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1700015

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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 recent steps his Department has taken to protect (a) hedgerow habitats and (b) associated species.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20889
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>Hedgerows are important ecological and environmental building blocks across our landscapes. As set out in the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP), Defra will support farmers to create or restore at least 30,000 miles of hedgerows by 2037, increasing to 45,000 miles of hedgerows by 2050.</p><p> </p><p>On the 16 April the Government laid before Parliament new regulations that will place management practices for hedgerows on agricultural land into legislation. These practices include a cutting ban between 1 March and 31 August to protect nesting birds during this period, and a 2m buffer strip around a hedge where green cover must be established and maintained to protect the health of the hedge and the wildlife that use it.</p><p> </p><p>The new regulations will be supplemented by actions being undertaken by many through Environmental Land Management schemes. There are now over 55,920 miles of hedgerows with one or both sides managed under 16,000 Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farm Incentive agreements.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 23/04/2024 12:32:54 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1694673

registered interest
date	07/03/2024
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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 progress his Department has made on plans to (a) regulate and (b) maintain hedgerow protection.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Holly Mumby-Croft
uin	17702
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority.</p><p> </p><p>In June 2023, the Government launched a consultation on how hedgerows should be further protected in England. The responses to the consultation supported bringing hedgerow management rules into regulation and this is what the Government will do as soon as parliamentary time allows. The regulations will require a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of the hedge, where no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers must take place, and will ban the cutting of hedges between 1 March and 31 August. The regulations will support other Government actions and incentives, including over 90,000 km of hedgerows being managed through 16,000 agreements in the Government’s Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.</p><p>Defra is also working with stakeholders and other Government departments to understand how to support the creation and maintenance of hedgerows in non-agricultural contexts, to maximise the benefits they provide.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 17341 17450 question first answered 15/03/2024 12:22:49 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4867 label Biography information for Holly Mumby-Croft

1694278

registered interest
date	06/03/2024
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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 help protect hedgerows.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	17450
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority.</p><p> </p><p>In June 2023, the Government launched a consultation on how hedgerows should be further protected in England. The responses to the consultation supported bringing hedgerow management rules into regulation and this is what the Government will do as soon as parliamentary time allows. The regulations will require a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of the hedge, where no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers must take place, and will ban the cutting of hedges between 1 March and 31 August. The regulations will support other Government actions and incentives, including over 90,000 km of hedgerows being managed through 16,000 agreements in the Government’s Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.</p><p>Defra is also working with stakeholders and other Government departments to understand how to support the creation and maintenance of hedgerows in non-agricultural contexts, to maximise the benefits they provide.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 17341 17702 question first answered 15/03/2024 12:22:49 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1647964

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 189114 on Hedges and Ditches: Conservation, what is her expected timeline for when the consultation on regulatory arrangements will be published.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	191235
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2023 answer text <p>On 28 June 2023, we launched a consultation on how we can best protect hedgerows through effective, proportionate regulation as we phase out farm subsidies and cross compliance rules. The consultation will be open for 12 weeks and closes at 23:59 on 20 September 2023.</p><p> </p><p>We want to ensure the regulations work for wildlife, the environment and for farmers. This consultation is seeking views on the best way to maintain and improve existing protections, as well as our approach to enforcement. We would like everyone who cares about hedgerows – including farmers, stakeholder organisations and members of the public – to read our consultation document and share their views on our plans.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/06/2023 14:54:49 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1643821

registered interest
date	12/06/2023
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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 she is taking to ensure that the gap in legal protection for hedgerows because of the transition from basic payments to the Environmental Land Management scheme that will arise on 31 December 2023 will be filled on 1 January 2024.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	189113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>We recognise the importance and value of hedgerows, which have a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and enhancing our countryside. As we move away from legacy EU Common Agricultural Policy arrangements, we are committed to ensuring our high environmental standards are maintained and that we have the right framework in place. Whilst the majority of hedgerows are on agricultural land, approximately a fifth are not. It is important, therefore, that all landowners recognise their importance and do their bit to protect them.</p><p> </p><p>The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales outside of cross compliance. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. It decides whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ and should not be removed because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological value. Alongside the Hedgerows Regulations, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests. These regulations jointly provide important protections for most countryside hedgerows and for nesting wild birds.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to these legislative protections, our new Environmental Land Management schemes will also continue to fund the improvement and management of hedgerows, in recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside.</p><p> </p><p>We will be consulting shortly on what the regulatory arrangements for hedgerows should be after cross compliance ceases at the end of 2023 and how we can best continue to improve and protect hedgerows.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 189114 question first answered 15/06/2023 15:49:36 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1643822

registered interest
date	12/06/2023
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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 she has made of the potential impact on nesting birds of delinking publicly funded farm payments and minimum good practice requirements for hedges because of the transition from basic payments to the Environmental Land Management scheme.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	189114
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>We recognise the importance and value of hedgerows, which have a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and enhancing our countryside. As we move away from legacy EU Common Agricultural Policy arrangements, we are committed to ensuring our high environmental standards are maintained and that we have the right framework in place. Whilst the majority of hedgerows are on agricultural land, approximately a fifth are not. It is important, therefore, that all landowners recognise their importance and do their bit to protect them.</p><p> </p><p>The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales outside of cross compliance. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. It decides whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ and should not be removed because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological value. Alongside the Hedgerows Regulations, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests. These regulations jointly provide important protections for most countryside hedgerows and for nesting wild birds.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to these legislative protections, our new Environmental Land Management schemes will also continue to fund the improvement and management of hedgerows, in recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside.</p><p> </p><p>We will be consulting shortly on what the regulatory arrangements for hedgerows should be after cross compliance ceases at the end of 2023 and how we can best continue to improve and protect hedgerows.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 189113 question first answered 15/06/2023 15:49:36 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1623908

registered interest
date	25/04/2023
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	Hedges and Ditches: Conservation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the (1) planting, and (2) restoration, of hedgerows in England.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL7443
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>Hedgerows make a valuable contribution to climate change, our countryside and nature and we are already investing heavily in this crucial habitat. There are currently 79,741km of hedgerows with one, or both sides managed under Countryside or Environmental Stewardship options and we’ve supported 11,800km of hedgerow creation or restoration through Countryside Stewardship capital grants. Defra will continue to encourage and support hedgerows through our environmental land management schemes, including providing funding through the addition of a new Hedgerow standard as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in 2023.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 03/05/2023 14:28:01 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1535424

registered interest
date	24/10/2022
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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, whether he plans to adopt a national hedgerow planting and restoration target equivalent to that of the national tree planting target.
tabling member constituency	Rushcliffe
tabling member printed	Ruth Edwards
uin	69818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>HM Government does not currently have plans to adopt a national hedgerow planting and restoration target equivalent to that of the national tree planting target.</p><p> </p><p>We are required by the Environment Act 2021 to set at least one long-term biodiversity target, in addition to our target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This target, and others set under the Act, will help target the causes of decline and drive actions to deliver nature recovery.</p><p><br> We will also be setting out our pathways to meet these targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan due in 2023. To meet our species abundance target we will need to create more, better joined up habitats, which will include hedgerows.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 02/11/2022 13:16:54 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4808 label Biography information for Ruth Edwards

1420826

registered interest
date	08/02/2022
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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, whether he plans to introduce a national hedgerow planting target to restore the 50 per cent of hedgerow coverage lost since World War 2.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	120627
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2022 answer text <p>Hedgerows are one of the most important ecological building blocks in our farmed landscape. They maintain the distinctive character of our countryside, providing crucial habitats and food for wildlife. Our future farming schemes will incentivise the planting and sustainable management of hedgerows across England.</p><p> </p><p>We are required by the Environment Act 2021 to set at least one long term biodiversity target, in addition to our target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This target, and others set under the Act, will help target the causes of decline and drive actions to deliver nature recovery. We will shortly be carrying out a public consultation on proposed targets, including for biodiversity.</p><p> </p><p>We will also be setting out our pathways to meet these targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan due in 2023. In order to meet our species abundance target we will need to create more, better joined up habitats, which will include hedgerows.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 119441 question first answered 16/02/2022 16:15:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1420206

registered interest
date	07/02/2022
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	Hedges and Ditches: 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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a legally binding target which would match or exceed the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation to increase hedgerow coverage by 40 per cent by 2050, with interim targets of 20 per cent by 2035.
tabling member constituency	South West Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Andrew Selous
uin	119441
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2022 answer text <p>Hedgerows are one of the most important ecological building blocks in our farmed landscape. They maintain the distinctive character of our countryside, providing crucial habitats and food for wildlife. Our future farming schemes will incentivise the planting and sustainable management of hedgerows across England.</p><p> </p><p>We are required by the Environment Act 2021 to set at least one long term biodiversity target, in addition to our target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This target, and others set under the Act, will help target the causes of decline and drive actions to deliver nature recovery. We will shortly be carrying out a public consultation on proposed targets, including for biodiversity.</p><p> </p><p>We will also be setting out our pathways to meet these targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan due in 2023. In order to meet our species abundance target we will need to create more, better joined up habitats, which will include hedgerows.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 120627 question first answered 16/02/2022 16:15:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous