Tim Farron MP: written questions 2026
155 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Cancer: RadiotherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12643More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether local strategic plans for cancer will be required to assess radiotherapy treatment access and capacity.
Answer: The treatment of cancer normally involves surgery, systemic anti-cancer therapy, and radiotherapy, given individually or in combination, as appropriate to the type and stage of cancer and choices made by patients, in consultation with their doctor. Under ...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: RadiotherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12642More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has issued guidance to Integrated Care Boards on the inclusion of radiotherapy services in local strategic plans for cancer that were outlined in Action 20 of The National Ca
Answer: The treatment of cancer normally involves surgery, systemic anti-cancer therapy, and radiotherapy, given individually or in combination, as appropriate to the type and stage of cancer and choices made by patients, in consultation with their doctor. Under ...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: RadiotherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12641More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of unmet need for radiotherapy among cancer patients in England.
Answer: The treatment of cancer normally involves surgery, systemic anti-cancer therapy, and radiotherapy, given individually or in combination, as appropriate to the type and stage of cancer and choices made by patients, in consultation with their doctor. Under ...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: RadiotherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12640More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy radiotherapy capacity to meet the Government’s target of returning cancer waiting times to the 62-day standard by March 2029.
Answer: In December 2024, NHS England wrote to all radiotherapy treatment providers inviting them to apply for funding to replace ageing radiotherapy machines. Funding was then allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England developed. These criteria focused ...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7115More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report by Science for Sustainable Agriculture entitled UK Food Security – Outlook to 2050, publish
Answer: In the recently published Land Use Framework, the Government made a clear, long-term commitment to maintain overall food production in England by increasing farm productivity and profitability. The Government will support this ambition through a range of ...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7114More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to take legislative steps to ensure food self-sufficiency does not fall below its current level.
Answer: In the recently published Land Use Framework, the Government made a clear, long-term commitment to maintain overall food production in England by increasing farm productivity and profitability. The Government will support this ambition through a range of ...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPlants: ProteinsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to increase domestic production of plant proteins for direct human consumption in the UK.
Answer: The Government is monitoring scientific developments in alternative proteins and supporting UK Research and Innovation-funded initiatives such as the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre. Sector Growth Plans (SGPs) will take a sector approach to...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 31 May 2026 on Preparing for a future Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement with the European Union: Business readiness informatio
Answer: The Government invited views from businesses and stakeholders on the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement through a Call for Information, to understand awareness of the agreement and how it may affect them. The Government is analysing response...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial assistance the Government plans to make available to businesses required to make operational or regulatory changes as a result of a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanita
Answer: The Government is working to support businesses to prepare for future changes to sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements with the European Union. Negotiations are ongoing. An agreement will make agrifood trade with our biggest market easier, cutting costs...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6350More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises that may need to make changes to production processes, certification, labelling, IT systems or
Answer: The precise impacts of the agreement will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. As technical negotiations progress, this Government expects to follow normal processes for any necessary legislative changes and assess impacts accordingly. This Governme...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many businesses in each sector are included within the Government's estimate that up to 500,000 businesses may be affected by a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Answer: The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement agreement affects in some way: most of the 209,000 farm holdingsmost of the 20,000 food and drink manufacturing businessesmany of the approximately 170,000 food and beverage services (not including accommodation)ap...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total cost to businesses of complying with any new certification, labelling, IT system, and regulatory requirements arising from a future U
Answer: The precise impacts of the agreement will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. As technical negotiations progress, this Government expects to follow normal processes for any necessary legislative changes and assess impacts accordingly. Defra officia...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Lune: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Environment Agency requiring National Highways to apply for permits to operate outfalls into the River Lune.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) is able to use its enforcement policy and sanctions on those that pollute the environment. As the EA needs to prioritise its resource on tackling sources with the greatest environmental risk it is taking a collaborative approac...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Lune: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency allows National Highways to discharge untreated toxic run-off into the River Lune.
Answer: The EA works closely with the National Highways Agency to minimise the environmental risk from surface water outfalls from public highways.
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Lune: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons the Environment Agency is not measuring pollution, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, from motorway outfalls into the River Lune at Tebay.
Answer: If the Environment Agency is notified of pollution in watercourses such as the river Lune, then this is dealt with as a pollution incident and investigated and /or attended on a risk basis. Regarding the Lune at Tebay, the Environment Agency is already ac...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124515More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the total calorific value of food available within the UK in the event of a disruption to supply chains.
Answer: The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources inc...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124514More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of days of food stocks nationally in the event of a significant disruption to supply.
Answer: The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources inc...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124513More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the resilience of food supply chains.
Answer: The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources inc...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDroughtsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124512More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of surplus water availability during periods of expected drought.
Answer: Water companies must plan for secure supplies during severe droughts, without the need for emergency restrictions. The 2024/2025 annual review of water company data showed that England has an overall surplus. However, this is less than expected in half of...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: StorageDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the level of national water storage capacity.
Answer: The Environment Agency’s National System Simulation Model, which includes 90% of England’s supply system, shows the current national total storage capacity of 2.03 billion cubic metres for public water use.Havant Thicket reservoir is currently under const...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood Supply: EmergenciesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124510More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to develop food storage and distribution capacity for use in national emergencies.
Answer: The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources inc...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood Supply: EmergenciesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124509More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the adequacy of the volume of food held in storage for use in a national emergency.
Answer: The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources inc...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWaste: Organised CrimeHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role the National Crime Agency currently plays in tackling organised waste crime.
Answer: National leadership for tackling waste crime sits with the Environment Agency. Its Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) brings together operational partners (including the NCA) to coordinate the response. The NCA can investigate waste crime where cases meet ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWaste: CrimeHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124507More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of designating waste crime as a national strategic policing priority.
Answer: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently published the Waste Crime Action Plan, which sets out how we will tackle waste crime through prevention, enforcement, and accelerating the clean-up effort. National leadership for tac...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWaste: CrimeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124506More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many illegal waste sites are known to the Environment Agency in each English district in the most recent year for which data is available; and what estimate she has made of the tot
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) has provided the attached dataset which shows the number of illegal wastes sites by Local Authority Area as of 7 October 2025, from the total of 517 sites active at that time. The EA does not hold a view on what would make a si...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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