect Listed Places of Worship in Epping Forest.

There is a range of funding available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies that supports places of worship. These include Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who have committed to investing around £100m between 2023 and 2026 to support places of worship; the Churches Conservation Trust, which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England's Heritage At Risk grants, funding £9 million worth of repairs to buildings on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register between April 2024 and March 2025.Since 2022, 5 Listed Places of Worship Grants have been awarded in the constituency of Epping Forrest, with 4 grants totalling £3,041 to the Church of the Holy Cross and St Lawrence, and 1 grant of £1,847 awarded to the Church of Holy Innocents High Beach. Granular data is not available before 2022 due to a change in grant administrator.DCMS Arms-Length Body the National Lottery Heritage Fund has also supported two listed places of worship in Epping Forest; awarding £29,000 to Grade II* St Mary’s, Chigwell in 2003, and £17,000 to Grade II listed St Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois in 1997.

Media and Sport, whether she has plans to extend the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond the current deadline of 31 March 2025.

We will announce the outcomes of the Business Planning process, including the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme soon.

What steps he is taking to tackle the sale of illegal vapes.

The Government is taking concerted effort to tackle the import and sale of illicit vapes. This includes investing up to £3 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support National Trading Standards to deliver a range of enforcement interventions, including the removal of illicit products from the market and intervention at ports. The Government will expand on this by investing a further £30 million in 2025/26 to support tobacco and vapes enforcement action, £10 million of which will go towards bolstering Trading Standards’ ability to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes.Alongside additional investment we are also taking legislative steps to tackle the illicit market. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides powers to introduce a new retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and to establish a new registration system for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products entering the United Kingdom market. We are also introducing a ban on the sale and supply of single use vapes under environmental legislation.

What steps he is taking to tackle the import of illegal vapes.

The Government is taking concerted effort to tackle the import and sale of illicit vapes. This includes investing up to £3 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support National Trading Standards to deliver a range of enforcement interventions, including the removal of illicit products from the market and intervention at ports. The Government will expand on this by investing a further £30 million in 2025/26 to support tobacco and vapes enforcement action, £10 million of which will go towards bolstering Trading Standards’ ability to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes.Alongside additional investment we are also taking legislative steps to tackle the illicit market. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides powers to introduce a new retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and to establish a new registration system for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products entering the United Kingdom market. We are also introducing a ban on the sale and supply of single use vapes under environmental legislation.

What assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of funding for mental health services and (b) the potential impact of the level of that funding on waiting lists for such services.

Adequate funding for mental health services is important. While funding for reforms and improvements to mental health services will be decided at the Spending Review, the Autumn Budget provided an extra £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres, and funding to provide NHS Talking Therapies services for an extra 380,000 patients.We remain committed to recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment on the potential impact of the removal of the Funding Guarantee Scheme on the Fire and Rescue Service.

We recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. That is why in the provisional Settlement for 2025-26 we have made available £69 billion for local government including a £5 referendum principle for Fire and Rescue Authorities. Together with central government grant and locally retained business rates, the proposed principles provide a real-terms increase in core spending power of 3.5% on 2024-25. The government also announced an additional £515 million of unringfenced funding for local government, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, specifically to manage the impact of changes to employer NICs announced at the Autumn Budget. Allocations for individual Fire and Rescue Authorities will be confirmed at the final Settlement.

What steps she is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of police officers in (i) Epping Forest constituency and (ii) Essex.

The retention of police officers is an important element of managing the police workforce. Voluntary resignation rates in England and Wales, at 3.4%, are low compared to other sectors.It is important that police forces use effective strategies to manage the retention and progression of existing officers, as well as continuing to recruit new officers.The Police Officer Maintenance grant provides funding to forces that successfully maintain officer headcounts as set out in the 2024/25 Police Funding Settlement.Funding arrangements for the coming year have been set out as part of the 2025-26 provisional police funding settlement.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of his Department collecting information on how many (a) abattoirs and (b) food processing plants in (i) England and (ii) the UK are family-owned businesses.

There are 232 approved Food Standards Agency (FSA) abattoirs across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and the FSA records which are sole traders, partnerships, and incorporated companies. The majority of food processing plants are overseen by local authorities, and while their trading names are published by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland, this does not give an indication of the makeup of ownership. Defra remains focused on supporting the farming, meat and food processing sectors, and the collection of this level of detail is not required or necessary to facilitate the delivery of any Official Controls.

What steps she is taking to ensure the financial resilience of the (a) university and (b) colleges sectors.

The department recognises that the financial position of the higher education (HE) sector is under pressure and this government has acted quickly to address this.The department accepted, in full, the recommendations of the independent review of the Office for Students (OfS) undertaken by Sir David Behan. Sir David has been appointed as interim OfS Chair to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. On 2 December, the OfS announced temporary changes to its operations to allow greater focus on financial sustainability. The OfS will work more closely with providers under significant financial pressure in order to protect the interests of students. The department continues to work closely with the OfS to monitor any risks and ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them.Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation (3.1%). The department also recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. Maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year will also increase by 3.1%. Longer-term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out in due course.As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education set out in her oral statement on 4 November, this government will secure the future of HE so that students can benefit from a world-class education for generations to come.The department also recognises the financial position of the further education (FE) sector is very important. As announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, the government is providing an additional £300 million for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed. We will set out in due course how that is distributed.

What steps he is taking to support people affected by Storm Darragh.

As I said to the House on 10 December, Storm Darragh brought strong winds to the UK late last week, and saw a RED weather warning issued for wind covering parts of England and Wales. The Government immediately took action to prepare for the arrival of Storm Darragh. Ahead of the storm, we issued an emergency alert to over 3 million people in affected regions under a red weather warning, urging them to stay indoors. That was the largest use of the early warning system outside of a test scenario. The Storm resulted in impacts affecting a number key services and infrastructure including power supply, transport, and telecoms. Power outages caused over two million customers to lose their electricity supply. Although the majority of customers had their power restored very quickly, our priority continues to be on ensuring that every household without power is reconnected as quickly as possible. Engineers for the National Grid and other network operators are working to ensure all possible steps are being taken to re-connect the small number of remaining customers off supply. The latest information they have provided is that remaining customers will be reconnected by the end of this week. Over 10,000 properties were protected from flooding, however, support is being provided by the Environment Agency and local authorities to the small number of households impacted by flooding.Although the Storm has passed, the Government will continue to follow the recovery efforts and the work of local responders who are supporting communities affected by the Storm and will ensure that lessons identified are used to further improve our resilience to severe weather. I am grateful for the response from local resilience forums around the country. I praise our emergency responders and utility workers, who have worked so hard in difficult conditions to help the public manage the impacts of the storm.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the discovery of a case of atypical BSE in a cow in Scotland on UK agriculture.

BSE is not a contagious disease. There is no risk to animal and human health or food safety as a result of this isolated case. Unlike classical BSE, which occurs through the consumption of contaminated feed, atypical BSE is believed to occur spontaneously at a very low level in all cattle populations. There have been just 3 cases in the UK since 2014. The animal was tested under our surveillance system, demonstrating its effectiveness. British beef remains safe to eat and can continue to be exported to trading partners.Atypical BSE is not a notifiable disease for the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). This case does not affect our WOAH ‘controlled’ risk status for BSE, nor the application submitted in August this year to have it further reduced to ‘negligible’.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support the Hindu community in the UK; and what steps she is taking to promote community cohesion.

The Minister for Faith regularly engages with faith groups, including representatives from the Hindu community. On 16 December, he had the great pleasure of visiting Neasden temple to show the government’s support for Britain’s Hindu community and to thank them for everything they do locally.On community cohesion, no one should be a victim of hatred because of their race or religion and the Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat this. We are fully committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion and we will not tolerate anti-Hindu hatred, or any form of religious hatred.