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 question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

853255

registered interest
date	02/03/2018
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: Internet
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 many and what proportion of his Department’s cloud-hosting contracts have been awarded to (a) hyperscale cloud providers and (b) UK SMEs; and what the value of those contracts was in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	North Wiltshire
tabling member printed	James Gray
uin	130704
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>a) Core Defra currently has two direct contracts with ‘public cloud-hosting’ providers:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Amazon Web Services (AWS) from January 2017</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Microsoft Azure from July 2017 via Defra’s Microsoft Enterprise Licence Agreement</li></ul><p> </p><p>The expenditure is as follows:</p><p> </p><ul><li>AWS - £35,561.96 (2017/2018)</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Microsoft Azure – Zero spend to date</li></ul><p> </p><p>b) None</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 17:02:59 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	261 label Biography information for James Gray

853310

registered interest
date	02/03/2018
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	Government Departments: 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, how many Departments are compliant with (a) Government Buying Standards and (b) the balanced scorecard approach for the procurement of food and drink.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	130759
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>The balanced scorecard (BSC) approach becomes mandatory for central Government departments in July 2018. The procurement of food and catering services for central Government departments is currently measured via The Greening Government Commitment, which measures the actions that UK Government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment in the period 2016 to 2020. The 2015/2016 annual report shows that 13 out of 22 Government departments are compliant with Government Buying Standards.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is currently working with Crown Commercial Services to implement a new quarterly evaluation system to measure the adoption of the BSC in Government departments. This will begin in summer 2018 after the BSC has been mandated by Crown Commercial Services in the Facilities Management Framework.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:50:21 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

853311

registered interest
date	02/03/2018
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	Local Government: 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 information his Department holds on the number of local authorities which use (a) Government Buying Standards and (b) the balanced scorecard for the public procurement of food and drink.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	130760
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>We do not hold information regarding Government Buying Standards for Food or the Balanced Scorecard for wider public sector bodies with delegated funding.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:54:41 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

853312

registered interest
date	02/03/2018
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	Local Government: 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 his Department is taking to support local authorities to use the (a) Government Buying Standards and (b) balanced scorecards in the procurement of food and drink.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	130761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>The Plan for Public Procurement of Food and Catering Services provides tools, including the balanced scorecard (BSC), to help contracting parties balance a range of criteria beneficial to the consumer, the environment and producers. Use of the toolkit is mandated for central Government and strongly encouraged for wider public sector bodies who have delegated funding from central Government. There is a range of activity going on to support local authorities to use the Government Buying Standards (GBS) and the BSC, with highlights as below:</p><p> </p><p>The Government Food Procurement Implementation Taskforce was formed on 7 December 2017. The Taskforce is a sector led body made up of trade bodies, procurers, food producers and processors, distributors, caterers and other interested parties. It has agreed to focus on driving up the use of the BSC and the GB Food Marketplace, which is a recently launched online service that includes a self-assessment questionnaire to help suppliers evaluate how they measure up against the GBS and the BSC. There are currently three Taskforce working groups looking at communications, measurement and analysis, and supply chain issues including opening up new ways to market for small and medium sized businesses.</p><p> </p><p>The School Food Plan, published in 2013, aims to significantly increase the number of children eating good food in schools. It sets standards for caterers to meet, meaning that pupils will have access to better quality, more nutritious food. Defra officials formed part of the implementation Project Board, providing advice on how Defra’s Food Marketplace could help school caterers source high quality, locally produced supplies.</p><p> </p><p>Bath and North East Somerset Council has implemented the BSC in their food procurement practices, and have set up a Dynamic Food Procurement National Advisory Board to provide a conduit for public sector bodies to increase the amount of local and fresh food that is procured. Defra is part of this group.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:35:26 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

853313

registered interest
date	02/03/2018
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: Public Sector
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 the Government will ensure support for British horticulture in the balanced scorecard approach for public procurement of food and drink.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	130762
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>The Plan for Public Procurement aims to open up the Government market to more small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and local producers by providing a level playing field on which UK producers, including horticultural businesses, can compete.</p><p> </p><p>The balanced scorecard (BSC) approach to food procurement encourages caterers and wholesalers to source products that open up the supply chain to SMEs, such as letting supply contracts in smaller lots. It also encourages businesses which supply locally sourced, seasonal produce. These measures will make it easier for horticultural growers to participate in contracts to supply food to central Government and other participating public sector bodies.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the GB Food Marketplace allows producers and suppliers to quickly certify themselves against the key BSC measurements, including healthy, local, seasonal food and SMEs. This helps ensure there is a consistent buying approach across the public sector that supports locally sourced, seasonal produce.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:41:15 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

853314

registered interest
date	02/03/2018
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 letter of 25 January 2018 from the hon. Member for Leeds West on the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Leeds West
tabling member printed	Rachel Reeves
uin	130763
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>I replied to the hon. Member for Leeds West on Friday 2 March. I apologise for the delay in replying.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 07/03/2018 15:47:17 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4031 label Biography information for Rachel Reeves

851566

registered interest
date	28/02/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons the Government's command paper, Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit, Cm. 9577, published on 27 February 2018, does not reference the role of agricultural policy in supporting public health and tackling diet-related disease.
tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
tabling member printed	Tom Watson
uin	130329
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>The food we eat affects our health and well-being and our connectedness to the world around us. In our consultation we recognise that leaving the EU will allow us to design a future agriculture policy which promotes environmental enhancement, supports profitable food production and contributes to a healthier society.</p><p>In the consultation paper we propose a range of ideas to increase productivity, exploit new technology and research and improve animal health and welfare - all of which support better environmental and public health outcomes.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:27:25 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1463 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Wyre Forest

850723

registered interest
date	27/02/2018
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	Farms: Hedges and Ditches
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 potential merits of extending the period during which farmers are permitted to cut hedges; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	129964
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>The hedge-cutting ban protects farmland birds during the important nesting and rearing period. In England the bird breeding and rearing season is primarily March to August inclusive. The evidence for this comes from the British Trust for Ornithology’s Nest Record Scheme and shows that farmland birds such as the Blackbird, Common Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Bullfinch and Yellowhammer rear and have late broods during August – not only the Wood Pigeon as some have suggested. We have discussed the impact of the non-cutting period with agricultural and environmental organisations and introduced a derogation that enables hedges to be cut in a field during August if oil seed rape or temporary grass is sown in that field. We continue to allow hedges to be cut during six months of each year.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:21:54 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

850989

registered interest
date	27/02/2018
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	Plants: 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, how many species of plants the UK has provided for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	130188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>In the last five years the UK has provided the Svalbard Global Seed Vault with seeds from one plant species - Nightshade (from the Solanum genus of flowering plants). Through our Millennium Seed bank at Kew, Defra works closely with the Global Crop Diversity Trust who manage the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 07/03/2018 10:31:44 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

846839

registered interest
date	22/02/2018
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	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the badger cull to (1) Staffordshire, (2) Shropshire, and (3) Derbyshire; and if so, to which areas in those counties.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Shrewsbury
uin	HL5801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2018 answer text <p>Should they wish, farmers and landowners across the bovine TB High Risk Area and Edge Area of England, which includes Staffordshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire, are able to apply to Natural England for licences to kill or take badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB, as set out under section 10(2)(a) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Applicants need to meet the licensing criteria and demonstrate that they will be able to deliver safe and effective operations in order to be authorised to proceed, as set out in the Guidance to Natural England, which can be found on gov.uk at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629616/badger-cull-licence-guidance-ne.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629616/badger-cull-licence-guidance-ne.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Farmers in a number of areas have signalled their intention to submit applications to Natural England for licences to conduct badger culls this year. Licensing decisions are a matter for Natural England.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 07/03/2018 16:39:41 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble attachment 1 file name badger-cull-licence-guidance-ne.pdf title NE badger cull licence guidance
tabling member	2147 label Biography information for The Earl of Shrewsbury