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1543290

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2022
	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	Big Nature Impact Fund: Saltmarshes
	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 the seed finance made available through the Big Nature Impact Fund will be used to fund saltmarshes.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Siobhan Baillie
	uin	89918
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2022 answer text <p>The Big Nature Impact Fund (BNIF) will be a private sector vehicle and could invest in projects involving saltmarsh habitats that meet its criteria for investment.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 28/11/2022 16:12:49 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4847 label Biography information for Siobhan Baillie

1639358

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2023
	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	Saltmarshes: Carbon Capture and Storage
	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 help finance (a) research on and (b) delivery of salt marsh restoration projects as a contribution to the national evidence base on carbon sequestration.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Siobhan Baillie
	uin	186260
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/05/2023 answer text <p>Through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, Defra is working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero alongside the other UK Administrations to address key research questions relating to blue carbon habitats, such as saltmarsh. In 2022, the UK Government launched its £140 million Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme, a flagship three-year R&amp;D programme, spanning England’s land, coast and sea. The programme includes mapping of blue carbon stock and sequestration rates in important coastal environments such as saltmarsh habitats, alongside wider ecosystem services which provide societal, ecological and economic benefit.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative is working to restore our estuarine and coastal habitats to benefit people and nature. The EA’s restoration handbooks are a key tool to support restoration of coastal blue carbon habitats in the UK and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>We are also supporting direct investment into saltmarsh restoration through our £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which is supporting nature recovery projects across England. The Government is supporting eight blue nature finance projects, including blue carbon, with around £750,000 of grants through the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund. This funding is being used to develop a pipeline of projects that can demonstrate viable private-sector investment models, ultimately working to restore important blue habitats such as saltmarsh.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 30/05/2023 11:46:13 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4847 label Biography information for Siobhan Baillie

1537772

	registered interest
	date	31/10/2022
	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	Saltmarshes: Environment Protection
	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 taken recent steps to (a) strengthen protections for and (b) promote the restoration of saltmarsh habitats.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Siobhan Baillie
	uin	74985
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2022 answer text <p>HM Government recognises the important role that nature-based solutions, including blue carbon habitats, such as saltmarsh can play to prevent biodiversity loss and support adaptation and resilience to climate change, alongside their carbon sequestration benefits.</p><p> </p><p>England’s Environment Agency (EA) reports on the extent and zonation of saltmarsh in England. The latest report (looking at saltmarsh area change over a decade from 2006-2009 to 2016-2019) is published on GOV.UK and has mapped existing restoration sites and supports further restoration practices. 38% of UK waters are already in Marine Protected Areas, covering the majority of saltmarsh habitats. Our focus is now on ensuring these are effectively managed.</p><p> </p><p>The EA also lead the ‘Restoring Meadows, Marsh and Reef Initiative’, working with partners across government, the eNGO sector, academia and industry to streamline regulatory processes, build capacity and share knowledge to facilitate the accelerated restoration of estuarine and coastal habitats, with an initial focus on three priority habitats - saltmarshes, seagrass beds and native oyster reefs. At COP26, as part of this initiative, the EA also launched its Saltmarsh Restoration Handbook, a guide written by practitioners and experts to support groups wanting to undertake their own saltmarsh restoration project, one of 3 ‘Blue Carbon Restoration Handbooks’.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working to increase private investment in nature. The £10 million Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund is also supporting three projects with almost £300k of grants, to explore, develop and then test methodologies to measure and verify the carbon storage potential in saltmarsh habitats. This includes a project to develop a Saltmarsh Carbon code from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, UK Administrations are working with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Estate and Defra to continue to strengthen our evidence base relating to blue carbon habitats including saltmarsh. The first aim of the Partnership has been to identify and then clearly set out the most pressing research questions relating to blue carbon within an Evidence Needs Statement that will act as a signal to the research community for further work.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 04/11/2022 14:12:16 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4847 label Biography information for Siobhan Baillie

1639357

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2023
	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	Environment Protection: Urban Areas
	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 responsibilities (a) her Department, (b) the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and (c) Natural England have for research into the benefits of green and blue infrastructure.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Siobhan Baillie
	uin	186259
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/05/2023 answer text <p>Natural England launched the Green Infrastructure Framework: Principles and Standards for England in January 2023. During the course of developing the Framework they produced and commissioned research, working with government Departments for: Environment Food and Rural Affairs; Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Transport and Health and Social Care. They also sought wider from input from experts in public bodies and private organisations to steer and advise.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England and Public Health England (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) published a Rapid Scoping Review of Health and Wellbeing Evidence as part of the project. In addition, Defra has also funded research into the economic modelling of accessible green space across England and Wales, known as the Outdoor Recreation Valuation tool.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023, we will use the Green Infrastructure Framework to track progress in our commitment for everyone to have access to green or blue space within 15 minutes from their front door</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 186172 186190 question first answered 30/05/2023 11:50:10 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4847 label Biography information for Siobhan Baillie

1126606

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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: Suicide
	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 suicides in the farming sector, what steps he is taking to monitor levels of distress in that sector.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	254107
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Defra takes the issue of farmers and agricultural workers’ wellbeing very seriously. I am aware that rates of suicide are higher across the agricultural sector generally than they are for the general population. I know that they often have a solitary lifestyle, it is hard work and their businesses are subject to unpredictable factors such as the weather. As part of the Future Farming programme we are looking at the impact of policies on wellbeing, and we are also working with partners to foster personal and business resilience.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our on-going work using data on the farming sector, we monitor the published ONS statistics on suicides by employment group. As well as headline mortality numbers, we keep under review the issues that may affect broader experiences of positive and negative wellbeing.</p><p> </p><p>Officials meet regularly with farming and rural charities to hear first-hand about resilience in the farming sector. This provides an indication of how farmers and farm workers are responding to any pressures affecting the sector.</p><p> </p><p>Government launched its first ever Loneliness Strategy in October 2018. One of Defra’s commitments is to hold regular stakeholder roundtables to tackle the issues of loneliness and isolation in rural areas. The next roundtable, to be chaired by Lord Gardiner, is being held on 11 June 2019. Defra also provides financial support through an annual grant of £1.7 million to Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), whose network of 38 rural community councils work on housing and transport issues that we know can affect farming communities.</p><p> </p><p>Defra works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on this issue. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy highlights the higher risk of suicide experienced by certain occupational groups, and this includes agricultural occupations. Through the Strategy, DHSC has ensured that every local authority has a suicide prevention plan in place to implement tailored approaches to reducing suicides based on the needs and demographics of local communities.</p><p> </p><p>In October 2018, the Prime Minister announced the first Minister for Suicide Prevention, and she recently met the Farming Community Network to understand better the issues facing farmers.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that farmers are aware of the people they can turn to if they are going through difficult times. In particular, the farming charities – the Farming Community Network, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Addington Fund – all do a brilliant job in supporting farmers and their families. The National Farmers Union also has a regional network of advisers who can provide support.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 21/05/2019 14:49:38 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1110296

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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, whether the Rural Payments Agency is on target to meet the payment commitments that he set out at the 2019 NFU conference.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	242002
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>Yes. The Rural Payments Agency is on track to achieve the commitments set out at the 2019 NFU Conference.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 15/04/2019 12:08:24 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1104914

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2019
	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	African Swine Fever
	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 his Department has made an estimate of the economic effect of an outbreak of African swine flu in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	236258
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department has estimated that the economic effect of a reasonable worst case scenario outbreak of African swine fever could cost the UK up to £90m at 2018 prices. This total estimate includes costs to industry from lost and culled livestock, costs to Government from control activities and lost value of trade.</p><p> </p><p>While this estimate represents an informed assessment of the potential impact of an outbreak, exact costs would be determined by a large number of factors including geographic location, the husbandry system, epidemiology of the outbreak and whether wildlife were involved.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 01/04/2019 08:44:33 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1123974

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2019
	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	Pesticides: Regulation
	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 plans to set up a new pesticides as a result of the resignation of key members from the Pesticides Forum and Voluntary Initiative.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	249194
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2019 answer text <p>The Pesticides Forum was set up by Government to bring together a range of organisations with an interest in how pesticides are used and the impact of their use. It plays a helpful role in supporting the National Action Plan (NAP) for pesticides by identifying issues and possible solutions across a range of pesticides issues. The Voluntary Initiative is an industry-led group which has done useful work in developing and promoting best practice in the use of pesticides. We regret that the Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Pesticides Action Network UK have decided to withdraw from these groups, which benefit from having a range of views around the table.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government will develop its approach to pesticides, putting Integrated Pest Management at its heart. In doing so we will continue to reduce the impacts of pesticide use and maintain dialogue with all those that can help us to make further progress. As part of this process we will review the NAP and update it as necessary. This will involve public consultation and we hope that environmental and farming groups will engage actively with this.</p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 08/05/2019 15:45:31 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1086726

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	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	Smallholdings
	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 the Government last carried out an assessment of the performance of local authorities in delivering the objective for county council smallholding estates as set out in section 39 of the Agriculture Act 1970.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	230611
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>I value the contribution council farms make in providing opportunities for new entrants to start off in farming.</p><p> </p><p>Every year Defra lays a report on the proceedings of Local Authority Smallholdings before Parliament and publishes it on GOV.UK. The most recent report was published on 27 February 2019 providing statistical and financial information on the delivery of council farm smallholdings estates across England for the financial year of 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The report can be downloaded from the GOV.UK website here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/68th-annual-report-to-parliament-on-smallholdings-in-england" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/68th-annual-report-to-parliament-on-smallholdings-in-england</a></p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/03/2019 12:33:43 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1130939

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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, what the timetable is for the roll out of (a) detailed objectives, (b) tests and trials, (c) payment methodology, (d) sufficient advisor numbers, (e) the pilot scheme and (f) the final launch of the environmental land management scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	262218
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>These questions have been answered as one to enable the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELM) approach to be outlined in full in a single place.</p><p> </p><p>An ELM is being developed to pay land managers public money for delivering environmental public goods. This is a large programme of work with 81 full time staff with grades ranging from Administrative Officer to Deputy Director.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken a number of steps to ensure it has strong risk and programme management foundations in place and will continue to assess and manage these as appropriate. It is not Government policy to publish departmental risk registers given the inherent risks involved.</p><p> </p><p>ELM is scheduled to be rolled out from late 2024, with a National Pilot beginning in late 2021. Detailed planning of the pilot is in train. The pilot will run for three years, and will aim to assess the end-to-end operability and deliverability of the scheme and allow us to identify and refine any issues or barriers that occur in practice.</p><p> </p><p>To support the development of ELM we are undertaking a number of test and trials. The work is being facilitated by a range of stakeholders, including farmer groups, representative bodies and non-governmental organisations, and covers a range of geographies and sectors. 47 proposals are being taken forward in phase 1. We are working closely with stakeholders to finalise these. Depending on the complexity of the test or trial we anticipate the first of these commencing in Autumn 2019. We have received over 200 proposals for phase 2. We will prioritise those proposals that fill gaps in scheme delivery components, outcomes and land management sectors identified from the coverage of the first 47 proposals.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with stakeholders to understand how much funding they might require from the Government to support the delivery of the tests and trials in line with value for money principles.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill grouped question UIN 262215 262216 262217 262219 262220 question first answered 17/06/2019 11:12:03 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew