Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of this summer’s drought on UK food security.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Dry conditions have impacted farmers and yields, but these are not currently assessed to pose a risk to UK food security. UK food security remains resilient, with domestic production shocks historically absorbed through changing import and export patterns rather than supply shortages. We continue to monitor impacts and discuss potential mitigations for the effects of drought and prolonged dry weather on the food sector both with industry and across Government.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with regional mayors in England about economic growth opportunities in the agri-food chain.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the vital contribution the agri-food sector makes to local and regional economies across England. Defra officials engage regularly with Mayoral Strategic Authorities on a range of issues, and we are developing a broader programme of ministerial engagement with mayors. We will continue to work with regional partners to unlock growth, investment and good jobs across the agri-food chain, supporting the Prime Minister’s ambition for growth in every postcode.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to provide long-term funding certainty until 2035 for Sustainable Farming Incentive applicants.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this Parliament. This includes increasing spend on nature-friendly farming, including Environmental Land Management schemes, towards £2 billion by 2028/29. There will be future Sustainable Farming Incentive offers and, in keeping with the Farming Roadmap 2050, we plan to make an SFI27 offer available.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2026 to Question 15306, whether she has submitted a change of use planning application under The Town and Country Planning (Crown Development Applications) (Procedure and Written Representations) Order 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is in the early stages of assessing the feasibility of using the MOD Linton-on-Ouse site and no decision has been made on whether it will be used to accommodate asylum seekers. No planning application has been submitted. The submission of any planning application would form part of the process of assessing whether the site is suitable for use. A final decision on whether to proceed would be taken only once all relevant assessments had been completed and any necessary approvals, including planning permissions and other consents, had been secured.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to decide on the English Whisky Geographical Indication application.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers are considering all the evidence gathered during the statutory assessment process before making a decision. We aim to announce our decision on the application shortly.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to introduce a public consultation before a decision is made to use former RAF Linton-on-Ouse for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
No final decision has been made on whether to use Linton-on-Ouse as asylum accommodation. If the site is taken forward, the Home Office would engage regularly with local representatives and partners from the local authority, NHS, police forces and others to address the concerns of those most impacted by the site and to identify ways to keep them informed.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, can she confirm that she will submit a formal planning application to North Yorkshire Council should the she decide to use former RAF Linton-on-Ouse for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
No final decision has been made on whether to use Linton-on-Ouse as asylum accommodation. All the necessary assessments, planning permissions and approvals would be completed and properly considered before a decision is made.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total spend to date on the Tempest project, including pre-concept and early concept phases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since its inception, the UK Government has invested over £2 billion on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Tempest project. In addition to this, the project has attracted over £700 million of private investment since the programme began.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total spend to date on the Type 83 Destroyer project, including pre-concept and early concept phases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We inherited an underdeveloped concept for Type 83 when we took office. The Type 83 Destroyer forms part of a wider Future Air Dominance System (FADS) capability concept, making specific costs for the Type 83 element hard to differentiate from the wider whole. Over the last three financial years, c.£1 million has been spent on platform-specific design for the Type 83. This forms part of c.£6.9 million which is the broader notional spend for Type 83 work as a part of FADS.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Charity Commission regarding antisemitism in the arts sector.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our arts charities.
The Secretary of State recently met with the Charity Commission for England and Wales to discuss how to make sure it has the powers it needs to take swift and appropriate action against charities and their trustees where they are promoting hatred or antisemitism.
As part of the Government’s action plan for social cohesion we have announced stronger powers for the Charity Commission. These include banning individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, and making it easier for the Charity Commission to take action against people promoting violence or hatred.
A number of charities operating within the arts sector are funded by Arts Council England (ACE). As part of plans to tackle antisemitism, the Government is working with ACE on an independent audit into how allegations of antisemitism are handled and where the system needs to be strengthened.