Written questions by Dyke.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd on its definition of a small producer for representation on its board; and what information her Department holds on whether this is the same definition that the Government uses.

The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) is an independent body and appoint their own board.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timeframe is to (a) consult on and (b) legislate for additional criteria for the exemption of non-household waste from Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fees and obligations.

We are continuing to work with stakeholders on the treatment of dual-use packaging and packaging that is unlikely to enter the household waste stream. There is no date set for consultation or legislation at this stage for any additional criteria for exemption from packaging Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fee obligations. Any future changes would need to be workable, enforceable, and protect the operational integrity of the scheme across all business models.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department asked the Office for the Internal Market for advice on the potential impact of agreeing to the Welsh Government's exclusion from the internal market for single-use glass containers in the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales.

The UK Government did not refer the Welsh Government's proposal for a UKIM exclusion for its Deposit Return Scheme to the Office for Internal Market (OIM) for advice. As part of our commitments in the review of the UK Internal Market Act in 2025, the UK Government is working with devolved Governments to implement a system for joint referrals by all Governments to the OIM for advice, earlier in policy development and to inform the decision-making process.

Food and Rural Affairs, how glass containers subject to a 0p deposit under the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales between 2027-2031 will be identified as (a) separate to packaging obligated for Extended Producer Responsibility in the rest of the UK.

Following the launch of the DRS in Wales in October 2027, glass drinks in scope of DRS sold into Wales will fall out of the packaging EPR system and no longer have household recycling fee obligations. Instead, they will be captured by the Welsh Government’s DRS regulations. PackUK is working closely with the Welsh Government to confirm processes and enable producers to report materials into the correct scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Welsh Deposit Return Scheme adopting (a) a unique exemption threshold for single-use glass of 25 tonnes and (b) not including (i) turnover in exemption thresholds or (ii) alignment with the Low Volume Exemption on (A)UK interoperability and (B) producers.

We have not carried out an impact assessment on Welsh Government devolved policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether conditions of appointment were included for the UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd to ensure that small producers were adequately represented on its board.

The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO)’s board structure includes representation from a small producer. In addition, as part of the UK DMO’s Conditions of Appointment, the DMO’s Advisory Group must include representation of small scheme producers. The DMO Board must seek the views of the Advisory Group before adopting any decision relating to matters on which the UK DMO is required to consult under the Regulations and must take those views into account in its decision making.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the arrangements for excluding non-household waste from Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fees and obligation on businesses.

The Secretary of State has discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including packaging Extended Producer Responsibility’s impact on businesses. We are aware of industry concerns about producers being charged disposal fees for packaging that is disposed of through commercial waste streams, and we continue to work with stakeholders to find an approach that balances those concerns with the operational integrity of the scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether single use glass containers sold in Wales before October 2027 will be exempt from disposal costs fees under Extended Producer Responsibility.

Glass drinks containers across the UK, including in Wales, are subject to packaging Extended Producer Responsibility data reporting, disposal fees and recycling obligations. The temporary exemption from disposal fees before the Deposit Return Scheme goes live in 2027 applies to steel, aluminium, and PET plastic drinks containers.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of fly tipping have been recorded on the public forest estate in each of the last 10 years.

Forestry England and Forestry Commission are required to report operational waste volumes by category under the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) to Defra. There is no requirement to record or report the number of fly-tipping incidents. Due to the size of our estate and available resources, it has historically proven impractical to systematically record all instances of fly tipping. Forestry England does not therefore hold complete historical records for the period requested. The number of instances that have been recorded across the public forest estate are as follows: 2016-17: 18 instances2017-18: 11 instances2018-19: 111 instances2019-20: 88 instances2020-21: 164 instances2021-22: 116 instances2022-23: 76 instances2023-24: 683 instances2024-25: 57 instances2025-26: 53 instances Since 2023-24 Forestry England has put in place additional mechanisms to record collected waste categorised as fly tip through our national waste contract with Green Zone. This has been recorded in tonnes, rather than as individual instances. Reported data for the past three financial years: 2023-24: 218.98 tonnes2024-25: 181.01 tonnes2025-26: 178.62 tonnes

What discussions she has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on the provision financial redress for families affected by sodium valproate during pregnancy.

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care are in regular contact on a range of issues.

If he will set out a timeline to implement the recommendations of the Hughes Report, including financial compensation for those affected by sodium valproate in pregnancy.

The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, including options for financial compensation.The Government has deep sympathy for all those affected and recognises the profound impact that these harms have had on individuals and their families.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that he wants to make meaningful progress during this Parliament, although a decision to provide compensation has not yet been made. We recognise how difficult and disappointing this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed as soon as any decision on redress is made.I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes since I have been in post, and had a very fruitful discussion about the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Details of the Government’s work to date are set out in recent letters to the Dr Hughes, which are published on her website.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the volume of sewage discharged at Baltonsborough Pumping Station in Somerset in the past year.

Water companies are required to submit data to the Environment Agency (EA) showing the duration of discharges. The EA uses this information to target its regulatory work and to drive improvements to assets and parts of the sewerage networks where they are most critical. Water companies have not submitted 2025 data yet; they will do so by the end of this month.

Whether households reliant on alternative fuel sources other than heating oil, such as LPG, will be eligible for recently announced targeted Government support.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund can be used to support households reliant on alternative fuel sources other than heating oil, such as LPG. Guidance to local authorities is clear that Crisis Payments can be used to support energy costs for any form of fuel used for domestic heating, cooking or lighting, including oil or portable gas cylinders. It is for local authorities to determine individual need and the most appropriate form of support, using a person-centred, needs based approach in line with the Fund’s guidance.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will conduct an assessment of the value of agricultural land when making decisions to invest in flood defences being based on the value of the asset needing protection.

On 14 October, following consultation, the Government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy. The new rules will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment.Our funding rules will support farming and rural communities and improve resilience against flood risk across the country.The old rules gave higher payment rates for properties than agricultural or environmental benefits. We are now giving equal weighting to all the different types of benefits – a positive change for rural areas.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of farmers having to store flood water on agricultural land on (a) feedstock, (b) grassland conditions, (c) crops and (d) food production for 2026/27.

This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, including £5.9 billion for environmental farming schemes. The Government is focusing efforts on actions that have multiple benefits: for example, improving soil health so soil can hold more water, which reduces flood risk. Farmers contribute to and are affected by water-related challenges. The measures the Government is introducing will help British farming thrive and boost farmers’ resilience to flooding while protecting this country’s water resources and meeting environmental goals.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what coordination is taking place with airlines operating flights from the UAE, Qatar and Oman to provide additional capacity or repatriation flights.

The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oman and Dubai. We will provide further updates on a regular basis, including details of our ongoing evacuation flights, as well as our efforts to secure an end to Iran's attacks on countries in the region, and the full resumption of normal commercial flights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support British nationals stranded in the United Arab Emirates.

The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oman and Dubai. We will provide further updates on a regular basis, including details of our ongoing evacuation flights, as well as our efforts to secure an end to Iran's attacks on countries in the region, and the full resumption of normal commercial flights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to provide assistance to British nationals stranded in the Middle East who are unable to organise onward travel.

The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oman and Dubai. We will provide further updates on a regular basis, including details of our ongoing evacuation flights, as well as our efforts to secure an end to Iran's attacks on countries in the region, and the full resumption of normal commercial flights.

What the average officer to prisoner ratio was across all male prisons as of February 2026.

The number of full-time equivalent band 3-5 prison officers in each public sector prison is published quarterly as part of the “HM Prison and Probation Service workforce statistics” publication. The latest data, for staff in post on 31st December 2025, is available in Table 15 of this spreadsheet: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/699d794d07d7bff3604d6be2/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-dec-2025_final_file.ods.The number of prisoners in each prison is published as part of the “Offender management statistics quarterly” publication. The latest data, also for 31st December 2025, is available in Table 1_Q_13: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6978d8c475d4437096552064/prison-population-31-Dec-2025.ods.The list of each prison, their function and whether they are male only is available at this link: Prisons in England and Wales - GOV.UK.These publicly available resources can be used to calculate the average prison officer to prisoner ratio for male prisons.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of leachate on the aquatic environment as a result of landfill abandonment.

We recognise the potential impacts and threats presented from leachates entering into the environment, such as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the risks of these associated with abandoned landfill sites. Government is assessing options on ensuring that any environmental risks which stem from landfill sites, both current and former, are minimised. Prior to a landfill becoming abandoned, a conceptual site model and hydrogeological risk assessment must be undertaken to identify any potential risks to the aquatic environment. These risks must be mitigated throughout the operational life of the site.