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1289033

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Watersure
	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 assessment he has made of the potential merits of including (a) people in receipt of attendance allowance and (b) additional benefit recipients in the qualification criteria for the WaterSure Scheme, as outlined in the Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) Regulations 1999.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157314
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>To be eligible for WaterSure, customers must be in receipt of means tested benefits, which provides an appropriate measure for assessing income, and have either three or more children under 19 or a medical condition requiring the extra use of water.</p><p> </p><p>Attendance Allowance is not included as an eligible benefit as it is a non means-tested benefit. Without an income-related criterion, those who are able to afford their water bill may receive financial support funded by other lower income households.</p><p> </p><p>Since the introduction of WaterSure, the legislation has been updated to add and remove benefits, making sure that WaterSure continues to support those most in need of assistance. The Government does not intend to change the eligibility criteria for WaterSure at this time.</p><p> </p><p>Water companies also offer social tariffs, payment breaks, payment matching, debt advice and referral arrangements, and some have independent charitable trusts that make awards to help customers in times of need. The eligibility criteria for social tariffs is not set by the Government, allowing water companies to address the local and regional needs of their customers.</p><p> </p><p>We have asked the independent Consumer Council for Water to undertake a review of existing financial support schemes to ensure consumers who struggle with their water bills can get the support they need. The review will be published this spring.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/03/2021 16:49:29 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1288962

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Members: Correspondence
	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 he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of (a) 26 November 2020, (b) 5 January 2021 and (c) 10 February 2021 on constituency case reference JB30163 MC2020/31397.
	tabling member constituency	Basildon and Billericay
	tabling member printed	Mr John Baron
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2021 answer text <p>A reply to the hon. Member is being prepared and will be issued very shortly. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/03/2021 16:18:52 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1390 label Biography information for Mr John Baron

1288918

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Recreation Spaces: Staffordshire
	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 increase access to green spaces in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.
	tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Gullis
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157322
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>Defra recognises the crucial importance of having good access to green spaces for people's health and well-being. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our comprehensive and long-term approach to protecting and enhancing our natural landscapes in England for the next generation, and to helping people improve their health and wellbeing by using green spaces.</p><p>The £12.1m Trees for Climate programme will plant over 500 hectares of trees in ten Community Forests between December 2020 and May 2021. When mature, the trees will eventually store over 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, reduce flood risk, increase sustainable UK grown timber, provide more places for nature and biodiversity to thrive, and increase people's access to and enjoyment of woodland. The Forest of Mercia, which covers Staffordshire and the West Midlands, is one of the Community Forests which will carry out the planting.</p><p>There are also a wide range of initiatives within Defra which are helping to increase access to green spaces across the whole of England. These include, but are not limited to:</p><ul><li>Green Recovery Challenge Fund</li><li>Green Social Prescribing Project</li><li>Responding to the Glover Review of protected landscapes</li><li>Nature for Climate Fund</li><li>Development of environmental land management schemes</li></ul> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 03/03/2021 17:35:19 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4814 label Biography information for Jonathan Gullis

1288919

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Air Pollution: Stoke On Trent
	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 air quality in Stoke-on-Trent.
	tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Gullis
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157323
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>The Joint Air Quality Unit has provided funding and support to, and continues to work closely with, Stoke-on-Trent Council as they develop plans to tackle their nitrogen dioxide exceedances. Air Quality Ministers from both Defra and the Department for Transport have met Stoke-on-Trent councillors and hon. Members several times over the past 12 months to hear their views on how best to deal with the air quality problem in the Potteries.</p><p> </p><p>Stoke has also received funding of over £34 million from the Transforming Cities Fund to develop and improve transport across the city, some of which is earmarked for active travel schemes to help improve air quality for the city’s residents.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 03/03/2021 15:17:36 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4814 label Biography information for Jonathan Gullis

1288927

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	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 the Government is taking to deliver on commitments made as part of the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature at the United Nations General Assembly.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157173
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to working with partners around the world to implement the ten commitments under the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, which the UK co-created. To demonstrate our dedication to delivering on the Pledge commitments, in January 2021, the Prime Minister committed to spending at least £3 billion of the UK’s International Climate Finance over the next five years, on climate change solutions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity.</p><p> </p><p>As you will be aware, Lord Goldsmith wrote to the devolved administrations prior to the Pledge’s launch to seek their support. I am grateful for the support of the Scottish Government, as signalled in their recently published ‘Statement of Intent’ on post-2020 biodiversity, and I am also grateful to the Welsh Government for their support.</p><p> </p><p>In line with Pledge commitments, the UK Government is taking strong action on nature domestically as well as internationally. The environment is a devolved policy area and, in England, we are maintaining and extending key protections; introducing new legislation and new funding streams; we are supporting partnerships and we are working across Government to secure broad action. We have, for example, brought forward the first Environment Bill for more than 20 years which, alongside our strengthened Agriculture and Fisheries Acts, sets a new legal foundation for government action to improve the environment.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 03/03/2021 18:28:19 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1288928

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Biodiverse Landscapes Fund and Blue Planet Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to allocate money from the (a) Biodiverse Landscapes Fund and (b) Blue Planet Fund; and what criteria he plans to apply to determine that supported projects benefit both human development and nature conservation objectives.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157174
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund will deliver poverty reduction, conservation and climate outcomes across biologically diverse, transboundary landscapes worldwide. It will create sustainable economic development for local communities which supports the protection, restoration and sustainable management of these critical landscapes, rather than deriving short-term gains from their unsustainable use.</p><p>The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund is currently in development. Funding will be allocated, however, to a range of delivery partners who have demonstrated that they can deliver interventions that will meet the Fund's objectives in a landscape via an open, competitive process. Full details of this process, its timelines and the Fund's objectives will be published in due course.</p><p>The Blue Planet Fund aims to help countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) to reduce poverty through the protection and sustainable management of their marine resources. It will focus on addressing human-generated threats across four key themes: biodiversity, climate change, marine pollution, and sustainable seafood. The Fund is currently being designed by Defra and FCDO, based on available evidence and drawing on information from across HMG's international network, and will be launched later this year.</p><p>Both programmes are ODA funded, and so are subject to the Government’s guidelines and rules for designing and implementing ODA programmes. As such, once operational, progress will regularly be assessed against pre-agreed criteria and through a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning cycle to ensure projects achieve economic development and conservation objectives. Defra publishes information on ODA funded programmes to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) registry and adheres to the transparency standards set out in the UK Aid Strategy.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 03/03/2021 17:56:20 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1289053

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Beverage Containers: Deposit Return Schemes
	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 his Department will make an assessment of the potential effect on consumer vehicular emissions of his proposals on a deposit return scheme in comparison to existing kerbside collections.
	tabling member constituency	Southampton, Test
	tabling member printed	Dr Alan Whitehead
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	156995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government’s proposals to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers recognise the need to ensure convenience and wide availability of return points for consumers, ensuring they can easily fit the scheme into their everyday lives. With this in mind, our current analysis has been designed with sufficient return points in place to reflect the policy proposal that deposits can be redeemed in settings that fit different consumer daily routines, thus avoiding the need for consumers to make additional journeys purely for the sake of returning their drinks containers. On this basis, there is no intention to carry out further assessment of consumer vehicular emissions at this time.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/03/2021 16:45:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	62 label Biography information for Dr Alan Whitehead

1289054

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Beverage Containers: Deposit Return Schemes
	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 his Department will make an assessment of the effect on people on lower incomes of his proposed deposit return scheme compared to using existing kerbside collections.
	tabling member constituency	Southampton, Test
	tabling member printed	Dr Alan Whitehead
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	156996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to introducing a deposit return scheme which is based on the principles of accessibility and convenience for all members of society. While all deposits placed on in-scope drinks containers will be redeemable, we do recognise the potential for an increased burden this could place on some consumers, particularly in lower income groups, to collect and return their containers to redeem their deposits. To ensure this activity and behaviour change is accurately accounted for in our analysis, the Government intends to carry out further research this year on the effect a deposit return scheme might have on specific groups in society, including those on lower incomes.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/03/2021 16:38:48 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	62 label Biography information for Dr Alan Whitehead

1288989

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Fisheries
	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 recent steps his Department has taken to (a) tackle the decline of freshwater fish and (b) restore freshwater habitats in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	157051
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>As fisheries is a devolved matter, this information relates to England only. In England, the Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for ensuring conservation and maintaining the diversity of freshwater fish and conserving their aquatic environment. In order to achieve this, last year the EA worked with over 150 partners and invested nearly £27m in fisheries projects. This work has included improving fish passage, fish stocking, river restoration and improving water quality in line with the Water Framework Directive. In total, around 15,000km of river has been protected or improved since 1995 to benefit fisheries and nature conservation.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/03/2021 15:07:15 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1288018

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	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	Tree Planting
	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 recent discussions he has had with his Department on the England Tree Strategy and its role in achieving the net zero target ahead of COP26.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	156400
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Secretary attends the Climate Action Implementation Committee chaired by the COP President. The Secretary of State also attends the Climate Action Strategy Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister.</p><p>These committees consider matters relating to the delivery of COP26, net zero and building the UK's resilience to climate impacts and ensure the credibility and delivery of these plans. Trees are a key nature-based solution to climate change and biodiversity loss and are integral to our economy-wide net zero plans.</p><p>We committed in our manifesto to increasing planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025. To achieve this, we announced a £640 million Nature for Climate Fund to increase planting in England and will soon publish plans for how we will increase tree planting for nature, people, the economy and net zero.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 25/02/2021 13:04:37 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis