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1657554

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many digital, data and technology staff (including contractors) are currently employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that number.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
uin	HL9739
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>As of 31 July 2023 the number of permanent digital, data and technology staff in Defra was 940, and the number of contingent workers was 201. This is the number of staff in our Digital, Data and Technology Services Directorate only, there will be some additional staff working on digital, data and technology activity elsewhere across the rest of Defra group. Our HR systems do not currently allow us to identify staff in this category.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continually keeps its resourcing under review. For digital, data and technology (DDaT) roles, there are particular challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining civil servant staff – as acknowledged by the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports into Defra’s technology, and by the Central Digital and Data Office’s own analysis and roadmap for DDaT in Government more generally. Defra therefore uses a blended model of civil servants, contingent labour and suppliers to deliver DDaT work, and has the resourcing needed to deliver the work required. As market conditions change, Defra regularly reviews the most efficient and effective blend of resourcing to deliver its work.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/09/2023 11:38:13 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1657555

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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	Food Supply: Climate Change
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impacts of climate change and the increased frequency of extreme weather events on (1) domestic food producers, and (2) food security.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
uin	HL9740
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>The Climate Change Act 2008 established the framework for strengthening the UK’s preparedness for climate change. The Act requires that the government publish a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years, which identifies the specific risks facing the UK from climate change. The most recent CCRA was published in January 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The CCRA is followed by the publication of a National Adaptation Programme, which sets out the government’s response to the risks identified by the CCRA. The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) was published in July 2023, and addresses all 61 risks and opportunities identified in the third CCRA. NAP3 includes dedicated responses to risks to domestic agricultural productivity and UK food availability, safety, and quality from climate change overseas.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Food Security Report is a triannual statistical report required under the Agriculture Act 2020. The first report was published in 2021 and the next report, due in 2024, will continue to improve our understanding of climate risks to UK food security.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 12/09/2023 16:01:35 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1657556

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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	Crops: Climate Change
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, support is available to domestic food producers whose crops are damaged or lost as a result of climate change-related extreme weather events.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
uin	HL9741
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>We are aware of the concerns on variable weather conditions. The full impact will become more apparent as the harvest progresses – results will vary by region, area, crop, soil type, and fertiliser applications amongst other factors. The reality of the UK climate means that fluctuations in yield are expected and managed year on year by farmers.</p><p> </p><p>We are keeping the situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), which was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market situation across all key agricultural commodities. We also continue to regularly engage with industry to supplement our analysis with real-time intelligence.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/09/2023 13:10:45 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1657557

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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	Food: Prices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of climate change-related crop loss as a driver of recent increases in food prices; and what proportion of those price increases they assess this accounts for.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
uin	HL9742
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, agricultural prices, labour and manufacturing costs, Sterling exchange rates and agricultural productivity. As such, we do not have an assessment of the direct or indirect impacts of climate change on food prices.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 12/09/2023 16:00:28 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1657558

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Defence and National Security: Climate Change
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, mitigating actions they are taking to protect key (1) defence, and (2) national security, sites across the UK from the effects of climate change.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
uin	HL9743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>A key objective of the Strategy for Defence Infrastructure, published in Jan 2022, is to ensure the estate is resilient to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. The Department has an established site level bespoke Climate Impact Risk Assessment Methodology to identify and assess vulnerabilities, and to drive local mitigation and adaptation. To date, over 200 military bases have been assessed including all of Defence’s Critical National Infrastructure sites.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will publish its strategic Estate Climate Resilience Plan (ECRP) in 2024, which will further build on the programme of these assessments.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 18/09/2023 15:40:32 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1657559

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Administration
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for (1) licences, (2) grants, (3) subsidies, and (4) certificates, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs carried out (a) on paper, and (b) digitally, in the last year for which records are held.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
uin	HL9744
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p>Defra Group is developing a digital transformation strategy which will express our collective ambition to provide joined-up digital services for citizens and businesses and to deliver environmental outcomes in a more efficient and effective way, through harnessing opportunities presented by digital data and technology.</p><p>Areas of focus for our citizen and business facing services include:</p><p>Reducing the number of paper forms people are required to complete.</p><p>Making our services joined-up, consistent, user-friendly and accessible.</p><p>Reducing manual processing to provide faster outcomes.</p><p>As part of the strategy, we will explore our common types of services i.e. licences and grants, to identify opportunities to improve and consolidate our service and technology estate.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/09/2023 11:36:54 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1657560

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept id	215
answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
hansard heading	Drax Group: Publications
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the annual ‘limited assurance’ report commissioned by Drax provides an adequate and appropriate level of assurance with respect to the accuracy of its sustainability data.
tabling member printed	Lord Birt
uin	HL9758
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Government has made no such assessment. Generating stations, including Drax, must provide an annual independent sustainability audit report to Ofgem, not to Government, to verify the information it reports each month. Ofgem may conduct a compliance investigation to establish whether a generator is in breach of its sustainability reporting requirements relating to the Renewables Obligations scheme if there is reason to suspect non-compliance.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 18/09/2023 10:58:15 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

1657561

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Temporary Accommodation: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the data on homelessness published on 25 July that showed that more than 131,000 children were living in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2023, what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL9769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2023 answer text <p>Temporary accommodation ensures no family is without a roof over their head, however the Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs.</p><p>That is why Government has provided local authorities in excess of £1 billion over the next 3 years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. Local authorities can use the funding flexibly to work with landlords to prevent evictions and offer financial support for people to find a new home and move out of temporary accommodation.</p><p>This is on top of total government support of over £94 billion over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, meaning around 8 million households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in payments this year.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook grouped question UIN HL9770 question first answered 15/09/2023 13:55:36 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1657562

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Homelessness: Families
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 families at risk of homelessness.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL9770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2023 answer text <p>Temporary accommodation ensures no family is without a roof over their head, however the Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs.</p><p>That is why Government has provided local authorities in excess of £1 billion over the next 3 years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. Local authorities can use the funding flexibly to work with landlords to prevent evictions and offer financial support for people to find a new home and move out of temporary accommodation.</p><p>This is on top of total government support of over £94 billion over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, meaning around 8 million households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in payments this year.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook grouped question UIN HL9769 question first answered 15/09/2023 13:55:36 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1657563

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Local Housing Allowance: Families
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on families of freezing local housing allowance rates for the past three years.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL9771
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2023 answer text <p>No Assessment has been made, however the department works closely with stakeholders, Jobcentres and Local Authorities to understand the impact of its policies on families.</p><p> </p><p>The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) policy is kept under regular review and rates are reviewed annually by the Secretary of State. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.</p><p>In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. This significant investment has been maintained ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so.</p><p>Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.</p><p>We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively.</p><p>Over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 the Government is providing support in excess of £94 billion to help households with the rising cost of living.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/09/2023 12:41:24 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham