Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of funding reductions to the BBC World Service on the UK's ability to counter foreign threats.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Through high quality and investigative journalism, the BBC exposes and debunks the misinformation, disinformation and harmful narratives that malign actors, hostile states and others produce internationally. The World Service remains the world's most trusted international news service. That is why this Government has given the World Service a funding uplift in 2025/26.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating BBC World Service funding on a three year basis.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Grant-in-Aid funding for the BBC World Service will be decided through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office allocations process in the autumn.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the BBC World Service on the UK's soft power.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government highly values the BBC World Service, which makes a significant contribution to UK soft power. According to a 2025 survey conducted for the BBC by the independent polling company, Tapestry, the BBC is a leader in driving favourable impressions of the UK and is the country's most recognised cultural export internationally.

The World Service is currently funded by the BBC Licence Fee and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Grant-in-Aid. Any changes to funding models will be explored through the Charter Review process, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Charter Review is the right moment to look at potential future World Service funding mechanisms for the longer-term.

Despite a tough fiscal situation, we have continued to back the World Service, providing a large uplift of £32.6 million this year alone, taking our total funding to £137 million.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to develop a sustainable funding solution for the BBC World Service.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government highly values the BBC World Service, which makes a significant contribution to UK soft power. According to a 2025 survey conducted for the BBC by the independent polling company, Tapestry, the BBC is a leader in driving favourable impressions of the UK and is the country's most recognised cultural export internationally.

The World Service is currently funded by the BBC Licence Fee and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Grant-in-Aid. Any changes to funding models will be explored through the Charter Review process, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Charter Review is the right moment to look at potential future World Service funding mechanisms for the longer-term.

Despite a tough fiscal situation, we have continued to back the World Service, providing a large uplift of £32.6 million this year alone, taking our total funding to £137 million.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the effectiveness of agricultural funding schemes and (b) how they can support food production.

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

Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers which includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers.

We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced later this year.

The Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, provides grants to support industry-led R&D to develop technologies and innovative practices to drive innovation in agriculture and increase productivity, sustainability and resilience in our farming sectors.

We have also protected farmers in trade deals and provided a five-year extension to the Seasonal Worker route, giving farms certainty to grow their businesses.

We are using our own purchasing power to back British produce, with an ambition, where possible, for half of food supplied into the public sector to be produced locally or certified to high environmental standards.

We are reforming the planning system to support clean energy projects that align with our Clean Power 2030 ambitions, helping farm businesses to become more profitable and resilient.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to support tenant stock-rearing farmers with the costs of (a) rising feed, (b) energy and (c) national insurance costs.

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

The Government’s New Deal for Farmers includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers.  We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.

With regard to these specific issues:

1. The UK agricultural sector is highly resilient and adaptable and operates in an open market with the value of commodities established by those in the supply chain. We have seen evidence of this particularly in recent years following global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It is recognised that there are a wide range of factors which can affect livestock production. These include the impacts of price, input costs, currency fluctuations, and market demand. Defra’s “Agriculture in the UK 2024” report published earlier this year found that feed prices overall have fallen. The government will continue to monitor the issue.
2. The Government recognises that some businesses, in particular small businesses, may still be struggling to pay their bills. These businesses should contact their supplier to discuss their options. Non-domestic consumers with contracts agreed at higher prices may benefit from approaches such as ‘blend and extend’ contracts, where the original, higher, unit rate is ‘blended’ with a new lower rate, spreading the cost over the course of a longer contract. In the long-term, the Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy with less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.
3. The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. That means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change this year.

<p>As you know, Cabinet Secretary, along with Dr Julian Smith, I held a road safety conference at the Senedd before the summer break. Tragically, Dr Smith's daughter was killed in a road traffic collision, and he's since created a charity to campaign for better road safety right across Wales and further afield. During that conference, we had very strong evidence as to the benefit of the default 20 mph speed limit, as you've already referred to this afternoon, in terms of the prevention of deaths, accidents and collisions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I've also, when I've visited local primary schools, heard many families and children tell me that they now feel safer walking to school because of the default 20 mph policy, and, indeed, community life, I think, in general, is encouraged through those quieter and friendlier neighbourhoods. So, would you, in the light of the clear evidence of the benefits of the policy, Cabinet Secretary, reaffirm Welsh Government's commitment to this flagship policy and agree with me that the Welsh Tories' opposition to this policy is completely irresponsible, flying in the face of the clear evidence of lives saved, injuries prevented and collisions avoided?</p>