Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they will make available to fire services in England to tackle fires at battery storage plants.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Fires at battery storage plants are rare and government expects any related fire services costs to be resourced from overall budgets.

Last year the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to hospitality businesses in rural areas by improving access for young people to travel to work in pubs and hotels.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in ensuring access to employment opportunities and keeping communities connected, including for hospitality businesses in rural areas. We know that bus services can often be the only means of accessing work and leisure opportunities in rural areas, where alternative modes of transport are limited.

We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to give local leaders the tools they need and empower them to choose the model that works best for their communities, including tackling the unique challenges faced by rural areas.

In addition, the Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators to improve bus services over the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish, to deliver better services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability. This could also include improving links between rural villages and nearby towns and enhance services that help young people travel to work in the hospitality sector.

The formula used to calculate LABG allocations for 2026/27 onwards includes consideration of the rurality of local areas for the first time, in addition to population size, levels of deprivation, and the extent of existing bus services.

The Government also intends to publish its integrated national transport strategy soon to set the long-term vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the Border Inspection Post at Stansted Airport and what assessment they have made of the long-term future of the current site.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Border Inspection Post at Stansted Airport is currently active. Defra is aware that Stansted has signalled an intention to relocate its Border Inspection Post to another site and that the timing of this remains uncertain. This is a commercial decision for the airport’s owners. No application to de-designate the existing site or designate a new site has been received. The Department stands ready to help progress such applications when received. A routine audit is due to be undertaken of the Live Animal facility in March. Further information may become available as part of the discussions of the day.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that imported food products meet the same animal welfare standards as those which are domestically produced.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring that imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for the high welfare standards we have in this country. As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, we will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards.

The Government recognises concerns about methods of production which are not permitted in the UK. While production methods vary in line with different climates, diseases and other contextual reasons, the Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, we will be prepared to use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors.

Found: Ewelme; Lord Krebs; Lord Layard; The Earl of Leicester; Lord Lennie; Lord Mancroft; Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

Found: relevant interests declared Lord Mancroft No relevant interests declared Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

Found: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: Is 10 years a conservative estimate?