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1086592

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	Organic 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 plans he has in place to (a) expedite agri-environment funding (i) applications and (ii) claims and (b) review rates of reward for the production of public goods to tackle the effect on the cash flow of organic farmers of leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	230680
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Having taken over responsibility for this task in October 2018, the Rural Payments Agency is working to process outstanding agri-environment payments and agreements as soon as possible. We know how important these payments are to customers, which is why for Countryside Stewardship claimants, we will be making bridging payments worth 75% of their current claim value to farmers who have not received their advance payments in April.</p><p> </p><p>While our priority remains to deliver a negotiated deal, we fully recognise the concerns of the organics sector and are working hard to mitigate the impact of a no deal on organic operators.</p><p> </p><p>We have already confirmed that food and feed products that are certified as organic in the EU will be recognised after 29 March at the UK’s discretion. We are working to secure a reciprocal agreement so our operators can continue to export their organic produce to the EU.</p><p> </p><p>We currently have no plans to review rates of reward for organic farmers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 18/03/2019 13:10:19 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1086702

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	Seasonal Workers: Cornwall
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 his Department has made of the number of seasonal workers employed in Cornwall in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	St Austell and Newquay
tabling member printed	Steve Double
uin	230817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>The number of seasonal, casual or gang labourers on commercial agricultural holdings<sup>(a)</sup> in the South West Region on 1 June in each of the last five years is shown in the table below. County breakdowns are only available for 2013 and 2016, therefore figures for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are included for these years only.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Seasonal, casual or gang labour<sup>(b)</sup></strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West Region</p></td><td><p>4429</p></td><td><p>5440</p></td><td><p>5744</p></td><td><p>5415</p></td><td><p>6757</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cornwall and Isles of Scilly</p></td><td><p>837</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>1221</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>n/a: not available</p><p>Source: Defra June Survey of Agriculture</p><p>(a) Commercial holdings are those with significant levels of farming activity. These significant levels are classified as any holding with more than 5 hectares of agricultural land, 1 hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.</p><p>(b) Seasonal, casual or gang labour is defined as seasonal, casual and gang workers, including family and non-family workers who are usually employed for less than 20 weeks of the year.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/03/2019 12:14:50 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4452 label Biography information for Steve Double

1086725

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, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that local authorities are delivering value for money through their management of county council smallholding estates.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	230610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>Defra’s annual report to Parliament on the proceedings of local authority smallholdings in England published on 27 February 2019, shows that the reporting smallholding authorities generated a revenue account net surplus of around £16 million in 2017/2018 from their council smallholdings estates.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities regularly review all their commercial assets to establish strategies to help meet financial requirements and deliver service transformation needs. We encourage all smallholding authorities reviewing rural estate assets to follow the principles and guidance set out in the Rural Estate Asset Management Planning Good Practice Guidance which was prepared by the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors and the Tenancy Reform Industry Group.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill grouped question UIN 230612 question first answered 14/03/2019 12:22:42 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

1086727

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, what assessment he has made of whether recent disposals of county council smallholding estates have delivered the greatest possible return for the taxpayer.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	230612
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>Defra’s annual report to Parliament on the proceedings of local authority smallholdings in England published on 27 February 2019, shows that the reporting smallholding authorities generated a revenue account net surplus of around £16 million in 2017/2018 from their council smallholdings estates.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities regularly review all their commercial assets to establish strategies to help meet financial requirements and deliver service transformation needs. We encourage all smallholding authorities reviewing rural estate assets to follow the principles and guidance set out in the Rural Estate Asset Management Planning Good Practice Guidance which was prepared by the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors and the Tenancy Reform Industry Group.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill grouped question UIN 230610 question first answered 14/03/2019 12:22:42 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1086728

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, what plans he has to assist local authorities in the management of their county council smallholding estates for the benefit of new entrant and progressing farmers.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	230613
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>I value the contribution council farms make as a way into farming for new entrants and progressing farmers. As set out in our Health and Harmony Policy Statement in September 2018, we are considering how to help Local Authorities who want to invest in their Council Farms, so that they offer real opportunities for new farmers to start a foundation business and gain the experience they need to progress onto a larger unit.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/03/2019 12:29:18 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1084418

registered interest
date	08/03/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement
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 guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by his Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	230095
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a manual search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded on departmental systems.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 13/03/2019 13:52:49 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1084427

registered interest
date	08/03/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Chief Scientific Advisers
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 meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.
tabling member constituency	North Norfolk
tabling member printed	Norman Lamb
uin	230040
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State had two bilateral meetings with Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019. The Chief Scientific Adviser also regularly attends other Secretary of State meetings on wider issues.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/03/2019 10:32:07 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb

1083519

registered interest
date	07/03/2019
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	Food: Imports
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 implications for food imports from the US of the United States - European Union Negotiations: Summary of Specific Negotiating Objectives, published by the Office of the United States Trade representative in February 2019.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	229717
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the publication of the United States - European Union Negotiations: Summary of Specific Negotiating Objectives, and the more recent publication of Specific Negotiating Objectives for the UK. These publications are of course important, but do not change the Government’s view that any future trade deal must work for UK consumers, farmers and businesses.</p><p>The Government has made it clear that we will not water down our food or animal welfare standards in pursuit of any trade deal. Existing food standards on issues such as chlorinated chicken will come across through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. For hormone treated beef the UK has transposed EU Council Directive 96/22/EC into UK law, which prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones in both domestic production and imported products. This will continue when we leave the EU.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/03/2019 12:09:54 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1083571

registered interest
date	07/03/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Consultation
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 consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.
tabling member constituency	Bootle
tabling member printed	Peter Dowd
uin	229742
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>All public government consultations are uploaded onto GOV.UK where one can filter consultations by many criteria, including department, official document status and date of publication. As of 12 March 2019 Defra had:</p><p>a) 9 open public consultations,</p><p>b) 14 consultations closed awaiting a government response; and</p><p>c) 116 consultations published in total from 1 January 2016.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/03/2019 12:11:13 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4397 label Biography information for Peter Dowd