Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have allocated for flood defences and further related mitigation measures in the Somerset Levels in the current financial year; and what current schemes are underway to mitigate flooding in the area.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
This current financial year, £4.7 million of capital flood defence capital grant in aid (FDGiA) has been allocated for flood defences and further related mitigation measures on the Somerset Levels and Moors. This funding is being used to progress schemes such as the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier and Dunball sluice refurbishment, as well as works to flood defence reservoirs and pumping station improvements.
In addition, a further £0.5 million of capital funding has been allocated for the recondition of existing flood defence assets.
£3.5 million of revenue FDGiA has been allocated for maintenance and operation of flood defence assets. This is supplemented by £0.5 million of Internal Drainage Board precept.
On behalf of the Somerset Rivers Authority, the Environment Agency and the Somerset Consortium of Internal Drainage Boards are also delivering £4 million of capital works to increase channel conveyance on the River Sowy and King Sedgemoor Drain, and to dredge a further section of the River Parrett.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of preparations to mitigate flooding of the Somerset Levels in the winter.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
At this time of year, being incident ready and resilient for winter flooding is a top priority for the Environment Agency (EA). The EA are working to ensure that its incident response rosters are well-populated and that incident duty staff have had refresher training.
This summer, across the Levels and Moors, EA field staff have been working to deliver a multimillion pound programme of maintenance works. This includes repairs and essential maintenance to pump stations, clearing main rivers to ensure maximum conveyance, localised repairs to damaged flood banks, and asset inspections to address any defects. Contingency plans have also been developed for strategically important assets with an ongoing programme of tests and exercises.
In October, the EA has planned specialist training for its staff on deploying ultra-high volume pumps and temporary defences. Separate training sessions are also planned with supply chain partners so that they are well briefed if they are needed.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Ragwort Control Act 2003 in preventing and controlling the spread of ragwort on (1) privately owned property, and (2) publicly owned land, such as roadside verges.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra’s injurious weeds policy aims to balance a variety of different interests in the countryside. We have not made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Ragwort Control Act 2003, as this Act amends the Weeds Act 1959 by inserting a provision enabling the Secretary of State to produce statutory guidance in the form of a ‘code of practice’ on how to prevent the spread of ragwort.
The Secretary of State published a code of practice in 2004, which aims to define the situations in which there is a likelihood of ragwort spreading to neighbouring land where it will then present an identifiable risk of ingestions by vulnerable animals, and to provide guidance on the most appropriate means of control, taking into account both animal welfare and environmental considerations. This is available on the GOV.UK website.
Natural England is the responsible authority for investigating complaints about injurious weeds under the Weeds Act 1959 in England and collects data on injurious weeds complaints to monitor the number of complaints in each season. This data is reviewed annually by Defra and Natural England, and from the 2018 season this data is available on data.gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the landscape value, and (2) the level of landscape protection, of the Somerset Levels.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Natural England published a detailed Natural Character Area profile of the Somerset Levels in June 2013. This study provides a description of the natural and cultural features that shape the landscape, how the landscape has changed over time, the current key drivers of landscape change and a broad analysis of the area’s characteristics and ecosystem services.
The Somerset Levels have no formal landscape protection. Large areas of the Somerset Levels are, however, afforded protection because of their nature conservation value through designation as: a National Nature Reserve; a Special Protection Area (under the Wild Birds Directive); and a Ramsar site (under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands of international importance). These designations are underpinned by several Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Further information is available online via Natural England’s Designated Sites Viewer and the MAGIC website:
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of re-wilding in England on established fauna and flora.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There are an increasing number of examples of re-wilding in England, but limited scientific assessments of their effects.
In 2017, Natural England published a review of large-scale conservation which looked at the effects of a number of re-wilding projects. The review found some indications of positive change in the quality of woodlands, but concluded that definitive assessment was hampered by a lack of data.
It is clear, nonetheless, that re-wilding approaches can deliver benefits. For example, at Knepp Castle in West Sussex, the creation of extensive grassland and scrub habitats, has boosted numbers of declining bird species like the nightingale or the turtle dove.
Re-wilding is unlikely to be appropriate in all circumstances, but natural processes, such as natural colonisation of land with trees for example, could play an important part in connecting and expanding habitats and woodlands, alongside planting.
The Government is therefore keen to understand the potential of re-wilding approaches to provide biodiversity and carbon benefits as we develop our tree strategy and our plans for the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to humans arising from re-wilding in England.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Rewilding often includes the re-introduction of species to restore ecosystems and natural processes. Any reintroduction or conservation translocation of a species should follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) guidelines. As part of this, a rewilding project should consider the risk or impacts that the reintroduction may have on humans.
The Government is currently developing of Code of Best Practice and Guidance for assessing the merits and risks of a reintroduction proposal. We would expect any such proposal to follow this, which will set the standards that a project needs to meet where a licence for release is needed.
Natural England already considers risks to humans in its assessment of a reintroduction proposal. The Government has also taken action to address such risks. For example, we have limited the potential sources for importation of beaver to ensure that animals released in England are disease-free.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of penalties in deterring the trapping, poisoning or shooting of protected species of birds in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government has not carried out an assessment of the deterrent effect of penalties for wildlife crime. Measuring the effectiveness of deterrence is extremely challenging, as potential offenders do not often admit to being deterred from committing a crime.
Nevertheless, the Government takes wildlife crime seriously. Those who commit offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and other legislation that protects our wildlife face significant penalties including up to six months in prison and/or unlimited fines.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) the environment, and (2) road safety, of the cutting of roadside verges and hedges in English local authority areas since 2015; and whether they have plans for a review of these practices.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Our roadside verges and hedges can provide a rich refuge for plants and for the pollinators and other wildlife they support. The responsibility for managing England’s strategic road network falls to Highways England and the local road network to local authorities.
All public bodies, including Highways England and local authorities, have a legal duty under the 2006 Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act to have regard to conserving biodiversity when exercising their functions. Management of road verges, hedgerows and other green spaces to support wildflowers, pollinators and other wildlife is one way in which public bodies can discharge this duty, although those public bodies also have to ensure public safety.
The UK Roads Liaison Group’s Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure recommends that authorities manage highway verges, trees and landscaped areas with regard to their nature conservation value and biodiversity principles as well as whole-life costing, highway safety and serviceability.
Many public bodies are already taking action to enhance biodiversity along public roads. Highways England’s Biodiversity Action Plan sets out its approach to promoting biodiversity while balancing this with safety on the strategic road network. A number of local authorities are also working with conservation groups such as the local Wildlife Trust to plan and implement biodiversity enhancements alongside roads.
Defra, alongside our external partners and other Government departments, regularly reviews the evidence on the value to wildlife of roadside verges and hedges, and strongly encourages positive management that balances wildlife and safety.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the amount of fly tipping on or near roads has increased during the last 12 months and, if so, by how much.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government publishes annual fly-tipping statistics for England around November for the preceding financial year. As such, the Government has not yet been able to assess whether the amount of fly-tipping on or near roads has increased during the last 12 months.
The most recently published statistics indicated that, as with previous years, the most common place for fly-tipping to occur was on highways (pavements and roads), which accounted for 46% of total incidents in 2018/19. This is an increase of 6% from 2017/18. The fly-tipping statistics are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the amount of littering from vehicles has increased during the last 12 months and, if so, by how much.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government does not collect data on littering rates and has made no assessment of whether littering from vehicles has increased or decreased in the last 12 months.
Data on a range of indicators relating to litter in England is published annually on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litter-and-littering-in-england-data-dashboard
The most recently-published data indicated that around 9 in 10 sites in England met the required standards of cleanliness in 2017-18. Data for 2018-19 will be published later this year.
Data from Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) shows that 94% of main roads, 89% of rural roads, and 93% of ‘other highways’ met the required standards of cleanliness in 2017-18, based on an independent survey of 7,200 sites across 25 local authorities. This is broadly comparable with their results from a similar survey for 2014-15, although differences in the survey sample and methodology prevent direct comparisons. The full 2017-18 report from KBT can be found online at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org
From April 2018, we have increased the powers available to councils to tackle littering from vehicles by giving councils in England and outside London new powers to issue civil penalties to the keeper of vehicles from which litter is thrown. Similar power are already held by councils in London.