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1694224

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	Biodiversity
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 plans to take to help tackle biodiversity decline.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>This Government is committed to turning the tide on nature’s decline. That is why, in England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. We have legislated to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to reverse species decline by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats.</p><p> </p><p>These targets, alongside other targets, on water and air quality for example, will drive action to create and restore habitats, reduce pressures on nature, and recover species. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64a6d9c1c531eb000c64fffa/environmental-improvement-plan-2023.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Improvement Plan</a> (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.</p><p> </p><p>We have introduced significant new funding for nature - for woodland and peatland restoration, for green recovery and for landscape scale nature recovery - and we are developing new land management schemes that reward environmental benefits. In the update to our Agricultural Transition Plan, published in January this year, we announced premium payments for actions that will achieve greater environmental benefits, supporting habitats and species.</p><p> </p><p>In November we announced the 34 projects selected for the £25 million second round of our Landscape Recovery scheme. These projects will collectively restore more than 35,000 hectares of peatland, create over 7,000 hectares of new woodland and benefit more than 160 protected sites (SSSIs).</p><p> </p><p>In June last year we also launched a £25 million Species Survival Fund to provide early progress towards our species abundance targets and support the recovery of declining species. The fund will support projects focussed on the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, including on protected sites. Successful applications to the fund will be announced this month.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 09/04/2024 13:01:14 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1694225

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: Nature 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 he plans to take to help protect hedgerows.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17341
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 17450 17702 question first answered 15/03/2024 12:22:49 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1694226

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	Agriculture: Sustainable Development
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 support farmers pursue nature-friendly farming.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan says we are aiming for between 65 to 80% of landowners and farmers to adopt nature friendly farming on at least 10-15% of their land by 2030.</p><p>This will be delivered through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity.</p><p>Farmers will be supported to deliver these measures through our Environmental Land Management schemes (Countryside Stewardship, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and Landscape Recovery), the Farming Investment Funds and Farming Innovation Programme, woodland creation and tree health grants, and grants to assist with the cost of improved slurry infrastructure and equipment.</p><p>We will continue to work with farmers and land managers to ensure we achieve these targets in the most effective way, and in a way that works best for farmers and farm businesses and supports our commitment to maintain domestic food production.</p><p>These changes are effective, we are seeing over 100 farmers a day on average applying for the Sustainable Farming Incentive.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/03/2024 15:04:53 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1694227

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	Marine Protected Areas
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 he has made of the number and proportion of the marine protected area network is in (a) effective management and (b) favorable condition.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17343
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>We have established a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering 40% of English waters and last year introduced a new statutory MPA target. All MPAs are protected through the planning and licensing process. We are also working with regulators to introduce any necessary additional management measures. 60% of the 181 English MPAs are already protected from damaging fishing activity through byelaws, including the new byelaw announced in February to ban bottom trawling in a further 13 MPAs. Our scientific advisors (Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) are developing an MPA monitoring strategy to assess progress towards meeting the statutory MPA target, including whether the necessary management measures are in place. The current estimate is that 44% of our protected features are in favourable condition.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/03/2024 15:31:34 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1694232

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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions
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 respond to Question 13730 on Environmental Land Management Schemes tabled by the hon. Member for Croydon North on 8 February 2024.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17344
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>A response to Question 13730 is being prepared and will be provided as soon as possible. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/03/2024 15:22:06 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1694235

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	Agriculture: Nature 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 he is taking to help farmers secure long term private finance for nature restoration.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17346
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>As we set out in our Agricultural Transition Plan update in January, we want farmers and land managers to be able to confidently and securely access payments from both the public and private sector for the environmental benefits they produce.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is:</p><ul><li>supporting farmer-led innovation through Round 3 of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund and two rounds of Landscape Recovery. These schemes will further test how nature markets and private investment can work with public funds and provide examples of how farmers can access both sources of income and deliver more for the environment.</li><li>developing standards for high integrity private investment into nature through the BSI nature investment standards programme.</li><li>committing £30 million of investment into a blended finance Big Nature Impact Fund, which will unlock significant private investment into UK nature projects (e.g. tree planting) that can provide a return on investment.</li><li>designing the environmental land management offer to make it easier for farmers to identify what private sector income they can access alongside any public payments.</li><li>helping farmers with advice and support on accessing nature markets; for example, Defra supported the Green Finance Institute to develop a Farming Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities, which was published in January.</li><li>exploring with industry representatives ways to provide clarity on the taxation of nature markets.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We published an update on 12 March on progress to implement other measures in the Nature Markets Framework, and we will consult on specific steps and interventions needed to support growth of high integrity carbon and nature markets in the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 27/03/2024 14:21:53 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed