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61690

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Hill Farming
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 recent representations he has received on support for moorland farmers; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
uin	200421
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>We consulted on proposals for changes to the regional direct payment rates in October 2013, and announced our decision in December to align the payment rates in relation to the lowland and severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs). We also said that we would undertake further analysis and consultation on the appropriate payment rate for the moorland region. We received several contributions to the analysis from stakeholders, and consulted further through the Direct Payments Consultative Group and other forums. Our decision in April confirmed that the payment rate in the moorland will be increased by approximately the same cash amount as the uplift previously announced for the rate in the rest of the SDA. The decision has been welcomed by a number of organisations representing hill and moorland farmers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 18/06/2014 11:22:34 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

61691

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Food: Production
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 ensure that the UK's sanitary and phytosanitary rules in food production are not affected by the agreement of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
tabling member constituency	Brecon and Radnorshire
tabling member printed	Roger Williams
uin	200372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could be worth £10 billion a year to the UK economy, with potential to deliver significant opportunities for the UK agriculture, food and drink sectors. Sanitary and phytosanitary issues are likely to be critical to a successful agreement. I am pursuing these in consultation with industry and other interested parties to ensure progress is made, based on sound science and consistent with our biosecurity and food safety standards.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 15:32:44 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1394 label Biography information for Roger Williams

61692

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Helium Balloons
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 recent steps he has taken to reduce risks to the environment posed by the release of helium balloons.
tabling member constituency	Mid Dorset and North Poole
tabling member printed	Annette Brooke
uin	200367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>We recognise there are concerns about the potential risks posed by helium balloons. In 2013, jointly with the Welsh Government, we commissioned an independent study to identify and assess the impacts and risks to livestock and the environment associated with sky lanterns and helium balloons.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Evidence from the report concluded that risk to the environment from helium balloons is small or highly localised.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The report is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&amp;Module=More&amp;Location=None&amp;Completed=2&amp;ProjectID=18402" target="_blank">http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&amp;Module=More&amp;Location=None&amp;Completed=2&amp;ProjectID=18402</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Any future action Government may take will need to be proportionate to the problem and backed by reliable evidence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 17/06/2014 09:29:17 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1431 label Biography information for Annette Brooke

61695

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Official Visits
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 visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
tabling member printed	Sheila Gilmore
uin	200484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>To identify every visit made by all of our Ministers over the period would incur a disproportionate cost as the information is not collated centrally.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>However, information on Ministers' meetings with external organisations and their overseas travel is published quarterly on the Gov.uk site. This reflects the Civil Service's commitment to transparency.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Please find links to the relevant reports from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2013:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1 January to 31 March 2013:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212312/defra-min-transparency-1213-q4.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212312/defra-min-transparency-1213-q4.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1 April to 30 June 2013:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246396/Ministerial_expenses_-_1_April_to_30_June_2013.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246396/Ministerial_expenses_-_1_April_to_30_June_2013.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1 July to 30 September 2013:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265462/Ministers_Quarterly_return_July_to_September_2013.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265462/Ministers_Quarterly_return_July_to_September_2013.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1 October to 31 December 2013:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320333/Ministerial_Quarterly_Transparency_information_-_October_to_December_2013.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320333/Ministerial_Quarterly_Transparency_information_-_October_to_December_2013.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Transparency data for 1 January to 31 March 2014 is expected to be available on the webpage later this month. The data for 1 April to 30 June 2014 is due to be published in September.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 18/06/2014 12:17:44 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	3965 label Biography information for Sheila Gilmore

61696

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Forests
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 394W, on forests, for what reasons the Government did not announce in the Queen's Speech legislative proposals to protect the public forest estate.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	200611
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>There were many proposals competing for the limited space within the Fourth Session programme and the proposed forestry measures could not be accommodated.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government stands by its commitment to establish a new public body to hold the Public Forest Estate in trust for the nation, as set out in its Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January 2013, as soon as Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 17/06/2014 09:33:44 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

61320

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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: East Midlands
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 effect on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Yorkshire
tabling member printed	Sir Greg Knight
uin	200250
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>The Coal Authority is responsible for dealing with reported cases of escaped gases from disused mine workings, including monitoring concentrations where necessary. Consequently, Defra has made no assessment of the impact on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings.</p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 18/06/2014 10:02:49 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1200 label Biography information for Sir Greg Knight

61450

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Floods: South East
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 estimate he has made of how many properties at risk of flooding in (a) Windsor constituency and (b) the Thames Valley that will not be covered by the new Flood Re scheme.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	200307
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The assessment of the impact the scope of the Flood Re Scheme will have was done at a UK level. There was no specific assessment for individual constituencies or regions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 17/06/2014 11:03:41 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

61462

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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 Charges: South West
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 agreement has been reached to extend to 2020 the reduction to household water bills for South West Water customers.
tabling member constituency	Penistone and Stocksbridge
tabling member printed	Angela Smith
uin	200276
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Government announced the decision to fund South West Water to enable it to cut bills by £50 per year for all household customers in the Budget 2011. Households in the South West have received the reduction since April 2013. The understanding has always been that this reduction would continue for the duration of both the current spending review and the next.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 16/06/2014 15:04:18 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1564 label Biography information for Angela Smith

60921

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Disciplinary Proceedings
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 proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	199905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The data in the table relates to staff in core Defra only.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial year</p></td><td><p>Percentage of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who have not declared their ethnicity</p></td><td><p>Percentage of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who have declared themselves to be white British</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>100%</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td><td><p>No dismissals</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Employees declare their ethnicity and national identity on a voluntary basis.</p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 17/06/2014 14:41:58 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

60922

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Equal Opportunities
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 consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	199948
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Core Defra follows Cabinet Office advice in meeting its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which is part of the Equality Act 2010, when considering bids for commercial contracts or grants.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of our evaluation criteria we ask each bidder to provide evidence of their equality and diversity policy or an equivalent document which demonstrates their organisation's commitment to equality and diversity and which is compliant with the relevant legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask each bidder to describe the steps they have taken to:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· monitor equality and diversity performance;</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· implement training programmes for raising awareness;</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· ensure staff and sub-contractors working on the contract comply appropriately with the relevant legislation;</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· address cases of discrimination and other breaches and set out measures for preventing recurrences; and</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· give the Department full confidence in their organisation's approach to equality and diversity.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A score is allocated to the bidder's response to these questions which forms part of the overall technical evaluation of the bid.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 16/06/2014 14:53:32 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson