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1697492

registered interest
date	20/03/2024
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: Costs
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 Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2023-24 on Resilience to flooding, HC 71, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase in construction costs on investment in flood defence maintenance; and what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on any impact on its target of maintaining 98% of its high consequence flood defence assets at required condition.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	19692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>At the last Spending Review the Government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order. In 2023/24, the Government has gone even further, including switching £25 million from the capital programme to fund maintenance, so that the total allocation for this year is over £220 million.</p><p> </p><p>Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) are assessing the effects of inflation on the EA’s ability to maintain its flood and coastal risk management assets at the required condition. The effects of inflation and the recent winter storms have had an impact on flood defence condition.</p><p> </p><p>As of Q3, 97.2% of EA maintained assets in high consequence systems were at or above the required condition. Where assets are not in required condition, this identifies that work is required. It does not mean that there is a risk of asset failure or that performance in a flood is compromised.</p><p> </p><p>The EA are currently funded to maintain between 94-95% of high consequence EA assets at their target condition. The long-term target is to ensure 98% of all such assets are at required condition. Future flood defence maintenance budgets will be determined as part of the next Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/04/2024 10:30:43 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1697532

registered interest
date	20/03/2024
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	Marine Protected Areas
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 he has discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the effectiveness of regulations on the quality of Marine Protected Areas.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	19588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 23/04/2024 14:22:07 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

1697592

registered interest
date	20/03/2024
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	Marine Protected Areas: Fishing Vessels
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 (a) nationality of vessels engaged and (b) type of fishing activity that took place in offshore marine protected areas in 2023; whether he has received reports of the use of (i) bottom trawls, (ii) dredges and (iii) other bottom-towed gear in offshore marine protected areas in the last two years; and if he will hold discussions with representatives of Oceana UK's illegal fishing and transparency team on monitoring fishing activity in marine protected areas.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	19603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>The management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) holds data on the nationality and fishing method used by all commercial fishing vessels in English waters. This data includes a combination of vessel monitoring system data and landings records. MMO monitors fishing activities, including within MPAs, on an ongoing basis. MMO is currently delivering an ambitious project to assess the impacts of, and where necessary, manage fishing activity in all English offshore MPAs. Part of this involves regular meetings with key stakeholders, including Oceana, and calls for evidence and public consultations.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 23/04/2024 16:36:06 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1697031

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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: Northern Ireland
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 he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on the number of skilled workers employed in the Northern Irish fisheries industry.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	19360
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government believes that every role in the fishing industry in Northern Ireland requires a wide variety of skills. The most recent statistics from the Marine Management Organisation’s Sea Fisheries Statistics 2022 show that the fishing industry in Northern Ireland employed 799 people, all of whom are skilled.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 22/04/2024 13:00:51 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1696633

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
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 reply to the letters of 12 January and 14 February 2024 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of a constituent about e-collars.
tabling member constituency	Weston-super-Mare
tabling member printed	John Penrose
uin	19018
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/04/2024 answer text <p>A reply to the hon. Member is being prepared and will be issued in due course. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.</p><p> </p><p>The hon. Member’s constituent asks about the Government’s position on electronic shock collars, known as e-collars. I can confirm that the Government remains committed to introducing a ban on the use of e-collars. We will pursue new regulations to deliver this commitment on a revised timeline. The full reply to the hon. Member’s letters will explain the reasoning behind this position.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/04/2024 09:39:42 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	1584 label Biography information for John Penrose

1696687

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
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: Imports
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 is taking steps to ensure that imported fisheries products are not produced through the use of (a) illegal, (b) unreported and (c) unregulated fishing practices.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	19049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/04/2024 answer text <p>Imports and direct landings of fish into the UK are required to be accompanied by catch certificates. This ensures traceability throughout the supply chain to mitigate the risk of the fish having been derived from illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has powers to apply import restrictions to countries identified as non-cooperative in tackling IUU fishing. At present, the UK does not permit the import of fishery products from Comoros, Cambodia or Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Import restrictions can also be implemented at vessel level. Any vessel that has been identified as associated with IUU fishing activities, can be placed on the UK’s IUU Vessel List meaning it is not eligible to import fishery products into the UK. Advice and guidance for importers of fish and fisheries products is available on GOV.UK.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/04/2024 09:44:37 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1696416

registered interest
date	15/03/2024
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, whether he is taking steps to use the Government's tree planting programme to tackle (a) flooding and (b) upper catchment management of rivers.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2024 answer text <p>Tree planting can help us meet a wide range of strategic objectives, including the 25 Year Environment Plan’s commitment to limit damage to rivers and the pledge to reduce flooding through natural flood management solutions.</p><p> </p><p>The England Woodland Creation Offer recognises the benefits of planting riparian buffers through specific Additional Contributions. These contributions support riparian tree planting, flood management and improved water quality.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also supporting woodland creation along rivers through the ‘Woodlands for Water’ project. This pilot project works with the Riverscapes Partnership to facilitate the creation of riparian woodland corridors in six river catchment areas.</p><p> </p><p>This year we are introducing an action into the Sustainable Farming Incentive for the management of habitat strips next to watercourses. This will support the planting of trees and scrub for biodiversity, flooding and water quality benefits.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 13/05/2024 10:41:22 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1696161

registered interest
date	14/03/2024
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	Sewage: Rivers
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 impact of (a) sewage and (b) other contaminants in the river system on the food chain.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18744
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government's Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP) was extended in 2023 with further stringent targets on the use of storm overflows to protect people and the environment, prioritising for early action areas used for bathing, for growing shellfish, or with high ecological importance.</p><p> </p><p>This plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050, protecting biodiversity the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come. In addition to the formulation of the SODRP, we produced an <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F651162052f404b0014c3d83c%2FImpact_Assessment_September_2023.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C1687e24ebea84ba2b63e08dc65e7a435%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638497292784558641%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uFCljEkz%2BUPk%2FhhSlyoKzntKV0MDDRdhz4bT4XAXths%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">impact assessment</a> which assesses the quality of evidence regarding environmental, public health and social impacts of storm overflow operation.</p><p> </p><p>The SODRP targets will be reviewed in 2027 when new information is available to see if water companies can go further or faster.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 02/05/2024 10:50:05 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1694500

registered interest
date	07/03/2024
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	Domestic Waste and Recycling: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council with (a) recycling and (b) rubbish collections.
tabling member constituency	Bournemouth East
tabling member printed	Mr Tobias Ellwood
uin	17527
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government is introducing Simpler Recycling to ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, no longer needing to check what their council will accept for recycling. The costs to deliver the new duties on local authorities for this reform will be funded by a combination of Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility payments provided to local authorities for the cost of collecting and managing household packaging waste through efficient and effective services, and reasonable new burdens funding from the Government to provide weekly food waste collections. We have brought forward up to £295 million in capital funding to roll out weekly food waste collections across England. This will cover the cost of additional bins and vehicles. Initial grants have now been issued to local authorities, including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, for their transitional capital funding allocation for financial year 2023/24. Transitional resource costs will be paid from the 2024/25 financial year and ongoing resource costs paid from 1 April 2026.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 09/04/2024 11:36:57 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood

1694224

registered interest
date	06/03/2024
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, what steps he plans to take to help tackle biodiversity decline.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	17340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>This Government is committed to turning the tide on nature’s decline. That is why, in England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. We have legislated to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to reverse species decline by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats.</p><p> </p><p>These targets, alongside other targets, on water and air quality for example, will drive action to create and restore habitats, reduce pressures on nature, and recover species. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64a6d9c1c531eb000c64fffa/environmental-improvement-plan-2023.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Improvement Plan</a> (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.</p><p> </p><p>We have introduced significant new funding for nature - for woodland and peatland restoration, for green recovery and for landscape scale nature recovery - and we are developing new land management schemes that reward environmental benefits. In the update to our Agricultural Transition Plan, published in January this year, we announced premium payments for actions that will achieve greater environmental benefits, supporting habitats and species.</p><p> </p><p>In November we announced the 34 projects selected for the £25 million second round of our Landscape Recovery scheme. These projects will collectively restore more than 35,000 hectares of peatland, create over 7,000 hectares of new woodland and benefit more than 160 protected sites (SSSIs).</p><p> </p><p>In June last year we also launched a £25 million Species Survival Fund to provide early progress towards our species abundance targets and support the recovery of declining species. The fund will support projects focussed on the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, including on protected sites. Successful applications to the fund will be announced this month.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 09/04/2024 13:01:14 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed