theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with train operators on steps taken to prevent sexual offences from occurring on the rail network. \p Lilian Greenwood: Everyone should be able to use the rail network without fearing for their safety. As part of the government’s Safer Streets mission we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade.

The Department works with all operators through the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on their work to prevent sexual offences across the rail network, including funding the initial launch of the RDG’s Zero Tolerance campaign in 2021.

Furthermore, the Department has implemented contractual changes to improve the steps operators take to prevent VAWG on the network, including requiring operators under public ownership to ensure their public-facing staff complete sexual harassment training on a regular basis.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of CCTV in (a) preventing and (b) prosecuting crime committed on the transport network. \p Lilian Greenwood: Everyone should be able to use public transport without fearing for their safety. As part of the government’s Safer Streets mission we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade.

On the railway, we recognise that police access to CCTV is vital to being able to identify offenders and bring them to justice, as well as to prevent crime, which is why my Department has recently announced nearly £17 million of funding to provide greater direct CCTV access from railway stations to British Transport Police (BTP).

The project, to be delivered by Network Rail in collaboration with the rail industry, will enable BTP officers to have more access to real-time footage from across the railway and help to identify sexual offenders as quickly as possible without having to request this from rail operators.

Across the bus network, as at March 2024, the proportion of buses used by local operators in England that were equipped with CCTV was 96%, a significant increase from 44% in the year ending March 2006. We will be considering the use of, and access to, CCTV on buses as part of our work on the Government’s Safer Streets mission.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the press release, Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, of 26 July 2025, whether the Department for Transport has conducted or is planning to conduct a review of changes to the alcohol drink drive limit and potential mitigations. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimare has been made of the average frequency of gully cleaning by highway authorities in England from 2015 to date. \p Simon Lightwood: Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

Although the Government does not monitor the frequency of gully cleaning by highway authorities in England, it does encourage authorities to maintain their drainage assets through guidance and as part of an annual winter survey of authorities.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on policies to support growth in the bus manufacturing sector. \p Simon Lightwood: My officials work closely with DBT officials, including through the ongoing work of the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing national regulations on bus lane fines for volunteer motorcycle riders delivering emergency medical supplies. \p Simon Lightwood: Decisions on which other vehicles may use bus lanes are for local traffic authorities to take. They are best placed to manage their networks and can grant exemptions through Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) where appropriate. Exemptions can include emergency service vehicles, such as volunteer motorcycle riders delivering emergency medical supplies.
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Anneliese Midgley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of Knowsley A-level students have commutes exceeding 45 minutes each way. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport does not hold the level of data requested.
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Anneliese Midgley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of transport costs on Knowsley students’ ability to access A-level education. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government knows how important affordable public transport services are in enabling young people to get to education. The Government has taken action to keep the cost of travel lower, for example, by introducing a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London. We confirmed at the Spending Review that this would be extended until March 2027.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has been allocated £20.9 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people. This is already the case in Liverpool City Region, where a £2 bus fare cap is in place.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of the average age of (a) passenger carrier vehicle buses and coaches, (b) private hire taxis and (c) Hackney carriages in England for each year from 2015 to date. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not hold data on the average age of buses or coaches.

However, the Department publishes data on the proportion of local buses by year of manufacture in the Annual Bus Statistics. Figures for the latest year are available in Table BUS06f, and data for previous years can be found in earlier publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#vehicles-operated-by-local-bus-operators-bus06. Prior to 2022 average age of the bus fleet was collected instead of year of manufacture.

The Department also publishes data on the average age of taxis and private hire vehicles in the Taxi and Private Hire Statistics. Figures for the latest year are available in Table TAXI0116, and data for previous years can be found in earlier publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/taxi01-taxis-private-hire-vehilces-and-their-drivers. The Department does not hold these data for years prior to 2020.

The Department does not hold data on the average age of Hackney carriages.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to expand EV charging infrastructure in underserved regions. \p Keir Mather: The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 November 2025, Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,798 publicly available charging devices, up 22% on this time last year. In 2024, the number of publicly available charging devices in rural areas of England increased by 45%.

Government’s £381m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund allocated capital and resource funding across England. Funding allocations were determined through an assessment of local authority need, including deprivation levels and rurality. The North East region was allocated over £25m LEVI funding to leverage significant private investment and expand the number of local public chargepoints across the region.

The £25 million EV Pavement Channel Grant is also available, which is intended to empower local authorities to adopt pavement channels as part of their local charging solutions. The North East was allocated over £1.6m to support the installation of pavement channels alongside public chargepoints.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of rural depopulation on levels of transport-related emissions in remote communities. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential impact of rural depopulation on levels of transport-related emissions in remote communities.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer to question 88126 on 17 November 2025, whether the environmental impact assessment for the review of the Airports National Policy Statement will include Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions specifically. \p Keir Mather: As part of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) review, the Secretary of State will carry out an Appraisal of Sustainability which will include a Strategic Environmental Assessment, which will consider greenhouse gas emissions.

As per the Appraisal of Sustainability for the existing ANPS, this will include consideration of emissions from the way people travel to and from the airport, as well as aircraft movements. It will be for individual promoters to submit Environmental Impact Assessments as part of any Development Consent Application in relation to Heathrow expansion.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has assessed the potential merits of offering bonus payments to driving instructors for undertaking driving tests above their contracted duties. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not employ driving instructors. By law, approved driving instructors (ADI) cannot work as examiners at the same time as being a registered instructor, even temporarily.

Whilst DVSA does not have the power to either increase or limit the number of ADI, the number of instructors on DVSA’s ADI register has increased in the last few years.

The attached spreadsheet shows the number and percentage of practical driving test bookings, where the initial test candidate’s driving licence number was subsequently changed to a different driving test candidate’s licence number, in each month since March 2025.

Spreadsheet (xlsx, 16.7KB)

Spreadsheet (xlsx, 16.7KB)
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives fellows to improving equality, diversity and social mobility in the legal profession; and what steps he taking to further these aims. \p Sarah Sackman: The Ministry of Justice recognises the contribution of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) and its Fellows in improving equality, diversity and social mobility in the legal profession. I reflected this when I delivered a welcome address at the CILEX annual conference this month in Birmingham, noting that CILEX is a valuable engine of social mobility in the profession. Data showing the diversity of CILEX members is published by CILEX Regulation (CRL) in its biennial Diversity Data Survey. The most recent published survey is available here: https://cilexregulation.org.uk/diversity-data/.

The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. Under the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007, the responsibility for regulating the sector sits with approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). CRL is the independent regulatory body of CILEX. Encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession is one of nine regulatory objectives under the LSA 2007, which the LSB, approved regulators, and the Office for Legal Complaints, have a duty to promote.

Recent action by CRL includes publishing its first Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy, issuing its next biennial Diversity Data Survey, expanding diversity reporting in enforcement, and revising qualifying employment and experience requirements to remove barriers. CRL is refreshing its EDI Strategy this year. Steps taken by CILEX include establishing the CILEX Foundation in 2021 to remove financial and social mobility barriers and launching the CILEX Judicial Academy in 2024 to help increase diversity within the judiciary by supporting lawyers – including CILEX professionals – aspiring to judicial careers.

While respecting independence, the Ministry of Justice maintains regular dialogue with the legal services representative bodies and regulators on a range of issues including improving equality, diversity, and social mobility in the profession.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 86689, what information his Department holds on the number of court cases that (a) did not progress and (b) were delayed due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses in 1). England and 2). Greater Manchester in the last 12 months. \p Sarah Sackman: An ineffective trial is a trial that does not go ahead on the scheduled trial date, and so a further listing is required. This can be due to action or inaction by one or more of the prosecution, the defence or the court. If a trial is deemed ineffective due to the witness being absent, this would indicate that the trial has been delayed.

The Ministry of Justice publishes ineffective trials statistics by reason including trials that are rescheduled due to “prosecution witness absent – professional/expert” here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK. These statistics can be filtered by Local Criminal Justice Board to isolate figures for Greater Manchester. We do not have access to data on ineffective trials due to the absence of a defence professional witness.

The Ministry of Justice cannot provide data on cases that “did not progress” due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses. This information would only be held in the individual court records for cases that are discontinued, and examination of these records would be of disproportionate cost.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to introduce Jade's Law. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government is committed to implementing Section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which introduces an automatic restriction on the exercise of parental responsibility where one parent has been convicted and sentenced for the murder or voluntary manslaughter of the other. The provision will come into force on a day appointed via regulations made by the Secretary of State, following the development of the necessary procedural and legislative frameworks to support its effective delivery.

Officials are working with key delivery partners including Local Authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Police Chiefs Council and HMCTS across the criminal and family justice systems, to ensure effective implementation. This includes considering potential consequential amendments to the Family Procedure Rules 2010 and Criminal Procedure Rules 2020, as well as supporting Practice Directions and statutory guidance.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the process in which domestic abuse cases reach the family court in a) the north west and b) Warrington. \p Alex Davies-Jones: This Government is committed to improving the experience of victims of domestic abuse in the family courts across England and Wales, including in the north west and Warrington.

In early 2026, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) plans to roll out a new digital service for applications for non-molestation orders and occupation orders. This service will make it easier and quicker for applicants to submit applications for these protective orders via an online portal.

Additional support is available to litigants in person via CourtNav, a free online tool operated by RCJ Advice, a citizens advice and law centre dedicated to improving access to justice. CourtNav guides individuals through applying for non-molestation and occupation orders, assisting with drafting applications and supporting statements. Applicants also have the option to have their application checked by a legal adviser, who can help identify the most appropriate course of action.

To streamline the process, the CourtNav system can automatically direct applications to HMCTS’s digital service. This enables information entered in CourtNav to transfer directly into the HMCTS system, ensuring better integration and efficiency when applications are submitted to the court.
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Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for all appeals involving Surrey County Council the number of cases in which the Tribunal issued a) a notice proposing that the local authority be barred from further participation and b) a barring order preventing the local authority from taking further part in the appeal, reported separately for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 to date. \p Sarah Sackman: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 29 October 2025 to Question 84015 on Legal Aid Scheme: Ely and East Cambridgeshire and of 17 November 2025 to Question 88053 on Legal Aid Scheme: Ely and East Cambridgeshire, what criteria the Legal Aid Agency uses to assess the adequacy of access to legal aid services in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency. \p Sarah Sackman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 November to Question 86918 which sets out methodology used to assess supply of legal aid services.

As set out in that response civil legal aid services are commissioned and monitored at procurement area level and the basic criteria used is whether each category of law has at least the minimum number of contracts.

Criminal legal aid services are commissioned at a national level but as set out in the response to question 86918 the Legal Aid Agency ensures demand under the local duty scheme is met i.e. there is cover for all available slots on the duty solicitor rota.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much HM Courts and Tribunals Service has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Sarah Sackman: The information requested can be found in the table below.

Translation:

FY

Translation

FY21-22

£ 51,231.54

FY22-23

£ 113,487.07

FY23-24

£ 140,829.23

FY24-25

£ 126,433.75

FY25-26

£ 78,995.19

Total

£ 510,976.78

Interpreting:

FY

Interpreting

FY21/22

£ 22,225,742.45

FY22/23

£ 27,362,968.49

FY23/24

£ 31,022,423.14

FY24/25

£ 32,390,150.55

FY25/26

£ 20,517,115.66

Total

£ 133,518,400.29

The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users whom English is not their first language. Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers whilst maintaining high standards of service delivery.
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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answers of 4 and 12 November 2025 to questions 84180 and 87719 on Alpacas: Bluetongue Disease, if her Department will consider reassessing restrictions for animals in which no cases of Bluetongue Disease have been identified. \p Dame Angela Eagle: As Great Britain is currently not recognised by the EU as bluetongue disease-free, the export of all susceptible live animals from the whole of GB territory, including alpacas, to EU and EFTA countries, is suspended. The same restrictions also apply for imports into GB from EU and EFTA countries. The EU and GB rules for trade from BTV affected territories reflect the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) Terrestrial Code that sets international standards for Animal Health.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to British businesses of not securing a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the European Union. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Defra commissioned research highlights significant non-tariff measure costs for exporting GB agri-food and plant products to the EU:

The SPS Agreement will significantly reduce these costs. The details of the Agreement are subject to negotiation.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received any representations from (a) farmers, (b) other rural landowners and (c) other interested parties calling for a single responsible body to receive and investigate incidents of flytipping. \p Mary Creagh: Defra not received any representations from farmers, other rural landowners and other interested parties calling for a single responsible body to receive and investigate incidents of fly-tipping.

Local councils are responsible for investigating most fly-tipping incidents, including those on private land. Fly-tipping incidents can be reported by visiting the relevant local authority's website. Individuals can get help on identifying the relevant local authority webpage at https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping.
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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will include proposals to end the routine culling of day-old male chicks in the UK egg industry, including through the adoption of in-ovo sexing technology in the her Department’s forthcoming animal welfare strategy. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Stockport, PQ UIN 64121.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when final commercial decisions from manufacturers on veterinary medicine product availability in Northern Ireland will be communicated to veterinary practices and Suitably Qualified Persons. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Most pharmaceutical companies have already taken or are taking steps to make the required adjustments so we are confident that the disruption to veterinary medicines supply will be limited. Several larger companies have also communicated these decisions publicly.

For those that have not, we continue to strongly encourage them to inform businesses as soon as possible about their intentions. Although these figures may change as pharmaceutical companies take steps to adjust before the end of the year, we are not expecting to see a significant change and continue to monitor the situation closely.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is working with pharmaceutical companies to determine the information that can be placed in the public domain concerning product availability.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of rural depopulation on the carbon intensity of delivering public services in remote and sparsely populated areas. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.

Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.

Defra has not made a specific assessment of the effect of rural population decreases - or increases - on the carbon intensity of delivering public services.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to end temporary restrictions on the import of (a) meat, (b) dairy and (c) animal products from the European Union in the context of the World Organisation for Animal Health's recognition of all European Union member states as free from foot-and-mouth disease. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Restrictions on commercial imports of certain meat, dairy and animal products from Slovakia in response to foot and mouth disease (FMD) remain in place pending UK recognition of FMD freedom.

Restrictions on personal imports of certain meat, dairy and animal products from the EU will remain in place while the biosecurity risk remains. As well as FMD, these measures mitigate against incursions of other animal diseases circulating in the EU, including African swine fever, sheep pox and goat pox, peste des petits ruminants and lumpy skin disease.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the readiness of veterinary practices and farm businesses in Northern Ireland for the end of the grace period on veterinary medicines. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Government continues to engage extensively with industry stakeholders across the supply chain to support them with continued availability of veterinary medicines beyond the grace period. This includes engagement with veterinary and farmer associations and businesses to discuss their preparedness and any concerns they might have. The Government has also issued extensive guidance and intends to publish several webinars shortly. This guidance provides information to help veterinary practices and farm businesses prepare.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 85821 on Controlled Burning, what discussions she has had with the Natural Environment Research Council on the publication of its study on the role of prescribed burns in reducing wildfires; and whether her Department has contributed to that study. \p Mary Creagh: As set out in my answer of 31 October, the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC) responded to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning in England earlier this year. Their response is published on their website.

The NFCC’s response was considered as part of the consultation analysis exercise. I also met with representatives from the NFCC and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) to discuss their response prior to finalising the amendments to the Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021. Defra, NFCC and FRS continue to work together in this area.

Defra is not involved with the IDEAL UK FIRE project but will consider the outcomes of this study when fully published, as with all new evidence in this area.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements the Department has put in place to provide real-time operational guidance to veterinary practices and Suitably Qualified Persons in Northern Ireland if product availability changes faster or more widely than anticipated after 31 December 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Department will continue to engage extensively with stakeholders across the sector beyond 31 December, including those representing vets and SQPs. Should unanticipated disruptions emerge, the Government will work closely with industry, as we are doing now, to address the issues and communicate promptly to stakeholders. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) currently already seek feedback on supply issues with the 'report a supply problem' form, and this has been promoted to all stakeholders as one of their routes to notify us of any issues. The Government remains confident that the two schemes being introduced can address any supply gaps if they emerge. The Veterinary Medicine Health Situation list will be updated as necessary.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to pack sizes, prescribing routes and product availability after 31 December 2025 on farm businesses and pet owners in Northern Ireland. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We continue to engage with businesses across the supply chain to support the transition at the end of this year to ensure that vets, farmers and pet owners continue to have the access to medicines that they need from 1 January.

We are aware of the impact that the potential of limited pack sizes may have on certain industry sectors in Northern Ireland and we are monitoring this closely. Our evidence does not currently suggest this is a widespread issue, although we appreciate individual companies may be affected. We understand that typically the most popular pack sizes will continue to be supplied.

We remain confident in our assessment that the vast majority of veterinary medicines will continue to be supplied and that the schemes we are introducing from1 January can address supply gaps if they emerge.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) the establishment of (i) online and (ii) centralised distributors and (b) other market concentration in the veterinary medicines supply chain in Northern Ireland after 31 December 2025 on consumer choice. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Government is committed to ensuring the continued supply and availability of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland at the end of the grace period.

Through our extensive engagement, we are aware of multiple companies who are either already established in Northern Ireland or are planning to set up as online retailers in Northern Ireland. This is expected to ensure medicines remain available through these online channels.

From 1 January, the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme (VMIMS) and the Veterinary Medicines Health Situation Scheme will exist to plug any supply gaps that emerge. However, based on our current assessment, we do not expect a significant number of discontinuations to occur. We are also working to ensure that the VMIMS operates in a way that reflects how consumers obtain medicines at present.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_305

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department will take to ensure veterinary medicine supply via Suitably Qualified Persons will continue in Northern Ireland and not diverge from what happens across the United Kingdom from 1 January 2026. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The guidance we published on the two schemes in June was recently updated and reflects industry feedback; the updated guidance includes specific reference to Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs).

The two schemes will take effect from 1 January; where there is, or likely to be, a significant animal health issue, and it is appropriate to do so, products under the Veterinary Medicines Health Situation Scheme could be made available for supply by SQPs. More broadly, the rules for supply by SQPs will not change from 1 January.

In addition, we continue to engage extensively with the Animal Health Distribution Association who represent SQPs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_306

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department remains committed to (a) the application of the precautionary principle in environmental decision-making and (b) maintaining existing statutory protections for protected and priority species in full. \p Mary Creagh: Under the Environment Act 2021 Ministers of the Crown must have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement when making policy. The statement sets out how to interpret and apply five environmental principles - integration, prevention, rectification at source, polluter pays, and the precautionary principle. This is in addition to any application of the precautionary principle required by specific measures or regulatory regimes, for example, in Article 1 of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations (EC 1907/2006).

Defra remains committed to maintaining protections for protected and priority species. We will not weaken the UK’s continued support for, and implementation of, our international commitments such as the Bern Convention.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_307

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of issuing Northern Ireland-specific operational guidance close to the end of the grace period on the ability of veterinary practices and Suitably Qualified Persons in Northern Ireland to prepare for changes to the supply of veterinary medicines from 1 January 2026. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Guidance was issued in a timely manner; it was first published in June and updated in October and November. Updated guidance included specific references to vets and Suitably Qualified Persons. The updated guidance and new supporting explainer were developed in direct collaboration with the British Veterinary Association, The Northern Ireland Veterinary Associations and the Association of Veterinary Surgeons Practising in Northern Ireland. The Animal Health Distribution Association were also sighted on the updated guidance and asked for feedback.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_308

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the number of veterinary medicine products expected to be (a) withdrawn and (b) altered in Northern Ireland after 31 December 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Many businesses have already taken the steps to make the required adjustments so we are confident that the disruption to veterinary medicines supply will be limited.

After extensive stakeholder engagement, our current estimate remains that between 10-15% of authorised products that are currently supplied will be discontinued. However, most of these discontinued products are not currently sold in Northern Ireland or are generics with multiple alternatives available. We have identified fewer than 20 products where discontinuation would pose significant risks to animal health and welfare if these risks were not addressed; the two schemes that we are introducing will serve to address those risks.

Although these figures may change as pharmaceutical companies take steps to adjust before the end of the year, we are not expecting to see a significant change and continue to monitor the situation closely.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_309

James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures are being taken to ensure that the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act supports research and field trials involving the genetic editing of sugar beet to improve resistance to Virus Yellows disease. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The secondary legislation needed to implement The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England commenced on 13 November 2025. This marks a major milestone, enabling research trials to take place and providing a route to market for precision bred products.

Through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme (FIP), we are funding innovative research projects and earlier this year, the Department announced a £12.5 million competition focused specifically on precision breeding. Previous projects funded under FIP includes a research project by Tropic, British Sugar and the John Innes Centre to develop sugar beets through precision breeding that are resistant against Virus Yellows.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_310

Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of land have been taken out of food production in the last year. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Agricultural land can be taken out of human food production for a variety of reasons, including for agricultural purposes (for example when it’s used to produce animal feed, as bare fallow within the annual crop rotations or for temporary crops such as leguminous mixes for environmental and soil health benefits). It is therefore not possible to provide accurate data on how much land has been taken out of food production as this can differ each year.

Estimates of the utilised agricultural area in England (which also includes bare fallow and land for environmental benefit) stands at 8.8 million hectares in 2025 and this area has remained broadly stable over the past decade.

Agricultural land area statistics are available here.

Detailed statistics on domestic food production are available in Chapters 7 and 8 in Defra’s Agriculture in the United Kingdom publication.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_311

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will assess the effect of the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme and the Veterinary Medicines Health Situations Scheme on the agri-food supply chain in Northern Ireland during the first year of implementation. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We are confident in the two schemes being introduced by the Government and will continue to closely monitor the situation over the upcoming year and beyond. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) will be conducting an assessment of the effectiveness/use of the two schemes in 6-12 months after first implementation. Our current assessment is that there will be minimal disruptions to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland and the agri-food supply chain will continue as it is now.

The use of these schemes will not in any way impair the ability of businesses in Northern Ireland to sell to businesses and consumers in the EU, including live animals or products of animal origin. They will be able to sell in the EU as they do now, and they do not need to make any changes. The two schemes will take effect from 1 January, and we will monitor their effectiveness.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_312

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact on the competitiveness of Northern Ireland farm businesses in the event access to routine veterinary medicines diverges from Great Britain after 31 December 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: In accordance with the Windsor Framework, EU legislation in relation to veterinary medicines applies in Northern Ireland in order to maintain Northern Ireland’s dual market access.

After extensive stakeholder engagement, our current estimate is that 10-15% of products are expected to be discontinued. Many of these authorisations are dormant or sold in very low volumes, or multiple alternatives remain available. We therefore do not anticipate significant impacts on access to routine veterinary medicines as a result of these discontinuations. Furthermore, we have seen from several pharmaceutical companies that they have made commitments not to increase prices as a direct result of the changes to supply that they are making or have already made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_313

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Transport on (a) plans to achieve and (b) progress on compliance with legal nitrogen dioxide limits on all roads. \p Emma Hardy: The Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) is a joint DEFRA/DfT division that is responsible for delivering compliance with NO2 targets set out in the Air Quality Plan 2017. DfT and Defra work together on progress and compliance with targets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-25 conversation_314

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle rising food costs. \p Dame Angela Eagle: UK consumer food prices depend on a range of factors, including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates.

On 19 November, the Secretary of State announced Defra is working alongside DBT and across Government to introduce a Food Inflation Gateway. This will assess new regulations for their impact on food businesses and food prices. It will help Government coordinate across departments and sequence regulations sensibly, providing clarity that unlocks investment to deliver productivity gains, keep costs down and put a downward pressure on food prices.

Alongside this, Defra’s food strategy is developing policies to ensure that individuals across the country have access to affordable, nutritious food. The strategy supports a whole-of-society approach to managing sudden, short-lived supply chain shocks and disruptions, as well as long-term chronic risks, so that we are ready for future shocks and reduce the risk of food price spikes.