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1138805

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
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	Flowers: 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 steps his Department is taking to encourage wildflower meadows throughout the country.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	277176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>We are taking action to encourage wildflower meadows by managing designated sites, providing incentives for habitat management and creation, and forging strong partnerships with landowners, communities and conservation bodies.</p><p> </p><p>Our agri-environment schemes provide incentives for creation and management of wildlife-rich habitat, including meadows. Since 2011, we have initiated creation of over 130,000 hectares of wildlife rich habitat, including wildflower meadows. Our new Environmental Land Management scheme will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environmental outcomes such as conserving and restoring such habitats.</p><p> </p><p>Our Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) provide protection for approximately two thirds of the total extent of 110,000 ha of semi-natural grassland Priority Habitat in England. Natural England’s 2018-19 SSSI designation programme identifies a further 12 sites containing important wildflower-rich grasslands. The 25 Year Environment Plan commits us to restoring 75% of SSSI areas to good condition.</p><p> </p><p>We work with partners to support the recovery of threatened species and their habitats. For example, Natural England are working with landowners and conservation organisations on the Back from the Brink programme including on the ‘Limestone’s Living Legacies’ project, restoring a network of limestone grassland sites in the West Midlands.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/07/2019 14:37:58 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1138806

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
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	Flowers: 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 assessment he has made of the contribution of wildflower meadows to the success of the various bee populations in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	277177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>Wildflowers provide pollen and nectar resources essential for sustaining wild and honey bees. Wildflower meadows therefore provide vital habitats for bee populations.</p><p> </p><p>Published scientific research has established that range contractions in many of our bee species are linked to the loss of species-rich habitats such as wildflower meadows. It also found that bee populations are more diverse on farms where wildflowers are sown or in landscapes with greater densities of wildflower meadows and other species-rich habitats.</p><p> </p><p>We also know that when we put wildflowers back, bees respond. Landscape-scale studies of wild bumblebee populations in farmed landscapes, led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and part-funded by Defra, revealed that providing flower-rich habitat enhances the long-term survival of bumblebee families.</p><p> </p><p>Through our programme of agri-environment monitoring, we are currently evaluating how sowing wildflowers on farms is supporting bee populations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/07/2019 16:38:58 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1138807

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
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	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease 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 steps he is taking to help farmers tackle the spread of bovine TB.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	277178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>We are pursuing a wide range of interventions as part of the Government’s strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England by 2038, including strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, licensing badger control, and promoting biosecurity on farms to help farmers prevent the spread of Bovine TB. Sir Charles Godfray’s independent review (published in November 2018) is an important contribution that will inform next steps in the strategy.</p><p> </p><p>In my Written Ministerial Statement of 20 June 2019, I announced plans to reinforce TB testing in the High Risk Area, invited applications for a third round of the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme and confirmed the licensing and authorisation by Natural England of three supplementary badger control areas for 2019.</p><p> </p><p>Our partnerships with other organisations have enabled the development of toolkits that support farmers to understand their role in the prevention and eradication of the disease, including the TB Hub, the iBTB website and the TB Advisory Service.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 18/07/2019 13:12:16 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1138841

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
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 steps his Department is taking to incentivise sustainable agricultural practices through the Environmental Land Management scheme.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	277285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) will be underpinned by the principle of payment of public money for public goods such as: clean air; clean and plentiful water; thriving plants and wildlife; reduced risk of harm from environmental hazards such as flooding and drought; enhanced beauty, heritage and engagement for the natural environment and mitigating and adapting to climate change. As the detail of the ELMS is developed, Defra will be exploring with stakeholders where sustainable farming practices can contribute to the delivery of these public goods.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 23/07/2019 15:31:36 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1138842

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
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	Rural Areas: Public Transport
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 had recent discussions with the Department for Transport on the environmentally-friendly expansion of rural public transport; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	277286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>Last December Defra and the Department for Transport (DfT) held a joint roundtable on rural bus services with a wide range of key stakeholders, exploring the issues and potential solutions for providing effective bus services in rural communities.</p><p> </p><p>The new Community Rail Development Strategy, published in November 2018, looks for ways to make it easier for the rail industry and local community rail partnerships to improve services and stations on local branch lines. Defra worked with DfT on the draft strategy and the consultation process on the strategy prior to its launch.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published its Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy in March and will be setting out thinking on the future of rural mobility in due course, to explore how the benefits of transport innovation can be enjoyed by everyone, wherever they live.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s ambitions for the Oxford Cambridge Arc recognise that it is an area of significant strength and opportunity. We recognise that a high-quality environment is key to achieving the ambition of a more productive and connected Arc and aim to meet our economic and housing ambitions while delivering on the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. Defra is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and DfT to create sustainable places for people and wildlife, to preserve the environment for future generations.  Within the Arc, we are encouraging the constituent local authorities to be looking to develop local potential transport systems that provide convenient, clean, effective, accessible, inclusive, safe and active travel, with less congestion and better air quality.</p><p> </p><p>Oxford City Council has received £2,334,480, through the Clean Bus Technology Fund, run by Defra and DfT’s Joint Air Quality Unit. This will retrofit 115 buses across Oxford and Oxfordshire to Euro VI standard.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 23/07/2019 15:09:00 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1138843

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
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: 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 his Department has taken to help the agricultural sector create new jobs in environmental land management.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	277287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>Through our proposed reforms and the policies set out in the Agriculture Bill we will increase demand and therefore employment opportunities for those who have these skills by financially supporting farmers who undertake environmental works. We regularly discuss these reforms with farmers and the educational and advisory services that serve farming; including the Food and Drink Sector Council who are specifically looking at the workforce, skills and jobs we want to see in the future.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 23/07/2019 15:25:22 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1138614

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
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	Bottles: Deposit Return Schemes
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 merits of a return scheme for plastic bottles of all sizes for the economy.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	276508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>We are currently analysing the responses and evidence submitted to the consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/07/2019 15:42:55 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1138660

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
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	Forests
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 information his Department holds on the amount of woodland there was in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
uin	276593
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Forestry Commission produces statistics on woodland area in the UK. These are Official Statistics, produced to meet the standard of the Code of Practice for Statistics.</p><p> </p><p>Woodland area statistics can be found on the Forest Research website, together with background information at:</p><p><a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/statistics-by-topic/woodland-statistics/" target="_blank">https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/statistics-by-topic/woodland-statistics/</a></p><p> </p><p>The area of woodland for each country since 2010, taken from the published statistics, is shown in the table below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><p>Woodland area (millions of hectares)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>England</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Wales</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Northern Ireland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>UK</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2010</strong></p></td><td><p>1.29</p></td><td><p>0.30</p></td><td><p>1.38</p></td><td><p>0.09</p></td><td><p>3.06</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011</strong></p></td><td><p>1.29</p></td><td><p>0.30</p></td><td><p>1.38</p></td><td><p>0.09</p></td><td><p>3.07</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p>1.30</p></td><td><p>0.30</p></td><td><p>1.40</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.11</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p>1.30</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.41</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.13</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p>1.30</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.42</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p>1.31</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.43</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p>1.31</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.44</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p>1.31</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.44</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p>1.31</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.45</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019</strong></p></td><td><p>1.31</p></td><td><p>0.31</p></td><td><p>1.46</p></td><td><p>0.11</p></td><td><p>3.19</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 22/07/2019 16:58:42 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1138678

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
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	Poultry: Animal Welfare
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 encourage (a) supermarkets, (b) restaurant chains and (c) hotel groups to sign up to the European chicken commitment.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	276519
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare, and the welfare of our farmed livestock in all systems is protected by comprehensive and robust legislation. After we leave the EU we will look to strengthen our world class welfare standards as new research and evidence emerges. In England, we intend to develop publicly funded schemes for farmers to deliver animal welfare enhancements beyond our high regulatory baseline that are valued by the public, but not sufficiently rewarded by the market. We also want to provide greater transparency and certainty for consumers, so that they have a clear understanding of the animal welfare standards applying to products. We note that the European Chicken Commitment initiative is also promoting enhancements beyond the regulatory baseline and we look forward to seeing how this voluntary initiative progresses.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 17/07/2019 14:40:12 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1138696

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
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	Japanese Knotweed: Weed 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 steps his Department is taking to ensure that homeowners are aware of Japanese knotweed, and what guidance his Department provides to homeowners who are affected by that invasive species.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	276522
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>Gov.uk contains a guidance page that provides information on the identification and treatment of Japanese Knotweed as well as providing links to The Invasive Non-Native Specialists Association and Property Care Association website for further advice.</p><p> </p><p>The Non-Native Species Secretariat website includes general information on Japanese knotweed and has also made a good practice management guide for Japanese knotweed freely available for download.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/07/2019 14:32:32 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly