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1715756

registered interest
date	03/05/2024
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	Flood Control: Finance
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 he will take steps to introduce further funding rounds under the natural flood management programme.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	24779
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>We want to mainstream the use of Natural Flood Management (NFM) and expect the £25 million NFM programme will help inform how we do that. While we do not currently have plans for further rounds, we would encourage applicants to apply for NFM funding as part of our wider £5.6 billion investment in flood and coastal defences.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 14/05/2024 13:51:08 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1715573

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
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	Sewage: 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, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending water undertakers' licences under the Environment Act 2021 to require those undertakers to accept septic tank waste (a) where there is market failure in the processing of that waste and (b) in other circumstances.
tabling member constituency	St Ives
tabling member printed	Derek Thomas
uin	24692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>Defra does not have the power to amend water company licence conditions; Ofwat has this power under the Water Industry Act 1991.</p><p> </p><p>In the Plan for Water, the Government has committed to review existing regulatory arrangements and explore funding and other support options for improving septic tank activities. We continue to consider options that mitigate the risks arising from private sewage discharges.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2023, to ease the pressures on the septic tank waste disposal market in Cornwall, the Environment Agency issued a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storing-and-treating-chemical-toilet-waste-rps-277/storing-and-treating-chemical-toilet-waste-rps-277" target="_blank">regulatory position statement</a> to increase waste storage capacity. This means that tanks can temporarily store more sewage (up to 60 cubic metres) until South West Water has capacity to take it.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 08/05/2024 15:50:30 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4532 label Biography information for Derek Thomas

1715630

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
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	Members: Correspondence
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 he plans to write to the hon. Member for Christchurch on the potential impact of the level of phosphates in the River Avon on housing developments in Christchurch.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	24604
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to my letter issued on 7 May 2024.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 13:43:50 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1715631

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
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	Members: Correspondence
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 he plans to write to the hon. Member for Christchurch on the Avon Valley footpath between Burton and Christchurch.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	24605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>Following our recent meeting on the Avon Valley footpath, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 13:42:20 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1715168

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	Water Companies: Capital Investment
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 has had recent discussions with Ofwat on water companies outsourcing capital programmes to separate companies.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	24537
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) involves a water or wastewater company competitively tendering for services in relation to the delivery of certain large infrastructure projects, resulting in the selection of a third-party competitively appointed provider.</p><p> </p><p>As part of Ofwat’s Price Review 2024, companies are encouraged to consider the use of DPC approach for discrete projects over £200 million. Outsourcing delivery via DPC has a range of possible benefits, including lower capital and operational costs, lower financing costs, and the provision of benchmarks for efficient costs.</p><p> </p><p>Whether a project is delivered via DPC is a decision for Ofwat.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 07:40:59 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1715302

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	Farms: Solar Power
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 criteria his Department use to assess whether to build solar farms on productive farmland.
tabling member constituency	Bridgwater and West Somerset
tabling member printed	Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
uin	24397
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>Planning decisions on solar development are granted by local planning authorities, or, where applications are for developments over 50MW, with the Secretary of State for Energy.</p><p> </p><p>The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.</p><p> </p><p>The recently published and updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services – including the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, and of trees and woodland. Where significant development on agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. The availability of agricultural land used for food production should be considered, alongside the other policies in the Framework, when deciding what sites are most appropriate for development.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 13:57:16 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	1396 label Biography information for Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger

1715333

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	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, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of existing legislation to tackle common nuisances such as (a) smoke, (b) bonfires, (c) smells and fumes, (d) accumulation of rubbish, (e) infestations and (f) litter.
tabling member constituency	Bradford South
tabling member printed	Judith Cummins
uin	24486
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>Local authorities are the main enforcers of the statutory nuisance regime under the Environmental Protection Act, 1990. The Government considers that any issues that could be the cause of statutory nuisance, including smoke, bonfire and smells are best dealt with at a local level. Local authorities need to be able to take account of local circumstances when determining how best to apply the powers available to them, such as issuing abatement orders.</p><p> </p><p>Owners of industrial, trade and business premises are expected to use the best practicable means available to reduce smoke, smells and fumes and other potential sources of statutory nuisance emanating from their place of work in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>The Environmental Protection Act 1990 also sets out clear responsibilities for local authorities with regards to keeping land clear of litter and refuse and provides them with strong enforcement powers to help them do this. Anyone caught littering or fly-tipping may be prosecuted which can lead to a significant fine or even imprisonment in the case of fly-tipping. Instead of prosecuting, councils may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot fine). We increased the upper limit for fly-tipping and littering fixed penalties to £1000 and £500 respectively in July 2023 and as of 1 April 2024 councils must now reinvest income from these penalties in enforcement and clean up.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, we provide guidance on how councils can discharge their duties and use their enforcement powers and have recently consulted key stakeholders on putting our current litter enforcement guidance on a statutory footing.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State considers the current legislation provides local authorities with the necessary powers to deal with these types of nuisance issues.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 13:52:51 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4391 label Biography information for Judith Cummins

1715385

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	Flood Control
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 discussions his Department has had with the Environment Agency on trends in the level of (a) dredging and (b) desilting as a means of flood prevention.
tabling member constituency	Bassetlaw
tabling member printed	Brendan Clarke-Smith
uin	24564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>Ministers and Defra officials regularly meet with the Environment Agency to discuss flood and water management issues, including dredging.</p><p>The Environment Agency assesses each situation individually and dredge when it is the right solution, and it provides long-term value for money. Understanding where it will, and will not, reduce flood risk is key.</p><p>Where there is evidence that dredging will reduce flood risk to local properties or agricultural land without increasing flooding downstream, it meets government criteria, and is cost effective, the Environment Agency will do it.</p><p>Dredging can contribute to reducing flooding in some locations, but in others dredging would be an extremely inefficient and ineffective way to manage flood risk, as the natural processes in many rivers can cause the silt to return and accumulate in the same places very quickly. We also know from historic records and modelling that dredging in some locations can increase erosion and flood risk for communities downstream.</p><p>In extreme flooding events, the relatively small increases in width and depth achievable by dredging the channel do not provide anywhere near enough capacity to contain the excess flood water, since the channel may already be full of water, and therefore does not prevent flooding.</p><p>Any structures encroaching in the river such as bridges, weirs and natural features need to be considered, as these could be damaged or may be pinch points with hard foundations which can make dredging ineffective. Deepening can in some instances also cause destabilising of natural riverbanks leading to soil erosion and damage to riverside flood defences.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 07/05/2024 13:52:10 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4756 label Biography information for Brendan Clarke-Smith

1715392

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions
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 he plans to answer Question 21855, tabled by the hon. Member for Ealing North on 15 April 2024.
tabling member constituency	Ealing North
tabling member printed	James Murray
uin	24586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>The answer to Question 21855 was published on 2 May 2024. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/05/2024 13:40:00 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4797 label Biography information for James Murray

1714885

registered interest
date	30/04/2024
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	Water: Pollution and Sewage
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 his Department is taking to support sports clubs engaged in (a) swimming, (b) surfing, (c) angling, (d) canoeing and (e) other water sports who have impacted by water pollution and sewage discharges.
tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
uin	24281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to improving the quality of our coastal and inland waters for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses it. The Environment Agency takes over 7,000 samples each year at England’s 424 designated bathing waters, which are used to determine the annual bathing water classifications. These classifications are displayed on signage at bathing waters and online on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website, to allow bathers to make informed decisions before entering the water. Defra welcomes applications for bathing water designations in England for both coastal waters and inland waters such as lakes and rivers. Anyone, including swimming clubs, can apply to designate a site as a bathing water by following the application guidance available at: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fbathing-waters-apply-to-designate-or-de-designate%2Fdesignate-a-bathing-water-guidance-on-how-to-apply&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cf68690dc2b3f4501b98608dc69fb9900%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638501776529810660%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=JApH41yowU3qtCXWnN%2FeUet9GKM4O6PaZ2xrcaWJCto%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Designate a bathing water: guidance on how to apply - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>The Government is clear that the amount of sewage discharged into our waters is unacceptable. We have taken a series of actions to require water companies to improve how they manage wastewater.  For example, we have set ambitious targets through the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan to reduce the use of storm overflows. This will drive the largest infrastructure programme in water company history: estimated at £60 billion capital investment in 25 years. To support these targets in the near term, water companies have committed to £180m of new funding over the next year to help tackle sewage spills. This is a new investment committed by water companies to deliver enhanced maintenance programmes to improve the sewer network and is expected to prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting English waterways.</p><p> </p><p>These measures will benefit swimming, surfing, angling, canoeing and all other water sports.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 13/05/2024 10:58:58 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone