Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the A1 between Newark and Grantham is due to be resurfaced.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Whilst there are no currently planned schemes to resurface the A1 between Newark and Grantham, it is inspected on a weekly basis and appropriate action is taken to address any safety critical defects within 24 hours.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what rules apply to compensation payments made to farmers affected by flooding from the (a) Farming Recovery Fund and (b) other schemes; and what mechanisms are in place to allow for a review when such payments have been refused.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The following rules apply to farmers eligible for support from the Farming Recovery Fund. Farmers will receive payments for all land parcels which are flooded contiguous to a river with notably high river level gauge readings following Storm Henk during 2 to 12 January 2024. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will determine those farm businesses who are eligible and the amount of funding they could claim. If there are questions, then the farmer should write to the RPA.

More details on the rules and eligibility guidance on implementation of the support available for other schemes activated under the Flood Recovery Framework was sent to Local Authorities, who manage the support provided by the Framework where it has been activated. Further review of the scheme is underway. Support available for farm businesses and residencies includes:

• Where a farm operates a SME ancillary business which is severely impacted by flooding, they were eligible to receive up to £2,500 under the Business Recovery Grant in respect of the ancillary business. This scheme closed to new applications on 12 April.
• They can receive up to £5,000 to eligible flood hit property owners to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future floods under the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant; and
• They may also be eligible for Business Rate Relief.

These schemes are run by the relevant Local Authorities and any decisions on appeals should be directed to them to review.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he last met representatives of the (a) National Farmers Union and (b) National Pig Association UK; and what the results of those discussions were.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State regularly meets with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). In the last month he has met with the NFU President, Tom Bradshaw, during a visit to Dartmoor to discuss the Government’s response to the Fursdon Review. He also met with the NFU’s Deputy President, David Exwood, during a Farm Tenancy Forum in March to discuss the implementation of Kate Rock’s tenant farming review.

As the Minister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries, I also have frequent engagement with the pig sector and officials meet with representatives of the National Pig Association on a regular basis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress she has made on increasing the number of medical student places; and whether she expects to meet the commitment to double the number of medical school places by 2031.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are on track to meeting the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan’s aim to double the number of medical school places in England, from 7,500 to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32. We have accelerated this expansion by allocating 205 additional medical school places for the 2024/25 academic year, and have provisionally allocated a further 350 additional places for the 2025/26 academic year. Final allocations will be published shortly. This will build on the expansion of medical school places in England to 7,500 per year, a 25% increase, that the Government completed in 2020, and which delivered five new medical schools.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times NHS trusts have been victims of ransomware attacks in the last 12 months; and whether (a) data has been (i) lost and (ii) made public and (b) a ransom has been paid in each case.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A small number of cyber-attacks against National Health Service hospitals have been made public, but the specific details on the number, nature, and subsectors of NHS organisations that have been victims of a ransomware attack in the last twelve months cannot be released, as it may prejudice the prevention or detection of cyber-attacks against the NHS.

Our around-the-clock cyber monitoring across over 1.5 million NHS computers allows us to identify that ransomware is the most significant cyber security threat currently facing the health and social care sector. Automated cyber defences and monitoring by NHS England’s Cyber Operations teams continuously deter, prevent, and disrupt attempts to break into the NHS’ IT systems. The NHS implements the Government’s policy of not condoning ransom payment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department issues on how (a) schools, (b) NHS trusts and (c) other public bodies should respond to ransomware attacks.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The world leading National Cyber Security Centre provides comprehensive guidance to all UK public bodies on how to respond to ransomware attacks, which can be found. The guidance is clear that central Government funds will not be used by Government departments or Arms Length Bodies (ALBs) to pay ransomware demands and this stance was publicly reiterated in November 2023 when the UK, along with other members of the Counter Ransomware Initiative, signed a joint statement discouraging anyone from paying a ransomware demand.

NHS England and the Department for Education provide bespoke guidance for their respective sectors which is consistent with the wider government’s approach. The Department is committed to harnessing expertise on this subject, including recently hosting a roundtable discussion on academic security with the support of the NCSC, to ensure that guidance continues to be appropriate for the developing threat.

Found: Sir Charles Walker (in the Chair) Sir Michael Fabricant Marion Fellows Colleen Fletcher Sir Greg

Found: Members present: Sir Charles Walker (in the Chair) Sir Michael Fabricant Marion Fellows Sir Greg

Found: Sir Charles Walker (in the Chair) John Cryer Sir Michael Fabricant Marion Fellows Sir Greg

Found: : Sir Charles Walker (in the Chair) John Cryer Michael Fabricant Colleen Fletcher Sir Greg

Found: received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation Name of donor: Greg