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1640668

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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: Production
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) maximise food production in the UK, and (2) enhance food security.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	uin	HL8148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.</p><p> </p><p>Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.</p><p> </p><p>The Government committed to broadly maintain current levels of domestic food production in its Food Strategy, which also set out what we will do to create a more prosperous agri-food sector.</p><p> </p><p>We have taken several steps to support the long-term resilience and profitability of the agricultural sector. For example, we are making Direct Payments in England in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period, to help farmers with their cashflow; we are committed to spend around £600 million on grants and other support for farmers to invest in productivity, animal health and welfare, innovation over three years; and we have provided 10,000 farmers with help and advice through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, which provides farmers with free advice to help farmers work out what to do for their business.</p><p> </p><p>Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It recognises the contribution made by British farmers to our resilience and considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security. The next Food Security Report will be published in 2024.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 13:06:40 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1640684

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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: EU Law
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what are their current plans for exercising powers to be granted to them under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Repeal) Bill in relation to the Habitats Directive.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL8165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>Defra has been clear in its commitments to uphold and not weaken environmental protections. That is why our approach has always been to keep REUL, unless there is a good reason to either remove it from the statute book or reform it. That approach is now also reflected in the legislation, as the recently tabled Government amendment will mean that REUL is retained unless it is specifically cited in the revocation schedule. The Habitats Regulations are not on the schedule and therefore will not be revoked by the Bill. Defra is carefully considering the use of REUL Bill powers in the context of the Habitats Regulations.</p><p>We remain committed to our ambitious plans of the Net Zero Strategy and the Environment Improvement Plan 2023. We are clear that any REUL reform must be consistent with international obligations, including the various Multilateral Environment Agreements we are signatory to, such as the Bern Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:53:06 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1640193

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Ash Dieback Disease
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of spread of ash dieback; and what preventative measures are being put in place to minimise the impact.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Exeter
	uin	HL8081
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The fungus responsible for ash dieback disease can spread up to 75km via air borne spores. It is not possible to limit the spread of the disease at a national level, and it is now present in all counties, moving across the country at the expected rate from modelling by Cambridge University. There are an estimated 125 million ash trees in UK woodlands and up to 60 million ash trees outside of woodlands. From observations in Europe and the UK, we expect 1-5% of these trees to be naturally resistant to the disease.</p><p>The disease progresses quickly in young trees, trees growing in stressed conditions and ash dominated woodlands with higher levels of leaf litter and spore loads. Removal of leaf litter may be an effective way to limit the spread in certain conditions, for example around high value trees in urban environments.</p><p>The Government has published guidance for landowners on managing diseased ash, including a toolkit for Local Authorities, which has been downloaded nearly 20,000 times. Through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, Defra funds treescape restoration with alternative species. Since 2021, over £15 million has been awarded through this fund. Countryside Stewardship tree health woodland grants also provide funds for private landowners to restock after felling due to ash dieback, and we are piloting grants that provide financial support for ecological surveys and road closures.</p><p>The Government has invested more than £8 million into ash dieback research, including the world’s largest screening trials for resistant trees. 1000 genotypes drawn from a wide geographic spread and genetic diversity are being tested for resistance to facilitate the possibility of a future breeding programme of resilient ash.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:52:18 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4929 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Exeter

1640201

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Highly Protected Marine Areas
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the number of Highly Protected Marine Areas; and what is their timetable for the associated consultation.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL8089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>In February 2023 the Government announced it would designate three Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English Waters before 6th July 2023. The Government will begin exploring additional HPMAs this year. Any future sites would be subject to consultation as required by the Marine and Coastal Access Act.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:50:53 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1640223

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Agriculture
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the long-term (1) resilience, and (2) sustainability, of the agricultural sector in the UK.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL8112
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>As agriculture is a devolved matter, the resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are matters for their respective devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p>In England, the Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen the long-term resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector. We are offering ongoing payments and one-off grants to improve farm productivity, benefit the environment and support sustainable food production. We have already seen the number of agreements in Countryside Stewardship increase by 94 per cent since 2020 and now almost one third of farm holdings are in an agri-environmental scheme. Landscape Recovery was also hugely oversubscribed, with all projects involving farmers including tenants, and we opened applications to the next round of farmers and land managers on 18 May 2023. The Sustainable Farming Incentive will open with a new and improved, expanded offer later in summer 2023. Many farmers have also already applied for £168 million of grant funding available this year to support investments in productivity, animal health and welfare and the environment. Farmers affected by the phasing out of Direct Payments can also receive free business advice and support through the Future Farming Resilience Fund.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, at our recent UK Farm to Fork Summit we announced:</p><p> </p><p>A further £12.5 million is being made available in May to support research projects that will support environmental sustainability and resilience on farms</p><p>Additional investment of up to around £30 million to unlock the potential of precision breeding</p><p>A working group to bring plant breeders, food manufacturers and retailers together to agree an approach that enables these products to reach our shelves.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond this, we have invested £8 million in research through our crop Genetic Improvement Networks over the last five years to improve UK food security and environmental outcomes. We will build upon this through substantial additional investment to unlock the potential of precision breeding, following royal assent for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act.</p><p>We have also launched three farming innovation competitions since January this year, providing a total of £21.5 million of funding. These measures will enable our future food and farming sector to be more productive and resilient thanks to British science and innovation.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to work closely with the Food and Drink Sector Council, which brings together leaders across the whole of the agri-food chain and across government, on the issues that it plans to focus on for the next year including: the future of food; sustainability; workforce challenges; and supply resilience.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:50:24 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1640228

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Ivory Act 2018: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the extension of provisions of protection of five additional species under the Ivory Act 2018 will extend to Northern Ireland.
	tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
	uin	HL8117
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The Ivory Act 2018 applies to the United Kingdom. When the Act is extended to cover the five additional ivory-bearing species, it will apply to Northern Ireland.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:31:06 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1639580

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	China: Taiwan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart on Taiwan.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	186353
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary discussed Taiwan with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in February this year.</p> answering member constituency Berwick-upon-Tweed answering member printed Anne-Marie Trevelyan question first answered 31/05/2023 15:32:02 answering member 4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1639581

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	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	Homes for Ukraine Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Ukrainian people have found homes through the Homes for Ukraine scheme since the establishment of that scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	186354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>Published data on the number of visa applications, issued and arrivals in to the UK by sponsor location for Ukrainian guests and at a local authority level can be accessed <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Fukraine-sponsorship-scheme-visa-data-by-country-upper-and-lower-tier-local-authority&amp;data=05%7C01%7CParliamentary%40levellingup.gov.uk%7C56208c703ef14fa8e2b408db5dca2746%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C638206895033103862%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2KkPV6g%2BUkGmHDftELY%2FVVc6M4ZNnz8Cbuut4J6gVUY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> answering member constituency Kensington answering member printed Felicity Buchan question first answered 31/05/2023 14:10:17 answering member 4821 label Biography information for Felicity Buchan
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1639622

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	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	Social Rented Housing: Construction
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to (a) support local authorities in building new social housing and (b) review the funding model for building new social housing.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	186425
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>We are supporting local authorities to continue to deliver new and existing supply plans for council housing. In March we announced a preferential borrowing rate for council housebuilding from the Public Works Loan Board. We have also recently introduced a package of reforms on how councils can spend their Right to Buy receipts to give them increased flexibilities to make local housing decisions. Local authorities continue to benefit from our £11.5bn Affordable Homes Programme, which will deliver tens of thousands of affordable homes for both sale and rent, right across the country.</p><p>Local authorities have a range of compulsory purchase powers available to them which they may use to acquire land for social housing or a public use. The Government is seeking to reform the compulsory purchase compensation regime to support local authorities to acquire land at reduced value for social housing, providing there is justification in the public interest. A new power has been introduced by the Government in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that will allow local authorities to request a direction to acquire land for social housing without payment of hope value.</p> answering member constituency Bishop Auckland answering member printed Dehenna Davison grouped question UIN 186426 question first answered 31/05/2023 08:27:19 answering member 4737 label Biography information for Dehenna Davison
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1639623

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	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	Compulsory Purchase
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using Compulsory Purchase Orders to secure more land for (a) social housing and (b) public use.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	186426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>We are supporting local authorities to continue to deliver new and existing supply plans for council housing. In March we announced a preferential borrowing rate for council housebuilding from the Public Works Loan Board. We have also recently introduced a package of reforms on how councils can spend their Right to Buy receipts to give them increased flexibilities to make local housing decisions. Local authorities continue to benefit from our £11.5bn Affordable Homes Programme, which will deliver tens of thousands of affordable homes for both sale and rent, right across the country.</p><p>Local authorities have a range of compulsory purchase powers available to them which they may use to acquire land for social housing or a public use. The Government is seeking to reform the compulsory purchase compensation regime to support local authorities to acquire land at reduced value for social housing, providing there is justification in the public interest. A new power has been introduced by the Government in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that will allow local authorities to request a direction to acquire land for social housing without payment of hope value.</p> answering member constituency Bishop Auckland answering member printed Dehenna Davison grouped question UIN 186425 question first answered 31/05/2023 08:27:19 answering member 4737 label Biography information for Dehenna Davison
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell