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1001957

registered interest
date	05/11/2018
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	Veterinary Medicine
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 estimate he has made of the number of vets required in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	188244
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2018 answer text <p>Defra officials continually study statistics about the veterinary profession. The sources are publicly available through the website of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).</p><p> </p><p>The number of vets who may be required after the UK leaves the EU varies according to the range of scenarios.</p><p> </p><p>We anticipate some extra demand would be created in the unlikely event that the UK does not reach a deal with the EU relating to the certification of animals and animal products for export to the EU. RCVS has announced its agreement to a proposal from Defra for the creation of a new type of a supporting officer role in aid of the export certification work. This would potentially reduce the additional demands on vets.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continues to work with other Government Departments and veterinary stakeholders on further initiatives to ensure sufficient veterinary capacity.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/11/2018 14:20:43 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

1002485

registered interest
date	06/11/2018
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	Flood Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 22 October (HL10504), whether they intend to establish an independent review of the effectiveness of (1) Coastal Protection Authorities, and (2) Shoreline Management Plans, in managing flood risk.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL11326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>Coastal change, through erosion or flooding, has always been a risk for those living and working by the sea.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency has strategic oversight of Shoreline Management Plans (20 in England), which are the responsibility of Coastal Protection Authorities. These plans set the direction and preferred management option over a 100 year timeframe and are under-pinned by evidence and a high level economic, social, and environmental assessment.</p><p> </p><p>Over the next three years, we and the Environment Agency (EA) are working closely with the coastal authorities, including funding of £1 million, to refresh Shoreline Management Plans, to ensure that there is consistency and that they are using the best, most up to date evidence. This programme will ensure the Shoreline Management Plans and Coastal Protection Authorities remain effective in light of the most recent UK climate change predictions which will be published later this month.</p><p> </p><p>The EA are also funding a £23 million, five year programme of regional coastal monitoring by these groups, to support decision making.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 20/11/2018 17:48:49 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1003653

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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: Ammonia
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 his Department's strategy is for cutting the amount of ammonia from farms.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	189536
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government has a statutory commitment to reduce ammonia emissions from 2005 levels by 8% by 2020 and by 16% by 2030. Farming accounts for 88% of UK emissions of ammonia.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s consultation on a Clean Air Strategy was published on 22 May. The Strategy proposed that the Government would require and support farmers to make investments in farm infrastructure and equipment that will reduce emissions.</p><p> </p><p>We sought views on 3 possible approaches to regulation to reduce ammonia emissions. Proposals included regulations to reduce emissions from storage and spreading of slurry and manure and from use of urea-based fertilisers. We are considering the responses to the consultation, and the final Strategy will be published by the end of this year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is providing technical and financial support for farmers to invest in equipment to reduce ammonia emissions. Grants are currently available through the Countryside Productivity Scheme to help farmers purchase manure management equipment including low-emission spreaders and through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme for slurry tank and lagoon covers for farmers in priority water catchments.</p><p> </p><p>Defra worked with farming industry organisations to develop a voluntary Code of good agricultural practice for reducing ammonia emissions which was published earlier this year. Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers will shortly be trained to deliver on-farm advice on ammonia mitigation methods.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has recently consulted on a new system of financial support for farmers, delivering public money for public goods. This includes improving air quality and reducing ammonia emissions.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/11/2018 17:20:16 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1003685

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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: Billing
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 proportion of contracts issued by his Department and contractors include provisions to impose, as between parties to the subcontract, that any payment due from the contractor to a subcontractor under the contract is to be made no later than the end of a period of 30 days from the date on which the relevant invoice is regarded as valid and undisputed, as required by the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	189567
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>All contracts issued by Defra contain, within the standard terms and conditions, the following clauses:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>The authority shall pay all sums due to the contractor within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>If a payment of an undisputed amount is not made by the authority by the due date, then the authority shall pay the contractor interest at the interest rate specified in the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>The contractor shall ensure that a provision is included in all subcontracts which requires payment to be made of all sums due to subcontractors within 30 days of the receipt of a valid invoice.</p></li></ul> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 19/11/2018 10:59:03 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1003724

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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	Chemicals: Regulation
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 progress the Government has made on negotiations with the EU on maintaining access to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulations after 29 March 2019; and what contingency plans he has made to ensure that a UK chemicals registration scheme would be officially recognised by the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Simon Hart
uin	189649
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s white paper on the future relationship between the UK and the EU proposes a UK-EU free trade area for goods, including chemicals, underpinned by a common rule book. We are seeking participation in ECHA, to ensure UK businesses could continue to register chemical substances directly. This remains part of ongoing negotiations with the EU.</p><p> </p><p>In the event of a no-deal, the EU (Withdrawal) Act will convert existing EU chemicals law, including REACH, into domestic law. This includes the registration of chemicals under a UK REACH system which will replicate the current EU approach. We have published a Technical Notice ‘<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-chemicals-reach-if-theres-no-brexit-deal" target="_blank">Regulating Chemicals (REACH) if there’s no Brexit deal’</a>. This sets out the implications for business and transitional measures to minimise disruption and ensure continuity in the event of a no deal. The Technical Notice is available via the following link:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-chemicals-reach-if-theres-no-brexit-deal</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/11/2018 17:31:10 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

1003755

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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	Noise: Pollution
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 align UK noise pollution guidelines with the new WHO guidelines.
tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
uin	189701
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>We will carefully consider these guidelines and their relevance to future policy.</p><p> </p><p>We will assess the supporting evidence base, as well as other relevant recent research carried out in the UK and abroad. We will be convening the Interdepartmental Group on Costs and Benefits to consider any necessary updates to relevant UK noise pollution guidelines.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/11/2018 17:16:02 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1003773

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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	Air Pollution
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 much funding his Department has allocated to support public health campaigns on air pollution in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Enfield, Southgate
tabling member printed	Bambos Charalambous
uin	189789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>A total of £539,120 was provided to Southampton City Council (with Birmingham City Council, Derby City Council, Leeds City Council, Manchester City Council and Nottingham City Council) through the Air Quality Grant in 2016/17. The purpose of this funding was to run an air quality public awareness and engagement campaign. The campaign was in collaboration with Global Action Plan.</p><p>A further £90,000 was provided to the Global Action Plan in support of Clean Air Day in 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The government already provides information on local and national air quality. A multi-day air quality forecast service is available to the public on the government’s <a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/" target="_blank">UK-Air website</a>. It provides up-to-date information on air pollution and has a postcode search facility to enable information to be provided at a local level. We will work with media outlets to improve public access to the air quality forecast and continue working with our technical partners to improve the accuracy and availability of localised air quality data and forecasts.</p><p>The government also provides health advice to support vulnerable individuals during episodes of poor air quality and we also work closely with a network of key health stakeholders to provide alerts during high pollution episodes. In addition, Public Health England has published updated information about air pollution and health impacts:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-air-pollution/health-matters-air-pollution" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-air-pollution/health-matters-air-pollution</a>.</p><p>In the Clean Air Strategy, which will be published in due course, we commit to improving the information we provide about air pollution, health impacts and the simple actions people can take to reduce their exposure and improve air quality. We will also work in partnership with health organisations to review where improvements can be made to the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) and associated health advice, for periods when pollution levels might be elevated.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/11/2018 17:39:34 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4610 label Biography information for Bambos Charalambous

1003798

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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	Natural England: Finance
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 report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (NERC Act), what plans he has to increase funding to Natural England.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	189648
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>Natural England, like all other Defra sponsored bodies, receives a budget to carry out its duties and responsibilities in line with what is affordable and the Government’s priorities for the natural environment. Natural England has responded to the need to balance public spending and to deploy resources to best effect. This is reflected in Natural England’s ‘Conservation 21’ strategy which sets out how it will work with local area based partners to deliver its core purpose. As part of planning for the Spending Review 2019, Defra will work with Natural England to determine the future funding necessary to deliver Natural England’s contribution to the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, including the scope for broadening its income base.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/11/2018 17:23:28 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1003892

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
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	Nitrogen Oxides: Pollution 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 recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Health and Social Care on the legal limit for nitrogen oxide pollution.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	189785
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>In 2017 the Government published the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide, and its supplements in 2018, setting out how the UK would reduce exceedances of NO2. We have established a Ministerial Oversight Group to give Ministers from across Government direct oversight of the delivery of the plan. The group is attended by Ministerial representatives from DHSC, HMT, DfT and MHCLG.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/11/2018 17:26:32 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1005616

registered interest
date	12/11/2018
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	Water Voles: Conservation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent further decline in the population of water voles in the UK.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL11387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The water vole is a protected species, listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and a species identified as being of principal importance under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. As part of this, the species has a number of priority actions assigned to it, and as this is a devolved matter, the following information refers to actions in England.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England is committed to the actions set out in the Species Action Plan for water voles, alongside partner organisations noted within the plan, and recently published ‘A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals’, which identifies and confirms areas of work where continued resource should be placed to conserve and enhance water vole populations. Natural England is working with Sussex University, Brighton University, the Wildlife Trusts and People’s Trust for Endangered Species to undertake a habitat suitability mapping exercise to maximise conservation gain using a landscape scale approach. Dependent on these findings and the results of another project, with WildCru (Oxford University) and specialist water vole consultants assessing mitigation techniques used in development, Natural England is considering adapting its licensing policies with the aim of maximising conservation gain for the species at a landscape scale.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2010 the Environment Agency has delivered 328 projects that included habitat creation or improvement for the benefit of water voles. It has restored 6,725 hectares and created 6,330 hectares of priority habitat in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The Environment Agency has delivered training to relevant staff across its organisation to raise awareness of water voles and their protection, and screens its activities to ensure water voles and their habitats are protected from damage.</p><p> </p><p>Agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship provide suitable habitat for wildlife including water voles and other small mammals. Scheme options that benefit water voles include buffer strips alongside ponds, ditches, and other watercourses and fencing alongside watercourses to protect bankside vegetation.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Forestry Commission is currently undertaking a flagship project for water voles in Kielder Forest. Having eradicated the mink there, the Forestry Commission is working with the Tyne Rivers Trust, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the University of Aberdeen on the restoration of water voles and their habitats across the North Tyne catchment, and has already released hundreds of water voles into the area.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 21/11/2018 14:15:19 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian