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

1247813

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease 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, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of phasing out badger culling and introducing a cattle vaccine to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	110260
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2020 answer text <p>On 5 March 2020, the Government published its response to Professor Sir Charles Godfray’s 2018 review of England’s bovine TB eradication strategy, setting out the priorities for the next phase of the strategy.</p><p> </p><p>Developing a TB vaccine for cattle is one of our priorities. A cattle vaccine could be a game-changer in terms of providing a strong additional tool to help eradicate bovine TB. In July 2020, we announced that the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) had granted permission for field trials of both the candidate Cattle BCG vaccine and the candidate skin test to detect infected animals among vaccinated animals (the DIVA skin test). Like other veterinary medicines, both the Cattle BCG vaccine and the DIVA skin test will need VMD marketing authorisations before they can be deployed. We hope that field trials will provide the evidence required for future marketing authorisations and for the DIVA skin test to be internationally recognised. The aim is to start field trials in 2021 and complete them in 2024. Provided the field trials go as hoped, and VMD considers the marketing authorisation applications satisfactory with respect to quality, safety and efficacy, the timeline envisages those authorisations being granted in 2025.</p><p> </p><p>We also set out in the Government response plans to evolve the wildlife control policy, with increased support for badger vaccination following the widespread deployment of effective, industry-led intensive badger culls. We envisage that the widespread badger culling policy will begin to be phased out and gradually replaced by Government supported badger vaccination and surveillance. Culling of badgers in specific areas will remain an option where the epidemiological assessment indicates it is needed.</p><p> </p><p>There is no single measure for tackling bovine TB and that is why we continue to pursue a suite of interventions to eradicate the disease in England.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 05/11/2020 13:32:50 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1247874

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Food Supply
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 ensure the security of food supply in the event of the UK and EU not agreeing a deal on the future relationship before the end of the transition period.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	110164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for end of Transition Period planning on food supply. We are working alongside industry and across Government, including with the Devolved Administrations, to plan for the end of this year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry who are experienced in dealing with situations that can cause disruptions to supply.</p><p> </p><p>Our overall assessment of risk within a reasonable worst case scenario of food supply at the end of transition is that there will not be an overall shortage of food in the UK, and consumers will continue to have access to a wide range of food products.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 110165 question first answered 09/11/2020 16:13:42 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1247876

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Food Supply
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 the commercial food industry on ensuring an adequate supply of food after the transition period.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	110165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for end of Transition Period planning on food supply. We are working alongside industry and across Government, including with the Devolved Administrations, to plan for the end of this year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry who are experienced in dealing with situations that can cause disruptions to supply.</p><p> </p><p>Our overall assessment of risk within a reasonable worst case scenario of food supply at the end of transition is that there will not be an overall shortage of food in the UK, and consumers will continue to have access to a wide range of food products.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 110164 question first answered 09/11/2020 16:13:42 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1247928

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Guide Dogs: Travel
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 discussions he has had with his European counterparts to ensure people with assistance dogs are able to travel to the EU after the transition period.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	110243
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2020 answer text <p>Defra is proactively and positively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements to the EU. We will continue to closely work with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements as this is updated. The Department submitted an application to the EU Commission to become a ‘Part I’ listed third country in relation to non-commercial movement of pet dogs, cats and ferrets from the UK into the EU. Acceptance of this application would mean very similar documentation and health requirements to those now for pet owners and users of assistance dogs travelling to the EU. The Commission is now considering our application and the Government is continuing to engage with the them on this point. We will not be changing our requirements for pet travel into GB in the short term, in order to make the movements of pet travellers and users of assistance dogs as frictionless as possible. Any future review of the pet travel rules will take into consideration the needs of assistance dog users as a priority.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 05/11/2020 16:02:22 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1247965

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Rivers: Dredging
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 increasing the Environment Agency's funding allocation for de-silting work.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	110293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>Between 2015 and 2020 we committed around £1 billion on the maintenance of flood defence assets. This is a real terms increase in spending compared to the £812 million spent in the previous five years.</p><p> </p><p>De-silting (also referred to as dredging) and clearing channels, are important parts of the Environment Agency’s (EA) river maintenance regime. The EA will undertake these activities where there is evidence that they will reduce flood risk to local properties cost effectively without increasing flooding downstream.</p><p> </p><p>Typically, over each of the past 3 years the EA have spent between £5 million and £11 million on dredging across England. This equates to approximately 100-200km of river channel each year. The EA regularly reviews its river channel maintenance programme to identify where an increase in river channel maintenance, including dredging, will provide a net positive economic benefit by reducing flood risk.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/11/2020 12:37:46 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1248008

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Sky Lanterns
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage caused by sky lanterns; and what plans they have to impose a national ban on such lanterns in rural areas.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL9857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2020 answer text <p>In 2013, the UK and Welsh Governments jointly commissioned an independent study looking at the impacts of sky lanterns and helium balloons on livestock and the environment. The report concluded that the impact was generally low, though did highlight a potential fire safety risk.</p><p> </p><p>Any action the Government takes must be proportionate to the level of risk and we have concluded, based on the results of this research, that an outright ban would be disproportionate in the circumstances. Should evidence that this approach is no longer sufficient arise, we will take the necessary action.</p><p> </p><p>We do recognise the need to protect our environment and wildlife and have therefore used media messaging to encourage people and businesses to consider the risks before releasing lanterns.</p><p> </p><p>There may be times when a local ban is appropriate as part of a wider strategic approach. and local authorities already have powers to restrict or ban the use of sky lanterns on council or public land. Many councils in England, Scotland and Wales have applied such a ban. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of single-use products.</p><p> </p><p>Voluntary actions and initiatives aimed at minimising the risks associated with sky lanterns and driving up safety standards have been effective. This includes a voluntary Code of Practice for sky lanterns developed by industry with Government support to ensure that they are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly. Sky lanterns also fall in scope of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 which oblige producers and distributors to place only safe consumer products on the market.</p><p> </p><p>As the law stands in England, it is conceivable that a magistrates’ court would conclude that a release of sky lanterns constitutes a littering offence. Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 says: “A person is guilty of an offence if he throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any place to which this section applies and leaves it”. Ultimately it would be for a court to rule whether this phrase would cover sky lantern releases.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 17/11/2020 12:08:26 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1248033

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Natural England: Environmental Land Management Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of demands arising from Environmental Land Management schemes on Natural England; and what plans they have to increase that organisations funding.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>Like all other Defra sponsored bodies, Natural England (NE) receives an appropriate budget to carry out its duties and responsibilities in line with what is affordable and the priorities set out by the Secretary of State.</p><p> </p><p>NE is an important advisory and delivery partner in the Environmental Land Management (ELM) programme. For the current financial year, NE has been allocated approximately £3.6 million to support the development of ELM. This includes drafting ELM technical guidance, development of scheme design for the Pilot and associated policy advice.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently assessing the budgets for our arm’s length bodies as part of the Spending Review process.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 16/11/2020 17:17:56 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1248034

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Agriculture: Water
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to improve knowledge of, (2) to implement, and (3) to enforce, their farming rules for water.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) jointly undertook communications on the announcement of the new 'farming rules for water' and the approach to their implementation. This included promotion of the rules on gov.uk, posters, banners, summary cards and questions and answer sheets distributed to a wide range of key farming and environmental stakeholders who also raised awareness via talks, press articles and their own websites. The EA continues to promote the rules via the Farming Advice Service (FAS) newsletter.</p><p> </p><p>The EA is responsible for regulation of the rules. In the first year it took an advice led approach raising awareness of the rules with farmers and their advisers. It is now actively enforcing the rules, through advice, guidance and the possibility of both civil and criminal sanctions. The EA takes a risk-based approach to farm visits with the resources it has available for agriculture, targeting visits at the activities with high potential for pollution or where actual pollution has been reported. The EA also works with those producing materials off-farm that are spread on farmers' fields, such as anaerobic digestates and biosolids from the water industry to raise awareness of the rules and the limits on what can be spread.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 16/11/2020 16:14:38 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1248035

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Trees: Fruit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of traditional orchards in England that are in a favourable condition.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9819
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>Traditional orchards are listed as a habitat of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. Government agri-environment grant schemes, including Countryside Stewardship (which replaced the Environmental Stewardship Scheme) provide financial support to improve the condition of traditional orchards and to establish more of them.</p><p> </p><p>In England there are 1,952 hectares of traditional orchards being managed or established under agri-environment schemes.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 16/11/2020 17:23:33 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1248036

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Pollinators: Conservation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support an international treaty for global pollinator stewardship and pollinator ecosystem restoration.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to taking action for pollinators, globally and at home.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We have supported international action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the “Plan of Action 2018-2030 for the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable use of Pollinators” adopted at the CBD’s most recent Conference of the Parties in 2018. The UK is also a member of ‘Promote Pollinators’, an international coalition of the willing under which we have committed to take action to protect pollinators and their habitats, and with whom we share information on research, policy and practical activities.</p><p> </p><p>We have supported and contributed to research which has underpinned such initiatives, including a major global review of the status and threats to insect pollinators, published in 2015 by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).</p><p> </p><p>The UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 global framework for biodiversity under the CBD, expected to be adopted at COP-15 next year. In particular, we will promote ambitious and practical targets, including targets to enhance ecosystem resilience and species recovery, supported by strengthened implementation mechanisms that are commensurate with the scale of the challenge.</p><p> </p><p>Domestically, biodiversity is a devolved issue and each country has its own pollinator strategy which includes objectives for ecosystem restoration and other action in line with these international commitments and initiatives. The four countries also collaborate on monitoring the status of pollinators across the UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 16/11/2020 16:14:03 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle