Written questions by Morton.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the continued suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on farmers.

There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). As of April 2025, they supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows protected and restored. We have allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3bn a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400m from additional nature schemes. Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that will better target SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. Further information about the reformed SFI will be provided in due course.

What discussions she has had with (a) the West Midlands Combined Authority and (b) Walsall Council on using the new statutory role for devolved leaders under the Railways Bill to prioritise the reopening of Aldridge Station.

The Department welcomes increased influence of devolved leaders to help shape the future of the country’s rail network. This government has also confirmed a £2.4 billion Transport for City Regions settlement for the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to 2031-32 to deliver its priorities for local transport improvements. Should Aldridge Station be a priority, the region could consider using this settlement to fund its delivery. Continuing designs and a business case for the scheme, sponsored by WMCA and undertaken by Network Rail, will be completed in Spring 2026.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 84230 on Development Aid: Health, whether the reduced figure of £527.3 million reflects any reduction in spending on (a) pandemic preparedness and (b) maternal health.

I refer the Hon. Member back to the answer to which she refers in her question, where the reason for the reduction was explained.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of China’s compliance with its obligations under the 1984 Sino–British Joint Declaration; and what steps she is planning to take to hold the Chinese Government accountable for its international legal commitments.

I refer the Hon. Member to the latest edition of the six monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of British National (Overseas) visa holders affected by restrictions imposed by the Hong Kong authorities on the withdrawal of savings from the Mandatory Provident Fund; and whether she has made representations to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on the financial rights of UK-based BN(O) citizens.

I refer the Hon. Member to the latest edition of the six monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the United Nations, (b) the EU and (c) other international partners on protecting (i) journalists, (ii) academics, and (iii) civil society activists in Hong Kong who have been (A) targeted and (B) harassed under national security legislation; and whether she will consider new measures to support the work of (1) independent media outlets and (2) NGOs.

I refer the Hon. Member to the latest edition of the six monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reforms to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief on trends in the number of farm closures.

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 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 she has made of the potential impact of levels of debt interest payments on the public finances.

The Chancellor has asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast for publication on 26 November 2025, which will accompany the annual Budget. We are spending over £100bn a year on debt interest - equivalent to £1 in every £10 the government spends. The government’s fiscal strategy put the public finances on a sustainable path while prioritising investment to support long-term economic growth. The fiscal rules provide a blueprint for getting debt on a downward path over the next five years, while borrowing to invest in our economy. This is the responsible choice – to live within our means, reduce our levels of borrowing in the years ahead and support the Bank of England to get inflation down, so we can deliver on the priorities of working people and spend less on servicing debt.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of public expenditure as a share of national output.

The government's fiscal strategy is putting the public finances on a sustainable path while prioritising investment to protect the NHS and support long-term growth. We are relentlessly cutting waste, improving efficiency to make sure every penny of taxpayers' money is spent wisely, and reforming public services to make sure they are sustainable.

What assessment she has made of recent trends in the level of government borrowing.

The Chancellor has asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast for publication on 26 November 2025, which will accompany the annual Budget. We are spending over £100bn a year on debt interest - equivalent to £1 in every £10 the government spends. The government’s fiscal strategy put the public finances on a sustainable path while prioritising investment to support long-term economic growth. The fiscal rules provide a blueprint for getting debt on a downward path over the next five years, while borrowing to invest in our economy. This is the responsible choice – to live within our means, reduce our levels of borrowing in the years ahead and support the Bank of England to get inflation down, so we can deliver on the priorities of working people and spend less on servicing debt.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of in‐donor refugee costs on the aid budget available for overseas development programmes.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 6 November in response to Question 85799.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to section 4 of the report by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact on Management of the official development assistance spending target, published on 15 July 2025, what steps she is taking to ensure that the majority of UK aid continues to be spent on development projects of strategic importance to the UK.

The Minister of State for International Development and Africa is responsible for ensuring cross-government Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending is coherent with our modernised development approach and chairs the refreshed Ministerial ODA Delivery and Impact Board. This will drive coherence and effectiveness of the UK's development work and value for money in ODA spending across government.

With reference to the proposed new Periodic Review funding process for Great British Railways, what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that investment in reopening stations such as Aldridge is considered alongside major infrastructure schemes when funding allocations are agreed.

During the new Periodic Review process, Great British Railway (GBR) will need to develop an integrated plan across all its proposed activity, this includes infrastructure, passenger services, and railway enhancements such as new stations. This integrated plan will ensure that all funding commitments from different sources and at different times, including those made during the new periodic review, will be considered and align across GBR’s responsibilities.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of reopening Aldridge Station on (a) passenger interchange and (b) connectivity for routes into (i) Birmingham and (ii) Walsall.

The West Midlands Combined Authority are sponsoring Network Rail to develop detailed designs and an Outline Business Case for the proposed new Aldridge Station. This work, which is expected to complete in Spring 2026, will provide a detailed assessment of the potential merits of the scheme, including on passenger interchange and connectivity into Birmingham and Walsall.

Whether she has made an assessment of the how timetable integration on the Sutton Park line could support the restoration of passenger services at Aldridge Station.

The Department is aware that the West Midlands Rail Executive are at an early stage of undertaking a study to potentially introduce passenger services on the Sutton Park Line, including at Aldridge. This will include how such services would need to integrate with the existing timetable.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will commission a review of long-term outsourcing contracts with private sector suppliers involved in UK aid delivery to make an assessment of the potential impact of those long-term contracts on (a) value for money and (b) long- term expertise in her Department.

I refer the Hon Member to the written evidence provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to the inquiry by the International Development Committee into the FCDO's Approach to Value for Money in Official Development Assistance, which can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142772/default/

Food and Rural Affairs, when she last met the farming sector to discuss the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief on farmers.

Defra Ministers and officials regularly engage with the farming sector on a wide range of issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Extended producer responsibility scheme on inflation for consumers in the (a) food and (b) retail sectors.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole including impact on CPI inflation and impact on consumers weekly expenditure, when the regulations were laid in parliament. We continue to work with businesses to ensure the scheme is implemented fairly and proportionately, supporting our shared aim of reducing packaging waste while limiting the impact on consumers.

What discussions he has had with the Mayor of the West Midlands on the resilience of supply chains in the West Midlands.

In recent interactions the Secretary of State discussed with the West Midlands Mayor the importance of improving the resilience of supply chains in the region and our goal to do so through the Industrial Strategy. A Supply Chain Centre, based in DBT, will lead the government's work to build the resilience of critical supply chains and our £2.5bn DRIVE35 programme will support Zero Emission Vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain.DBT's Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan also sets out to strengthen UK capabilities and secure more diverse import resources, ensuring better connected and agile supply chains.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 Oct 2025 to Question 83835, if he will publish a list of (a) businesses and (b) sectors in Walsall Borough with whom they consulted.

The government consulted a wide range of businesses from across the UK during the development of the Industrial Strategy, through roundtables, workshops, and direct conversations with businesses, business representation organisations, and networks. This included the Invest 2035 public consultation which sought feedback on 36 questions to inform the Industrial Strategy. The consultation received over 27,000 online answers to individual questions from a wide range of businesses and organisations, including more than 250 business associations representing hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK. We cannot publish a list of businesses and sectors in Walsall Borough with whom we consulted, as no data was systematically collected on respondents’ geographic location. Additionally, to maintain respondents’ confidentiality we cannot share the names of individual respondents or the details of individual responses to the consultation.