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1656935

	registered interest
	date	01/09/2023
	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	Climate Change: Inland Waterways
	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 the potential impact of climate change on (a) inland waterways and (b) the costs of maintaining inland waterways.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	197225
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2023 answer text <p>Ministers do not have a role in operational matters on inland waterways, which rests with the navigation authorities that own and manage them. This includes having appropriate maintenance programmes in place to ensure public safety and resilience of their assets and infrastructure against the effects of climate change. Under the upcoming fourth round of climate adaptation reporting (ARP4), introduced under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government will invite the Canal and River Trust (C&amp;RT) and the Environment Agency to report on their canal and river activities.</p><p> </p><p>On 10 July the Government announced a very substantial grant of over £400 million new funding for the C&amp;RT between 2027 and 2037. This is a significant sum of money and a sign of the importance that we place on our inland waterways. It will provide the C&amp;RT with certainty about the level of Government grant funding for its future business planning and continue to support the C&amp;RT to maintain its canal network.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/09/2023 12:56:59 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1545880

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2022
	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	Hedges and Ditches
	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 Committee on Climate Change's report entitled Net Zero - The UK's contribution to stopping global warming, published May 2019, and research by CPRE on increasing the hedgerow network by 40 per cent by 2050; whether the Government plans to set a target on hedgerow planting.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	97663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2022 answer text <p>Hedgerows make a valuable contribution to climate change, our countryside, nature and much more and we are already investing heavily in this crucial habitat. Through Countryside Stewardship up to 2022, there were over 11,000 live agreements that included hedgerow management covering 58,000 kilometres of hedgerow. There are also over 4,000 km of new hedges planted through the scheme. Defra will encourage and support increased hedgerows through our environmental land management schemes, including providing funding through the Sustainable Farming Incentive which we intend to roll out next year.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 06/12/2022 17:55:38 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1671798

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2023
	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	Dangerous Dogs
	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 ensure that other dog breeds are not (a) included in the definition of XL bully dogs and (b) subject to the restrictions being placed on XL bully dogs.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	2843
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>Defra convened a group of experts and other stakeholders to define the physical characteristics of the XL Bully breed type. The definition and guidance has been <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog" target="_blank">published</a> on Gov.uk to help owners and enforcement officers understand whether a dog should be defined as an XL Bully. Other established breeds of dog may meet some of the characteristics of the XL Bully breed type but are not within the scope of the ban.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 04/12/2023 17:05:13 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1663826

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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	Fish Farming: Animal Welfare
	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 her Department plans to adopt the recommendations made by the Animal Welfare Committee in its updated opinion on farmed fish welfare.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	201679
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Animal Welfare Committee has updated its 2014 Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing and we are studying the recommendations carefully to determine next steps.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 201639 question first answered 23/10/2023 10:54:03 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1645648

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2023
	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	Inland Waterways: Safety
	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 make an assessment of the potential merits of installing more throw lines near waterways.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	190069
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency encourages safe and responsible recreation on inland and coastal water and is responsible for safety on waterside assets it owns, operates or occupies (such as locks, weirs and bridges). The Environment Agency is required to assess and manage the risks to the public at these assets under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It undertakes a comprehensive programme of public safety risk assessments of those assets and regularly inspects them to ensure that the provided risk control measures are well maintained. It has published advice on how to stay safe while visiting waterways: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fstaying-safe-around-water&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C11a13fc392e34beb530408db7321f4bf%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638230361910071801%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=CfbuSRp3ZIZreIe89K%2FA88zN5MAHiDpjzDN9z9P2ikc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-safe-around-water(opens in a new tab)</a> and is also a member of the <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalwatersafety.org.uk%2Fabout&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C11a13fc392e34beb530408db7321f4bf%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638230361910071801%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Sqwqg%2F83AXB28uTu2y%2BzxlV1Ewm7B6dU8a9S49wWlTo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">National Water Safety Forum.</a> In most cases joined-up education and messaging on water safety is necessary.</p><p> </p><p>The process of regular public safety risk assessments identifies hazards associated with each asset, along with safety control measures to reduce the likelihood of anyone coming to harm. Typical control measures include barriers, signage, booms and rescue equipment, such as throwlines. The provision and decision-making process of throwlines versus other rescue equipment is also assessed in line with the location, effective deployment and recovery location. The Environment Agency’s representative on the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Water Safety group is contributing to the development of a decision tree for Public Rescue Equipment which will continually improve the process. A useful guide can be found here: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rospa.com%2Fleisure-water-safety%2Fwater%2Fresearch%2Finland&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C11a13fc392e34beb530408db7321f4bf%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638230361910071801%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Tt0N5kgSHDcK7NvlE6tmDo6NZL6mdnO4zcvIJRe%2FIkY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.rospa.com/leisure-water-safety/water/research/inland</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We would anticipate that any professional undertaking with riparian responsibilities would undertake a similar risk assessment programme. The Environment Agency does not have a responsibility for setting any water safety policy, except in as much as it applies to its management of its own assets.</p><p> </p><p>Employers whose work activity takes place close to open water are required under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to take steps to prevent employees and other people from coming to harm due to their work activities. For example, a perimeter wall or fence around an irrigation reservoir or slurry pit will help to control risks. Where open access to water is encouraged for leisure purposes controls might, depending on the circumstances, include the provision of throwlines or other rescue devices, as part of a range of measures. Much of the open water throughout Great Britain while often used for recreational purposes, is not associated with ongoing work activity, meaning the Health and Safety at work etc Act 1974 does not apply.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/06/2023 08:53:40 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1639791

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	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	Flood Control: Bolton 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, whether her Department has allocated funding to flood defences on Riverside Drive in Bolton South East constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	186385
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The River Irwell at Kearsley Flood Risk Management Scheme remains a priority project for the Environment Agency and its partners, given the devastating floods which affected the lives of residents in 2015 and 2020. The Environment Agency is working hard with consultants and contractors to identify a viable engineering option to reduce the risk of flooding in Kearsley.</p><p> </p><p>£2.3 million in contributions have been identified. The breakdown of funding to date is a mix of Defra Flood Defence Grant-in-Aid (GiA), £750,000 Local Levy, £350,000 from the Department for Education and £1.2 million in Defra Other Government Departments GiA funding. However, full costs and funding cannot be confirmed until the preferred option is understood and costed. Discussions with the local authority, Bolton Council, regarding support for the project are ongoing.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency will continue to explore other potential sources of partnership funding.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 05/06/2023 12:00:39 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1609258

	registered interest
	date	30/03/2023
	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	Farmers: Bolton 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 support her Department provides to farmers in Bolton South East constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	177812
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>We recognise that global factors outside the Government’s control are increasing farmer’s input costs, particularly fertiliser, feed, fuel and energy, and that increased input costs can be challenging to cashflow.</p><p> </p><p>To support farmers in England, the Government decided that the 2022 Basic Payment Scheme payment will be made in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period, to help farmers with their cashflow. We are also increasing revenue payment rates for the Countryside Stewardship scheme by ca. 30% to reflect the change in costs since 2013.</p><p> </p><p>To further help with high input costs, Government has removed the 25% tariff on maize imports from the USA to help with animal feed costs. We have also introduced measures to help with the impact of global impacts on fertiliser supply chains. These include a fertiliser industry roundtable, delayed changes to the use of urea fertiliser, encouraging use of organic fertiliser and new technologies.</p><p> </p><p>We have supported farmers through the worst global outbreak of Avian Flu in many years through an improved the Avian Flu compensation scheme for farmers and eased marketing rules to give certainty over business planning.</p><p> </p><p>Government announced 45,000 visas for seasonal workers for the horticulture sector to ensure they have the labour they need, up 15,000 from start of 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Other support includes changes to guidance on farmers using manures, increased grants for farmers and growers, boosting research and development, and supporting farmers to build the health and fertility of their soil through the Sustainable Farming Incentive.</p><p> </p><p>We have committed to spend around £600 million on grants and other support for farmers to invest in productivity, animal health and welfare, innovation over three years and paid out over £30 million so far in grants for technology and equipment, having increased the original budget from £17 million and committed £90 million to our Innovation Programme.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/04/2023 10:46:13 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1692797

	registered interest
	date	29/02/2024
	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	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, when his Department plans to publish a revised response to the consultation on Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	16430
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government consulted on improved food waste reporting by large businesses in England and published a response in July 2023. The new Secretary of State has however decided to look again at how best to secure the benefits of food waste reporting, including mandatory measures for large businesses. We now intend to gather further evidence and re-consider all the options using the latest available data in order to retake the decision later this year.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 08/03/2024 14:30:58 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

1692823

	registered interest
	date	29/02/2024
	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	Fluorinated Gases
	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 adequacy of the (a) training and (b) certification of technicians in the use of alternative products during the planned transition away from fluorinated gases.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	16436
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>There are industry-led training courses already available on the use of alternative refrigerant gases. As noted in the Defra assessment report of December 2022 on the impact of the current Regulation on fluorinated gases, some industry stakeholders have suggested that mandatory training should be introduced for alternatives with flammability, toxicity and high-pressure properties. We are reviewing the provisions of the Regulation and intend to consult on proposals for change in due course.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 08/03/2024 14:28:22 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

1689222

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	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	Fluorinated Gases
	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 availability of fluorinated gases during the planned transition to alternative gases.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	14149
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2024 answer text <p>We are in the process of reviewing the GB F-gas Regulation, with the view to further reducing use and emissions of F-gases to contribute to achieving Net Zero. We undertook a comprehensive review of the GB F-gas Regulation and published an assessment report in December 2022. This included a forecast of continued demand for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and a review of the availability of technically feasible and cost-effective alternatives.</p><p> </p><p>We have since been developing policy options for changes to the GB F-gas Regulation. Alongside this policy development, we have continued to update our analysis and modelling to reflect the best available evidence on the availability of F-gases. We intend to go out to consultation on our proposals in due course.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 22/02/2024 16:06:27 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse