Written questions by Hobhouse.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential for private investment in the circular economy.

This Government’s commitment to transitioning towards a circular economy builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and creates a more resilient economy with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure. The UK’s existing circular industries deliver £67 billion to the economy, and industry estimates indicate that the ongoing reforms in the packaging sector alone have the potential to support an estimated 21,000 new jobs and stimulate over £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next ten years. We will publish a plan for delivering the Government’s circular economy ambitions in the coming months and the action plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. We also convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help us with this – they have undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs and opportunities for all are considered.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with PackUK on the role of the Producer Responsibility Organisation in setting expectations for (a) the sorting of collected materials and (b) mechanisms which could support consistent recovery across different local authorities and MRFs.

The Department is working with PackUK to appoint a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) which will be responsible for administering certain elements of the pEPR scheme. The sorting of collected materials and consistent collections is not within PackUKs remit, so no discussions have taken place so far on the involvement of the PRO in this area. We are working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the potential impact of the circular economy on local economic growth.

This Government’s commitment to transitioning towards a circular economy builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and creates a more resilient economy with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure. The UK’s existing circular industries deliver £67 billion to the economy, and industry estimates indicate that the ongoing reforms in the packaging sector alone have the potential to support an estimated 21,000 new jobs and stimulate over £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next ten years. We will publish a plan for delivering the Government’s circular economy ambitions in the coming months and the action plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. We also convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help us with this – they have undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs and opportunities for all are considered.

Whether he plans to accept the recommendation by the Office of Value for Money to lay a Command Paper with a Strategy and Delivery Plan for specific mega projects before Parliament.

Where projects within the Department are designated as megaprojects, the recommendations of the Office for Value for Money study will be considered as appropriate. Having been defined a mega project by the study, a Strategy and Delivery Plan for Sizewell C will be laid as a Command Paper in Parliament in the coming months.

Whether he has a completion date for Sizewell C.

Sizewell C Ltd plan to begin operating the power plant in the mid- to late-2030s.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the reduction of ODA budget on UK (a) jobs and (b) trade income.

The overall economic impact of policy measures is set out in the OBR’s economic and fiscal forecast. The OBR’s March 2025 outlook provides details of the impacts of policy changes including the ODA reduction.

Food and Rural Affairs, under what circumstances would she consider withdrawing from the Aarhus Convention.

The United Kingdom Government is committed to the effective implementation of its international obligations and has no plans to withdraw from the Aarhus Convention.

Whether she plans to take steps to enable an increase in the Official Development Assistance budget.

To enable the government to invest more on security and defence, while remaining committed to our fiscal rules, the Prime Minister has taken the difficult decision to reduce Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI by 2027. The Spending Review (SR) 2025 ODA settlement delivers on this. The government remains committed to returning spending on ODA to 0.7% of GNI when the fiscal circumstances allow. The OBR’s latest forecast shows that the ODA fiscal tests are not due to be met within the Parliament. The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely, and each year will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.

Whether the Curriculum and Assessment Review will consider mandating a gender balance in the authors of texts students study for GCSE English Literature.

The selection of set texts for examination in GCSE English Literature is down to the exam boards. Schools are given the freedom of choice to select works that fulfil the aims of the national curriculum for English Literature, which aims to ensure that all pupils appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage.

What discussions her Department has had with representatives of the British racing industry on the potential impact of her Department's remote gambling tax harmonisations proposals on the sport.

The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025. The Government recognises the significant cultural and economic value of British horseracing, both as a major sporting tradition and as an important contributor to rural economies across the country and is engaging with representatives of the horseracing industry to understand the impact of any tax changes, which will be carefully considered as part of the consultation process.

If he will undertake a cost benefit analysis of wholesale electricity market reform options as soon as possible.

We have taken a decision on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements reform options based on a range of evidence and come to a judgement on the best route to deliver a fair, affordable, secure and efficient energy system. We will publish updated analysis later this year.

What steps his Department plans to take to improve access to mental health services.

This Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to improve access to mental health services by hiring more staff, delivering more early interventions and getting waiting lists down.We will transform mental health services into 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres. I had the pleasure of visiting the Barnsley Street Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre last week, a pilot site which showcased holistic person-centred care.

Whether his Department has undertaken a risk assessment of the potential impact of (a) Artificial General Intelligence and (b) Artificial Super Intelligence on the (i) safety and (ii) security systems of (A) Sizewell C and (B) other future nuclear energy infrastructure.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) as the UK’s independent regulator is responsible for assessing the safety and security of UK civil nuclear sites and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered in their regulatory approach. The ONR are collaborating with industry and various regulators in other countries to support its regulation and share good practice, including on AI. Relevant reports by the ONR can be found here: ONR’s pro-innovation approach to AI regulation and New paper shares international principles for regulating AI in the nuclear sector | Office for Nuclear Regulation

Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with experts on (a) transitional science and (b) change management on the roadmap to phase out animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. This transition must be science-led and the Government has been consulting industry, academia and civil society as this process unfolds.Although we have not yet engaged specifically on translational science and change management, we will consider this as we move into implementation of the Strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which we will publish later this year. We will shortly host a workshop with translational experts ahead of publication of the strategy.

What steps (a) his Department and (b) Ofgem are able to take to help tackle misconduct by Third-Party Intermediaries in the energy market.

The Government has consulted on introducing a regulatory regime for the TPI market. This would raise standards, protect businesses from harmful practices, and improve consumer confidence in responsible TPIs. Earlier this month, the Government published a summary of the responses to the consultation, which set out that most respondents supported introducing regulation for TPIs. We will publish a Government response to the consultation, setting out future plans on TPI regulation, in due course. Current regulatory oversight of TPIs within the energy market primarily consists of voluntary codes of practice, Ofgem licence conditions on energy suppliers, and consumer protection regulations. These codes of practice outline best practices and standards for TPI conduct in areas such as transparency, customer engagement, and ethical behaviour. Ofgem imposes licence conditions on energy suppliers that indirectly affect the activities of TPIs. These include requirements related to transparent pricing for non-domestic customers using TPIs and access to redress for microbusiness consumers, and, since December, to small businesses.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of taking steps to help tackle hidden commission fees charged by energy brokers on costs for businesses; and whether he has considered introducing a regulatory framework to help tackle those fees.

The Government has consulted on introducing a regulatory regime for the TPI market. This would raise standards, protect businesses from harmful practices, and improve consumer confidence in responsible TPIs. Earlier this month, the Government published a summary of the responses to the consultation, which set out that most respondents supported introducing regulation for TPIs. We will publish a Government response to the consultation, setting out future plans on TPI regulation, in due course. Current regulatory oversight of TPIs within the energy market primarily consists of voluntary codes of practice, Ofgem licence conditions on energy suppliers, and consumer protection regulations. These codes of practice outline best practices and standards for TPI conduct in areas such as transparency, customer engagement, and ethical behaviour. Ofgem imposes licence conditions on energy suppliers that indirectly affect the activities of TPIs. These include requirements related to transparent pricing for non-domestic customers using TPIs and access to redress for microbusiness consumers, and, since December, to small businesses.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of The University of Manchester’s research entitled Assessing risk of breast cancer in young women to facilitate early diagnosis and improve outcomes, published on 2 June 2025.

The Department welcomes the University of Manchester’s research on assessing risk of breast cancer in young women. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including breast cancer, as early and as quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. As the first step to ensure faster diagnosis, the NHS is delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week. To support early detection and diagnosis, the NHS in England carries out approximately two million breast cancer screens each year in hospitals and mobile screening vans, usually in convenient community locations.NHS England does not currently screen women younger than 50 years old for breast cancer. This is because the risk of women under this age developing breast cancer is low, and because mammograms are less reliable in this age group. Women below 50 years old tend to have denser breast tissue, which reduces ability to get an accurate mammogram.This is in line with most European countries, most of whom screen women between the ages of 50 and 69 years old. Women with a very high risk of breast cancer, for example, due to family history, may be offered screening earlier and more frequently.The National Cancer Plan, planned for publication later in 2025, will have patients at its heart and will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients of all ages, including those with breast cancer.

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to breast cancer risk assessment for women under 50.

National Health Service breast cancer risk assessments are undertaken to identify the risk of having an inherited tendency of developing breast cancer. Breast screening is offered to women under the age of 50 years old according to nationally recommended guidelines, based on assessed risk. These can be found on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s website, at the following link:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/breast-screening/Some women have an increased chance of developing breast cancer because of their genes. Five to 10 out of 100, or 5% to 10% of, all breast cancers happen because of an inherited tendency, also called a genetic predisposition.The Government does not currently plan to increase access to breast cancer risk assessments for women under 50 years old who are not at higher risk of developing breast cancer due to inherited tendency.

What steps she has taken to ensure that the Spending Review 2025 is compatible with the UK’s (a) net zero target and (b) interim carbon budgets.

HM Treasury has established processes to assess the climate and environmental impacts of major spending bids These impacts informed, alongside other policy considerations, decisions made at Spending Review 2025. In total, the Government committed £63bn in capital funding at Spending Review 2025 for clean energy, climate, and nature, including nuclear. This will support our Clean Energy Superpower Mission and help us continue to make progress in meeting net zero and our interim Carbon Budgets. However, public spending is just one lever to support our climate targets. The Government will set out an updated whole economy plan to meet Carbon Budgets 4-6 through the publication of a refreshed Carbon Budget Delivery and Growth Plan later this year.

Whether she plans to increase taxes on oil and gas companies to help fund investment in (a) clean energy, (b) home insulation and (c) other climate measures.

The oil and gas industry is currently subject to a headline tax rate of 78%, which includes the 38% Energy Profits Levy, following reforms announced by the government at Autumn Budget 2024. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced it would increase the rate of the EPL by 3 percentage points, extend the period the levy applies until 31 March 2030 and abolish an investment allowance which was not available to any other sector, helping to raise funding towards our ambitious clean energy goals. These changes were implemented from 1 November 2024 . The Office for Budget Responsibility expect the oil and gas sector will raise c£16bn in tax receipts between 2025/26 and 2029/30, inclusive of around £11bn from the EPL alone.