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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

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

1138844

	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 ensure that its Environmental Land Management scheme is developed as part of the Government's overall strategy to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
	tabling member printed	Layla Moran
	uin	277288
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) will be designed to significantly contribute to the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and other initiatives such as net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The ELMS team will work with farmers, land managers, environmental bodies, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to test and trial new and innovative approaches to deliver environmental outcomes, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 23/07/2019 15:40:19 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1138869

	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	Plastics: EU Law
	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 the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the EU Single Use Plastics Directive 2019/904 which came into force on 3 July 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
	tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
	uin	277217
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>There is a two year transposition period for the EU Single Use Plastics Directive. An assessment of the legislative work required to transpose the directive is being carried out.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 23/07/2019 15:59:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1138894

	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	Nature Conservation: North Cornwall
	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 of the £7.7 million funding for the Back from the Brink programme is accessible to North Cornwall.
	tabling member constituency	North Cornwall
	tabling member printed	Scott Mann
	uin	277227
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>Programme funding was allocated to projects that will best help bring threatened species back from the brink, rather than on a regional basis. Projects are delivered across multiple locations so we are unable to give detailed geographical breakdowns. However, as part of the Ancients of the Future project, funding is being used in Lanhydrock, North Cornwall, and nearby Fowey Valley to survey, provide advice to land managers, and upskill local tree surgeons in techniques to manage ancient trees and woodlands providing habitat for bats and other wildlife. Another project aims to improve the prospects for the vulnerable Lesser Butterfly Orchid by providing advice to land managers in Greena Moor and nearby in Dunsdon National Nature Reserve.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 23/07/2019 16:36:11 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4496 label Biography information for Scott Mann

1138904

	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	Floods: House Insurance
	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 estimate the Government has made of the increase in building and contents insurance premiums as a result of the increase in claims for flood damage; and what assessment he has made of the value for money to customers of those increases.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	277165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not made estimates of increased premiums. Insurance companies are private businesses that take into account a range of factors when setting their premiums and excess in household insurance policies.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Flood Re was launched in April 2016 and is designed to improve the availability and affordability of household insurance policies for people living in high flood risk areas.</p><p> </p><p>The premiums under Flood Re are set in legislation and vary by the council tax band of the property and have a fixed excess per claim. In January 2019 these were reduced for the majority of council tax bands.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 277166 question first answered 23/07/2019 15:56:53 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1138905

	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	Floods: House Insurance
	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 the Government has had with the insurance industry on the increase in building and contents insurance premiums due to the increase in claims for flood damage.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	277166
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not made estimates of increased premiums. Insurance companies are private businesses that take into account a range of factors when setting their premiums and excess in household insurance policies.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Flood Re was launched in April 2016 and is designed to improve the availability and affordability of household insurance policies for people living in high flood risk areas.</p><p> </p><p>The premiums under Flood Re are set in legislation and vary by the council tax band of the property and have a fixed excess per claim. In January 2019 these were reduced for the majority of council tax bands.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 277165 question first answered 23/07/2019 15:56:53 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1138993

	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	Birds: Pest 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, how many licences his Department has issued to kill (a) cormorants and (b) goosanders in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
	tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
	uin	277096
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>The numbers of cormorant and goosander licences issued between 2014 and 2019 (to date) by Natural England on behalf of the Secretary of State are given in the table below. Individual licences are licences issued to an individual or angling club/fishery. An area based licence is one licence issued to a primary contact which covers multiple individuals amongst a group of fisheries within a defined catchment or area.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Species</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019</strong> <strong>(to date)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cormorant (Individual)</p></td><td><p>409</p></td><td><p>456</p></td><td><p>450</p></td><td><p>435</p></td><td><p>429</p></td><td><p>106</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Goosander (Individual)</p></td><td><p>31</p></td><td><p>35</p></td><td><p>29</p></td><td><p>29</p></td><td><p>29</p></td><td><p>9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cormorant only (Area Based Licence)</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Goosander only (Area Based Licence)</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cormorant / Goosander (Area Based Licence)</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/07/2019 14:33:27 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching