Written questions by Jermy.

Innovation and Technology, what progress he has made on improving broadband connectivity in rural areas.

Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises not included in suppliers' commercial plans.As of the end of March 2024, over one million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.More than £2.3 billion of contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband, predominantly in rural areas.

How minimum energy efficiency standards take into account properties which are not occupied for less than half of the period between 1 October and 30 April.

As of April 2020, privately rented homes in England and Wales are required to meet the minimum standard of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) E before they can be let, unless a valid exemption applies. The regulations are applicable if a property is let on an assured tenancy, regulated tenancy, or domestic agricultural tenancy, and legally required to have an EPC. There is more information and guidance on the requirement to have an EPC available on gov.uk.

What discussions he has has with relevant stakeholders on the provision of sustainable funding for transforming (a) palliative and (b) end of life care services.

In February, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.I also recently met Rachael Maskell MP and Baroness Finlay to discuss the progress of their independent commission into palliative and end of life care.As part of the work to develop the 10-Year Health Plan, we will be carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners.We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

Food and Rural Affairs, what funding his Department provides to farmers for laying hens.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare Grant was recently offered to commercial laying hen and pullet keepers in England. It supports these farmers to improve the health, welfare, and productivity of their flocks through access to £22.6 million in grants towards the cost of upgrading their housing. Applications closed on 18 September 2024 and all applicants have been contacted to notify them of next steps.

What steps her Department is taking to lower waiting times for speech therapy for children.

The department continues to improve access to speech and language therapy by including the ‘Early Language and Support for Every Child’ (ELSEC) pathfinder project, in partnership with NHS England and within the department’s existing Change Programme. This is delivered across nine pathfinder sites, with one in each English region.The interim programme evaluation allows the department to explore insights into the effectiveness of ELSEC delivery at a local level. Highlight reporting data shows that therapy support teams have helped around 20,000 children so far and just over 3000 setting staff have been upskilled in delivering interventions. A final evaluation will take place following the end of the summer term 2025.The department is continuing funding support for the 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme. As of March 2025, as part of NELI, 47,982 pupils undertook an initial Language Screen assessment in the 2024/25 academic year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on levels on lead in tap water exceeding safe limits in (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) South West Norfolk constituency.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) holds data on lead in drinking water based on compliance samples taken by water companies. These tests assess whether lead levels meet the regulatory standard of 10 micrograms per litre under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016. Where a sample exceeds this limit, it is recorded as a failure and triggers an investigation. Each failure is followed up to a satisfactory resolution. Most failures are linked to lead pipework, often in the final sections of pipework in private ownership. In such cases, customers may need to replace their section of pipe, with support from the water company. In the meantime, companies mitigate risk by adding orthophosphate to reduce lead solubility. To support long-term improvements, companies are delivering lead reduction strategies under the current Asset Management Period (AMP8), which began in 2024. Anglian Water, which supplies South West Norfolk, reported 16 exceedances across its entire supply area - serving 5 million consumers - over the past five years. Its AMP8 lead strategy is being closely monitored. National compliance with the lead standard was 99.60% in 2020–2022. More detail is available in DWI’s triennial report.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current level of Physical Infrastructure Access fees.

Ofcom’s Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) framework supports market entry and expansion by alternative network operators via access to Openreach’s ducts, poles, and other utility infrastructure.Ofcom has powers to impose access conditions on electronic communications networks, enabling third party infrastructure access on fair and reasonable terms, conditions and charges, and without undue discrimination.My officials meet with Ofcom on a regular basis to discuss a range of regulatory issues including PIA. The Government supports this framework but will not intervene in independent Ofcom decisions regarding fee pricing structure or the adequacy of the current level of fees.

What assessment her Department has made of the merits of improving the road network in East England.

The second Road Investment Strategy sets out planned investment for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the strategic road network in the East of England between 2020 – 2025. National Highways will shortly confirm its planned investment in the region for the 2025-26 Interim Settlement year in its Delivery Plan. The Department for Transport is developing the third Road Investment Strategy, which is anticipated to cover planned investment between 2026 – 2031.The prioritisation of investment in all other road networks in the East of England are the responsibility of the relevant local highways authority.

What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Office to tackle freight crime; and what assessment she has made of the merits of targeting the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme funding at areas with high rates of freight crime.

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime can have on businesses and drivers. Through our Safer Streets Mission and wider reforms, we are tackling crime and restoring public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system. Alongside the Home Office Minister of State for Policing and Crime Reduction, I met Rachel Taylor MP, Chair of the APPG for Freight and Logistics on 26 March to discuss the impact of freight crime. The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and the wider automotive industry to ensure our response to vehicle crime, including freight crime, is as strong as it can be. The Department for Transport’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme is providing up to £43.5 million of joint investment with industry to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England. This investment has been allocated and is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic roads network. Future funding for financial years beyond 25/26 and its potential targeting towards high freight crime areas is subject to the Spending Review.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Transformation Fund announced in the Spring Statement 2025; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using this fund to improve palliative and end of life care services.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.As part of the Spring Statement, the Government announced a £3.25 billion Transformation Fund to drive efficiencies across Government and save money later in the Parliament and set out how this would be allocated over the Spending Review process.

Whether he plans to include measures on reforming funding allocations for (a) palliative and (b) other end of life care services in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

The Spending Review is underway. We are, however, already supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices.

What guidance she has provided to (a) local authorities and (b) families on the special assessments section of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Detailed guidance has been provided to local authorities and regional adoption agencies about the recent changes to the adoption and special guardianship support fund, including regarding specialist assessments. Similar information has been shared with stakeholder organisations representing families. The GOV.UK website has also been updated with information to explain the recent changes. This information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/adoption-support-fund-asf#funding-eligibility.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on physical infrastructure access pricing for full fibre broadband.

Ofcom’s Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) framework supports market entry and expansion by alternative network operators via access to Openreach’s ducts, poles, and other utility infrastructure.Ofcom has powers to impose access conditions on electronic communications networks, enabling third party infrastructure access on fair and reasonable terms, conditions and charges, and without undue discrimination.My officials meet with Ofcom on a regular basis to discuss a range of regulatory issues including PIA. The Government supports this framework but will not intervene in independent Ofcom decisions regarding fee pricing structure or the adequacy of the current level of fees.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the distribution of funding for research and development across (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) South West Norfolk constituency.

DSIT's R&D budget is rising to £13.9 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, a real terms increase of 8.5% compared to 2024/25. This will include investments in our R&D system in every region of the UK.In 2023/24, UKRI invested £8,357 million in England, £141 million in Norfolk and £0.5 million in South West Norfolk.UKRI’s investments in Norfolk include £317 million for Norwich Research Park to establish a pioneering plant and microbial research hub by 2030.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Transformation Fund announced in the Spring Statement 2025; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating a sum of this money for the palliative and end of life care sector.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.As part of the Spring Statement, the Government announced a £3.25 billion Transformation Fund to drive efficiencies across Government and save money later in the Parliament and set out how this would be allocated over the Spending Review process.

What assessment her Department has made of the the merits of extending the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme beyond the current funding period.

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime can have on businesses and drivers. Through our Safer Streets Mission and wider reforms, we are tackling crime and restoring public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system. Alongside the Home Office Minister of State for Policing and Crime Reduction, I met Rachel Taylor MP, Chair of the APPG for Freight and Logistics on 26 March to discuss the impact of freight crime. The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and the wider automotive industry to ensure our response to vehicle crime, including freight crime, is as strong as it can be. The Department for Transport’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme is providing up to £43.5 million of joint investment with industry to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England. This investment has been allocated and is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic roads network. Future funding for financial years beyond 25/26 and its potential targeting towards high freight crime areas is subject to the Spending Review.

With reference to the report entitled The Price of Safety by women's aid, published in September 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Spring Statement 2025 on (a) survivors of domestic abuse and (b) the ability of survivors of domestic abuse to flee their homes.

The Home Office funds a range of organisations providing vital frontline support to victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse. The Home Office is providing a small increase in funding for VAWG victims’ services in this financial year (25/26). In 2024/25, the Home Office in 2024/25 provided £2.69m to support victims fleeing domestic abuse via the Flexible Fund. The fund, delivered by Women’s Aid Federation England and a consortium of over 470 services, was accessible to all adult victims of domestic abuse in England and Wales, including victims with no recourse to public funds. The Home Office also provided £3.6m in 2024/25 to fund a range of specialist national VAWG helplines which provide guidance and support to all victims.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the use of the Transformation Fund to reform (a) palliative and (b) end of life care services.

The Spending Review is underway, and details will be announced on 11 June. As part of the Spring Statement, Government announced a £3.25bn Transformation Fund to drive efficiencies across government and save money later in the Parliament, and set out how this would be allocated over the Spending Review process. Government is determined to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality end of life care. In December 2024 we announced a £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million revenue to support children and young people’s hospices.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances where alternatives are available.

The Government has already prohibited three key PFAS through our domestic legislation on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which implements the UN Stockholm Convention on POPs. Defra, Scottish and Welsh Ministers agreed that understanding the risks posed by PFAS was a top priority for the UK REACH Agency (HSE) under the first UK REACH Work Programme, 2021-22. Defra asked the EA and HSE to examine the risks posed by PFAS and develop a 'Regulatory Management Options Analysis' (RMOA), to assess uses, exposure routes, and risk management actions specific to Great Britain in an evidence-based and proportionate way. This RMOA was published in April 2023 and recommended work under UK REACH to reduce PFAS emissions by developing UK REACH restrictions. Following this, we have started work on a UK REACH dossier investigating whether to restrict the use of PFAS in firefighting foams, and we are exploring further measures relating to PFAS. The UK REACH restriction dossier on PFAS in fire-fighting foams is due to be published for consultation soon. As part of this, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the Agency for UK REACH conducted a detailed analysis of PFAS alternatives.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect the health and (b) promote (i) research, (ii) regulation and (iii) public awareness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Following the publication of a Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA) on PFAS in April 2023, my department asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate whether to restrict PFAS in firefighting foams under the UK REACH (Restriction, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals) regime. HSE’s restriction dossier is due to be published for consultation in Spring 2025. Alongside this, my department is also considering further measures on PFAS. This includes working across government to help us assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform policy and regulatory approaches. The Government recently completed a rapid review of the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023 and will introduce a revised EIP in 2025. The revised EIP will include the Governments approach to managing chemicals, including the risks posed by PFAS.