Written questions by Vaughan.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the frequency of rail services for commuters between Folkestone and London.

The Department requires all train operators, including Southeastern, to plan services and timetables designed to meet passenger demand while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. Timetables are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand. In December 2024, Southeastern encountered an incident that resulted in damage to one of its highspeed units and as a result it is temporarily operating some of its high speed services between Folkestone and London with fewer carriages. However, Southeastern is continuously monitoring passenger feedback and loading data to ensure it optimises the allocation of carriages to meet demand.

What steps her Department is taking to support organisations that help victims of (a) gender based violence and (b) domestic abuse.

Tackling Violence Agains Women and Girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse is a top priority for this Government. We will deliver a cross-Government transformative approach, utilising every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence.The Home Office has provided £2.025m for the national VAWG Helplines this financial year (24/25), which offer specialist support to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, victims of revenge porn, stalking and ‘honour’ based abuse.On 28th November 2024, the government announced a funding increase of £30 million, meaning a total investment of £160 million in the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant in 2025-26.We have been able to secure decisions on the majority of grants for the next financial year 2025-26. We have sought to protect frontline services and give them certainty, so they can plan for the next financial year ahead of the full budget-decision making process concluding.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Southern Water on steps to improve water quality in the South East.

In the first week of office, the Secretary of State and I met water companies’ chief executives, including Southern Water, where they signed up to a tough set of initial measures for reform, including on putting customers and the environment at the heart of their businesses. I have also met with companies that are failing in their environmental performance and made clear to them that we expect change. I will continue to meet with water companies and their boards, including Southern Water, through 2025 to set out the Government’s expectation of improved performance. This Government has been clear there is no excuse for poor performance, and we will not look the other way while companies routinely fail to meet agreed standards. In October 2024, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Government launched an independent commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. These wide-ranging recommendations will form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the water quality of Dymchurch and St Mary’s Bay.

The Environment Agency (EA) takes statutory samples and ensures compliance with the requirements of the Bathing Water Regulations. They collect investigative samples and analyse the results alongside other environmental data to help identify sources of pollution. Dymchurch and St Marys Bay are priority bathing waters for local EA teams this year. No single source of pollution has been identified at these locations. The EA will continue to work with others including the water company, the local authority and communities to improve and protect water quality by identifying and stopping polluting inputs. Water quality improvements at St. Marys Bay last year saw a return to ‘sufficient’ classification. This bathing water no longer has advice against bathing status, however there is still work to do to ensure water quality continues to improve. The EA has worked in partnership with Southern Water to find and eliminate possible sources of contamination from their network, including misconnections. Southern Water has completed extensive checks of their sewerage infrastructure and have rectified issues throughout the investigations. The EA encourages local communities to report pollution incidents that could be impacting bathing, surface or groundwater to their 24/7 incident hotline so they can respond and stop any pollution.

What steps he is taking to ensure that Government procurement practices help to promote ethical supply chains.

The Government expects the highest standards of conduct throughout public sector supply chains.The Procurement Act will strengthen the grounds on which unethical suppliers can be excluded and introduce a new debarment list.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) commencing the move-on period for newly-recognised refugees only after access to their e-visa has been confirmed and (b) extending the mov

The Home Office has recently introduced a time limited pilot giving newly recognised refugees 56 days’ notice to move on from asylum accommodation, in order to support local authorities as we seek to clear the asylum backlog and transition to eVisas.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework for approving nuclear projects.

The UK has an enabling and rigorous energy regulatory regime. The Government is taking steps to reform the planning process and will continue to work with the regulators to understand additional opportunities to streamline the regulation of new nuclear pr...

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to publish guidance on the circumstances in which permission to keep a pet may be unreasonably refused under the Renters' Rights Bill.

Yes, the government will provide guidance to help both landlords and tenants understand the new regulations and will maintain ongoing communication with the rental sector to address any concerns.