Written questions by Braverman.

Whether his Department has contingency plans in place to respond to mass drone incursions, in the context of drone incursions in Ukraine and Poland.

The UK is committed to defending every inch of NATO territory, including our contribution of Typhoon jets to defend Polish airspace as part of NATO’s Eastern Sentry. NATO is more united than ever as we continue to work closely to support Ukraine and defend the alliance’s territory. The Defence Secretary recently confirmed that we will be extending our contribution to Eastern Sentry until the end of 2025. Over the past 18 months, the RAF has also conducted routine deployments of Typhoons to both Poland and Romania to protect NATO airspace. In the UK, RAF fighter jets at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth are held at continuous high readiness 24/7, 365 days a year, to protect UK sovereign airspace. They routinely launch to intercept unidentified aircraft flying in the UK’s area of interest as part of NATO’s air policing mission.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to support the creation of a unified regulator for the agricultural supply chain with statutory enforcement powers.

The Government is clear that fair, equitable and transparent supply chain practices are essential to the long-term resilience and security of the UK food system. We remain committed to tackling any contractual unfairness that exists in the agri-food supply chain, including any practices related to cancellations and late payments. Both the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) and the sector-specific ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations made under the Agriculture Act 2020 are subject to statutory reviews, which will assess their effectiveness and inform any future developments. We maintain a regular dialogue on the relationship between the GCA and ASCA, to ensure that the system remains proportionate and fit for purpose.

Whether NHS England collects data on outcomes for children with congenital heart conditions who are treated in non-specialist settings.

The specific information requested is not held centrally. Information related to the outcomes for children with congenital heart conditions is available through the National Congenital Heart Disease Audit Annual Summary Report. The report does not disaggregate by non-specialist service.

What steps NHS England is taking to ensure continuity of care for children with rare or complex conditions when accessing frontline NHS services.

We are committed to supporting children with long term conditions and ensuring they receive the support they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate. We want a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition, as well as their families and carers receive high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The framework’s priorities include better coordination of care and increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, including in primary care. We remain committed to delivering under the framework and published the fourth England action plan on 28 February 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to improve training for General Practitioners and junior doctors in recognising and managing cardiac and respiratory vulnerabilities in paediatric patients.

The steps taken include the production of the Paediatric and child health advanced practice area specific capability and curriculum framework, which was co-produced by NHS England and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The framework is available at the following link:https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/Paediatric-and-child-Health-advanced-practice-area-specific-capability-and-curriculum-framework-NHSE.pdfThe framework outlines area specific capabilities and a curriculum addressing the full spectrum of paediatric health needs, including recognising and managing cardiac and respiratory conditions.

Whether NHS England plans to introduce standardised national protocols for interpreting oxygen saturation thresholds in children with chronic cardiac conditions.

The National Paediatric Early Warning System (NPEWS) was launched in England in November 2023. The use of NPEWS allows for a standard approach to recognition and escalation of concern when a child might be deteriorating. NPEWS works by assigning a score to varying levels of physiological values including oxygen saturations, depending on how far from normal those values are. Recent evaluation by the Liverpool DETECT study group has found that NPEWS predictive performance remained very good within cohorts of children with and without cardiac disease.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the clarity of escalation pathways for parents of children with complex medical needs.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. ICBs are expected to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, NICE published guidance on Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs. This is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioningNHS England is rolling out Martha’s Rule in acute provider sites, which gives in-patients and their families or carers who are concerned about physiological deterioration the ability to initiate a rapid review of their case from someone outside of their immediate care team. When requested, this rapid review will inform whether any new or additional action needs to be taken to ensure patients receive the most appropriate care and treatment, which may include escalation.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) judicial process and (b) sentencing in the case of Sir David Amess's murder.

Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary. In the case of Sir David Amess’s tragic murder, the judge imposed a life sentence with a whole life order. A whole life order is the most severe form of punishment the courts can impose. Such sentences have no minimum term and no possibility of Parole Board release, and as such they are reserved for the most heinous cases of murder. Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Sir David’s family.

If the Government will meet with the family of Sir David Amess to discuss the potential merits of a public inquiry into his murder; and what recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of such an inquiry.

Prevent has been an integral part of our counter-terrorism machinery for the last twenty years, supporting over 5,000 people away from radicalisation since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015.  Of course, we must continue to identify where Prevent has failed. However, significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the years since this Prevent case, and we continue to drive further change.The Prevent Learning Review and Lord Anderson’s review were both published by Government earlier this year, and can be found on GOV.UK (Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK and Lessons for Prevent - GOV.UK). These show clearly where Prevent, policing and law enforcement partners must take action to strengthen their approach. Lord Anderson’s review in particular sets out the position in relation to Prevent and the Security Service and identifies some key areas of focus for further review.Sir David Amess was a valued colleague and a friend to many, and it is right that we seek to ensure such a terrible loss cannot happen again. The Home Secretary and I will work closely with the reviewer conducting the further overarching review to ensure that every avenue has been explored. It is important that the voice of the family is central to this process, and the Home Secretary will ensure they are kept up to date with the progress of the review.

Whether checks were undertaken with Ali Harbi Ali’s school in Croydon before he was permitted to exit the Prevent programme.

Prevent has been an integral part of our counter-terrorism machinery for the last twenty years, supporting over 5,000 people away from radicalisation since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015.  Of course, we must continue to identify where Prevent has failed. However, significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the years since this Prevent case, and we continue to drive further change.The Prevent Learning Review and Lord Anderson’s review were both published by Government earlier this year, and can be found on GOV.UK (Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK and Lessons for Prevent - GOV.UK). These show clearly where Prevent, policing and law enforcement partners must take action to strengthen their approach. Lord Anderson’s review in particular sets out the position in relation to Prevent and the Security Service and identifies some key areas of focus for further review.Sir David Amess was a valued colleague and a friend to many, and it is right that we seek to ensure such a terrible loss cannot happen again. The Home Secretary and I will work closely with the reviewer conducting the further overarching review to ensure that every avenue has been explored. It is important that the voice of the family is central to this process, and the Home Secretary will ensure they are kept up to date with the progress of the review.

What social media checks were carried out on Ali Harbi Ali (a) during and (b) after his involvement with the Prevent programme.

Prevent has been an integral part of our counter-terrorism machinery for the last twenty years, supporting over 5,000 people away from radicalisation since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015.  Of course, we must continue to identify where Prevent has failed. However, significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the years since this Prevent case, and we continue to drive further change.The Prevent Learning Review and Lord Anderson’s review were both published by Government earlier this year, and can be found on GOV.UK (Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK and Lessons for Prevent - GOV.UK). These show clearly where Prevent, policing and law enforcement partners must take action to strengthen their approach. Lord Anderson’s review in particular sets out the position in relation to Prevent and the Security Service and identifies some key areas of focus for further review.Sir David Amess was a valued colleague and a friend to many, and it is right that we seek to ensure such a terrible loss cannot happen again. The Home Secretary and I will work closely with the reviewer conducting the further overarching review to ensure that every avenue has been explored. It is important that the voice of the family is central to this process, and the Home Secretary will ensure they are kept up to date with the progress of the review.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent programme in the case of Ali Harbi Ali.

Prevent has been an integral part of our counter-terrorism machinery for the last twenty years, supporting over 5,000 people away from radicalisation since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015.  Of course, we must continue to identify where Prevent has failed. However, significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the years since this Prevent case, and we continue to drive further change.The Prevent Learning Review and Lord Anderson’s review were both published by Government earlier this year, and can be found on GOV.UK (Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK and Lessons for Prevent - GOV.UK). These show clearly where Prevent, policing and law enforcement partners must take action to strengthen their approach. Lord Anderson’s review in particular sets out the position in relation to Prevent and the Security Service and identifies some key areas of focus for further review.Sir David Amess was a valued colleague and a friend to many, and it is right that we seek to ensure such a terrible loss cannot happen again. The Home Secretary and I will work closely with the reviewer conducting the further overarching review to ensure that every avenue has been explored. It is important that the voice of the family is central to this process, and the Home Secretary will ensure they are kept up to date with the progress of the review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to Question 69736 on Counter-terrorism, if she will take steps to ensure that the senior figure who is scrutinising all the previous reviews will (a) have access to documentation and (b) be able to interview people involved in (i) the Prevent programme and (ii) security services who dealt with Ali Harbi Ali.

Prevent has been an integral part of our counter-terrorism machinery for the last twenty years, supporting over 5,000 people away from radicalisation since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015.  Of course, we must continue to identify where Prevent has failed. However, significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the years since this Prevent case, and we continue to drive further change.The Prevent Learning Review and Lord Anderson’s review were both published by Government earlier this year, and can be found on GOV.UK (Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK and Lessons for Prevent - GOV.UK). These show clearly where Prevent, policing and law enforcement partners must take action to strengthen their approach. Lord Anderson’s review in particular sets out the position in relation to Prevent and the Security Service and identifies some key areas of focus for further review.Sir David Amess was a valued colleague and a friend to many, and it is right that we seek to ensure such a terrible loss cannot happen again. The Home Secretary and I will work closely with the reviewer conducting the further overarching review to ensure that every avenue has been explored. It is important that the voice of the family is central to this process, and the Home Secretary will ensure they are kept up to date with the progress of the review.

What information was held by the security services regarding Ali Harbi Ali from the five years between his engagement with Prevent and the murder of Sir David Amess.

Prevent has been an integral part of our counter-terrorism machinery for the last twenty years, supporting over 5,000 people away from radicalisation since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015.  Of course, we must continue to identify where Prevent has failed. However, significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the years since this Prevent case, and we continue to drive further change.The Prevent Learning Review and Lord Anderson’s review were both published by Government earlier this year, and can be found on GOV.UK (Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK and Lessons for Prevent - GOV.UK). These show clearly where Prevent, policing and law enforcement partners must take action to strengthen their approach. Lord Anderson’s review in particular sets out the position in relation to Prevent and the Security Service and identifies some key areas of focus for further review.Sir David Amess was a valued colleague and a friend to many, and it is right that we seek to ensure such a terrible loss cannot happen again. The Home Secretary and I will work closely with the reviewer conducting the further overarching review to ensure that every avenue has been explored. It is important that the voice of the family is central to this process, and the Home Secretary will ensure they are kept up to date with the progress of the review.

Whether her Department plans to review the (a) scope and (b) application of Agricultural Property Relief in the context of the requirements of modern farming.

Ministers from several Government departments have met with various representative organisations to discuss the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief. These discussions have involved the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales. The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The recent report by the independent Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) supports the Government’s analysis of these reforms, including the number of estates affected in 2026-27, and concludes that half of these estates will see an increase in their effective inheritance tax rate of less than 5 percentage points, and almost 90 per cent of these estates could pay their entire inheritance tax bill out of non-farm assets. The Government published a tax information and impact note on 21 July 2025 and this is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

What recent discussions her Department has had with farmers on the impact of (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) inheritance tax on succession planning for family farms.

Ministers from several Government departments have met with various representative organisations to discuss the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief. These discussions have involved the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales. The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The recent report by the independent Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) supports the Government’s analysis of these reforms, including the number of estates affected in 2026-27, and concludes that half of these estates will see an increase in their effective inheritance tax rate of less than 5 percentage points, and almost 90 per cent of these estates could pay their entire inheritance tax bill out of non-farm assets. The Government published a tax information and impact note on 21 July 2025 and this is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of inheritance tax on the viability of intergenerational farming businesses.

Ministers from several Government departments have met with various representative organisations to discuss the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief. These discussions have involved the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales. The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The recent report by the independent Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) supports the Government’s analysis of these reforms, including the number of estates affected in 2026-27, and concludes that half of these estates will see an increase in their effective inheritance tax rate of less than 5 percentage points, and almost 90 per cent of these estates could pay their entire inheritance tax bill out of non-farm assets. The Government published a tax information and impact note on 21 July 2025 and this is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the UK’s food security.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. The Food Sector is one of the UK's 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. We work closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support domestic food production and (b) reduce reliance on imports.

To ensure a consistent supply of food, the UK relies upon a combination of strong domestic production from the UK’s agricultural and food manufacturing sectors, and a diverse range of overseas supply sources. Trade supports UK food supply resilience. This is due to the UK having diverse trade routes, strong international supply and purchasing power. At home, the Government’s recently published Food Strategy identifies priority outcomes for resilient domestic production for a secure supply of healthier food, and also to create conditions for the food sector to thrive and grow sustainably, including investment in innovation and productivity, and fairer more transparent supply chains. We have allocated £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce input costs and (b) increase labour levels in the agricultural sector.

Investment in agricultural R&D and innovative practices through the Farming Innovation Programme is helping farmers and growers increase productivity, reduce input costs, and adopt more sustainable practices. In the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, we announced at least £200 million to the programme up to 2030 so underlining our continued commitment to supporting innovation in agriculture, including reducing inputs. Defra is also working closely with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) which is encouraging young people and new entrants into farming in its capacity as an industry led professional body for the farming industry. This includes leading a cross-industry initiative to address common negative misconceptions about the sector and providing free TIAH membership for students.