Ellie Chowns MP: written questions
232 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Holiday Activities and Food ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61450More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49999 on Holiday Activities and Food Programme, whether she plans to continue the provision of funding for the Holidays and Activities Programme beyond the 2025
Answer: The government remains committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme. We are currently working through the outcomes of the Spending Review and will share further information in relation to the future of the HAF programme in due course.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSoil: ContaminationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61448More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of land-spreading sewage sludge on soil contamination.
Answer: The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (SUiAR) supported by the Sewage Sludge Code of Practice provide environmental and health protections from sludge spreading. The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the reg...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRivers: SewageDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61447More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of excess sewage sludge on river pollution.
Answer: Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (SUiAR) supported by the Sewage Sludge Code of Practice provide environmental and health protections from sludge spreading. The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulat...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61446More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish updates to the Farming Rules for Water.
Answer: The updated and amended Farming Rules for Water were published on 18 June and we are continuing to support the EA to work with farmers to meet their legal obligations.
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61433More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy for all new homes to be built without a gas connection.
Answer: The government recognises that we need to move away from fossil fuel heating to meet our commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Future Homes Standard (FHS), to be introduced through the Building Regulations in autumn this year, will ...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHoliday Activities and Food ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60692More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49999 on Holiday Activities and Food Programme, following the Spending Review 2025, whether the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will continue beyond March
Answer: The government remains committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme to ensure children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals. More than £200 million has been allocated to the programme for...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNature ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60691More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the removal of barriers to keystone species reintroduction projects (a) in England and (b) over devolved boundaries.
Answer: The Government supports species reintroductions including keystone species, where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conversations T...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRiversDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60690More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support the reintroduction of (a) species, (b) elk, (c) water voles, (d) eels and (e) pine martens in river catchments.
Answer: The Government supports species reintroductions, where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. Taking each species in turn: A) We are not aware of any active proposals for the reintroduction of elk. B) The conservation and recover...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage landowners in river catchments to transition toward nature-led farming.
Answer: We are investing £2.7 billion a year into sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, with funding for our Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150%. This funding is available to all farmers, includes this in river catchments. We hav...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60688More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to increase the amount of funding available to support (a) rewilding and (b) natural process-led grazing at landscape scale along (i) river and (ii) the river Wye
Answer: This Government is making the largest investment into nature in history, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million)....
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRivers: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support restoring (a) natural processes to river corridors within river catchments and (b) (i) native vegetation, (ii) floodplain connectivity an
Answer: The England Woodland Creation Offer provides 100% of standard woodland creation capital costs and further incentivises the restoration of native riparian vegetation for water benefits through stackable supplementary payments for woodlands that improve wat...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: InfrastructureTreasuryTabled 12 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59667More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to reclassify housing as essential infrastructure.
Answer: On 19 June, the government published UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy. This sets out a long-term vision to deliver the infrastructure needed to drive the government’s missions, backed by at least £725 billion in infrastructure investment over the nex...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: EnergyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to what energy standards homes under the Affordable Homes Programme will be built.
Answer: The government will publish the Future Homes Standard (FHS) this autumn to ensure new homes are zero carbon ready, meaning they will require no future retrofit work as the electricity grid fully decarbonises.The FHS will apply to all new homes and will en...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if she will publish a target for social rent housing for (a) each year and (b) the 10 year period of fundin
Answer: The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm ...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, how much and what proportion of the funding for the Affordable Homes Programme will be used for social rent
Answer: The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm ...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58820More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of insurance requirements for companies operating intensive poultry units, in the context of (a) avian influenza and (b) other disease outbr
Answer: The UK poultry sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years. Compensation is paid by Defra for animals culled the by HM Government for disease...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHealthy Start Scheme: North HerefordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible families were in receipt of Healthy Start in North Herefordshire constituency on 9 June 2025.
Answer: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at ...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Meals: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to monitor compliance with the updated school food standards; and what support she plans to provide to schools that are not currently meeting those standards.
Answer: The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the school food standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.School governors and trustees have a statutory duty to ensure compliance with th...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFuneral PaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants who were (a) responsible for funeral costs and (b) in receipt of a qualifying benefit were denied a Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment because of the family tests in the eligibilit
Answer: Table 1 shows the number of applicants who were refused a Funeral Expenses Payment for the below reasons:There is a surviving partnerThere is a closer relativeThey are not a partner, friend or relative Table 1: Funeral Expense Payments- Refusals linked to...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning and Infrastructure BillMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Environmental Statements under section 20(2)(a) and (3) of the Environment Act 2021, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that the Planning and I
Answer: Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill concerning development and nature recovery will not reduce overall levels of environmental protection. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied th...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pickering Fishery AssociationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to implement the judgement in Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Pickering Fishery Association [2025] EWCA Civ 378.
Answer: I refer the Member for North Herefordshire to the Minister’s written statement of 6 May 2025.
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordLand: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56559More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system for regulating the land market along the lines of the French Société d’Aménagement Foncier et d’Etabli
Answer: Defra has made no such assessment. The Land Use Consultation explored the functions of land markets in England and the case for new incentives, including regulation to support the Government’s growth, environmental, and food production objectives. The res...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56463More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 12807 on Public Appointments, what recent progress he has made on publishing an updated list of significant public appointments.
Answer: An update will be provided in due course.
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRights of Way: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54149More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase the level of funding for local authorities to ensure the maintenance of public rights of way.
Answer: The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review. Local autho...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordForests: CommoditiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that forest risk commodities implementing legislation supports the UK's commitments under the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade
Answer: The Government recognises the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course. The Government is taking action to support our FACT ...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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