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1702135

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to email correspondence of (a) 11 January, (b) 8 February, (c) 1 March and (d) 15 March 2024 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East with references (i) MC2024/00868 and (ii) DL17224.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	22630
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>A response to the hon. Member was sent out on 30 April 2024. I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 07/05/2024 09:44:13 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1702147

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the costs of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	22571
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In 22/23 the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million.</p><p> </p><p>As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer. The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.</p><p> </p><p>Defra's headline response to countering fraud is set out in the Governance Statement of the Annual Report and Accounts. The Annual Report and Accounts for Defra for the past three years may be accessed here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F61a604d4e90e070441bcf801%2Fdefra-year-end-accounts-2020-2021.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccorporatepqs%40defra.gov.uk%7C0b72e9bfb1ac409d674008dc643a0ba0%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638495447675813239%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=nRH7wZaPnUSZoCAOuuRfC4J9iBUIEJlhE39vCGv0noc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F635a7f1e8fa8f5653f83f4f0%2Fdefra-annual-report-2021-2022.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccorporatepqs%40defra.gov.uk%7C0b72e9bfb1ac409d674008dc643a0ba0%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638495447675824944%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=abUKBzLyva8eBsqNoa7LhJrVtZR1IxuzCJRLRd2MHt8%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F653a9479e6c9680014aa9be8%2Fannual-report-and-accounts-2022-23.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccorporatepqs%40defra.gov.uk%7C0b72e9bfb1ac409d674008dc643a0ba0%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638495447675831576%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=YkHVyZ%2FaD50a%2BqgeyTMM0KGwgwIxwqtHIu5pIKWG2Fo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 01/05/2024 09:34:23 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1702159

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Sewage: Water Sports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of sewage discharges into waterways on the health of those using the waterways for water sports between 2019 and 2024.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	22605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for detecting, investigating and managing outbreaks of infectious diseases including those linked to water sports. They have not made a specific assessment about the impact of sewage discharges into waterways on the health of those using waterways for water sports between 2019 and 2024.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government takes the health of users of our waterways very seriously and is clear that the current volume of sewage being discharged to our waters is unacceptable. Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm overflows by 2050. It also requires all storm overflows discharging to designated bathing waters to be improved by 2035.</p><p> </p><p>Where a waterway is a designated bathing site, information about the quality of the water is displayed by local authorities on signage and online on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website, to allow bathers to make informed decisions before entering the water.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 13:37:44 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1702160

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Sewage: Wildlife
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of sewage discharges into waterways on wildlife in those waterways between 2019 and 2024.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	22606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p><a href="https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/England/print#:~:text=Ecological%20status%20for%20surface%20waters&amp;text=Water%20bodies%20are%20classified%20as,bad%20ecological%20status%20or%20potential." target="_blank">The Environment Agency monitors the water environment all year round, collecting tens of thousands of samples from source to sea. </a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-2022-data-on-regulated-businesses-in-england" target="_blank">The Environment Agency produces a full set of water body classifications covering every water body in England every six years, with the last full assessment in 2019. To supplement this, last year the Environment Agency published a limited data set which assessed data from 2019 to 2022 to help inform delivery</a>. The next full assessment will be produced in 2025.</p><p> </p><p>Environment Agency data shows that the pollutants that harm wildlife discharged by sewage treatment works are greatly reduced. For example, there is now 85% less ammonia and 80% less phosphorus in the water environment than there was in 1990.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government is clear that the sector needs to go further and faster to tackle sewage discharges and the harm they cause. The government's Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050. It will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 02/05/2024 11:30:59 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1702202

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding is available to local authorities for clean air programmes.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	22635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>We have allocated over £883 million to help local authorities develop and implement local NO2 reduction plans and to support those impacted by these plans. In addition, the Local Air Quality Grant scheme has supported over 500 projects with a total of over £53 million since 2010. We are currently considering whether the Local Air Quality Grant scheme might be redesigned to better deliver positive outcomes for local air quality.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 25/04/2024 09:47:18 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1702203

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce air pollution.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	22636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>This Government has delivered significant reductions in emissions since 2010 – with emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) falling by 24%, and nitrogen oxides down by 48%. We met our targets to reduce emissions for all five key pollutants in the latest reporting year.</p><p> </p><p>Our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out how we will continue to drive down emissions from domestic burning, agriculture, transport, and industry – delivering cleaner air for all.</p><p> </p><p>PM2.5 is the most harmful pollutant to human health, which is why we have set two new targets to drive down PM2.5 concentrations under the Environment Act 2021:</p><ul><li>A maximum annual mean concentration of 10 µg m-3 by 2040</li><li>A population exposure reduction target of 35% by 2040 compared with 2018.</li></ul><p> </p><p>These targets mean that on average, people’s exposure to particulate matter will be cut by over a third by 2040, compared with 2018 levels.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 25/04/2024 09:44:34 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1701925

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Horses: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department (a) have had and (b) plan to have with their counterparts in Northern Ireland on equine (i) sales and (ii) transport between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
uin	22423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government engages regularly with Northern Ireland stakeholders and would welcome ongoing engagement with those transporting equines between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Indeed, the Northern Ireland Office’s Minister of State, Steve Baker MP, recently met with the Equine and Rare Breeds Society alongside the honourable member during a visit to Northern Ireland to discuss this issue.</p><p> </p><p>As said in PQ 16046, the Movement Assistance Scheme is available to reimburse costs (including veterinary checks) for horses moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and horses moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain have unfettered access.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 22425 question first answered 16/05/2024 16:01:20 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1701927

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Horses: Transport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have discussions with relevant stakeholders on equine transport between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	Carla Lockhart
uin	22425
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government engages regularly with Northern Ireland stakeholders and would welcome ongoing engagement with those transporting equines between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Indeed, the Northern Ireland Office’s Minister of State, Steve Baker MP, recently met with the Equine and Rare Breeds Society alongside the honourable member during a visit to Northern Ireland to discuss this issue.</p><p> </p><p>As said in PQ 16046, the Movement Assistance Scheme is available to reimburse costs (including veterinary checks) for horses moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and horses moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain have unfettered access.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 22423 question first answered 16/05/2024 16:01:20 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4857 label Biography information for Carla Lockhart

1701970

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Marine Animals: Fishing Catches
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many marine mammals were caught by vessels fishing in UK waters in 2023.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman of Ullock
uin	HL3885
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2024 answer text <p>Marine mammal bycatch is required to be reported under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. According to the Marine Management Organisation six marine mammals were reported by fishing vessels as bycatch injury or mortality in 2023.</p><p>There are various sources for marine mammal bycatch data in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Bycatch Monitoring Programme provides bycatch estimates for the UK; however, these have not yet been produced for 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme diagnosed 16 cases of bycaught marine mammals in 2023 (covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland and which all occurred in England).</p><p> </p><p>In Scotland, the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme reports on incidents of marine mammal bycatch in Scottish waters.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 13/05/2024 14:25:22 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

1701994

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Water Companies: Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government why OFWAT calculate gearing levels of water companies by using a debt-to-assets ratio as opposed to a debt-to-equity ratio.
tabling member printed	Lord Sikka
uin	HL3909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>It is standard practice for regulated sectors to calculate gearing by reference to Regulator Capital Value (RCV). This is because there exists an RCV which represents costs incurred to date which can be recovered from customers in the future. This approach to calculating Regulatory Gearing is used by Ofgem and the Civil Aviation Authority and is recognised by the Rating Agencies.</p><p> </p><p>As the RCV represents the net stock of investment that has been contributed by debt and investors over time, it grows with net levels of investment. This provides the capacity against which companies may raise debt and equity to finance investment programmes.</p><p> </p><p>There is no equivalent to an RCV for companies operating in a competitive market. Gearing measured by reference to RCV is a more useful metric than standard accounting measure of gearing in a utility sector because future revenue streams are more certain than they would be for companies operating in a competitive market.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 26/04/2024 10:59:33 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4885 label Biography information for Lord Sikka