Written questions by Braverman.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of bird‑gathering licensing arrangements on hobby keepers, small‑scale breeders and local bird events.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza. Detailed risk assessments can be found on Gov.UK. As legislation requires this to be a risk-based decision, assessments of the impact to individual events, the number of events, or types of event, have not been made. Defra’s disease control measures seek to contain the number of animals that need to be culled, either for disease control purposes or to safeguard animal welfare. Our approach aims to reduce adverse impacts on the rural and wider economy, the public, rural communities and the environment (including impact on wildlife), whilst protecting public health and minimising the overall cost of any outbreak. Assessing the risk of each gathering is complex. Factors taken into account include, but are not limited to: the background risk; the origin locations of the birds; the species of birds attending; biosecurity measures; the number of birds and species; and the number of exhibitors. Gatherings, including mixed species exhibitions may be permitted, subject to licence.

Whether he plans to review support available to survivors for historic safeguarding failures by local authorities.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the transition from general to specific licences does not adversely impact small bird‑keeping groups.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.The decision as to whether to allow gatherings by way of a general licence is kept under regular review and is informed by qualitative risk assessment containing the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. Where risk levels are not sufficiently low to permit gatherings by general licence, applicants can apply for a specific licence for a gathering. A preliminary, individual risk assessment will be completed for each application, and a specific licence may be granted if the gathering and the transport of birds to and from it would not significantly increase the risk of the spread of bird flu. Defra has engaged with stakeholders to understand the challenges for those applying for specific licences, including small bird-keeping groups, and regularly considers the feedback received from those applying for licences. Defra has reviewed and improved the clarity of guidance for bird gatherings on gov.uk. Defra continues to work on improving the application process for specific licences, to ensure those applying can provide all the required information for APHA to assess their application. Although general licences are now in place for poultry (except Anseriformes) and other captive birds, Defra continues to engage with stakeholders to understand achievable conditions for gatherings held under specific or general licence.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the ability of survivors of non‑recent child sexual abuse to secure full disclosure of institutional records, including those relating to Grafton Close children’s home.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the prevalence of missing or incomplete historic records relating to children’s homes and local authority care files.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of historic safeguarding failures at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Richmond upon Thames.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What mechanisms exist to ensure that local authorities provide timely access to historical care records for former looked‑after children who make such requests.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors reporting historic abuse in children’s homes receive consistent and transparent engagement from responsible local authorities.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the support currently available to survivors of abuse linked to former children’s homes such as Grafton Close.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps he is taking to ensure that NHS staff who raise concerns about workplace privacy, dignity or safety are protected from victimisation or disciplinary action.

No doctor, healthcare professional, or any other National Health Service employee should suffer detriment for raising concerns about workplace privacy, dignity, or safety.Legal protections include the Employment Rights Act 1996, as amended by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which gives employees protection against unfair dismissal and detriment in employment on the basis that they have made a protected disclosure, and a right to seek remedy through an employment tribunal where this occurs. Separate regulations also protect NHS job applicants from discrimination on the grounds they have made a protected disclosure in the past.In addition, there is a range of support in place for NHS workers who wish to report concerns, including local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, a National Freedom to Speak Up policy, and support from independent organisations such as Speak Up Direct.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the environmental risks associated with constructing the proposed effluent recycling plant on a contaminated landfill site adjacent to Langstone Harbour SSSI.

The Environment Agency has, through its role in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure planning process, assessed potential risks of constructing the proposed water recycling plant on a former landfill. The Environment Agency considers these risks to be manageable with appropriate design and mitigation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Southern Water’s appraisal of alternative water resource options in its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, following the plan’s rejection by regulators in 2023.

Defra is currently reviewing advice provided by regulators in respect to Southern Water’s Water Resources Management Plan and the strategic water resource options included within it. Defra will make a decision on the next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of low consumer confidence in the quality of tap water on public behaviour, including increased bottled water use.

The quality of public drinking water in England is exceptionally high and among the best in the world with compliance rates of 99.97% over the last few years. According to the 2025 British Soft Drinks Association annual report, market data shows only a 3% year-on-year growth in volume of bottled waters sold for 2023-2024, as the most recent available data. This Government has also acted decisively on behalf of consumers, introducing a power in The Water (Special Measures) Act to enable the Consumer Council for Water, as the independent statutory consumer advocate for the water sector in England and Wales, to stand up Consumer Panels in every water company. These panels will help to rebuild trust in the water sector and support increased consumer confidence by creating a forum for further embedding customer views in the decision-making process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Planning Inspectorate has full access to environmental, technical and financial risk assessments before considering the Development Consent Order for the Havant Thicket scheme.

The Development Consent Order application for the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Scheme, linked to Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme in construction, will provide interested parties a further opportunity to make representations to a Planning Inspector on this scheme.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the processes used by Richmond upon Thames Council when responding to individuals who come forward with disclosures relating to historic abuse that occurred while in the Council’s care.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to review the regulatory framework governing effluent recycling to ensure independent scrutiny and auditing of any future plant, in line with international practice.

The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) brings together the three water regulators Ofwat, Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate. RAPID is enabling the right regulatory frameworks and provides a robust process to scrutinise strategic water resource options to ensure they are appropriate and deliverable. For any water recycling proposal to proceed, water companies will need to show how they will meet planning and permitting requirements. This includes protection for the environment and public health.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for its designation as a best‑value solution of the increasing cost estimates for the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project.

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of Southern Water’s progress against RAPID requirements at Gates 2 and 3, and what steps she is taking in response to repeated findings of outstanding actions and insufficient evidence.

The Hampshire Water Transfer Water Recycling project has successfully passed RAPID gate two and gate three. Through the RAPID assessment process, RAPID and its partner regulators can set priority actions and recommendations in areas where they determine more work is needed. All priority actions and recommendations set at both gates have been completed. Any outstanding actions will be addressed through the Gate 4 assessment process.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the level of customer engagement undertaken by Southern Water and Portsmouth Water on the acceptability of effluent recycling, and whether she plans to require earlier and more robust consultation.

Southern Water is due to submit its Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate for its scrutiny in May 2026. There will be further opportunity for representations to be made through any subsequent Examination in Public.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the trial plant results indicating inconsistent removal of bacteria and total dissolved solids, and what implications this has for water quality and public confidence in the proposed scheme.

Southern Water’s water recycling pilot plant was developed to provide evidence in support of, and to inform, Southern Water’s final permit application. The Environment Agency (EA) will determine what permitting standards are required for environmental protection in line with existing legislation. The EA will expect Southern Water to comply with any permit that is agreed to allow them to discharge recycled water into Havant Thicket reservoir.