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1235632

	registered interest
	date	17/09/2020
	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	Organic Food
	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 secure equivalence agreements for organic products with her international counterparts.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	91629
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2020 answer text <p>Defra is engaging with the 13 third countries with which we have organic equivalency arrangements and we expect to have arrangements in place for the end of the transition period. For countries with non-reciprocal arrangements, we will send them a letter confirming that we will continue to recognise their organic goods as we do now. For those countries with which we have reciprocal arrangements, we are updating the specific arrangements to reflect the end of the Transition Period.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the UK has proposed a technical annex which would include mutual recognition for organics as part of the Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 22/09/2020 12:11:56 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

758165

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2017
	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: Sign Language
	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 takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	9004
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2017 answer text <p>The Department communicates in the best way for our audiences and aims to meet specific communication or access to information requirements as requested or when a specific need has been identified.</p><p>Under the Equalities Act 2010, we have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that customers with disabilities can use our services as close as it is reasonably possible to get to the standard usually offered to non-disabled customers. To achieve this, we offer a variety of ways for customers to contact us, either with a general enquiry or to make a complaint, including by letter, telephone or email. We will always try to accommodate any request for adjustments from our customers to aid their communications with us.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 25/09/2017 09:16:52 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1382248

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2021
	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	Alcoholic Drinks: Supply Chains
	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 the supply of wine and spirits over the festive period 2021-22.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	81938
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2021 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response, and it is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. We do not anticipate disruption to the supply of alcohol this Christmas.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has acted quickly to tackle the challenges to our supply chains, which were brought on by global pressures including the pandemic and the international shortage of HGV drivers.</p><p> </p><p>Some of these Government-led key measures include the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency’s action to increase HGV tests to 3,000 per week, the introduction of 16-week skills bootcamps to train new and returning drivers and the Department for Transport’s action to streamline HGV testing with a minimised regulatory framework adding around 50,000 more tests to be conducted.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, the Transport Secretary relaxed driver hours regulation, allowing more deliveries to be made during unprecedented times of national driver shortage to manage food supply chain bottlenecks. This relaxation will last up to 9 January 2022 in England, Scotland and Wales covering the Christmas peak demand period for food across the supply chain.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 30/11/2021 11:42:49 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1539462

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2022
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published on 18 November 2020, how many nature projects have been delivered through point 9, protecting our natural environment, since the publication of that plan.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	79290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2022 answer text <p>Point 9 of The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced a number of actions government is putting in place to protect our natural environment. Since the publication of the Plan in November 2020, these measures have kick-started a number of nature projects:</p><p> </p><p>159 nature projects have been enabled by our £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund, a short-term competitive fund that has created and supported jobs in the nature sector across England. These projects have helped to restore nature, used nature-based solutions to tackle climate change and connected people with the natural environment.</p><p> </p><p>22 projects have been selected for the first round of Landscape Recovery, all of which have pioneering ideas that will improve the rural landscape and reverse the decline in nature. The successful projects will be awarded a share of around £12 million in development grants over the next two years, to help them finalise their delivery plans before starting implementation on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>25 schemes that include natural flood management (NFM) measures have secured approval to enter construction as part of the current Flood and Coastal Risk Investment Programme, with a further 27 forecast due to achieve the same stage by the end of this financial year (31 March 2023). These contribute towards an ambition of 260 schemes that include NFM measures by the end of the programme (March 2027).</p><p> </p><p>Two new Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) (the Yorkshire Wolds and Cheshire Sandstone Ridge) and two extensions to AONBs (the Surrey Hills and Chilterns) are under consideration by Natural England (NE) under our landmark designation programme. This programme is expected to be completed by 2025 and will play a key role in meeting HM Government’s commitment to protect and improve 30% of UK land for nature by 2030.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 15/11/2022 16:24:32 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1539461

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2022
	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	Flood Control: Capital Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published on 18 November 2020, how much his Department has spent on the six-year capital investment programme for flood and coastal defences through point nine on protecting our natural environment since the publication of that plan.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	79289
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2022 answer text <p>Investment in flooding and coastal erosion in England is provided by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).</p><p> </p><p>HM Government has invested £761 million in 2021/22, the first year of the capital Flood and Coastal Risk Investment Programme.</p><p> </p><p>Information on government spending on flood and coastal erosion risk management is available on GOV.UK within the document <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1070943%2FFunding_for_FCERM_March_2021_Final_v1_accessible.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7CMarcus.Fry%40defra.gov.uk%7Cfa258a8748e44438128d08dac1936a1b%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638035136140114326%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=9bPZWgRNxmvDPXbJQp0lvDcXGyDYUURN%2FYClQUpNRGk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England</a>, March 2022.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 14/11/2022 17:00:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1328117

	registered interest
	date	26/05/2021
	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	Flood 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, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2021 to Question 4583 on Flood control, if he will publish the content of that feedback.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	7799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2021 answer text <p>All organisations who submitted expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme have been offered detailed feedback. The significant details included in the expressions of interest and the subsequent feedback are commercially confidential, meaning that it is only appropriate for this to be handled between the applicant organisations and the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is continuing to work with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to take their <del class="ministerial">good</del> <ins class="ministerial">proposed</ins> ideas forward.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 07/06/2021 13:20:31 question first ministerially corrected 07/06/2021 13:38:48 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow previous answer version 4370 answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

753633

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2017
	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: Manufacturing Industries
	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 improve productivity in food manufacturing.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2017 answer text <p>Food and drink is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector employing 400,000 people. The success of the industry is crucial to driving growth across the country. <br></p><p>Through our International Action Plan, Defra and DIT are helping the sector to export more. This is through opening new markets, supporting new exporters and targeted export campaigns in priority markets such as China, USA and India. We are opening up public procurement to more SMEs and local producers and funding the Food Innovation Network to help the spread of innovation.</p><p>There is extensive interest in the Industrial Strategy across the sector as evidenced by their response to the Industrial Strategy green paper. The sector is also keen on a sector deal and we look forward to seeing detailed proposals.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 26/07/2017 13:20:20 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

753632

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2017
	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: Manufacturing Industries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1825, what financial support he plans to give to companies in the food manufacturing sector to secure jobs in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2017 answer text <p>Food and drink is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector employing 400 000 people. The success of the industry is crucial to driving growth across the country.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to support the sector through raising the profile and reputation of British food and drink overseas through the Food is GREAT campaign. Defra and DIT are also opening new markets and supporting exports in priority markets such as China, USA and India. We are opening up public procurement to more SMEs and local producers and funding the Food Innovation Network to help the spread of innovation.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 21/07/2017 16:04:26 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1507798

	registered interest
	date	22/09/2022
	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	Horticulture: Peat
	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 make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the Horticultural Trade Association's press release entitled HTA response to Defra announcement on horticultural peat, dated 27 August 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	54508
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2022 answer text <p>I welcome the good progress made in terms of reducing the quantity of peat used in growing media. However, there is significant support for ending the use of peat in horticulture which will contribute to our net zero carbon targets and prevent biodiversity loss. Officials are currently engaging with stakeholders, including the Horticultural Trade Association, in order to identify and overcome the remaining technical barriers to ending the use of peat in horticulture.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 11/10/2022 08:20:24 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1507797

	registered interest
	date	22/09/2022
	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	Horticulture: Peat
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the ban on the use of peat in horticulture announced by the Government in September 2022, which plants he plans to exempt from that ban.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	54507
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2022 answer text <p>The proposed ban will be framed in such a way as to provide time limited exemptions for the professional horticulture sector, in order to allow time to overcome technical barriers to ending the use of peat. Officials are currently consulting with horticulture industry representatives to inform our detailed proposals.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 12/10/2022 07:51:37 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson