Oral Answers to Questions

Alistair Strathern Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

7. What steps he is taking to increase access to the sustainable farming incentive for small and medium-sized farms.

[The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Daniel Zeichner)]

Funding for the environmental land management schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150%, from £800 million in 2023-24 to £2 billion by 2028-29. Sadly, though, we inherited a set of schemes that did not necessarily distribute funds fairly. We are working with farmers to reshape the SFI, and further information about our reforms will be provided shortly.

[Alistair Strathern]

Like the National Farmers Union, I welcome the protections for the agriculture budget in the recent spending review, including crucial funding for sustainable farming. On visits to farmers in my constituency, the difference this is making is clear: it is investing in our countryside and supporting nature-based farming. However, far too many farmers on small and medium-sized farms tell me that the scheme is far too difficult for them to access at the moment. Those are exactly the farmers who are also likely to be locked out of private nature-based financing options, so how can we work with those farmers to reform the scheme and ensure that more of those small and medium-sized farms can benefit from this crucial funding?

[Daniel Zeichner]

My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I commend him on his interest and his insight. He is absolutely right, and we are learning from past SFI iterations and from what we are hearing from farmers to improve the SFI for all farmers and to ensure we can give better guidance and that everyone can have a share of the pie. We are also looking into a new local advice and collaboration offer, as well as considering how we can get the best environmental outcomes from the money we are spending.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Solicitor General]

As we heard from the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Yardley (Jess Phillips), in the House this week, the Home Office is making important progress in implementing those recommendations. Thousands of cases have been identified for formal review, and priority cases—those involving an allegation of rape—are being reviewed urgently. Increasing funding for the tackling exploitation programme will allow all police forces to access cutting-edge technology to combat these horrific crimes.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

Alongside the failure to go after some of the evil perpetrators of these crimes without fear or favour, another devastating failing of the grooming gangs scandal was the criminalisation of some of the young people involved by a system that all too often failed to see them as children and victims first. How is the Solicitor General working with colleagues right across Government to ensure that we can disregard those convictions as quickly as possible, and so that such key failings cannot happen again?

[The Solicitor General]

I am pleased to tell my hon. Friend that the CPS is working actively alongside the Government to ensure that the criminal convictions for victims of child sexual exploitation, with the offence in that case being prostitution, are being disregarded, which is extremely important.