Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1186572

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2020
	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	Plumbing: Key Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if people carrying out essential drain and plumbing work can be classed as key workers to maintain public health.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	32224
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>The list of key workers published on the GOV.UK website includes those providing essential roles in the water sector (including sewerage).</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance in people’s homes can be found at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance</a>.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/03/2020 10:59:57 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1667762

	registered interest
	date	07/11/2023
	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	Wildlife: 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 Fifth Special Report of Session 2022-23 of the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Species Reintroduction: Government response to the Committee's Fifth Report, published on 27 October 2023, HC 1931, on what criteria her Department decides when it is appropriate to support the reintroduction of recently lost former native species.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	446
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2023 answer text <p>The reintroduction of any species in England should follow our published guidance and Code for Reintroductions, which provides the best practice for assessing the benefits and impacts of releasing a species into the wild. The appropriateness of a reintroduction proposal will be highly dependent on the specific circumstances in which it is made, for example the surrounding environmental conditions, socio-economic circumstances, or species already present in that location. As such, Natural England assess applications for release licences on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that any applications align to the Code.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 13/11/2023 15:29:43 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1280181

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2021
	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: Northwich
	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 his recent visit to the Northwich area in Weaver Vale constituency, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the drainage infrastructure following recent flooding; and what support he plans to provide to (a) businesses and (b) households in the context of that matter.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	143082
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2021 answer text <p>Storm Christoph brought over a month's rain in 30 hours onto already wet catchments. This overwhelmed the capacity of the combined foul (waste water) and surface water sewer network in Northwich, owned by the local water company. The Environment Agency is leading a review of the drainage infrastructure, its capacities and possible overflow points before foul and surface water reaches the town centre. Following the review, the Environment Agency and partners will develop a series of options.</p><p>The responsibility for coordinating the management of surface water flooding falls to Lead Local Flood Authorities and they are expected to have well established contingency arrangements in place and to be able to respond and support their local communities. In managing these risks the Lead Local Flood Authority will work with other flood Risk Management Authorities. This includes the local Highways Authorities, who are responsible for highway and gully maintenance, and the water and sewerage companies who operate and maintain the sewer network.</p><p>Water and sewerage companies are under a duty (section 94, Water Industry Act 1991) to maintain their sewers to ensure that their area is effectually drained. Consideration of whether this duty have been breached, and any subsequent enforcement action, would be taken by Ofwat. Following the 2019 Price Review the water and sewerage companies have committed to invest more than £1 billion to protect the environment, homes, businesses and drinking water from flooding.</p><p>Under section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 a Lead Local Flood Authority is required to investigate, to the extent that they consider it necessary or appropriate, flooding incidents, including whether Risk Management Authorities have exercised their functions. Once completed the report must be published and the relevant Risk Management Authorities notified.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 28/01/2021 14:28:26 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1609762

	registered interest
	date	14/04/2023
	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: Labelling
	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 she plans to take steps to extend food labelling regulations to smaller businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	179895
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2023 answer text <p>All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules. Existing food labelling regulations provide the rules businesses must follow, setting out the mandatory labelling requirements for prepacked food, including information necessary to keep consumers safe and prevent misleading practices.</p><p> </p><p>Small businesses providing products locally may be exempt from a small number of non-safety related requirements. This includes the requirement to provide a nutrition declaration on prepacked foods.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 20/04/2023 15:20:58 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1648665

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2023
	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	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, whether she has made contingency plans in case there are no appropriate and approved conservation covenant responsible bodies in time for the implementation of biodiversity net gain in November.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	191650
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>Guidance for any organisations considering applying to become a conservation covenant responsible body will be published and the application process launched as soon as possible, in readiness for the implementation of biodiversity net gain (BNG).</p><p> </p><p>Land for BNG can already be secured via standard planning obligations such as s106.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 191649 191651 question first answered 04/07/2023 11:30:02 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1648666

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2023
	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	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, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays in the availability of conservation covenants on the ability of local authorities to prepare the implementation of biodiversity net gain in November 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	191651
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>Guidance for any organisations considering applying to become a conservation covenant responsible body will be published and the application process launched as soon as possible, in readiness for the implementation of biodiversity net gain (BNG).</p><p> </p><p>Land for BNG can already be secured via standard planning obligations such as s106.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 191649 191650 question first answered 04/07/2023 11:30:02 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1608560

	registered interest
	date	29/03/2023
	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	Honey: Sales
	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 her Department has made a recent assessment of the implications for its policies of reports of potential adulteration of honey sold in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	176732
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>All honey on sale in the UK must comply with the Honey (England) Regulations 2015, with equivalent legislation applying across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This legislation sets out detailed specifications for composition, labelling, and quality criteria.</p><p> </p><p>The Government takes any type of food fraud very seriously, including honey adulteration.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with Food Standards Agency to follow-up on recent reports in an EU survey where a small number of exported honey samples exported via the UK were flagged as suspicious for adulteration with added sugars. We will act immediately if we find any wrongdoing as part of the investigation. Honey is a complex natural product and analysis to determine if honey has been adulterated can be challenging. The Government has a programme of research dedicated to verifying honey authenticity which is actively working to provide information and guidance to those carrying out monitoring and enforcement checks on honey, to protect consumers and legitimate businesses.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/04/2023 10:30:24 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1648660

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2023
	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	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, when she plans to publish the dates for the implementation of biodiversity net gain in (a) November 2023 and (b) April 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	191648
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>Under the Environment Act 2021, planning permissions granted in England, with a few exemptions, will have to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG), with phased implementation starting from November 2023.</p><p> </p><p>BNG will be mandatory for most new major development under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 from November this year, for minor development from April 2024 and for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects from 2025.</p><p> </p><p>The exact dates will be announced as soon as possible and are subject to parliamentary timings.</p><p> </p><p>The initial assessment of the additional burden mandatory BNG would place on local planning authorities was made in the BNG Impact Assessment in 2019: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839610/net-gain-ia.pdf" target="_blank">Net gain impact assessment</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Subsequently Defra worked with the Association of Local Government Ecologists and the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning &amp; Transport to undertake a survey of local planning authorities in 2021. This survey was aimed at securing a better understanding of the existing capacity, skills and preparedness of local authorities with respect to BNG and wider Environment Act 2021 measures. The survey outcomes have been published in a report, available at: <a href="https://randd.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectID=20638&amp;FromSearch=Y&amp;Publisher=1&amp;SearchText=NR0183&amp;SortString=ProjectCode&amp;SortOrder=Asc&amp;Paging=10" target="_blank">Defra Science Search</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Government announced funding to support local authorities in England with preparation for mandatory BNG of £4.18 million and up to a further £16.71 million during the two-year transition period. Defra is also funding a project with the Planning Advisory Service to support local authorities in preparing for BNG.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 191652 question first answered 04/07/2023 11:39:05 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1645721

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2023
	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	Wildlife: Smuggling
	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 she is taking to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	190188
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2023 answer text <p>The UK is committed to combatting the illegal wildlife trade to benefit biodiversity, local communities, and the economy, while protecting global security. As part of this commitment, we are increasing our funding and will invest a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025. This includes through Defra’s grant scheme, the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which to date has supported 136 projects in over 60 countries, including projects to change behaviours, strengthen wildlife crime legislation, and help communities to protect the wildlife they rely on for their livelihoods.</p><p>We recognise the importance of regularly assessing the impact and effectiveness of our efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. Most recently, in May 2022, an independent evaluation was carried out on Defra’s Biodiversity Funds, including the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. The evaluation found strong alignment with the aims of various Multilateral Environmental Agreements, particularly the Convention on Biodiversity, and that projects are highly aligned with the needs of the countries they operate in. The full report can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.darwininitiative.org.uk%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2FMonitoring-Evaluation-and-Learning-Report_Publishable.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C4b97a161a62342b72c6908db723a6e7a%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638229367502207105%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=UYhYCBu28hQ082Av8FG%2Fo7ka6K38V5e1fBKOgklHAug%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/assets/uploads/Monitoring-Evaluation-and-Learning-Report_Publishable.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 190218 question first answered 26/06/2023 08:19:05 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1600364

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2023
	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	Nature Conservation: Poaching
	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 tackle the poaching of (a) jaguars and (b) endangered animals.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	156268
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK is committed to protecting endangered animals and plants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities and the economy while protecting global security. As part of this commitment, we are increasing our funding and will invest a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025 to directly counter poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Through Defra’s grant scheme, the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, we are funding practical projects to protect endangered species – including jaguars - and reduce poverty in developing countries. This includes a project that aims to tackle the poaching of jaguars by targeting the illegal jaguar teeth trade in Bolivia by expanding local intelligence networks. Further information on Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund projects is available here: https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 09/03/2023 16:02:07 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury