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1698317

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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: Public Sector
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 assessment of the potential merits of bringing water companies into public ownership.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	20256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Since privatisation, the private water sector model (underpinned by strong, independent economic regulation) has unlocked around £215 billion of investment. This is equivalent to around £6 billion annually in investment, almost double the pre-privatisation level, and has delivered a range of benefits to customers and the environment.</p><p>Government is therefore committed to the system of independent economic regulation and has no plans to bring water into public ownership.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is clear that to retain public support, water companies must ensure they meet high standards of transparency and corporate governance.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 15/04/2024 12:19:47 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1698344

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Tree Planting: 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, what (a) his Department's budget for and (b) the amount spent on the planting of trees was in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
tabling member printed	Mr Toby Perkins
uin	20268
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>Data on tree-specific funding is only available from 2020, when the Nature for Climate Tree Programme was established. Since then, Defra has had a capital spend (CDEL) of £232 million on planting trees in England.</p><p>The planting of trees has also been funded by Countryside Stewardship payments. Since 2016, £120 million has been claimed planting and managing trees and for managing and enhancing woodlands.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 18/04/2024 14:35:58 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1698352

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Reservoirs: Brent
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what dates the Priestley Way trash screen that sits on the River Brent and enters the Welsh Harp was cleared by the Environment Agency in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	20280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency plans to attend once a week to clear the debris and waste build up on the Priestley Way Screen. By exception, operatives may not attend if they are required elsewhere to carry out higher priority work that could cause flooding or an environmental incident (for example, responding to emergency incidents). The Environment Agency arranges for a grab lorry to attend site once a month (although this frequency does increase at times of heavy rain and higher river levels when the screen can become inundated with waste much quicker). This lorry takes away up to 3 tonnes of rubbish each trip.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency cannot provide exact dates for when it cleared the screen in the past 12 months but can confirm it cleared the screen 43 times (this includes planned visits to end of March 2024).</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 15/04/2024 16:05:29 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1698357

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Microplastics: Washing Machines
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 potential merits of introducing a technical standard for microplastic filters in washing machines; and whether his Department has had recent discussions with industry representatives on developing a technical standard.
tabling member constituency	South West Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Andrew Selous
uin	20219
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>In Defra’s Plan for Water, there is a commitment for industry and businesses to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters in washing machines and encourage their use.</p><p> </p><p>Defra commissioned an evidence assessment to understand the efficiencies, costs and benefits of installing filters in washing machines to trap microplastic fibres shredded from clothing during washing cycles. The report showed that filters demonstrated a range of efficiencies and costs associated with them. We recommended that filter manufacturers collaborate with the washing machine industry to develop and implement standardised tests to provide unequivocal performance data for the relevant government departments to consider. We await industry’s proposals.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 15/04/2024 15:56:30 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous

1698358

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Microplastics: Pollution
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 potential implications for his policies of the level of microplastic pollution in biosolids; and whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle this issue.
tabling member constituency	South West Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Andrew Selous
uin	20220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government continues to review the regulatory framework for biosolids spread to land to protect human health and the environment.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken a range of steps to stop sources of plastics and microplastics entering sewers and moving into biosolids, including:</p><p> </p><ul><li>We have already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and the Government has been working at pace with devolved administrations to deliver a ban on wet wipes containing plastic. We recently ran a consultation on this and a government response setting out more information will be published in the spring.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>We have funded research to examine wider sources of microplastics, including tyres and textiles. Defra has also contributed to the design and development of the UK Water Industry Research funded and led <a href="https://ukwir.org/cip3-information" target="_blank">Chemicals Investigation Programme (CIP)</a> to improve our understanding of quantity and source of contaminants, including microplastics, in biosolids. This research will help to inform future policy.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>In Defra’s Plan for Water, there is a commitment for industry and businesses to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters in washing machines as a measure to reduce a primary source of microplastic fibres to wastewater treatment and the wider environment and encourage their use. Defra commissioned an evidence assessment to understand the efficiencies, costs and benefits of installing filters in washing machines to trap microplastic fibres shredded from clothing during washing cycles. The report showed that filters demonstrated a range of efficiencies and costs associated with them. We recommended that filter manufacturers collaborate with the washing machine industry to develop and implement standardised tests to provide unequivocal performance data for the relevant government departments to consider. We await industry’s proposals.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 15/04/2024 15:53:02 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous

1698379

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Climate Change: Floods
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 potential impact of climate change on flooding in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s long-term flood and coastal erosion risk management <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-policy-statement" target="_blank">Policy Statement</a>, published in 2020, sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk.</p><p> </p><p>The Policy Statement recognises that climate change will lead to sea level rise and more extreme rainfall, with an increase in the number of people at risk from flooding and coastal erosion.</p><p> </p><p>It includes five ambitious policies and a number of actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against these risks.</p><p>For example, the government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over 6 years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England.</p><p> </p><p>The government published the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172931/The_Third_National_Adaptation_Programme.pdf" target="_blank">National Adaptation Programme 3 (NAP3)</a> in July 2023. The NAP sets the actions that government and others will take to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the UK between 2023 to 2028. This forms part of the 5-yearly cycle of requirements laid down in the Climate Change Act 2008.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/04/2024 14:32:24 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698451

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Trapping: 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, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations on the use of snares.
tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
uin	20264
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>An industry-owned code of practice for the use of snares to control foxes in England sets out clear principles for the legal use of snares, using evidence from snare-use research to improve snare deployment and design.</p><p>Anyone using snares has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure their activities do not harm protected species or cause any unnecessary suffering. Anyone committing an offence can face prosecution, an unlimited fine or even a custodial sentence.</p><p>We are looking at how snares are regulated as part of our continued drive to maintain the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and working to ensure the regulated use of the most appropriate trap and cull method which causes the least suffering whilst providing the greatest protection to crops, game birds or endangered species.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/04/2024 11:59:47 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1698512

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	River Deben: 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, whether he plans to commission the Independent Drainage Board to oversee the maintenance of the River Deben in Suffolk.
tabling member constituency	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
tabling member printed	Dr Dan Poulter
uin	20260
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead risk management authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where maintenance is the responsibility of the Environment Agency it focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency can enter into public sector cooperation agreements with internal drainage boards (IDBs) for watercourse maintenance. This enables the Environment Agency to utilise the IDBs’ workforce, skills, experience and supplier frameworks. Such an agreement is already in place between the Environment Agency and the Suffolk IDB to deliver effective and efficient maintenance in the river Deben Catchment.</p><p> </p><p>The annual maintenance programme for the river Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting along with operational checks, the spend for this in 2023-24 was approximately £68,000. The Environment Agency anticipate a similar level of spend and maintenance activities for 2024-2025. Capital projects are undertaken as required, most recently in 2022-23 with approximately £121,000 spent on repairs to the river walls.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore grouped question UIN 20261 question first answered 15/04/2024 10:25:20 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter

1698513

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	River Deben: 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, if he will require the Environment Agency to commission the Independent Drainage Board to oversee the maintenance of the River Deben in Suffolk.
tabling member constituency	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
tabling member printed	Dr Dan Poulter
uin	20261
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead risk management authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where maintenance is the responsibility of the Environment Agency it focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency can enter into public sector cooperation agreements with internal drainage boards (IDBs) for watercourse maintenance. This enables the Environment Agency to utilise the IDBs’ workforce, skills, experience and supplier frameworks. Such an agreement is already in place between the Environment Agency and the Suffolk IDB to deliver effective and efficient maintenance in the river Deben Catchment.</p><p> </p><p>The annual maintenance programme for the river Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting along with operational checks, the spend for this in 2023-24 was approximately £68,000. The Environment Agency anticipate a similar level of spend and maintenance activities for 2024-2025. Capital projects are undertaken as required, most recently in 2022-23 with approximately £121,000 spent on repairs to the river walls.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore grouped question UIN 20260 question first answered 15/04/2024 10:25:20 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter

1698067

registered interest
date	22/03/2024
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: Training
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 his Department spent in the last 12 months on (a) in-work and (b) other training on (i) coastal restoration, (ii) the protection of coastal and marine ecosystems, (iii) monitoring, (iv) enforcement and (v) sustainable recreation; how much he plans to spend on each of those areas in the next 12 months; and whether his Department employs apprentices.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	20101
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The requested information on training spend is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>Core Defra Marine and Fisheries staff and employees of Defra’s marine Arm’s Length Bodies undertake a range of training and learning and development (L&amp;D) opportunities covering a wide range of topics including coastal restoration and the protection of marine ecosystems, monitoring, enforcement, and sustainable recreation. Training is delivered through a range of means, including for example on the job learning, attending courses, peer to peer learning, conferences or talks, membership of professional bodies/learned societies, reviewing literature and mentoring. There is no mechanism through which we can give a specific amount that will be spent on those areas in the next 12 months. Every civil servant is supported to undertake L&amp;D and expected to undertake the training necessary to their role. Detailed records are not kept at a corporate level on specific training.</p><p> </p><p>The department does employ apprentices. As at March 2024 Defra Group currently has 880 active apprentices.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 22/04/2024 13:23:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy