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346984

	registered interest
	date	27/05/2015
	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: Waste
	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 she is taking to encourage reductions in food wastage.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	62
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2015 answer text <p>Through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Government is working with food manufacturers and retailers to meet targets to reduce food waste from households and the grocery supply chain under the Courtauld Commitment. There has been a 15% (1.3 million tonnes) reduction in household food waste since 2007 and signatories reported a reduction of 7.4% in food supply chain waste since 2010. The third phase of the Courtauld Commitment targets a further 1.1 million tonnes of food and packaging waste reduction by the end of this year.</p><p>The Love Food Hate Waste programme helps UK households to reduce food waste and save money through awareness raising and consumer advice. There is also an agreement with the hospitality sector with targets to prevent and manage food waste in restaurants, pubs and canteens.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 01/06/2015 12:40:49 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

346988

	registered interest
	date	27/05/2015
	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	Herons: Conservation
	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 she is taking to improve the habitat of bitterns.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	65
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2015 answer text <p>Like all wild birds, the bittern is protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under this Act it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird; take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; and take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Bittern habitat is also protected and improved through being designated and managed as Special Protection Areas under the EU Habitats Directive, and as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 1994 Natural England (then English Nature) initiated a Bittern Recovery Programme. By 2012 restoration of approximately 2500 hectares of bittern reed-bed habitat at 80 sites across the UK had been achieved. This resulted in an increase of bittern numbers, from a 1997 low of 11 males to a high of 140 males in 2014.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 02/06/2015 09:56:40 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

347326

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	Biodiversity
	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 assessment she has made of the UK's ability to meet the Aichi global biodiversity targets by 2020; what steps she is taking to ensure the UK meets those targets; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Bridgend
	tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
	uin	344
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2015 answer text <p>Biodiversity is a devolved issue; actions to deliver biodiversity outcomes are set out in individual country strategies - the England Biodiversity Strategy <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69446/pb13583-biodiversity-strategy-2020-111111.pdf" target="_blank">Biodiversity 2020</a>, and Scottish Biodiversity Strategy <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/06/5538" target="_blank">http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/06/5538</a>. Wales’ biodiversity strategy, The Nature Recovery Plan for Wales, to be published by the end of this year, will set out the action to reverse the decline of biodiversity in Wales. The Northern Ireland Biodiversity Strategy <a href="http://www.doeni.gov.uk/nibs_2002.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.doeni.gov.uk/nibs_2002.pdf</a> is under review and a new Biodiversity Strategy for Northern Ireland will be published by the summer.</p><p /> <p>The UK submitted its 5<sup>th</sup> National report to the CBD in May 2014 and it is available on the CBD website at <a href="https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/gb/gb-nr-05-en.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/gb/gb-nr-05-en.pdf</a>. Key actions taken by the UK include:</p><p /> <p>· Continued designation of protected areas, especially at sea, and the development of a UK Marine Strategy;</p><p /> <p>· Continued work to improve the management and condition of all designated sites, with 96% of SSSIs in England in favourable or recovering condition;</p><p /> <p>· Integrated, landscape-scale approaches to improving the natural environment, such as Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) and river-basin management plans.</p><p /> <p>· Agri-environment programmes to support environmental improvements on farmed land, for example with 67,000ha being brought under management for creation of priority habitat in England since 2011, and the development of country policies and strategies for issues which impact on biodiversity such as such as forestry, water, invasive species, pollinators, and fisheries.</p><p /> <p>· Research to develop knowledge and evidence-based guidance, such as ecosystem assessment and payment for ecosystem services.</p><p /> <p>The most recent update on progress is presented in the UK Biodiversity Indicators, published in December 2014: <a href="http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4229" target="_blank">http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4229</a>. The indicators show a mixed picture, with recent improvements in the area of land in agri-environment schemes, sustainable fisheries, air pollution, the extent of protected sites on land and at sea, the condition of areas/sites of special scientific interest, status of species of European importance and plant genetic resources.</p><p /> <p>However, pressures on biodiversity remain high and there is more to do, which will require the engagement of all sectors and civil society as a whole.</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 Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 04/06/2015 13:00:17 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

347338

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	Seals
	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 she has made of the number of seals killed off the coast of the UK in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Oldham East and Saddleworth
	tabling member printed	Debbie Abrahams
	uin	393
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2015 answer text <p>Seal conservation is a devolved issue so I can only respond with respect to England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>No licences to cull seals have been issued in England since 2010.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This means that no permission has been granted for any common or grey seals to be taken or killed out of season. All common seals and the majority of grey seals are protected all year-round through a conservation order in the East of England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The government has not, however, made an assessment of the number of seals which may have been killed off the English coast, notwithstanding the licensing and conservation order protections.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 02/06/2015 08:19:19 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4212 label Biography information for Debbie Abrahams

347339

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers have (a) obtained Fair to Nature accreditation and (b) are working towards Fair to Nature accreditation; if she will assess the effect of the scheme on UK biodiversity; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Bridgend
	tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
	uin	354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2015 answer text <p>Conservation Grade reports that approximately 86 farmers are currently accredited and approximately 20 are waiting to establish a commercial relationship. This information is not held by Defra.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Fair to Nature is part of Conservation Grade, an independent, non-profit accreditation organisation that establishes commercial relationships between farmers and customers. Membership of Conservation Grade requires standards to be maintained for biodiversity benefits. Fair to Nature have undertaken their own trials demonstrating benefits for a range of biodiversity species, notably bumblebees, small mammals and farmland birds. Although independent, the scheme requirements are similar in scope to our supported agri-environment schemes, that have been shown to deliver outcomes for biodiversity.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 04/06/2015 16:14:11 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

347346

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	Owls: Surveys
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will repeat the national barn owl surveys of 1982-85, 1995-97 and 2000-09; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Bridgend
	tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
	uin	380
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2015 answer text <p>The Barn Owl was surveyed as part of the British Trust for Ornithology 2007-11 Bird Atlas for Britain and Ireland and populations are also monitored annually by the BTO/Joint Nature Conservation Committee/Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Consequently Defra has no present plans to repeat these surveys.</p><p>Surveys suggest that the Barn Owl was declining during much of the twentieth century. However the 2007-11 Bird Atlas indicates a 67% increase in distribution since the last atlas for 1988-91. In addition the annual Breeding Bird Survey indicates that numbers increased by 277% in the UK between 1995 and 2012 and 273% for England. The increase is believed to result from the provision of nest boxes, mild winters and the sympathetic management of suitable feeding habitat through agri-environment schemes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 04/06/2015 12:40:20 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

47006

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the 67 successful prosecutions brought by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority since the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 are related to "on-farm" activities; and how many were brought against the food supply industry.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Byford
	uin	HL6614
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>As at 8 April 2014, 69 prosecutions have been undertaken against 44 individuals</p><p> </p><p>and companies that operated without a licence, one company that obstructed the</p><p> </p><p>Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) officers, and 24 individuals and</p><p> </p><p>companies that used the services of unlicensed gangmasters.</p><p> </p><p>A standard GLA licence allows a gangmaster to undertake activity in both</p><p> </p><p>agriculture and food supply. As a result, the GLA do not retain data on</p><p>whether individual prosecutions related to agriculture or food supply.</p> answering member printed Lord Taylor of Holbeach question first answered 29/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3787 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Holbeach
	tabling member	3343 label Biography information for Baroness Byford

346846

	registered interest
	date	27/05/2015
	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	Agriculture: Subsidies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Basic Payment Scheme was not rolled out online as originally announced: what was the additional cost to the taxpayer of returning to paper-based British Payment Scheme applications; what assessment they have made of the reasons for the failure of the online roll-out; and in the light of the date for final submissions of completed Basic Payment Scheme forms being extended from 15 May to 15 June, whether there will be any delay in making payments to farmers by the end of 2015.
	tabling member printed	Lord Willoughby de Broke
	uin	HL84
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>While the core of the new online Rural Payments system is working well, there have been performance problems around the interface between the customer portal and the back end of the system. That one area was not consistently stable and it was having a negative effect on the rest of the service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As a result, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) switched the approach to delivery of the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015 to one where farmers and their agents use existing forms to complete their claims by the extended deadline.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Over the longer term we will continue to work on a user-friendly web interface - but for this claim year the priority is making sure farm businesses get the help and support they need to get their claims in on time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are currently assessing the additional costs from the revised approach.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The RPA will be making full payments as early as possible in the payments window, which opens in December.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 10/06/2015 16:40:42 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1775 label Biography information for Lord Willoughby de Broke

347232

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	Coastal Areas: Access
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to continue the programme for the completion of coastal access in England.
	tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
	uin	HL96
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2015 answer text <p>The coastal access programme has so far opened up 101 miles of our beautiful coastline for everyone to enjoy, boosting local tourism and growing the rural economy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is working closely with Natural England to build on the progress already made. We have approved Natural England’s coastal access proposals for a further 94 miles and by the end of this financial year we expect Natural England to have submitted proposals for another 431 miles.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 04/06/2015 15:28:24 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

100078

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	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: Somerset
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of (1) the feasibility of constructing a permanent flood defence barrage to protect the village of Westonzoyland in the Somerset Levels, and (2) the likely effectiveness of temporary demountable flood defences in the coming winter.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL2284
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>1. The Environment Agency is constructing a permanent scheme to replace temporary defences. Steps are being taken so that protection is maintained should there be an increased flood risk during construction.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2. Demountable defences were considered as an option. However, after consulting local residents the Environment Agency took the decision to construct a permanent solution.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 30/10/2014 14:33:05 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten