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1171777

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a mandatory phase-out of horticultural peat as part of their forthcoming England Peat Strategy; and when they intend to publish that strategy.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England by 2030. In 2011, we set a voluntary target to phase out the use of horticultural peat in the amateur sector by 2020, and the professional sector by 2030. While some progress has been made, we stated in the 25 Year Environment Plan that we would consider implementing further measures if there is insufficient movement to peat alternatives by 2020. We will set out plans to speed up progress on ending the use of horticultural peat in the England Peat Strategy, which we will publish this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/01/2020 15:27:05 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1171779

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to fund the provision of independent advice for farmers in any new agricultural support schemes.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL541
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2020 answer text <p>Our Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy. <br></p><p>ELM is looking into several options for sourcing advisors, considering both private and public sector options. The options we are considering allow flexibility to source experienced advisors in the short-term for the National Pilot, whilst building sufficient and high-quality advisor capacity to support the full roll out of ELM. The National Pilot provides an opportunity to co-design with stakeholders and land managers the most appropriate way to provide this capacity and whether it is provided from the public or private sector.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 28/01/2020 14:50:06 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1418905

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2022
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	10 Downing Street
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 31 January (HL Deb col 685) regarding the Sue Gray report, what steps they have taken in response to its publication; and what plans they have, if any, to remove the 34-bottle capacity wine cooler from the Downing Street offices.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL5824
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>I would refer the noble Lady to the Prime Minister’s statement of 31 January 2022. It would not be appropriate to comment further while the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation is ongoing.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has accepted the Second Permanent Secretary’s general findings in full. Further details will be announced in due course.</p><p /><p /> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 07/02/2022 16:58:51 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1436061

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Abortion: Drugs
	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 allowing home use of mifepristone on the number of abortion pills purchased online from unregulated providers.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL6437
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>No specific assessment has been made. Buying pills online outside of the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 is unlawful and remains subject to criminal sanctions. Under the Abortion Act, women have access to safe, legal and regulated abortion services.</p> answering member printed Lord Kamall question first answered 03/03/2022 17:31:12 answering member 4909 label Biography information for Lord Kamall
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1228030

	registered interest
	date	27/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption Support Fund
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to set the Adoption Support Fund on a stable basis rather than making year-by-year announcements; whether they will consider lifting the cap for individual support above £5,000; and whether they plan to extend their support to respite care and psychological support for parents, on the same basis to that currently provided to foster families.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL7323
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/08/2020 answer text <p>The Adoption Support Fund provides funds to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to pay for essential therapeutic services for children who have left the care system either through adoption or special guardianship order. Since its launch in 2015, the Adoption Support Fund has approved £168 million to deliver support, such as therapeutic parenting, creative therapies, and specialist assessments to 59,000 families.</p><p>The government acted quickly to establish the Adoption Support Fund COVID-19 Scheme in April 2020, and has provided over £6 million to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to support up to 61,000 families to meet needs arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. The funding included support for activities, such as couples counselling, which would normally be outside the scope of the standard Adoption Support Fund.</p><p>On 17 July 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review, which will set out the government’s spending plans for the next three years. The Comprehensive Spending Review will be published in the autumn. We will consider future funding, scope and fair access limits for the Adoption Support Fund as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review discussions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 13/08/2020 15:24:20 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1307725

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	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	Africa: Development Aid
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) maintain, or (2) increase the level of funding in 2021/2022 for (a) parliamentary strengthening, and (b) promoting pluralism in Africa; and what plans they have to (i) maintain, or (ii) increase this funding through the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in 2021/2022.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL14692
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2021 answer text <p>As outlined in the recently-published Integrated Review, the UK will support strong, transparent and accountable political processes and institutions overseas. The Government will continue to use its development budget to champion and strengthen democratic institutions, human rights, free media and effective governance. Supporting open societies is a priority in Africa, the way we act to promote democracy and defend democratic freedoms in each country is dependent on the context and needs of the country concerned. The Westminster Foundation for Democracy is an important partner in delivering this work in many African contexts.</p><p>The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much we spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA). We will temporarily move to a target of spending 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA, rather than 0.7 per cent. This is a temporary measure and we will return to 0.7 per cent when the fiscal situation allows. We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes. No decisions have yet been made on individual budget allocations.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 26/04/2021 12:11:59 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1271530

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	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	Africa: Human Rights
	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 Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 November (HL10267), what plans they have to establish an inquiry to address the legacies of African enslavement, in particular (1) Afriphobia, (2) colonisation, (3) neocolonialism, and (4) environmental and ecological destruction; and what steps they will take to ensure that the victims of those legacies and their descendants are consulted as part of any such inquiry.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL11464
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to establish such an enquiry.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 30/12/2020 13:54:57 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1311217

	registered interest
	date	21/04/2021
	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: Forests
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Woodland Trust State of the UK's Woods and Trees 2021, published on 14 April, what plans they have to promote agroforestry, particularly the growing of fruit and nut crops; what assessment they have made of the impact of such promotion on (1) the level of food security, (2) the quality of diets, (3) fodder crops for animals, (4) the diversion to animals of food that could be eaten by humans, and (5) the use of anthelmintics.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL15131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>Agroforestry has a significant role in helping the Government commitment to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025, in line with the annual rate recommended by the Committee on Climate Change in 2019 to help us meet net zero. We know our mechanisms for woodland creation must be more wide reaching and bold. This requires a transformative change for government and the sector. That is why the Nature for Climate Fund announced in the March 2020 Budget provides significant funding for tree planting, including agroforestry systems. The Committee on Climate Change has also recommended agroforestry on 10% of arable and grassland by 2050 to contribute to net zero emissions targets.</p><p> </p><p>We know that agroforestry systems can play an important role in addressing some of the key issues of climate and land use change in England, through the wide range of ecosystem services it provides.</p><ul><li>Providing food, fuel, fodder, timber, shade</li><li>Regulating soil, water, air quality and sequester carbon</li><li>Improving animal health and welfare</li><li>Supporting biodiversity and habitat creation</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/04/2021 11:42:05 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1230955

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2020
	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: Sewage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of (1) the impact of spreading human sewage on farmland, and (2) the adequacy of current regulation and enforcement of the use of such sewage.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL7598
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p>Sewage sludge spread to land as fertiliser or soil improver can be a valuable source of nutrients. The recycling of sewage sludge to land remains a safe activity, provided it is carried out in accordance with the relevant regulatory controls and good practice guidance is followed.</p><p>Currently, water companies in the UK can spread sewage sludge under either the more commonly used Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (SUiAR) or the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Since the introduction of the SUiAR regulations in the 1980s, practices and treatment of sludge has changed considerably. To modernise this regime, in March 2020 the Environment Agency published a ‘Sludge Strategy’ which will review the safe use of sewage sludge. This strategy will enable better management of the environmental impacts of land spreading sludge, and modernise the regulatory framework surrounding the treatment, storage and use of sludge. Details on the strategy can be found via this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use</a></p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 16/09/2020 13:29:09 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	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