Written questions by Heylings.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that any changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain eligibility criteria do not retrospectively disadvantage British National (Overseas) visa holders who arrived in the UK under the five year settlement pathway on the basis of the Government’s original commitments; and whether BN(O) families will be exempted from potential new income thresholds.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.The new mandatory requirements for settlement are basic requirements that we think are reasonable for people to meet if they want to settle here. However, we are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation. An impact assessment will be developed alongside the finalised policy.In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing PM2.5 to 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

We have made rapid progress in reducing PM2.5 concentrations and we will be setting new interim targets for 2030 in the forthcoming Environmental Improvement Plan.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Drax's sourcing from old growth forests in Canada on the UK's environmental and sustainability commitments.

Large-scale biomass generators must comply with sustainability criteria which include wide ranging environmental protections regarding biodiversity, legal and sustainable harvesting, maintenance of forest productivity, and social criteria pertaining to indigenous land rights and worker health and safety. We have enhanced protections under the new contract for difference which takes effect from 2027 and prohibits the use of primary material derived from primary and old growth forests. Any breaches would result in significant financial penalties for Drax and could lead to termination of the contract.

If his Department will consider providing financial support for children living with Coeliac disease.

We recognise the pressures families face in managing coeliac disease, particularly the additional costs of maintaining a strict gluten-free (GF) diet, which is the only effective treatment for this condition.The national prescribing position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance. Children under 16 years old, and those aged between 16 to 18 years old in full-time education, are entitled to free NHS prescriptions, ensuring that where integrated care boards support GF prescribing, eligible children can access these products without charge.

Communities and Local Government, what his planned timeline is for publishing the final Local Government Outcomes Framework.

The Local Government Outcomes Framework will be published alongside the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement. The data will be displayed in a digital tool from Spring 2026.

What proportion of the biomass burned in large-scale biomass power stations was sourced from old growth or primary forest in 2024.

Biomass sustainability criteria require all biomass for power generation to be legally harvested, and comply with any applicable legislation in the countries of origin to protect primary forest and old growth areas. This means the risk of material from primary forests and old growth areas entering the UK is low, and volumes are minimal. The Government takes this issue seriously and from 2027 new requirements will explicitly exclude primary material from forestry in primary forest and old growth areas from eligibility for subsidy, protect against regulatory regression abroad, and impose enhanced audit and assurance standards on biomass generators.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79133 on universities: research, what assessment she has made of the impact of the MRC funding model changes on universities.

The change to the Medical Research Council's (MRC) funding model was informed by the findings of the 2020 MRC Unit and Centre Review. This found that a new model could support more strategic investment in medical research, enable closer collaboration with industry, and help researchers be more agile in their work.MRC Centres of Research Excellence (CoREs) are a new way of funding bold and ambitious science, tackling the most important challenges by delivering transformational impact in biomedical and health research. Establishment of the new CoRE funding model is a change in the mechanism of support and does not in any way change MRC’s intent to continue supporting high quality research. Existing units are invited to secure continued, long-term investment through the new CoRE model, while other research activities are invited to transition onto MRC grant support. The MRC continues to provide routes for sustained research investment, mitigating the risks to universities as much as possible.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the waste heat from SMR turbine halls is used in a way that contributes to achieving net zero.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) will play an important role in helping the UK achieve our energy security and net zero ambitions. Government recognises the potential role of SMRs in energy sectors beyond electricity generation, including as a source of low carbon heat. The department will shortly be publishing a new policy framework which will lay out pathways for privately led advanced nuclear projects to be brought forward in the UK. Great British Energy – Nuclear will take on a new role in assessing proposals, with the National Wealth Fund exploring potential investment opportunities.

What measures the government is taking to develop a culture of reading for pleasure in schools as part of the new curriculum.

I refer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 88744.

What her planned timeline is for the (a) new oracy framework and (b) combined oracy, writing and reading framework.

The department welcomes the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s focus on oracy. Expressing oneself fluently and communicating well is crucial for life and work, and an important vehicle for social justice. We will make sure that communication skills are more clearly expressed through revised programmes of study. We will also create a primary oracy framework and a combined secondary oracy, writing and reading framework to be published following the revised national curriculum. The primary oracy framework will support teachers to help their pupils become confident, fluent speakers by the end of key stage 2. This will build on our primary frameworks for reading and writing.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding delivered through the Fisheries and Coastal Growth Fund supports sustainability in fisheries.

The Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund is a £360m investment over the next 12 years in the UK’s fisheries and seafood sector, and coastal communities. The fund aims to support the next generation of fishers and breathe new life into our coastal economies. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to help shape the fund, ensure funding is targeted where it matters most, and to assess the best strategy for delivering impactful and sustainable investment. This includes a series of industry webinars and an online survey, and we welcome input from representatives from environmental NGOs and academia. Options to be funded are still under consideration and will be developed with due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement, to balance immediate impact with long-term sustainability.

Food and Rural Affairs, what analysis her Department has undertaken to review the cost created by Improving the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain for minor, medium and brownfield development consultation for the ecology and nature sectors in the UK.

A Government response to the ‘Improving biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development’ consultation will be published in due course. The Government will also publish a full impact assessment setting out all relevant costs and benefits.

Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to respond to the Improving the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain for minor, medium and brownfield development consultation.

A Government response to the ‘Improving biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development’ consultation will be published in due course. The Government will also publish a full impact assessment setting out all relevant costs and benefits.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2025 to question 83898, how many (a) pelagic trawls over 24m and (b) demersal seines over 10m enrolled as volunteers to design and test Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) systems; and how long the design and testing phase of the REM rollout will take.

Defra is currently working with one volunteer vessel from Fishery A, pelagic trawls over 24m. No volunteers have come forwards from Fishery B, demersal seines over 10m. The volunteer early adopter phase of each REM project will continue until the project objectives and monitoring objectives are met.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2025 to question 83891, if she will publish details of grants to the fishing and seafood sector from 2025, including details of vessels receiving funding and the nature of on-board improvements.

Defra is committed to ensuring transparency on the use of public funds. In England, details of grant awards to the fishing and seafood sector are already published on Gov.uk. Publications are updated regularly and made in line with legal obligations, including data protection and commercial confidentiality. As we are in the process of awarding grants for Fisheries and Seafood Scheme for 2025, these awards will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether all catches are recorded and accounted for in UK fisheries.

To ensure fishing catches are accurately recorded and accounted for, all English vessels must record their catches either in a logbook or, for vessels under 10 metres, using the Catch Recording application. These systems provide an accurate picture of how much fish is being taken from English waters. Compliance with this requirement is monitored through analysis of data and vessel inspections. Fisheries control and enforcement are devolved matters, with each Devolved Administration responsible for conducting inspections within its respective waters.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made on the potential effect on the creation of habitats as a result of small sites being excluded from BNG as proposed in the Improving the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain for minor, medium and brownfield development consultation.

A Government response to the ‘Improving biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development’ consultation will be published in due course. The Government will also publish a full impact assessment setting out all relevant costs and benefits.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislation to formalise the license variation requiring English fishing vessels under 12m to operate iVMS while at sea.

A Statutory Instrument is scheduled to be laid once the Marine Management Organisation's rollout of IVMS has concluded.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of fishing vessel licences including sanctions for fisheries and labour offences.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) publish UK wide lists of licensed fishing vessels and details of fishing vessel licences. The MMO does not publish sanctions for fisheries offences, but regularly publishes details of its successful prosecutions for marine and fisheries offences on the UK government website.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October to Question 84396, what percentage of the fishing catch quota has been distributed through (a) Fixed Quota Allocation Units, (b) the Quota Application Mechanism and (c) other routes for the most recent year for which data is available.

In 2025, the percentage of quota distributed through fixed quota allocation units was around 90% (‘existing quota’ and ‘additional quota’), 5% of English allocated quota was distributed via the Quota Application Mechanism and 5% via alternative routes. In 2026, the percentage splits will change because the Quota Application Mechanism is increasing from 5 stocks to 14 stocks, for that reason fixed quota allocation will need adjusting accordingly and can only take place once we have concluded negotiations for access to fishing opportunities in December.