The Local Planning Authority is the responsible body for maintaining oversight for the impact of housing on the natural environment. We will work in partnership with the Local Planning Authority to monitor and review the effectiveness of the mitigation for development around North Meadow Special Area of Conservation and, through discussion, we will make any amendments to the plan. We see the local community as key to the effectiveness of the North Meadow Special Area of Conservation Interim Mitigation Strategy and wish to develop our relationship further with interested parties.

An important part of the context is that not enough approved development has been built-out yet, so the adequacy of on- and off-site mitigation measures are yet to be tested. Monitoring cannot yet tell us whether these measures are sufficient or not as visitor numbers have not yet increased due to new growth and development.

As such, we do not feel that the interim strategy needs reviewing at this stage. We will continue to work with the Local Planning Authority, review monitoring data when it is available and review the success of the Strategy in 2028 before coming to conclusions about its effectiveness.

No recent discussions have taken place with Thames Valley Police on the prevention of the illegal use and sale of fireworks. Enforcement mechanisms are in place to tackle situations when fireworks are sold illegally, or misused. Local areas decide how best to deploy these powers. New Respect Orders will empower police and councils to impose stringent behavioural restrictions on individuals who repeatedly engage in antisocial behaviour. The 2026–27 final police funding settlement provides up to £21.0 billion for policing in England and Wales - an increase of up to £1.4 billion compared with the 2025–26 settlement.

I am aware of my hon. Friend’s robust views on this matter. There are a range of views about the right geographies for spatial development strategies. The Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Barking (Nesil Caliskan), and I are looking at all the consultation responses we have received, and we will make decisions on the full basis of having those fed in.

My hon. Friend will know how enthusiastic I am for a Thames Valley foundation strategic authority covering Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Swindon, but he will also know of my concerns about a spatial development strategy being imposed on us using a different, larger geography. Does he share my concern that that would undermine devolution before it even started?

What steps she is taking to help clean waterways in the Thames Valley.

I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this important issue to the House, and I join him in paying tribute to the Environment Agency, all the emergency responders and everybody who has been working so hard. Public health advice has been issued, including precautionary guidance to avoid contact with potentially contaminated material. The incident is under investigation to assess regulatory compliance and to determine whether enforcement action is required, and I am happy to meet him to see whether it has been dealt with to his satisfaction and whether there is any more help I can give him.

Last week there was a major fire in Bracknell, and I pay tribute to the emergency services, Bracknell Forest council, local businesses and the community, which all came together to respond. Alongside the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mr Reynolds), I have since contacted the Environment Agency to raise residents’ concerns about the environmental impact of the fire, including on Bracknell’s waterways, and I thank the EA for its ongoing work to mitigate the impact. What policies are in place to support nature and waterway recovery following such incidents?

The hon. Gentleman raises an important point; I would be happy to look at it with the Environment Agency.

One of the sources of contamination that the Minister did not mention is human waste being discharged over the side from slum boats on EA land. The EA claims that its statutory obligation is only to register boats on its land when an application is received, and that it is discretionary. It basically does not police slum boats on its land. Will the Minister have a look at this issue and discuss it with the Environment Agency, so that slum boats on EA land can either be registered properly and policed, or moved on?

We are taking decisive action to clean up waterways in the Thames valley, tackling pollution from water companies, agriculture and urban run-off. The Environment Agency carried out more than 800 inspections of Thames Water assets this year, holding water companies to account and improving water quality for local communities.

No discussions have been held with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (ICB) about its provision of National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilisation treatment.

Decisions about the provision of health services in England are made by ICBs and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. They are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

Updated NICE fertility guidelines are expected in spring. The Department will continue to support NHS England as they work closely with ICBs to ensure the guidance is fully considered in local commissioning decisions.

Thames Water has selected the reservoir as part of its statutory Water Resources Management Plan. Water Resources South East has also conducted an options appraisal process, identifying the reservoir's necessity in its Regional Plan. The plans continue to be scrutinised by the water regulators.

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.

White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.

Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.

White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.

Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.

White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.

Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.

The need for SESRO has been determined through statutory Water Resources Management Plans which are developed by water companies to show how they will manage supply and demand for the next 25 years. Water company plans adopted the outputs of the Regional Plan developed by Water Resources South East Water which appraised over 2400 options to meet water demand in the region. This included reservoirs, transfers, recycling schemes, new and redeveloped sources. All available options were compared through best value modelling, and SESRO was selected as a preferred option for the southeast and included in Thames Water’s Water Resources Management Plan.

Assessments to understand the potential impacts of SESRO have been developed by Thames Water, working with environmental regulators, as part of the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated planning process ahead of formal planning stages. For SESRO to proceed it will need to obtain a Development Consent Order as well as environmental permits. Through the Development Consent Order process, a full environmental impact assessment will be required to understand all environmental impacts from the scheme and to identify mitigation needed to protect the environment through both construction and operational phases. The Environment Agency (EA), along with other environmental regulators, is a statutory consultee for the process. Environmental assessments will also be required for any permits needed for the scheme, for which the EA is a regulator.

Water Resource Management Plans, which are approved by regulators, ensure that the strategic options pursued by water companies provide the best value for customers. Expenditure on infrastructure and customer bills are also controlled by Ofwat to minimise costs to billpayers. Defra are working to minimise bill impacts of any strategic resource option through the Water Delivery Taskforce, which brings together regulators and water companies to find cost-effective solutions.

The Department recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers, and their families. The Government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

We have already invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the National Health Service with new cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients, and this includes a new machine to be situated in the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Additionally, the Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, such as brain cancers, to take place across England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers.  This will ensure that the NHS will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options and ultimately boost survival rates.

Early next year, the Government will publish a National Cancer Plan which will set out targeted actions to reduce lives lost to cancers and improve the experience of patients, including those with brain cancer.