Written questions by Dyke.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that all police forces have access to adequate (a) training and (b) resources to (i) identity, (ii) record and (iii) investigate wildlife crime.

Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). In 2025/26, it is providing £424,000 to the Unit. The NWCU helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Last year, the NWCU assisted every single police force in the UK. The NWCU also provides training to police officers across the UK which reflects the National Police Chiefs' Council wildlife crime strategy and provides comprehensive training in wildlife crime policing. This is open to UK police forces and, as an example, all English police forces had at least one officer trained on an NWCU module in 2023/24.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of making wildlife crimes notifiable offences; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of doing so on (a) data collection and (b) the monitoring of wildlife crime trends.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can be investigated as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including gathering intelligence from a number of organisations to determine the wildlife crime priorities.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of discontinuing energy discount schemes on (a) apple and (b) pear growers.

No such assessment has been made. However, the Government believes our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.

If he will take steps to help ensure that local communities benefit from hosting ground mounted solar farms.

The Government is determined to ensure that, where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they benefit from it directly. We recently published a working paper on community benefits, in which we proposed making it mandatory for developers to provide community benefit funds. The working paper was also a call for evidence about whether/how to expand shared ownership of renewable generation technology. We are currently analysing responses and will issue a response in due course. In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the industry trade body, will publish a voluntary community benefit protocol later this year.

What steps he is taking to help support agricultural buildings to be fitted with solar panels.

The Government is looking to facilitate and promote extensive deployment of rooftop solar on industrial and commercial property.Commercial rooftop solar panel installations, which includes agricultural buildings, already benefit from permitted development rights. This mean there is no limit to the capacity of a solar installation or a requirement for planning permission, though prior approval is required for installations greater than 50kW.The UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the government’s Warm Homes Plan strategy later this year.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Gallery at the Imperial War Museum on public access to the National Gallantry Award Medals.

Gallantry awards, amongst them Victoria and George Crosses, honour exceptional acts of bravery and courage. The stories they tell form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, which houses a significant number of these medals, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010 and has been invaluable to the public’s understanding of these acts of heroism.The Government recognises the importance of these medals and their significance to the recipients, their families and the wider public. The Imperial War Museum has delayed the original date of the Gallery closure until the end of September to allow visitors to see the collection of medals for as long as possible. Following the closure at the end of this month, the Imperial War Museum plans to redisplay their own collection of Victoria Cross and George Cross medals at their sites across the country, meaning public access to them will be maintained and new audiences will be able to engage with these stories.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the delay in full Shared Rural Network rollout until 2027 on rural businesses; and what steps she is taking to mitigate this.

Ofcom is responsible for assessing the 4G coverage improvements delivered by the Shared Rural Network. Its latest published figures show that 4G now reaches over 95% of UK landmass. This means that the Shared Rural Network met its overarching target a year ahead of schedule. The delivery of the programme was always due to continue until January 2027, at which point Ofcom will assess further coverage improvements from the publicly-funded parts of the programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of levels of digital connectivity on farmer's ability to use animal health monitoring systems.

Defra continues to work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on connectivity issues facing the rural and farming communities. DSIT’s Shared Rural Network has already delivered 4G coverage to over 95% of UK landmass, enabling rural businesses and communities to thrive. However, there are still rural parts of the UK where there is either limited or no mobile coverage, and DSIT will continue to work with the industry to deliver new coverage to these communities. This Government wants to ensure there is high quality mobile connectivity across the UK, including in rural areas. This is why our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Furthermore, to improve connectivity in rural areas, Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. This includes farms and other rural businesses. The improved broadband connectivity delivered through Project Gigabit will benefit the farming community through boosting productivity, optimising farming processes, monitoring livestock and improving communications with consumers and suppliers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of farmers being unable to reliably report accidents due to poor broadband or mobile signal on safety in rural areas.

Defra continues to work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on connectivity issues facing the rural and farming communities. DSIT’s Shared Rural Network has already delivered 4G coverage to over 95% of UK landmass, enabling rural businesses and communities to thrive.

What criteria she considers when setting student maintenance loan thresholds.

The loan for living costs is a contribution towards a student’s living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support for students who need it most.The government recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. All funding decisions must be carefully balanced to ensure the system targets students who need support the most, while also making it sustainable.The government has increased maximum loans for living costs for full-time and part-time undergraduate students by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. A 3.1% increase is in line with forecast inflation based on the RPIX inflation index.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on integrating heritage conservation more effectively into planning systems.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on ensuring heritage delivers on this Government's core missions including planning reform. Ministers and officials have regular engagement with MHCLG on topics such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government’s review of Statutory Consultees, and wider planning reform.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase the number of youth clubs in Somerset.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy with young people and the sector to better target support and provide opportunities to young people, no matter who they are or where they live. In 2025/26, DCMS is investing over £145 million in youth funding. This investment will provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can access opportunities, as we transition to the National Youth Strategy. Additionally, the government announced that £132.5 million of dormant assets funding will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

Media and Sport, what the average waiting time is for a decision on a listed building application made to Historic England in the last 12 months.

Based on a sample of 400 cases, the average time between Historic England receiving an application for listing and the notification of a decision to interested parties was between 36 and 37 weeks between April 2024 and April 2025, which is the latest period for which figures are available. For a given case, this time frame is likely to incorporate stages including desk-based research, a site visit and a period of consultation before Historic England’s advice is submitted to DCMS Ministers for decision.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support owners of listed buildings with the cost of essential repairs.

DCMS works with Arm's-Length Bodies, such as Historic England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and other partner organisations to support owners of listed buildings in a range of ways including through advice, guidance, and supporting heritage skills which are required to make some repairs.The owners of heritage buildings are ultimately responsible for the condition of their property, but there are wider schemes available in certain cases, particularly where there are wider public benefits:Historic England’s Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk Scheme which provides grants for the repair and conservation of listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and registered parks and gardens. This funding is specifically aimed at sites on the Heritage at Risk Register, focusing on urgent repairs to prevent the loss or damage of important features.The National Lottery Heritage Fund offers grants between £10,000 and £10 million to projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage. This could include covering repair work as part of a wider project.The up to £23 million Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme gives grants of up to £25,000 covering the VAT on repairs to listed buildings used as places of worship.The Museum Estate and Development Fund is funded by DCMS and delivered through Arts Council England. This provides funding towards urgent infrastructure and maintenance needs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day budgets. The fund is for accredited museums in England, many of which are in landmark, listed buildings. Round 5 of the fund is currently in progress, with £25m of funding available.

What estimate she has made of the number of schools that have the budget to provide free school meals in the next 5 years in a) Somerset and (b) England.

I refer the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton to the answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 71911.

Communities and Local Government, whether Gypsy and Traveller sites will be included in the next round of Social and Affordable Homes Programme funding.

Traveller sites fall within the scope of the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, and we welcome bids to deliver new sites. It is our intention to publish a full prospectus for the Programme in autumn 2025 and open it for bids in the winter.

What assessment his Department has made of the (a) export opportunities and (b) support needs for (i) manufacturers and (ii) suppliers of (A) machinery and (B) technology used by the (1) agricultural and (2) outdoor power equipment sectors.

The agri-tech sector, covering agricultural machinery and technology, was identified in the Industrial Strategy as a high-growth area with strong export potential. The sector is expected to grow with global demand increasing for technologies to support economical resilience. To support manufacturers and suppliers, a bespoke Agri-Tech Export Accelerator Programme is under development, which will match high-growth potential businesses with the most promising markets and upskill companies to build resilient supply chains.Additionally, the Government will invest £200 million in the Farming Innovation Programme by 2030 to drive agricultural innovation. These initiatives, shaped by the Industrial Strategy, aim to boost global competitiveness for this highly innovative sector.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) introducing targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises exhibiting at sector-relevant international trade shows and (b) establishing a successor to the Tradeshow Access Programme.

Though our Trade Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and Small Business Plan, we are putting in place the policies, support, and services needed to drive export-led growth. For the first time, DBT has integrated its support for SMEs across all sectors in a single, accessible platform - the Business Growth Service - designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally.From tailored market advice and free Export Academy training to UK Export Finance and our on-the-ground network around the world that facilitate trade missions, we are making it easier for businesses to navigate global markets. We continue to review how we can improve our support, including how we connect firms to new opportunities, and build the capability to seize them.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the trends in the number of business closures in rural areas.

Defra publishes the Statistical Digest for Rural England to provide up-to-date analysis across a wide range of subjects including information on business survival and growth. Business deaths per head of population are lower in rural Areas. In 2023, there were 39 registered business deaths per 10,000 population in Predominantly Rural areas compared with 44 per 10,000 population in Predominantly Urban areas (excluding London). Between 2018 to 2023 in Predominantly Rural areas, the number of business deaths remained between 35 and 45 per 10,000 population; in Urban areas it remained between 40 and 50.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of no rollover option being in place for the Countryside Stewardship scheme on (a) farmers and (b) 2030 nature recovery targets.

The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This includes increasing spend on Environmental Land Management schemes to £2bn by 28/29. Customers with Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agri-environment agreements expiring in 2024 were offered an extension to provide them with continuity of funding. Additionally, Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agri-environment customers whose agreements expire at the end of 2025 are now being prioritised for pre-application advice to develop a new Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agreement. Existing CS HT woodland customers may also be able to develop a new Woodland Management Plan ahead of accessing pre-application support for a new Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agreement, but this will depend upon individual circumstances. We are aware of the concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders regarding farmers whose current Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements expire at the end of the year, and we are considering how we can support continued delivery of environmental outcomes.