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1216757

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Supermarkets: Coronavirus
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 discussions he has had with representatives from supermarkets on accessibility for (a) blind and (b) partially sighted people (i) under current covid-19 social distancing restrictions and (ii) as those restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	Loughborough
tabling member printed	Jane Hunt
uin	63539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>We are working closely with local authorities, retailers, food businesses and charities to enable blind and partially sighted people to access food through a variety of ways including: volunteers shopping for them, food deliveries from local retailers, wholesalers and food businesses, many of whom will take orders over the phone, as well increasing access to supermarkets for a priority delivery or click and collect slots. We have been able to secure a limited number of online delivery slots for the dedicated use of vulnerable people having difficulties getting food. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), alongside local authorities and other charities, can now help vulnerable individuals access these delivery slots.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS Volunteer Responders programme can be used by people who need to access food and essential supplies - they can be reached by calling 0808 196 3646 or visiting nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk. In addition, various sight loss charities are working directly with some of the major supermarkets to take forward some practical initiatives to help people with sight loss to access supermarkets.</p><p> </p><p>We are conscious that vulnerable people, including those who are blind or partially sighted, need further information on support services as social distancing restrictions ease. We are working closely with local authorities, charities and retailers to understand how changes in Government advice may affect accessibility and will update the community in due course.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 01/07/2020 16:43:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4839 label Biography information for Jane Hunt

1216767

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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 Supply
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 his Department has made of the level of risk to food security during the next 12 months.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	63415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>The UK’s high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources including robust supply chains across a number of countries, in addition to strong domestic production. In 2018, 55% of food we ate was produced in the UK, 26% was imported from the EU and the remainder from the rest of the world. This diversity helps food supply chains to remain resilient to disruptions.</p><p> </p><p>The response to Coronavirus has reinforced the resilience of the UK food supply chain and our well-established ways of working with the food industry. Industry has responded quickly and effectively to the significant changes in demand to ensure people have the food they need. Government and industry have also worked together to monitor potential economic and business impacts in preparation for the end of the Transition Period. We remain committed to working in partnership to respond to such challenges through considering the further measures needed to support public services, people and businesses.</p><p> </p><p>At present, we expect good domestic production this year and all short-term risks to international food supply chains have stabilised, and we have a free flow of goods into the country. Government will continue to maintain close ties internationally and monitor any risks that arise. The UK is a member of the Agricultural Markets Information System (AMIS) which monitors international food markets on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN. The latest updates show that global stocks of grains and cereals remain high following a number of good harvests.</p><p> </p><p>We are including a new requirement in the Agriculture Bill for the UK Government to report on food security to Parliament at least once every five years, demonstrating the importance we place on this subject. The report will contain information on food supply including the role of strong domestic production alongside diverse sources of supply.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 01/07/2020 16:41:31 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1216817

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Highly Protected Marine Areas: Angling
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 page 65 of the Benyon review Into Highly Protected Marine Areas; if he will make it his policy to not assign recreational angling with the red designation that applies to dredging, littering, discharges and commercial fishing; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Broxbourne
tabling member printed	Sir Charles Walker
uin	63245
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>We welcome the publication of the Review into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) on 8 June 2020, which is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highly-protected-marine-areas-hpmas-review-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highly-protected-marine-areas-hpmas-review-2019</a>. We will consider Richard Benyon’s report and issue a formal response to him in due course. The panel recommended that HPMAs would represent the upper end of environmental protection and should exclude all extractive activity, including recreational sea angling, to allow for full ecosystem recovery.</p><p>Defra recognises the importance of recreational sea angling to the economy, its benefits to the health and welfare of society, and the contribution anglers and angling bodies make to environmental improvements. We appreciate and understand the concerns raised by the recreational sea anglers since publication of the Benyon Review. We would consider the socio-economic impact of HPMAs on all sectors, including recreational sea angling, and consult extensively before any decision to designate a site.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 29/06/2020 14:47:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker

1216874

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Dogs: Smuggling
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 further steps he plans to take to tackle the illegal importation of puppies into the UK.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	63200
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>Defra takes the issue of puppy smuggling and other illegal importation of pets seriously. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to puppies and puts the health of pets and people in the UK at risk. We have legislation in place to ensure those guilty of offences are duly punished.</p><p> </p><p>We are listening to the concerns of stakeholders around future requirements and the Government is developing a range of options to strengthen our efforts to tackle puppy smuggling, taking into consideration the recommendations of stakeholders such as Dogs Trust. The end of the Transition Period may open up new opportunities for managing our own pet travel arrangements. As part of our wider work in this area, we have conducted a renewed rabies risk assessment and have commissioned assessments to understand the risks posed by tapeworms, as well as ticks and tick-borne disease. The results of these will be used to inform our future policy options.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding specific sentencing options, the end of the Transition Period will again present new opportunities. We want to ensure that there are robust controls on disease and animal welfare whilst allowing pet owners to continue to be able to travel to and from the EU with the minimum of disruption.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 63201 63202 question first answered 29/06/2020 15:28:38 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1216878

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Economic Growth: 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, what steps he is taking to ensure that policies designed to stimulate economic activity do not undermine the environmental aims of (a) the 25 Year Environment Plan, (b) the Environment Bill, (c) the Agriculture Bill, and (d) net zero legislation.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	63557
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no current plans to amend regulations and environmental protections in order to stimulate economic activity.</p><p> </p><p>However, as we rebuild our economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are working to deliver a fairer, greener and more resilient future. We will ramp up our world-leading work on our ambitious legislative agenda through our landmark Environment and Agricultural Bills. These bills will work hand in hand to protect and recover our precious natural environment and diverse ecosystems in line with our 25 Year Environment Plan to leave the environment in a better place than we have inherited it.</p><p> </p><p>The 25 Year Environment Plan will be adopted as the first statutory Environmental Improvement Plan under the Bill. The Environment Bill also creates a power to set long-term, legally-binding environmental targets. It requires Government to set, and achieve, at least one long-term target in four priority areas: air quality, biodiversity, water, and resource efficiency and waste reduction. We want them to be ambitious, credible, and supported by society. As a first step we expect to publish a Target Policy Paper over the coming months which will include further details about the target-setting process that we will be implementing.</p><p> </p><p>The net zero challenge remains and we need to transform our economy over the next three decades to end our contribution to climate change. In the UK we’ve already shown how to grow the economy while cutting emissions and we will continue to lead the world as we respond to the economic impacts of COVID-19 and develop our net zero strategy in advance of COP26.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 63296 question first answered 29/06/2020 11:53:21 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1216879

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Economic Growth: 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 the Government plans to change environmental (a) regulations and (b) protections in order to stimulate economic activity.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	63558
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no current plans to change environmental regulations and protections in order to stimulate economic activity.</p><p> </p><p>However, as we rebuild our economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are working to deliver a fairer, greener and more resilient future. We will ramp up our world-leading work on our ambitious legislative agenda through our landmark Environment and Agricultural Bills. These bills will work hand in hand to protect and recover our precious natural environment and diverse ecosystems in line with our 25 Year Environment Plan to leave the environment in a better place than we have inherited it.</p><p> </p><p>The net zero challenge remains and we need to transform our economy over the next three decades to end our contribution to climate change. In the UK we have already shown how to grow the economy while cutting emissions and we will continue to lead the world as we respond to the economic impacts of COVID-19 and develop our net zero strategy in advance of COP26.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 29/06/2020 13:00:28 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1216888

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Pets: 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, with reference to the pet travel scheme, if he will (a) re-introduce (i) the rabies blood test with a wait period in line with the incubation of the disease and (ii) the requirement for dogs and cats to be treated against ticks prior to entry into the UK, (b) shorten the tapeworm treatment window, (c) reduce the number of dogs allowed into the UK at one time under non-commercial rules and (d) bring forward legislative proposals to ensure the welfare of dogs and cats during transport between mainland Europe and the UK.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	63201
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>Defra takes the issue of puppy smuggling and other illegal importation of pets seriously. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to puppies and puts the health of pets and people in the UK at risk. We have legislation in place to ensure those guilty of offences are duly punished.</p><p> </p><p>We are listening to the concerns of stakeholders around future requirements and the Government is developing a range of options to strengthen our efforts to tackle puppy smuggling, taking into consideration the recommendations of stakeholders such as Dogs Trust. The end of the Transition Period may open up new opportunities for managing our own pet travel arrangements. As part of our wider work in this area, we have conducted a renewed rabies risk assessment and have commissioned assessments to understand the risks posed by tapeworms, as well as ticks and tick-borne disease. The results of these will be used to inform our future policy options.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding specific sentencing options, the end of the Transition Period will again present new opportunities. We want to ensure that there are robust controls on disease and animal welfare whilst allowing pet owners to continue to be able to travel to and from the EU with the minimum of disruption.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 63200 63202 question first answered 29/06/2020 15:28:38 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1216895

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Elephants: Conservation
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 funding his Department has allocated to programmes to help protect Asian elephants living in the wild.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	63307
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>Defra has provided over £4.2 million in funding for Asian elephants living in the wild since 2015 through the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund. These are competitive Defra grant schemes funded entirely through Official Development Assistance (ODA).</p><p> </p><p>The IWT Challenge Fund and the Darwin Initiative have committed £2.9 million and £1.3 million respectively for Asian elephants since 2015 through 14 separate projects. These include a project seeking to reduce the illegal ivory trade in Cambodia, and a project supporting Nepal’s world-leading community anti-poaching efforts.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/07/2020 14:53:31 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1216917

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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: Development Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Official Development Assistance programmes that his Department funds focus on supporting women and girls.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	63288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2020 answer text <p>Defra’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes deliver primarily on climate and biodiversity objectives but consideration is given to the contribution of all activities to reducing gender inequality, in line with the Gender Equality Act 2014.</p><p> </p><p>Some Defra ODA-funded programmes directly support women and girls, such as the International Climate Finance Blue Forests Initiative in Madagascar and Indonesia, a £10.1 million project to reduce the deforestation of mangrove habitat, create new sustainable livelihoods, support community health and women's empowerment and increase climate resilience in coastal communities. The Darwin Initiative funds hundreds of biodiversity projects worldwide, including the 'Partnering with Business for Restoration of Mt Kenya ecosystem services' project, which has worked with women in community-based organisations in Kenya, supporting them to fill leadership positions where they can voice their concerns and positively contribute to community-led initiatives.</p><p> </p><p>Further examples of Darwin projects that have supported women and girls can be found in a recent Darwin Initiative newsletter: <a href="http://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/assets/uploads/Darwin-Newsletter-March-2020-Gender-Equality-Empowerment-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">www.darwininitiative.org.uk/assets/uploads/Darwin-Newsletter-March-2020-Gender-Equality-Empowerment-FINAL.pdf</a>.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/07/2020 13:19:43 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1216926

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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 Bill
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 hold discussions with the Leader of the House on ensuring that there is parliamentary time to enable the Environment Bill to receive Royal Assent before the end of the transition period.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	63516
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>I would like to thank my honourable friend for his work on the Committee scrutinising the Environment Bill so far and I share his anticipation for the Bill’s return. I would like to assure him that the Government is working to resume the Bill’s consideration as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows us to do so. I and my department are in close contact with counterparts in the Leader’s and Whips’ Offices as to the resumption of scrutiny of the Bill.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/07/2020 14:50:36 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi