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1700741

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Floods: Somerset
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 Somerset Levels' resilience to flooding during the winter of 2023–24.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3780
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Catchments like the Brue on the Somerset Levels &amp; Moors have seen record breaking conditions. Hundreds of properties have been flooded across Somerset and the Lead Local Flood Authority (Somerset Council) is planning to publish 11 Section 19 flooding reports.</p><p>Protecting some communities on the Somerset Levels and Moors from flooding is reliant on careful management of water levels, the storage and pumping of water from the moors, mobilisation of enhanced pumping capacity as well as targeted water injection dredging and the delivery of further flood/drought risk management interventions. Continued operation and maintenance of flood risk structures and equipment is essential to manage the risk. Future investment needs to factor in climatic change and help reach net zero.</p><p>Led by the Environment Agency, tens of millions are being invested in flood storage reservoirs to ensure they are safe and the Bridgwater tidal barrier will reduce tidal flood risk to 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses. The detailed design is complete and enabling works are underway.</p><p>The natural geography of the Somerset Levels and Moors, in combination with climate change, indicates communities and businesses must remain prepared for flooding. The Somerset Rivers Authority Partnership, which has recently consulted on and published a new 10-year strategy, is helping Flood risk management authorities to work together so the Levels and Moors become a more climate resilient place.</p><p>The Government’s drive to tackle climate change, alongside exiting the EU is delivering an evolution of environmental, flood risk and farming policy. This change is presenting tangible economic and environmental opportunities for the communities living and working on the Levels and Moors in this pump drained landscape.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 24/04/2024 13:45:51 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1700742

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Hornets
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 spread of reported Asian hornet nesting sites in England since 2019.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>A risk assessment for Asian hornet was completed in 2011. The <a href="https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/RA_Vespa_velutina_Asian_Hornet.pdf" target="_blank">risk assessment</a> concluded that there were multiple pathways through which Asian hornet could arrive in England and therefore that entry was very likely. Several areas were identified where Asian hornet incursions were thought to be most likely and this included Southern English counties, coastal regions, open areas near fresh water and areas close to ports and airports.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2019 there have been 80 Asian hornet nests located and destroyed in Great Britain with 77 of these nests located in the South of England.</p><p> </p><p>In 2023 there was a large increase in the number of nests when compared to all previous years, with 72 nests located and destroyed. The majority of the nests were located in the South-East (62), while 8 were located in the South and South-West and 2 were located in the North of England.</p><p> </p><p>We ask all members of the public to be vigilant for sightings of Asian hornet during the peak season (June-October) as Asian hornets are known to be an effective hitch hiker and may be spotted anywhere across the country.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/04/2024 13:40:59 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon attachment 1 file name HL3781 attachment.pdf title Risk Assessment
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1700743

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Hornets
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 effect of the spread of Asian hornets on the welfare of (1) honey bees, and (2) other insect populations, in England; and what action they are taking to prevent the further spread of this invasive species.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government recognises the essential role played by honey bees and wild pollinators in our environment, acknowledging their contribution to crop pollination. Additionally, pollinators play a vital role in supporting the natural ecosystem.</p><p> </p><p>Asian hornets prey on honey bees and other pollinators so pose a significant threat to these insects. To date rapid action has been taken in the UK to find and destroy Asian hornet nests.</p><p> </p><p>In 2023 a total of 72 nests were located and destroyed, the majority of these were located in the South-East (62). The National Bee Unit (NBU), part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, rapidly located and destroyed the nests so we would expect any impacts on honey bee colonies and other pollinators to be small and localised.</p><p> </p><p>From the analysis of nests found in 2023, a number of areas were identified where there is a low risk that Asian hornet queens may have overwintered. To address this, the NBU is carrying out spring trapping and working collaboratively with stakeholders to monitor traps at locations across Kent, East Sussex, Devon and North Yorkshire.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to taking swift and effective contingency action against Asian hornet in 2024 thereby continuing to minimise the impacts on honey bees and other pollinators.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/04/2024 13:40:12 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1699239

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Scaffolding
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of occasions on which scaffolding around domestic and commercial buildings was erected illegally in England in the most recent year for which figures are available, and whether this figure is decreasing or increasing.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3629
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this data.</p> answering member printed Lord Johnson of Lainston question first answered 08/05/2024 14:49:27 answering member 4949 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Lainston
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1698288

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Community Development: Isles of Scilly
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, have they made of the cultural and economic welfare of the permanent residents of the Scilly Isles.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is committed to levelling up all parts of our country. We have also recognised the unique circumstances and needs of island communities and their residents, including by establishing the Islands Forum. The Forum is a mechanism for discussing the challenges and opportunities faced by island communities, and for considering how by working together local government and the UK Government (and where relevant the devolved administrations) can support the people of islands across the UK.</p><p>The Isles of Scilly has been awarded up to £6 million to fund a museum and cultural centre on St Mary’s. In addition, the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £6.8 million to the Council of the Isles of Scilly, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £0.5 million or 8% in cash terms on 2023-24. This includes an additional £150,000 in funding in recognition of the unique circumstances facing our island authorities, and their physical separation from the mainland.</p> answering member printed Baroness Swinburne question first answered 08/04/2024 15:11:41 answering member 4985 label Biography information for Baroness Swinburne
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1698289

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Local Government: South West
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government which specific counties are included within the term "the west country of England" when they refer to this region.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3593
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2024 answer text <p>The West Country is not an official region, but could be loosely and approximately defined to match the South West region. The West of England, covers a much smaller area, focussed around the Greater Bristol and Bath city region. The West of England Combined Authority is made up of the following local authority areas: South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath &amp; North East Somerset.</p> answering member printed Baroness Swinburne question first answered 11/04/2024 09:14:45 answering member 4985 label Biography information for Baroness Swinburne
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1698290

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: Tunisia
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, have they made of the number of illegal migrants who have reached the UK from or via Tunisia in each of the last 3 years.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3594
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ release published on gov.uk. Data on detected irregular arrivals by nationality is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d63f15188d77001603886b/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-detailed-dataset-year-ending-dec-2023.xlsx" target="_blank">Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets</a>’ with the latest data up to the end of December 2023.</p><p>Please note these statistics do not include details of countries of transit, and nationality may differ from country of origin.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 10/04/2024 15:38:12 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom attachment 1 file name irregular-migration-to-the-UK-detailed-dataset-year-ending-dec-2023 (5).xlsx title Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1691860

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Reservoirs
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 adequacy of reservoirs in England and Wales in ensuring continuous water supplies to meet (1) domestic, and (2) industrial, demand.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL2750
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure.</p><p> </p><p>It is a duty on water companies to maintain, improve and extend their water supply networks, to account for future water needs, such as those for domestic and industrial users. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2751 question first answered 11/03/2024 12:20:44 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1691861

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Reservoirs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made since the year 2000 of the need for new reservoirs in England and Wales.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL2751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure.</p><p> </p><p>It is a duty on water companies to maintain, improve and extend their water supply networks, to account for future water needs, such as those for domestic and industrial users. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2750 question first answered 11/03/2024 12:20:44 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1688809

registered interest
date	12/02/2024
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	Lighting: Pollution
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 efficacy of current planning legislation in limiting light pollution of the night skies in England.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL2402
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The National Planning Policy Framework states that planning policies and decisions should “limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation.”</p><p>The character of the area and the surrounding environment is already a material consideration about what will be considered an appropriate level of lighting for a development. This applies to both new housing and new commercial developments.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 26/02/2024 12:17:34 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten