Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department provides to assist farmers in adopting sustainable farming practices.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This includes funding for Environmental Land Management Schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). There are now over 39,000 live SFI agreements.
The Government has reformed the SFI scheme to make it simpler, more accessible, and improve value for money, and to allow available funding to be spread across as many farmers as possible.
Window 1 of the scheme opened on 30 June, giving priority access to small farms and those without an existing Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on veterans’ mental health of requiring amputees to undergo multiple assessments to qualify for benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards, including the rate payable and the duration, are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Regular reviews are a key feature of the benefit and ensure that payments accurately match the current needs of claimants. Award durations can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point.
Since 6 April 2026 we have reduced the frequency of repeated reviews in PIP. For most claimants over 25, their first review will be a minimum of 3 years and, assuming they remain entitled, 5 years for their next review. The reduction in frequency ensures claimants receive the right level of award while removing pressure from claimants whose needs rarely change at each review. This will make the system more efficient and will enable us to increase the number of WCA reassessments and the proportion of PIP/WCA health assessments conducted face-to-face.
We know PIP can be improved, which is why we launched the Timms Review, which is being co-produced with disabled people and their organisations to ensure the benefit is fair and fit for the future. We ran a Call for Evidence that closed on the 28 May, and the responses are currently being analysed with a summary to be published shortly alongside an interim report. We have also outlined a varied approach to evidence gathering so people can share their views on how the benefit should be reformed.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the performance of rail services during heatwaves.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department expects train operators and Network Rail to work together to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather on services. In response to extreme heat, it may be necessary to implement contingency timetables, particularly where speed restrictions are in place.
It is important that Network Rail and train operating companies issue public messaging advising passengers of the disruption and providing advice on ticket restriction easements to allow passengers to plan their travel.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the resilience of Great Western Railway services to extreme heat.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department works closely with Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) to improve the resilience of rail services to extreme weather, including periods of high temperatures. Network Rail is responsible for rail infrastructure and has a programme of works to improve resilience to heat, including upgrading track materials, enhancing overhead line equipment, improving earthworks stability, and implementing real-time track and asset monitoring to identify risks such as rail buckling. Great Western Railway works in collaboration with Network Rail to adapt timetables and operational practices during periods of extreme heat, including the introduction of temporary speed restrictions where necessary to ensure passenger safety. The operator also continues to invest in more modern rolling stock, which is designed to perform more reliably in a wider range of temperatures and to provide improved passenger comfort.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of match funding for investments into defence businesses.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not operate a single centralised match funding scheme but does provide support targeted at strategically important defence areas. The Defence Industrial Strategy sets out a clear internet to improve the attractiveness of defence as an investment sector, recognising that government funding alone is insufficient to sustain future capability, and outlines measures to improve access to address barriers to investment.
The newly launched Office of Small Business Growth will help SMEs to attract investment, helping them to grow in the defence sector. Additionally, the Defence Investors Advisory Group strengthens engagement with the investment community to improve understanding of defence as an investable sector.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the Government is taking to protect off-grid rural households in North East Hampshire that rely on heating oil from price increases following the conflict in Iran; and what assessment his Department has made of the financial hardship caused by those price rises.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is working closely with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is reviewing the heating oil market, including pricing. We will carefully consider the CMA’s report and recommendations to ensure a fair outcome for consumers, and we are clear that we will not tolerate unfair practices or exploitative behaviour in the market. The Government recognises the pressures that price volatility can place on rural and off‑grid households and continues to monitor prices closely. In addition, we are providing £53 million of targeted support for low‑income heating oil households.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the rate of fuel poverty in predominantly rural constituencies compared with urban and suburban constituencies, following recent heating oil price rises.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest fuel poverty statistics estimate that 13.8% of rural households in England were in fuel poverty in 2025, compared with 7.2% in semi-rural areas and 9.2% in urban areas. These estimates predate impacts of the conflict in the Middle East.
In March, the Chancellor announced £53 million for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices, alongside a commitment to new regulation of this sector. The Government will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies. Homeowners living in properties heated by oil and LPG are also eligible for £9,000 off the cost of a heat pump.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to increase the resources available to fire and rescue services and land managers to prevent and respond to wildfires during periods of drought and extreme heat.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority. Standalone FRSs will see an increase in Core Spending Power (CPS) of £87.51m in 2026/27 compared to 2025/26 from government. This funding will provide a minimum 3.8% increase in CSP for all standalone services in 2026/27, with some services seeing increases of over 7% in CSP.
The Government recognises the increasing risk posed by wildfires and the importance of a coordinated, cross-government approach to prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. It is why we have funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor since 2024 to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.
To strengthen government response, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have established joint arrangements to oversee work on wildfire risk anticipation and assessment, preparedness, prevention, response and recovery.
Each Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) and having regard to the views of other key local responders.
To bolster this resource, as part of the New Dimensions 2 programme, the government has recently announced the launch of the national wildfire response capability at the end of June. The pilot will place specialist firefighters in key areas across the country ready to respond to wildfires across England, enhancing local response arrangements. The teams are equipped with state-of-the-art kit and have undergone intense training - taking on latest tactics and response strategies drawn from international best practice.
The government also recognises that good communication can shape public behaviour to help decrease the chances of a wildfire occurrence. The government publishes social media messaging around periods of high wildfire risk and including wildfire as part of Cabinet Office’s newly developed Resilience Website. Officials are also exploring other ways to expand the use of MHCLG’s Fire Kills campaign to deliver targeted messages and resources to the public.
MHCLG is also aware that Defra encourages landowners and land managers to adopt good quality wildfire management plans, as well as using sustainable methods to manage habitat and restore their peatland. Defra with its executive agencies, Arms Length Bodies (ALBs), and through the Protected Landscapes, encourage landscape scale land management to help increase wildfire resilience.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the case for extending equivalent consumer protections to heating oil customers as those provided by Ofgem's energy price cap to gas and electricity customers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is aware of the issues facing some heating oil customers and is committed to ensuring they are effectively protected from future fossil fuel price spikes.
We welcome the CMA’s comprehensive examination of the heating oil industry, and we will work closely with the CMA to understand their findings and develop options to increase consumer protections in this sector.
This will include considering how regulation can give consumers more confidence.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to address the rural premium faced by workers in North East Hampshire; and what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which higher rural living costs are reflected in the setting of the National Living Wage.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is responsible for setting the statutory minimum National Living Wage (NLW) which applies to all employers across the UK. A key strength of the NLW is its administrative simplicity, with consistent rates applying across the country.
When setting rates, we carefully consider the independent and expert advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC). The government asks the LPC to use two-thirds of UK median earnings as a key reference point, alongside a range of other factors, including the cost of living.
Our published impact assessment estimates around 270,000 workers in the South East received a pay rise due to increases in the NLW on 1 April 2026. More granular estimates are not available, due to greater data reliability issues given survey response rates.