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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that members of the Food Strategy Advisory Board do not have conflicts of interest.

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

FSAB members are appointed in a personal capacity to advise and inform the strategic direction of the Government’s Food Strategy based on their professional experience in the food and drink system. They are not appointed to represent a body, group or part of the sector. FSAB membership is unpaid and not political appointments.

To guide against misuse of privileged information and conflicts of interest, FSAB members are obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements and adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life. Additionally, per the Terms of Reference they are expected to:

• Observe the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in relation to the advice and recommendations they provide.

• Act in accordance with Government policy on openness and comply fully with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and any relevant legislation on disclosure of information.

• Not to misuse information gained in the course of their public service for personal gain or for political purpose, nor seek to use the opportunity of public service to promote their and/or their private interests or those of connected persons, firms, businesses or other organisations.

• Not hold any paid or high-profile posts in a political party and not engage in specific political activities on matters directly affecting the work of the FSAB.

• Refer any media enquiries about the FSAB and its work to the Defra Press Office.

At the first meeting a member joins they are invited to give a verbal register of their conflicts of interest, which are recorded in the FSAB minutes.

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 with British Wool to help increase the supply of British-trained sheep shearers.

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

British Wool is the main provider and promoter of training for sheep shearers in the UK. In each of the last five years (2021-2025) they have invested an average of £134,000 net costs in providing shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers. This includes the training of around 100- 200 young farmers a year who also receive a 50% discount on fees.

Defra works closely with British Wool and the wider sheep industry to encourage the continued delivery and where possible, expansion of the sheep shearing training programme. However, Defra recognise the challenges the industry faces in maintaining the number of required shearers who need to possess a high level of skill but can only utilise these skills for a very short period of the year.

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 potential impact of ending temporary concessionary visas for sheep shearers on sheep welfare.

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

Defra recognises the importance that shearing sheep plays in managing the health and welfare of around 30m sheep in the UK flock, and the continued challenges that the industry faces each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained shearers.

The department is also aware of the role that shearers and sheep farmers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided in sharing skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers as well as in supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.

Defra continues to work closely with the industry in addressing these challenges and recognises the good and extensive work undertaken by British Wool each year to provide training for domestic sheep shearers.

Visa concessions are a matter for the Home Office.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of compensation for HMRC staff due to the late award of the Flexibility Payment.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has considered the appropriateness and potential merits of compensation and reflected on the factors set out below:

• The new Flexibility rates required complex payroll system design, build and testing to ensure the 3,000 eligible staff would be paid correctly for their various working patterns.

• Throughout the relevant period between June 2025 – November 2025, HMRC frequently updated staff and Departmental Trade Union representatives on progress and timings.

• For clarity, the late award of the Flexibility Payment, refers to the new June 2025 rates. As standard practice, staff had continued to receive the pre-2025 Flexibility Payment rates to ensure they received their regular income.

• Staff received the new June 2025 Flexibility Payment rates in December 2025, which included backdated arrears. The arrears reflected the difference between the new June 2025 rate, and the pre-June 2025 rate that individuals had continued to receive between June 2025 – November 2025.

HMRC is acutely aware of its additional role as the UK Tax Authority to ensure that public funds are managed with propriety, regularity, and value for money.

On conclusion of the assessment, HMRC does not believe that the delayed payment of the 2025 Flexibility Payment rates, while staff continued to be paid the former rates are sufficiently exceptional, sustained, or significant to require compensation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ending temporary concessionary visas for sheep shearers on the total labour supply of sheep shearers for the farming sector.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Immigration Rules concessionary arrangements are temporary and subject to regular Ministerial review. The sheep shearing concession had been operating for 14 years and closed after the 2025 shearing season as it reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to fill this workforce gap. To provide plenty of time to plan and transition to new arrangements DEFRA and the sector was informed last year that the concession would not be renewed again.

In addition, those in the UK on visas which allow general work rights, such as dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, are free to take up work as a sheep shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.

High street gambling reform

Found: Members present: Andy Slaughter (Chair); Linsey Farnsworth; Warinder Juss; Tessa Munt; Vikki Slade; Tony Vaughan

The Justice Committee has issued a call for evidence to inform its scrutiny of the Courts and Tribunals Bill.