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1653905

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
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	Water Abstraction: Licensing
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 abstraction licence holders are given adequate time to adapt when their licences are (a) modified and (b) revoked.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	194764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency makes changes to abstraction licences to achieve environmentally sustainable levels of abstraction to meet its legal duties and the Government’s environmental ambitions. If a change to an abstraction licence is required to make it environmentally sustainable, the Environment Agency recognises that abstractors need time to adapt to this change. Accordingly, the Environment Agency writes to abstractors to warn them that their licences may need to change in the future with further detail to follow once it has completed its review of the licences. Additionally, the Environment Agency has said it will give abstractors time to adapt to any licence changes on a case-by-case basis depending on the environmental risks.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 08/09/2023 15:56:49 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1653906

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
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	Water Abstraction: Licensing
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 she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the Environment Agency to carry out an assessment of the potential impact on food production whenever there are changes to abstraction licences in the (a) agriculture and (b) horticulture sector.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	194765
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency already has a duty to consider the costs and benefits of its actions. The Environment Agency applies this duty in abstraction licence and regulatory decisions. There is recognition of the impact a change in abstraction licence conditions can have on the agriculture and horticulture sectors. Where restrictions and licence changes are absolutely necessary the Environment Agency looks to work directly with licence holders to implement changes on a voluntary basis first. When managing droughts, the Environment Agency also looks to introduce partial restrictions (e.g. abstraction every other day, or night time only) and then total bans on water abstraction as a last resort. During the drought of 2022, the Environment Agency avoided the need for total irrigation bans by using this approach. However, the cost-benefit duty does not override the need for the Environment Agency to undertake its wider duties and functions to meet statutory environmental objectives.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 05/09/2023 15:13:59 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1653907

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
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	Agriculture: Land Use
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 she has made an assessment of the potential impact of rewilding agricultural production on food security.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	194766
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>Wilding or rewilding is the restoration of ecosystems to the point where they are more regulated by natural processes.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is supporting a number of initiatives to create wilder landscapes across England, as part of a broader approach to nature recovery. However, rewilding is not appropriate in all situations, and we must balance priorities including food production.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to assess how land use change, including the restoration of natural processes, can contribute to net-zero, food security and supporting the farming sector.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 04/09/2023 08:37:11 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1653908

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
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	Agriculture: Compensation
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 merits of introducing a compensation scheme for farming businesses adversely impacted by species reintroductions.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	194767
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>As we look to deliver on our statutory environmental targets, including to halt the decline of species abundance by 2030, we are expanding our environmental land management schemes to incentivise farmers and land managers to provide environmental goods and services alongside food production. Paying for actions that make space for nature and encouraging the restoration of habitat will help to deliver environmental benefits as well as improve the interaction between species that may have been reintroduced and farming operations.</p><p> </p><p>Where the release of a species may impact on local land managers and businesses, a licence application would need to outline how these impacts would be mitigated as well as demonstrate sufficient funding to do so.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 04/09/2023 08:29:15 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1653909

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
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	Nature Conservation: Agriculture and 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, if the Government will (a) make impact assessments on all species reintroduction proposals in England mandatory and (b) require those impact assessments to assess the potential effects of those proposals on (i) agriculture and (ii) food production.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	194768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>An application for a licence to release a species must follow best practice guidance in our published Code for Reintroductions, and should outline the benefits and impacts that the proposal will have on the local environment, and socio-economic interests such as agriculture. We would expect an applicant to demonstrate that they have undertaken sufficient engagement with local stakeholders to understand and manage these impacts. Most reintroductions are of plant and invertebrate species like the lady’s slipper orchid and large blue butterfly, and often bring only benefits for the environment.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 04/09/2023 08:16:13 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1646351

registered interest
date	21/06/2023
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	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 her Department plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Stockton North to the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, dated 12 May 2023, on plans for ongoing monitoring and testing of the sea and sea life off the Teesside coast.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	190578
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2023 answer text <p>A reply was sent to the Rt. Hon member on Friday 23 June.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 26/06/2023 15:03:32 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1641762

registered interest
date	05/06/2023
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	Deep Sea Mining
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 she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for a moratorium on deep-sea mining.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	187634
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>Defra works closely with leads across Government to advise on the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining and the provision of effective protection for the marine environment. This includes collaboration with DBT, who are responsible for state sponsorship of UK Seabed Resources’ two exploration contracts, and the FCDO, who lead the UK delegation to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the international organisation through which States Parties organise and control deep-sea mining activities.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the growing pressure to extract deep-sea resources and are deeply concerned about the potential impacts of mining activities on the fragile marine environment. This is why the UK will maintain its precautionary and conditional position of not sponsoring or supporting the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and a strong, enforceable environmental regulatory framework has been developed at the ISA and is in place.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 07/06/2023 16:55:46 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1641763

registered interest
date	05/06/2023
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	Marine Animals: 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 UK’s role in protecting hitherto undiscovered marine species.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	187635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government plays a key role domestically and internationally to restore nature and halt global extinctions, both on land and in our ocean, through which we are delivering a range of activities which will contribute to the protection of known and currently undiscovered marine species.</p><p> </p><p>The UK was at the forefront of efforts to agree the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (“GBF”) at the UN Biodiversity Summit in December 2022. As leader of the Global Ocean Alliance, and Ocean co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, the UK helped deliver this landmark global deal for nature, with ambitious commitments relating to the protection, restoration, sustainable use and management of biodiversity, including the targets to halt human-induced extinctions of known threatened species and to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030 (30by30). Our Blue Belt programme now protects over 4.3 million square km of ocean around our overseas territories, and is an integral part of the UK’s contribution to the 30by30 target. We also continue to help developing countries around the world to protect their marine environments to the benefit of people and livelihoods through our £500m Blue Planet Fund, that aims to address climate change and biodiversity loss, support sustainable fisheries and tackle marine pollution.</p><p> </p><p>At home, the UK published an Environmental Improvement Plan in 2023, which sets out how we will deliver on the 25 Year Environment Plan. In English waters, we have established a comprehensive network of 178 marine protected areas covering 40% of English waters to help deliver the 30by30 commitment for the ocean, and we are now focusing on making sure they are protected properly. We have also committed to improve the Red List Index for England for species extinction by 2042 compared to 2022 levels.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 07/06/2023 16:52:45 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1626639

registered interest
date	10/05/2023
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	Shellfish: North Sea
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 she will take steps with the (a) Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and (b) Environment Agency to provide an inventory of the remaining samples from the original events that took place in (i) October 2021 and (ii) June 2022 in the North Sea.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	184384
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>Crustacean samples from the mortality incident are preserved and securely stored by Cefas. There are eight stored composite samples collected between October 2021 and October 2022, including samples collected early in the investigation by the Environment Agency and those obtained by the Fish Health Inspectorate. These comprise individual and pooled samples derived from more than 80 animals. Samples have been stored according to standard ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory procedures as frozen homogenised tissues, fixed histological preparations, or as partially processed tissues and organs (e.g., extracted DNA or RNA).</p><p> </p><p>Cefas is currently arranging for the remaining samples from the original crustacean mortality investigation to be provided to stakeholders in the Northeast in response to their request for any remaining sample material. Provision of these samples will be in line with reporting requirements for disease under Fish Health Inspectorate obligations.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 15/05/2023 11:36:56 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1626640

registered interest
date	10/05/2023
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	Shellfish: North East
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 she will establish an ongoing scientific programme to monitor recovery of the area of the North East impacted by the crustacean die-off in October 2021 and June 2022.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	184385
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>We are considering carefully if further analysis by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science can ascertain more conclusively the cause of this unusual mortality.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 15/05/2023 11:34:46 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham