Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Equidae recorded as transiting across Great Britain were declared as being exported from (a) Harwich, (b) Dover, (c) Killingholme, (d) Holyhead, (e) Birkenhead and (f) other ports in (i) 2023, (ii) 2024 and (iii) 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This data is available on Export Health Certificates (Live Animals and Animal Product Origins) Issued between Great Britain and European Union by APHA - data.gov.uk
This dataset contains information on the number of Export Health Certificates issued for exports from GB to the European Union in respect of Live Animals and Products of Animal Origin. It does not show the number of exports for each port but shows the number of Export Health Certificates issued per commodity group by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in a calendar month.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Equidae (a) were recorded as transiting across Great Britain and (b) had been declared on their paperwork as having been imported via (i) Harwich, (ii) Dover, (iii) Killingholme, (iv) Cairnryan, (v) Holyhead, (vi) Birkenhead (vii) other ports in (A) 2023, (B) 2024 and (C) 2025 to-date.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
From 2023 to date, a total of 8346 Equidae were recorded as transiting across Great Britain and had been declared on their paperwork as having been imported by a UK port.
The attached table shows the number of Equidae by year and port.
This information is drawn from external systems not directly controlled by the department.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Equidae were declared as transiting across Great Britain on an intra-EU certificate in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025; and how many of those were declared as originating from (i) Northern Ireland, (ii) the Republic of Ireland and (iii) other EU countries in each year.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The attached table shows the number of Equidae which were declared as originating from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries.
This information is drawn from external systems not directly controlled by the department.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra acknowledges the calls from industry, stakeholders and the general public to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) and its many potential benefits.
Currently, Defra officials are actively engaging with key stakeholders, including the BVA (British Veterinary Association), the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), BVNA (British Veterinary Nursing Association), and the Vet Schools Council to review opportunities for reform of the sector.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ensure all Integrated Care Boards have Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need. Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduced ring-fenced Water Restoration Fund on local water improvement projects.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund, which launched in April 2024, was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, with a total of £11 million due to be invested into local projects to improve our waterways. A detailed evaluation will be produced following completion of the Fund, assessing the impact of the projects.
The Water Restoration Fund will continue as originally planned, with the £11 million of funding based on water company fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023. Going forwards, this Government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters. Further details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out later in the year.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Water Restoration Fund will be continued after the first round of payments have been awarded.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund, which launched in April 2024, was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, with a total of £11 million due to be invested into local projects to improve our waterways. A detailed evaluation will be produced following completion of the Fund, assessing the impact of the projects.
The Water Restoration Fund will continue as originally planned, with the £11 million of funding based on water company fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023. Going forwards, this Government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters. Further details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out later in the year.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62667 on Animal and Plant Health Agency, whether those investments include (a) biosecurity and (b) the redevelopment of the Animal and Plant Health Agency headquarters.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are making a record investment into the nation’s biosecurity capabilities, and in turn our national security. In June the Government announced over £1 billion in funding for biosecurity over the current parliament from the Spending Review. This includes the necessary funding to make progress with building the National Biosecurity Centre at the Animal & Plant Health Agency’s Weybridge site.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools are adequately funded to meet the full cost of the 2025-26 teachers’ and support staff pay awards in Essex.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in financial year 2025/26 to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% schools teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government pay offer in respect of school support staff. This is on top of the funding increases which the government has already provided to support schools and means that the overall Core Schools Budget will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.
Through the Dedicated Schools Grant, Essex is receiving £1.25 billion for mainstream schools in 2025/26. This represents an increase of 2.3% per pupil compared to 2024/25. These figures do not include growth funding, falling rolls funding or the additional funding for schools announced alongside the teacher pay award this year. Allocations of that additional funding, at local authority level, will be announced in October 2025.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided an increase in funding to schools for the 2025-26 teachers’ pay award in Essex.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in financial year 2025/26 to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% schools teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government pay offer in respect of school support staff. This is on top of the funding increases which the government has already provided to support schools and means that the overall Core Schools Budget will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.
Through the Dedicated Schools Grant, Essex is receiving £1.25 billion for mainstream schools in 2025/26. This represents an increase of 2.3% per pupil compared to 2024/25. These figures do not include growth funding, falling rolls funding or the additional funding for schools announced alongside the teacher pay award this year. Allocations of that additional funding, at local authority level, will be announced in October 2025.