Written questions by Opher.

Whether the Health Mission Delivery Board has appointed external experts.

We have established a cross-Government Health Mission Delivery Board to take forward work on the health mission. The core membership of the board is made up of key ministers including my Rt. Hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care as Chair and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as the Deputy Chair. Other attendees, including external partners, are invited according to the agenda. Outside of the Mission Board, the Department is engaging with wider partners from across civil society, business and local government on the health mission, including through our engagement on the 10-Year Health Plan.

When the Health Mission Delivery Board will next meet.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care chairs a cross-Government Health Mission Board to oversee and drive delivery of the Health Mission. The current membership of the Health Mission Board includes the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as the Deputy Chair. Other ministers will be invited to meetings according to the agenda.Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees. It is a long-established precedent that information about the proceedings of the Cabinet, or of any committee of the Cabinet, is not normally shared publicly, and this includes mission boards.

Whether land farmed under the Environmental Land Management Scheme will be exempt from new inheritance tax rules for farms.

The environmental value of land farmed or managed under the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) will be eligible for Agricultural Property Relief (APR) of up to 100% from 6th April 2025. From 6th April 2026, the 100% rate of relief will continue for the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property, and it will be 50% thereafter. This will include land in ELMS.

Whether woodlands qualify for inheritance tax relief.

Woodlands can qualify for relief from inheritance tax. That relief may be Agricultural Property Relief (APR) if the woodlands were occupied and used with agricultural land, such as a shelter belt. Alternatively, Business Property Relief (BPR) may be available where the woodlands were actively used for commercial purposes, subject to certain conditions. Furthermore, Woodlands Relief may apply where the woodlands don’t qualify for APR and BPR. This relief defers the charge to inheritance tax on the value of trees (not the value of the land) transferred on death to the point at which the trees are disposed of.

When the Health Mission Delivery Board last met.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care chairs a cross-Government Health Mission Board to oversee and drive delivery of the Health Mission. The current membership of the Health Mission Board includes the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as the Deputy Chair. Other ministers will be invited to meetings according to the agenda.Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees. It is a long-established precedent that information about the proceedings of the Cabinet, or of any committee of the Cabinet, is not normally shared publicly, and this includes mission boards.

Whether he has plans to increase the funding available for research into children cancers.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.Research is a vital part of improving diagnosis and treatment for children and young people with cancer. The NIHR spent approximately £9.9 million over the last five financial years, from 2019/20 to 2023/24, on directly funded research to improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer.The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including childhood cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients, and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.On 4 February 2024 my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce will be relaunched in 2025, alongside the national cancer plan, to identify ways to improve outcomes and patient experience for children and young people with cancer. Dame Caroline Dinenage and Professor Darren Hargrave have been appointed as co-chairs with Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel as vice-chair. The taskforce will bring together the country’s top experts to set out support for the development of the National Cancer Plan, which will improve treatment, detection, and research for cancer in children.

What progress his Department has made on the five-point prevention plan.

The Government is committed to tackling the United Kingdom’s biggest killers and building a fairer UK, where everyone lives longer, healthier lives. This is why our Health Mission aims to shift away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where there is focus on prevention, and more services are delivered in local communities. Our core objective is to shorten the amount of time spent in ill-health and prevent premature deaths, and we are committed to this. We have already taken action, with the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill passing the committee stage on 30 January. We are committed to banning junk food advertising to children. A 9:00pm television watershed and 24-hour online ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy food and drink products targeting children are on track to come into force across the UK on 1 October 2025. We have also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. Alongside this, we are exploring all interventions that will improve public health across a range of the UK’s biggest killers and help deliver the shift from treatment to prevention. Further details on our approach will be shared as we move forward.

When he plans to publish the five-point prevention plan.

The Government is committed to tackling the United Kingdom’s biggest killers and building a fairer UK, where everyone lives longer, healthier lives. This is why our Health Mission aims to shift away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where there is focus on prevention, and more services are delivered in local communities. Our core objective is to shorten the amount of time spent in ill-health and prevent premature deaths, and we are committed to this. We have already taken action, with the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill passing the committee stage on 30 January. We are committed to banning junk food advertising to children. A 9:00pm television watershed and 24-hour online ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy food and drink products targeting children are on track to come into force across the UK on 1 October 2025. We have also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. Alongside this, we are exploring all interventions that will improve public health across a range of the UK’s biggest killers and help deliver the shift from treatment to prevention. Further details on our approach will be shared as we move forward.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of hospital beds for teenagers and young adults undergoing cancer treatment.

Cancer treatment for teenagers and young adults is complex and intensive, with many patients requiring a high level of support. As a result, and as set out in NHS England's service specifications, hospitals providing specialist cancer services for teenagers and young adults must ensure that there are sufficient dedicated facilities for teenagers and young adults with cancer, including for inpatient and day care.The Department and NHS England are taking action to increase capacity for all elective and cancer services, including those for teenagers and young adults.In 2025/26, the Department will invest an extra £22.6 billion in day-to-day spending compared to 2023/24. The investment will support the National Health Service to deliver the elective target and to deliver capacity for 30,000 more procedures and over £1.25 million diagnostics tests as they come online, alongside additional beds to help bring waiting lists down, reduce waiting times, and shift more care into the community.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the review of the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority funding formula; and if he will set a timeline for completion.

Defra is aware of the complex funding challenges in Devon and Severn IFCA and is working with all local authorities within its membership to review the funding formula and how the IFCA can operate on a more sustainable basis. Engagement with local authorities is concluding and we expect to receive advice on the proposed way forward later this year. Any changes will require consultation and an amendment to the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Order (2010). We have recently published the third IFCA Conduct and Operations Report (covering the period 2018 to 2022) from which we have requested a wider look at the IFCA funding model.

If he will make it his policy to enable community-owned small-scale energy generators to sell electricity directly to local consumers.

The Government recognises the role that access to local energy will play in achieving net zero. The Government’s licence exemption regimes already allow small scale suppliers, including many community energy groups, to come to market to supply local customers. One general exemption is the Class A Small Supplier exemption, under which a producer of energy who produces no more than 5MW of energy, of which no more than 2.5MW is provided to domestic consumers, does not need a licence to supply. In addition. Ofgem has flexibility to award supply licenses to generation sites that are above the exemptions threshold when they are restricted to specified local area.

What steps his Department plans to take to contribute to the target of halving violence against women and girls in ten years.

The Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. My Department is working closely with NHS England, the Home Office, and others on a coordinated approach to achieve this goal and improve the health response to victims and perpetrators.NHS England has launched a national campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault referral centres and encourage survivors of sexual assault and abuse to seek help. These specialist services offer dedicated care and support to anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted, or abused.All integrated care boards have now appointed Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence leads to review their policies, training, and support systems for patients and staff. NHS England has also introduced a comprehensive package of measures to tackle sexual misconduct in the workplace.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of enabling community-owned small-scale energy generators to sell electricity directly to local consumers on (a) energy prices, (b) grid stability and (c) the transition to net zero.

Small-scale generation sites, including many community energy groups, can benefit from an exemption, which means that they do not require a licence from Ofgem to generate electricity or to supply to local customers.Local energy is unlikely to impact national energy prices, because these are driven by wholesale markets. In addition, given the scale of generation, local energy is unlikely to have a significant impact on grid efficiency overall. The Government recognises that local energy will play an important role in achieving the Government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. To help deliver this, Great British Energy will support the development of up to 8GW of local and community energy projects.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the reported decision by the US government to pause foreign aid.

This is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.

Media and Sport, what progress she has made on delivering a mandatory short term let registration scheme.

The Government is keen to introduce the registration scheme for short-term lets in England as soon as possible; the initial phase of digital development is now complete, and public testing is planned to start in the next 12 months. During the next phase of work, we will test the user interface of the scheme with a small number of users to ensure our systems and processes are robust and effective, before publicly launching a voluntary pilot of the service. The registration scheme will enable us to reap the benefits of a thriving tourist economy whilst protecting the spirit and fabric of communities, including by giving local authorities valuable data on short-term lets in their area to help address housing impacts.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the introduction of a binding global target to cut all forms of primary plastic polymer production.

The UK supports a global target on the sustainable production of primary plastic polymers. Last year, at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on a treaty to end plastic pollution, the UK endorsed a statement calling for all countries to commit to achieving sustainable levels of primary plastic production and for a global target.

Whether his Department has received representations from fossil fuel companies on the Global Plastics Treaty.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries on the UN Global Plastics Treaty.

The UK Government, at all stages of the INC process, has made it a priority to engage with a broad range of stakeholders across the plastics value chain, including trade associations representing fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. We partnered with the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network to run the UK Treaty Dialogues ahead of each round of negotiations, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to help us understand the variety of views on the draft treaty.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the negotiations for a global plastics treaty.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

If he will take steps to deliver a fully funded cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities which (a) takes into account the wider determinants of health and (b) includes measurable goals.

Our Health Mission in England focuses on addressing the social determinants of health, with the goal of halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.We will work across Government and with a wide range of healthcare stakeholders to address the root causes of health inequalities. We will prioritise prevention, shift more care into the community, and intervene earlier in life to raise the healthiest generation of children in our history.As part of the Government’s five long-term missions, and informed by the Darzi Review, the Government has launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future.Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services, in England, include NHS England’s Core20PLUS5, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.Future spending will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.