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173185

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance
	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 progress has been made in deregulating the consent process for river maintenance pilots; and what plans she has to start new pilot schemes (a) along the Thames in Berkshire and (b) elsewhere.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	220494
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>On 10 December 2014, Defra launched a consultation on proposals to integrate flood defence consents into the Environmental Permitting framework. The new scheme will simplify the application process while removing unnecessary costs and burdens for those who wish to carry out construction works or other activities in, or near, main rivers.</p><p>The River Maintenance Pilots (which explore how red tape could be reduced for landowners who wish to undertake maintenance in man-made ditches, land drains or previously straightened watercourses that had been dredged in the last ten years) were launched by the Environment Agency in October 2013 and were scheduled to last for one year. In response to interest shown by local farmers, the pilots were expanded in May 2014 to include two new pilot areas, and expand an existing area. To allow those affected by the 2013/14 floods extra time to carry out their work, the pilots were also extended until mid-March 2015. We will consider the evidence from the pilots when they are complete.</p><p>In addition, the Environment Agency and National Farmers Union are launching a new local initiative across rural Oxfordshire to help landowners along tributaries of the River Thames with the consenting process. This initiative will start in 2015/16 and it is likely to expand into Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 19/01/2015 15:41:20 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

173073

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Waste Disposal
	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 her Department is taking to encourage the use of green waste as compost.
	tabling member constituency	Pendle
	tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
	uin	220327
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government supports recycling of green waste, including work to develop markets for quality compost. For example, the Government has supported the Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) to facilitate the development of the British Standard Institution’s Publicly Available Standard 100 (BSI PAS 100), working with industry to deliver a robust specification which provides national standards for quality of compost. In addition, the Environment Agency has revised its Quality Protocol for compost, which sets out when compost is no longer treated as “waste”. These standards provide confidence in composted materials for end users and help producers ensure their products are safe, reliable and perform well.</p><p>The Government is also helping fund a four year research project undertaking large scale field trials and demonstration projects into the use of quality anaerobic digestate (biofertiliser) and compost in agriculture. This includes an extensive knowledge exchange programme to support the use of green waste as compost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 19/01/2015 14:01:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
	tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173074

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Bees
	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 she has made of efforts to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee Bombus subterraneus to the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Pendle
	tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
	uin	220328
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The reintroduction of <em>Bombus subterraneus</em> (the short-haired bumblebee) to the UK has been underway since 2012 through a partnership between Natural England, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the RSPB and Hymettus. There have been annual releases of queen bees from Sweden in the Dungeness and Romney Marsh area of Kent. A number of landowners in the area are supporting the reintroduction by restoring the habitat that the species depends on using agri-environment schemes. The partnership project officer and a team of volunteers have been monitoring this habitat every summer and in 2013 and 2014 worker short-haired bumblebees were seen in the area. This provides direct evidence that at least some of the released queens have successfully formed colonies. Queen releases and monitoring of habitat will continue through to 2016 at which point it is hoped that there will be evidence that a self-sustaining population is becoming established.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 19/01/2015 15:32:37 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
	tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173072

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Dairy 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 steps she is taking to support British dairy industry producers whose payments by First Milk have been delayed.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
	uin	220358
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>I have spoken to the Chairman of First Milk to discuss the recent announcement on milk prices and the impact this will have on farmers. We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with milk industry experts to consider if any further action is appropriate.</p><p>I will continue to work closely with the dairy industry as a whole to manage price volatility. At this week’s farming resilience summit I will be discussing ways of offering support to address the problems of severe market volatility with the NFU, high street banks, and farming industry experts.</p><p>The £141 million Countryside Productivity Scheme will include measures to help dairy farmers. We have given dairy farmers the opportunity to unite in Producer Organisations so they have greater influence in the marketplace. We are helping the dairy industry to take advantage of opportunities such as opening new export markets and pushing for better country of origin labelling for British dairy products.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 15/01/2015 16:45:24 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

173186

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the 50 largest landowners in the UK received from the Single Farm Payment scheme in the last year for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
	uin	220432
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The UK’s 50 largest value claims under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) totalled £44,424,980 for the EU Financial Year 2013. Information is not available on whether they are landowners or tenants.</p><p>Details of payments made in EU Financial Year 2014 will be published on the UK’s CAP beneficiary website on 31 May 2015.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 19/01/2015 15:39:27 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

173017

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Forests
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the acreage of land in England that was wooded at the beginning of 2015; and what they expect the acreage to be at the beginning of 2020.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL4089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>Woodland statistics are published annually by the Forestry Commission. The latest available figures on woodland area in England are to 31 March 2014. These showed a total woodland area of 1,302,000 hectares (3,217,000 acres), comprising 74% broadleaves and 24% conifers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We will be working to further increase the area of woodland over the next five years. The Government's Forestry and Woodland Policy Statement, published in 2013, set out our aspirations to increase woodland cover in England from 10% to 12% by 2060, representing an average planting rate of 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) per year. Achieving this challenging aspiration will be dependent on Government-supported woodland creation combined with the efforts of the private and third sectors.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 20/01/2015 16:44:16 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

173183

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Waste Disposal
	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 progress has been made on the Waste to Bioeconomy roadmap; and whether her Department plans to provide any assistance to local authorities in relation to anaerobic digestion.
	tabling member constituency	St Albans
	tabling member printed	Mrs Anne Main
	uin	220477
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>Defra has a joint Government championship role with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in developing a Bioeconomy Roadmap, considering the opportunities of growing the bio economy sector with an initial focus on waste as a feedstock. Good progress is being made. Both Departments continue to work closely together, coordinating development of this agenda across Whitehall, industry and stakeholders. We aim to publish the roadmap in March this year.</p><p>The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), with funding from Defra, has supported local authority trials of separate weekly food waste collection for either in-vessel composting or anaerobic digestion and is updating its guidance on collecting food waste to be published in late spring this year. WRAP also provides advice and support more widely to small businesses and operators interested in using anaerobic digestion to process biowaste.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 19/01/2015 14:00:05 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
	tabling member	1568 label Biography information for Mrs Anne Main

173070

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	White Fish: 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 has taken to protect bass fish stocks during spawning in January 2015 since meetings with EU officials on 16 December 2014; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Bridgend
	tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
	uin	220356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>At the December Council we secured a statement that underlined the commitment of the Commission and Member States involved in the bass fishery to take urgent action to reduce fishing pressure, protect spawning aggregations and so prevent a collapse of the stock. The Government followed up this commitment by formally requesting emergency measures to protect bass during the spawning season (January to April). The Commission has responded positively to the UK request and has now tabled such a measure for consideration by the fisheries management committee.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 15/01/2015 17:58:13 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

173184

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	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	Fracking
	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 publish by 16 January 2015 the Shale Gas Rural Economy Impacts report; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Lewes
	tabling member printed	Norman Baker
	uin	220483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw, John Mann, on 11 September 2014, Official Report, column 723W.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 15/01/2015 11:48:38 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
	tabling member	28 label Biography information for Norman Baker