Written questions by Dyke.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Small Abattoir Fund was spent by her Department prior to it's closure in 2024.

The Rural Payments Agency have offered agreements for the Smaller Abattoir Fund worth a total of £1,119,347.59. Smaller Abattoir Fund grants are claimed in arrears and as of 04 November 2025, £593,018.55 has been paid out under the scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to expand the use of new (a) tracking and (b) monitoring technologies to improve the effectiveness of the National Bee Unit’s work to (i) locate and (ii) eradicate yellow-legged Asian hornet nests.

Since 2016 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) have responded to incursions of Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) into Great Britain. The NBU has developed a fine-tuned and effective response which allows them to find and destroy nests to prevent YLH establishing. During 2025 the NBU has drawn on support from other members of staff within APHA and used new technology to deliver the response. For tracking, the inspectors have been trialling Robor Nature Units which use a handheld device to add tiny trackers to hornets. The tracker is then used to follow the hornet and find the nest so it can be destroyed and removed. For monitoring, field tests have been carried out using VespAI, a visual monitoring system developed by the University of Exeter which uses artificial intelligence to carry out surveillance for YLH. As of 23 October 2025, the NBU have found and destroyed a total of 155 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to eradicate the Yellow-legged Asian hornet.

Defra is continuing to follow an eradication strategy against Yellow Legged Hornet (also known as Asian Hornet) to prevent this invasive non-native species from establishing in GB. Contingency action is delivered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). As of 23 October 2025, the APHA have found and destroyed a total of 155 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing educational programmes funding in female prisons on the level of (a) rehabilitation and (b) reoffending.

The Government recognises the distinct needs of women in custody and the critical role education plays in rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. The national education budget has not been reduced.However, many prisons in the female estate (as well as the male estate) are having to reduce some elements of delivery due to the rising costs of provision.Education is only one element of rehabilitation, and we continue to invest in skills and employability training for women, for example HMPPS' Future Skills Programme is supporting women in HMP/YOI Low Newton and HMP/YOI New Hall with the skills required to work in customer service roles. We also support women to desist from crime through housing support on release with a minimum of 10% of temporary accommodation beds reserved for women and nine dedicated Strategic Housing Specialists working across the female estate.The new Prisoner Education Service includes a secure, standardised IT system across all public sector prisons in England, with Wi-Fi now available in education areas enabling improved internet access and data collection. In two women’s prisons, the Launchpad programme is now providing Wi-Fi across the whole site and in-cell laptops. These digital improvements are intended to support learning, wellbeing, and rehabilitation, better preparing women for employment on release.

What steps he is taking to ensure female prisoners receive (a) clothing and (b) personal protective equipment suitable for women.

Women’s clothing in a range of sizes is available across the women’s estate. This provision has been developed with input from women in custody. Relevant staff in each women’s prison have recently completed training on the ordering process, and a cycle of clothing orders and delivery is in operation. Each establishment has a designated staff member responsible for managing this process.In line with Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 06/2015 National Policy, Organisation and Summary Arrangements for the Management of Health & Safety, Directors, Deputy Directors and Governors must ensure that work equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE), provided for use in the workplace is suitable for its intended purpose. Where work undertaken by prisoners has been risk assessed as requiring PPE, appropriate and suitable equipment is provided.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of installing wi-fi in female prisons to facilitate access to (a) education, (b) training and (c) prepare for integration into society.

The Government recognises the distinct needs of women in custody and the critical role education plays in rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. The national education budget has not been reduced.However, many prisons in the female estate (as well as the male estate) are having to reduce some elements of delivery due to the rising costs of provision.Education is only one element of rehabilitation, and we continue to invest in skills and employability training for women, for example HMPPS' Future Skills Programme is supporting women in HMP/YOI Low Newton and HMP/YOI New Hall with the skills required to work in customer service roles. We also support women to desist from crime through housing support on release with a minimum of 10% of temporary accommodation beds reserved for women and nine dedicated Strategic Housing Specialists working across the female estate.The new Prisoner Education Service includes a secure, standardised IT system across all public sector prisons in England, with Wi-Fi now available in education areas enabling improved internet access and data collection. In two women’s prisons, the Launchpad programme is now providing Wi-Fi across the whole site and in-cell laptops. These digital improvements are intended to support learning, wellbeing, and rehabilitation, better preparing women for employment on release.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued on the treatment of historic (a) glass and (b) plastic bottles distributed prior to the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres. Materials included are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers. Glass drinks containers across the UK are included in the scope of the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging scheme, to make sure it is appropriately and efficiently recycled. Only DRS containers placed on the market after 1 October 2027 will carry a deposit on them. Containers placed on the market before 1 October 2027 can still be recycled via kerbside collections.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has for the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that will better target the SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. Information and plans for the next iteration of the scheme will be published in due course.

What steps she is taking to ensure communities can access local railways.

To ensure communities have access to the local railways, this Government is committed to improving accessibility, customer support, and helping to remove barriers to travel for all users of public transport. Accessibility is an important part of ensuring communities can access local railways, which is why we will soon be publishing an Accessibility Roadmap that sets out how we will deliver a more accessible railway in the lead up to Great British Railways. The Government also looks to connect communities directly with their local train operators through initiatives such as the Customer and Communities Improvement Schemes which aims to fund community-led projects that deliver a positive social impact in local communities across the country. The Department also provides support for the Community Rail Network and Partnerships. Community Rail initiatives take many forms across Great Britain, united by a common goal of improving accessibility, connecting people, and bringing the railway into communities. Community Rail Partnerships deliver projects which bring benefits to local communities through social, environmental and economic growth.

What steps she is taking to support local authorities to provide more rail-bus links.

The Government knows that public transport needs to be better integrated in order to improve the experience for passengers, providing access to services and keeping communities connected. We also know that in rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing services, including other modes of transportation such as rail links. The Government is taking action to help improve local bus services and encourage greater integration between transport modes.We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October, to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Somerset Council has been allocated £6.8 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across the area.The Government also intends to publish its long-term strategy for transport to set the vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the illegal betting market on the horseracing industry.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites. Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to robustly estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having on issues such as horseracing and tax revenues. This is a priority area of research for the Gambling Commission. We will continue to monitor the latest evidence in this area to improve our understanding of the illegal market.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the illegal betting market on revenues collected by HMRC.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites. Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to robustly estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having on issues such as horseracing and tax revenues. This is a priority area of research for the Gambling Commission. We will continue to monitor the latest evidence in this area to improve our understanding of the illegal market.

Whether her Department is taking steps to help children and young people understand the circular economy.

The government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and young people are taught about and understand sustainability and the circular economy, which is why this topic can already be covered across a range of subjects, including science and design and technology. The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own school curriculum.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report is due to be published this autumn, along with the government’s response. The Review is looking at where the evidence suggests that curriculum and qualifications content needs to be updated to reflect rapid social, environmental and technological change, including a greater focus on sustainability.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the availability of seasonal labour for the apple and pear industry.

The Seasonal Worker visa route is hugely important for the horticulture sector, including the apple and pear industry. Government made a total of 43,000 seasonal worker visas available for horticulture in 2025.  The Government has also announced a 5-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route to provide stability and certainty to the horticulture sector, and we can confirm that 41,000 visas will be available for 2026 for the horticulture sector.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) stopping and (b) reducing monthly support payments for people accepting one-off compensation payments from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority on people dependent on ongoing support for daily (i) living, (ii) medical and (iii) care costs.

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme includes Care and Financial Loss awards, which recognise the past and future care needs and associated costs for infected people.All support scheme beneficiaries, when undergoing their compensation assessment from IBCA, can choose between the ‘core’ and ‘adjusted’ route. Choosing the core route would mean accepting their compensation as a lump sum, or periodic installments. Choosing the adjusted route, would mean a smaller lump sum, and continuing to receive support payments for life.If someone chooses to continue receiving support scheme payments, their Care and Financial Loss awards (under the core route) will be offset against their support scheme payments.This means that regardless of which option an infected person chooses, they will receive a form of payment that recognises their increased living, medical, and care costs, associated with their infection.Those currently on the Infected Blood Support Schemes will continue to be able to apply for discretionary payments until they receive a compensation offer from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to review England and Wales’ Eel Management Plans (EMPs), in order to accelerate progress towards meeting silver eel escapement targets.

This is a devolved matter and therefore the information provided relates to England only. The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for delivering EMPs in England to meet silver eel escapement targets. Defra is not planning to review EMPs at this time as the EA is progressing the delivery of EMPs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the (a) Environment Agency and (b) other relevant bodies to (i) monitor and regulate pollution, (ii) assess habitat degradation, (iii) measure silver eel escapement, (iv) ensure that pumps friendly and (v) ensure that barriers are eel friendly.

This is a devolved matter and therefore the information provided relates to England only. The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for eel management in England. As a non-departmental public body, the EA determine how to allocate their funding from Defra across their activities. Defra has recently committed £350,000 for research and development projects to drive improvements in eel management and conservation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to provide additional support to (a) the Somerset Eel Recovery Project and (b) other local recovery projects to enable the (i) delivery of eel passes, (ii) habitat improvements, (iii) increased Assisted migration and (iv) local community engagement work.

In England, the Environment Agency is responsible for eel management and working with local delivery partners.

Whether he plans to introduce further financial support for community pharmacies required to take on additional dispensing of prescriptions following the closures of neighbouring community pharmacies.

Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring adequate provision of pharmaceutical services in their areas. When a pharmacy closes, patients can choose to use a neighbouring pharmacy or a pharmacy near to where they work or shop. There is no restriction on the pharmacy they can nominate to dispense their prescription or where they can seek health advice. Patients may also choose to nominate a distance selling pharmacy who will deliver medicines to their homes free of charge.Pharmacies are paid per activity which ensures that those pharmacies get paid for the additional work they take on. Pharmacies must give a minimum of three months’ notice if they intend to close permanently. This enables nearby pharmacies to plan for any increase in their activity. Occasionally, pharmacies close unexpectedly for reasons that could not have been foreseen in advance. In areas where this causes difficulties for nearby pharmacies, integrated care boards will work with the affected pharmacies.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of pharmacy closures on neighbouring community pharmacies.

Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring adequate provision of pharmaceutical services in their areas. When a pharmacy closes, patients can choose to use a neighbouring pharmacy or a pharmacy near to where they work or shop. There is no restriction on the pharmacy they can nominate to dispense their prescription or where they can seek health advice. Patients may also choose to nominate a distance selling pharmacy who will deliver medicines to their homes free of charge.Pharmacies are paid per activity which ensures that those pharmacies get paid for the additional work they take on. Pharmacies must give a minimum of three months’ notice if they intend to close permanently. This enables nearby pharmacies to plan for any increase in their activity. Occasionally, pharmacies close unexpectedly for reasons that could not have been foreseen in advance. In areas where this causes difficulties for nearby pharmacies, integrated care boards will work with the affected pharmacies.