Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to include primates in the scope of the proposed ban on the import of hunting trophies.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is continuing to engage with relevant stakeholders to help determine the most appropriate scope for the ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. Species of conservation concern are listed primarily on Appendices I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) according to the level of threat international trade has on their conservation status. This includes a large number of primate species.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what meetings they have had with the Canal and River Trust since April.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Senior Defra officials and the Canal and River Trust’s Executive management team hold three formal meetings a year, usually in April/May, August/September, and December. Additionally, working level meetings between Defra officials and the Trust are held as necessary.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans ministers have to meet the newly appointed chief executive of the Canal and River Trust, Campbell Robb.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government looks forward to working with the new Chief Executive once he has taken up the post in October.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms exist to hold the Canal and River Trust accountable where the Trust fails to fulfil its statutory duties.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Canal and River Trust’s statutory duties arise from various Acts of Parliament. As an independent charity, the Trust has its own internal governance structures to ensure that its performance is managed and scrutinised appropriately.

The Trust provides support to the Government in responding to Parliamentary and intra-Governmental questions and requests for information relating to its statutory duties. Parliamentarians may write directly to the Chair of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive, or other Directors about its activities. The Trust is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to its statutory functions, and it also maintains an information regime that mirrors the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Trust also publishes information on its activities to ensure public and stakeholder accountability, under the terms of the Government grant funding agreement.

The Charity Commission has oversight of the Trust, and it is also open to anyone to bring a case where they consider there is evidence of failure to carry out statutory duties.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the impact of the droughts declared by the Environment Agency, with particular reference to South Yorkshire.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is closely monitoring water levels and working with water companies and the Environment Agency (EA) to mitigate the impacts of drought across England, including in South Yorkshire.

Following the driest six-month period since 1929, the EA declared drought in Yorkshire on 12 June 2025. The EA is actively working with stakeholders in the region, monitoring the situation, mitigating environmental impacts, and balancing the needs of people and nature.

To support water supply resilience in South Yorkshire, the EA has granted Yorkshire Water seven Drought Permits for its reservoirs, conserving reservoir stocks and to secure public water supplies.

Water company drought plans set out how companies will maintain a secure water supply while minimising environmental impacts during dry weather and drought conditions. The Government expects all companies to take the necessary steps outlined in these plans to protect water supplies for their customers.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether ministers undertake regular assessments of the Canal and River Trust's effectiveness in fulfilling their statutory duties.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Senior Defra officials meet the Canal and River Trust’s executive management team formally three times a year at which a range of issues are discussed, including operational matters relating to statutory duties as appropriate. The minutes of the meetings are published on the Trust’s website. Additionally, working level meetings between Defra officials and the Trust are held as necessary.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the harm to wildlife caused by litter on urban canal towpaths.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government has not made an assessment of the harm to wildlife caused by litter on urban canal towpaths.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential welfare issues from facilities in which short-term care is offered to dogs; and how they plan to protect both dogs, and the communities in which such facilities are situated.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 were developed to help improve welfare standards across a range of activities including dog day care, home boarding for dogs and kennelling.

Defra undertook a post-implementation review of the Regulations, which was published in December 2024. The review can be found here and a copy is attached to this answer. The Government is considering the findings.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of phase 3 of the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme labelling scheme on the movement of pet food from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is using a data-driven approach to monitoring the market, that confirms the vast majority of pet food has been compliant with the new labelling requirements introduced on 1 July, and we have seen no evidence that the availability of pet food in Northern Ireland has been impacted by Phase 3. Industry is adapting well to the requirements of the Windsor Framework, and we will continue to work closely with businesses to support them in doing so.

Furthermore, the Government has introduced contingent legislation to enable targeted ‘not for EU’ labelling across Great Britain if evidence demonstrates that the availability of certain goods to Northern Ireland may be seriously adversely affected by the labelling requirement.

The Government is committed to safeguarding the supply of retail goods into Northern Ireland and protecting the UK Internal Market.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of supply chain divergence for pet food from Great Britain to Northern Ireland since the introduction of individual labelling requirements on 1 July.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is using a data-driven approach to monitoring the market, that confirms the vast majority of pet food has been compliant with the new labelling requirements introduced on 1 July, and we have seen no evidence that the availability of pet food in Northern Ireland has been impacted by Phase 3. Industry is adapting well to the requirements of the Windsor Framework, and we will continue to work closely with businesses to support them in doing so.

Furthermore, the Government has introduced contingent legislation to enable targeted ‘not for EU’ labelling across Great Britain if evidence demonstrates that the availability of certain goods to Northern Ireland may be seriously adversely affected by the labelling requirement.

The Government is committed to safeguarding the supply of retail goods into Northern Ireland and protecting the UK Internal Market.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of availability of pet food in Northern Ireland since the introduction on 1 July of phase 3 labelling requirements under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is using a data-driven approach to monitoring the market, that confirms the vast majority of pet food has been compliant with the new labelling requirements introduced on 1 July, and we have seen no evidence that the availability of pet food in Northern Ireland has been impacted by Phase 3. Industry is adapting well to the requirements of the Windsor Framework, and we will continue to work closely with businesses to support them in doing so.

Furthermore, the Government has introduced contingent legislation to enable targeted ‘not for EU’ labelling across Great Britain if evidence demonstrates that the availability of certain goods to Northern Ireland may be seriously adversely affected by the labelling requirement.

The Government is committed to safeguarding the supply of retail goods into Northern Ireland and protecting the UK Internal Market.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what quantity of pet food transported from Great Britain to Northern Ireland has been refused entry to Northern Ireland since the introduction of the requirement for individual labelling for pet food products.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is using a data-driven approach to monitoring the market, that confirms the vast majority of pet food has been compliant with the new labelling requirements introduced on 1 July, and we have seen no evidence that the availability of pet food in Northern Ireland has been impacted by Phase 3. Industry is adapting well to the requirements of the Windsor Framework, and we will continue to work closely with businesses to support them in doing so.

Furthermore, the Government has introduced contingent legislation to enable targeted ‘not for EU’ labelling across Great Britain if evidence demonstrates that the availability of certain goods to Northern Ireland may be seriously adversely affected by the labelling requirement.

The Government is committed to safeguarding the supply of retail goods into Northern Ireland and protecting the UK Internal Market.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason businesses in Northern Ireland are being charged (a) £127.60 per GB inspection of GB potatoes they wish to buy and move to Northern Ireland and (b) different rates for each SPS certificate depending on the GB farm from which the potatoes are bought.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter and the costs provided relate to England and Wales only.

Phytosanitary certificates are required for the movement of ware potatoes from Great Britain to Northern Ireland to confirm freedom from pests and diseases. Each consignment must be inspected before certification. The inspection carries a minimum charge of £127.60 for the first 30 minutes, with an additional fee of £63.80 for every subsequent 15 minutes. A certificate is issued for each consignment at a cost of £25.52. Where multiple consignments are presented for inspection at the same time, this allows for more efficient use of inspector time and can reduce the cost per consignment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers who incurred costs based on an expectation of acceptance to the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 was an uncapped scheme aimed at mass participation of farm businesses, despite a finite farming budget. This large-scale uptake of the scheme meant it reached its upper limit in March 2025.

We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. We are investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history to put healthy, nutritious food on our tables. We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced in summer 2025.

That's only part of our commitment to farmers.

We have also protected farmers in trade deals and provided a five-year extension to the Seasonal Worker route, giving farms certainty to grow their businesses.

We are using our own purchasing power to back British produce, with an ambition, where possible, for half of food supplied into the public sector to be produced locally or certified to high environmental standards.

We are reforming the planning system to support clean energy projects that align with our Clean Power 2030 ambitions, helping farm businesses to become more profitable and resilient.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of anaerobic digestion to secure rural economic growth.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

British farmers are world-leaders and know their own land best - carefully planning their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. It is not Government policy to determine which crops farmers should prioritise to include in their crop rotation.

We will continue to support farmers, so they can make the right decisions for them and the productivity of their land.

The demand for UK produced crops is subject to global market prices and supply. Crop varieties grown in the UK can be of a specification for food, feed and bioenergy standards, so that there is in-built flexibility for farmers to ensure an end-use market for their product.

The development of anaerobic digestion plants creates jobs and economic growth. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s most recent analysis shows that over two thirds of existing biomethane anaerobic digestion plants are located in rural areas.

Biomethane production via anaerobic digestion is currently supported by the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS). It is estimated that when taking into account both direct and indirect jobs, the GGSS could support up to 1,600 jobs per annum during the construction phase of plants, and up to 1,000 jobs during the lifetime of the plants (assumed to be 20 years).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the turn around time for results on livestock samples at the Pirbright lab has been in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Pirbright Institute is the UK national reference laboratory and provides a commercial testing service five days a week. Results from submissions from private vets are reported within three working days from the time samples are received at the lab, as stated on Pirbright’s website.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if Pirbright lab will prioritise blood samples from sheep farmers in northern England ahead of the Kelso ram sales on 12 September 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All pre-movement tests for bluetongue virus performed at Pirbright are reported within three working days of receipt, with no prioritisation given to particular samples. Pirbright has the provisions to expand its testing capacity, if required, to meet higher demand.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support or mitigations they are providing to assist businesses in implementing phase three food labelling requirements under the Windsor Framework, in the light of the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has fully considered the impacts on business of phase three labelling requirements, including on costs. Those requirements are considered to be a proportionate and necessary way of enabling smooth movement of food and drink products between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We meet regularly with affected businesses and their representatives in the interests of supporting them in meeting the requirements of the Windsor Framework.

The Government is currently negotiating an UK-EU SPS Agreement, which would remove a broad set of requirements for goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Under that agreement the need to label goods as ‘not for EU’ is expected to diminish significantly. Achieving these benefits relies on the UK continuing in the interim to meet its existing commitments under the Windsor Framework.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the costs incurred by private sector organisations in preparing for the cancelled EU fruit and vegetable import checks under the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Work to bring forward the end to fruit and vegetable easements (i.e. implementing BTOM checks on fruit and veg) paused earlier this year reflecting the decision not to implement the full BTOM check regime in the context of an SPS agreement with the EU. Accordingly, analysis of the business impacts of the BTOM checks on fruit and veg paused earlier this year and finalised cost impacts are not available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs to the private sector of preparing for and complying with the phase three food labelling requirements under the Windsor Framework.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has fully considered the impacts on business of phase three labelling requirements, including on costs. Those requirements are considered to be a proportionate and necessary way of enabling smooth movement of food and drink products between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We meet regularly with affected businesses and their representatives in the interests of supporting them in meeting the requirements of the Windsor Framework.

The Government is currently negotiating an UK-EU SPS Agreement, which would remove a broad set of requirements for goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Under that agreement the need to label goods as ‘not for EU’ is expected to diminish significantly. Achieving these benefits relies on the UK continuing in the interim to meet its existing commitments under the Windsor Framework.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the planned Border Target Operating Model checks on imports to Great Britain from the Republic of Ireland via west coast ports will proceed following the proposed UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In light of the plans set out at the UK-EU summit on 19 May, the United Kingdom and devolved governments have decided to pause implementation of further import controls on imports of EU and EFTA live animals, and non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods arriving from Ireland and Northern Ireland. We will keep this pause under review as negotiations progress. We have been clear that compliance with existing Border Target Operating Model controls must continue until further notice because the UK’s biosecurity and public health must continue to be protected.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of processes for transferring animals between the EU and UK for breeding conservation programmes.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges to the cross-border movement of animals between the UK and EU. This includes the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at reducing trade barriers to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of goods, including zoo animals of conservation significance. We’re expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade as soon as possible, and we will provide further updates in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the consistency of Sustainable Farming Incentive application decisions made after the scheme was closed.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We do not propose to review decisions. We clearly set out the rationale for the reopened Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. The Rural Payments Agency wrote to all those applicants who were eligible to apply. We worked with stakeholders and partner organisations to ensure transparency of approach and decision making.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the Animal Welfare Strategy will be published.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Movement Assistance Scheme operating until 30 June 2025 had a statutory foundation beyond that set out by the Plant Health etc. (Miscellaneous Fees) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/623).

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

At its inception, Defra relied on the Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Act 2020 as legal authority for spending on the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS). Under the Act, Defra is permitted to spend public money on matters such as “deliver[ing] social, environmental and economic programmes”; “Promotion and support for sustainable development, consumption and production”; and “Support[ing] a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply”. On 1 September 2022, legal authority for spending on MAS moved to s.50 of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. The Plant Health etc. (Miscellaneous Fees) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1391) extended the exemption from payment of fees in connection with applications for phytosanitary certificates only.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 20 May (HL7268), what engagement they have had with logistics businesses about the current system that is used to notify drivers of physical checks of their vehicle under the Border Target Operating Model without specifying which consignment is affected.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Border Target Operating model (BTOM) was developed following extensive engagement with businesses (including the logistics sector) across the UK, points of entry, enforcement agencies and with the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

Defra continues to have regular engagement with border stakeholders including the logistics sector, to discuss operational aspects of the BTOM implementation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to issue guidance for homeowners who discover bats in their property.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place.

Guidance on what steps to take if you find bats in your home can be found at Bats: protection and licences - GOV.UK. Natural England are currently reviewing their existing guidance around bats to ensure it is up-to-date, accessible and easy to navigate - supporting both homeowners and bats.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of schemes where fines levied against water companies (a) have been reinvested to clean up UK waters and (b) are programmed to be reinvested to clean up UK waters, since the spending review in October 2023.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies for environmental breaches, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. These could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle agricultural pollution in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified.

In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount received from water companies in (a) fines and (b) penalties since the Spending Review 2023; and what steps she has taken to ensure that the funds have been allocated to projects to improve water standards.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

£109 million in fines and penalties has been applied against water companies since October 2023. This includes the £104.5 million fine issued by Ofwat to Thames Water for breaches of rules relating to the company’s wastewater operations.

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded by these water company fines onwards will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of (a) urban littering and (b) waste management on the behaviour of gull populations.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government has not made a recent national assessment on the potential impact of urban littering and waste management on the behaviour of gull populations. The effective management of litter and waste are matters for local authorities in the areas in which they occur.

All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and only in exceptional cases does the law allow for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen flood resilience in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency’s flood risk management teams continue to work with partners, providing advice, support and guidance to flood groups and communities in the key flood risk areas in Surrey Heath. This includes Chobham, Pirbright and Normandy. Environment Agency representatives attend biannual flood forum meetings with those communities, providing ongoing support and guidance on flood resilience within the borough.

Residents in communities at risk of flooding from rivers can also sign up to the Environment Agency's free Get Flood Warnings service, which sends alerts by phone, text, or email.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of environmental protection legislation to limit noise pollution from roadworks in built-up areas on weekends.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life.

Section 60 of the Control of Pollution Act allows Local Authorities to address noise from construction sites, including roadworks, by serving a notice imposing requirements as to how the construction may be carried out. This notice may specify a range of conditions, including hours during which the work can be carried out, and the level of noise that may be emitted during specific hours. While there the law does not specify permitted hours for works, weekend work involving noise is commonly restricted to the hours between 8am and 1pm on a Saturday, although there may be circumstances where a Local Authority deems the work to be of sufficient priority for work to be carried out outside of these hours.

In all cases, Local Authorities are required under the Control of Pollution Act to ensure best practicable means are employed to minimise noise and protect people in the locality from the effects of noise. The law is designed to enable decisions to be made while taking into account the specifics of a local context.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that remain without access to central government-supported flood resilience measures.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Flood Resilience Measures include Natural Flood Management, Property Flood Resilience (PFR), and Sustainable Drainage Systems. These can be effective at reducing the impacts of flooding but are always considered against a range of flood risk management options.

The National Flood Risk Assessment identifies 196 properties at high or medium risk from fluvial flooding within this constituency. The Environment Agency are undertaking a new 'Initial Assessment' for Buckingham which will look at flood risk data and create a high-level evaluation of potential mitigation measures.

A further 2629 properties are identified at high or medium risk from surface water flooding. Surface water flood management is the responsibility of the Lead Local Flood Authority. The FCRM Investment Programme includes the following projects to reduce risk from surface water:

• Leckhampsted Natural Flood Management
• Tingewick Flood Alleviation Scheme
• Buckingham Natural Flood Management
• Buckingham Property Flood Resilience Study

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to further restrict the (a) sale or (b) use of (i)perfluorooctanoic acid and (ii) products which contain it.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds are already banned in the UK under the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation 2019/1021, as amended. That legislation prohibits the manufacturing, placing on the market and use of POPs, including PFOA.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of rising block tariffs for water usage on (a) families with young children, (b) households of multiple occupancy and (c) multi-generational households.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has no plans to mandate the introduction of rising block tariffs for water bills.

Several water companies are currently trialling rising block tariffs. Through these trials the sector will learn how to best support customers, including families, with their water bills. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water to protect or exclude vulnerable customers, which ensures customers are protected.

As the trials progress, we will continue to engage with companies and customer advocates on emerging outcomes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to legislate to mandate the introduction of rising block tariffs for water bills.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has no plans to mandate the introduction of rising block tariffs for water bills.

Several water companies are currently trialling rising block tariffs. Through these trials the sector will learn how to best support customers, including families, with their water bills. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water to protect or exclude vulnerable customers, which ensures customers are protected.

As the trials progress, we will continue to engage with companies and customer advocates on emerging outcomes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued to builders when building on historic dump sites of fly ash.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK.

Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to builders on building on historic dump sites for fly ash.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK.

Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the capacity of water companies to meet demand arising from new housing developments in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are responsible for delivering housing allocations included within their Local Plans, including relevant infrastructure to support growth.

Surrey Heath District Council produced a Water Cycle Study (WCS) in March 2025, to provide an evidence base to show the environmental constraints from their proposed housing allocations. This study, reviewed by the Environment Agency, highlighted additional capacity is likely required at two sites across Surrey Heath, Lightwater STW and Camberley STW, to support additional housing without causing deterioration to water quality.

This matter has been raised by the Environment Agency as a 'point of soundness' for further consideration by the LPA, within their emerging Surrey Heath Local Plan, and is due to be heard at the Surrey Heath Local Plan examination which begins on 16 September.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) location and (b) number of animals affected by outbreaks of botulism was in each month of 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Information from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) surveillance network indicates one botulism outbreak in GB in 2025, affecting 712 cattle between August up to 8 September. The cases have been spread across Derbyshire, Essex, Northants, Pembrokeshire and Shropshire. This incident is currently being investigated by the FSA who have taken precautionary action to protect animal and public health, including the removal of an animal feed product from the market and the prevention of animals showing signs of botulism from entering the food chain.

When large scale or serious incidents are reported, Defra and APHA take a One Health response and work collaboratively cross-agency to manage any threats.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unitary authorities have the (a) powers and (b) resources to develop effective strategic flooding plans.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires lead local flood authorities – which include unitary authorities – to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management in its area.

Local authorities receive revenue funding to deliver local services, including local flood risk management, through the Local Government Finance Settlement. For 2025-26 this makes available over £69 billion, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on flood resilience strategies in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency’s flood risk management teams maintain a close working relationship with Surrey County Council, including sitting on the Surrey Flood Risk Partnership Board where they help to shape local flood risk strategies and work with other risk management authorities, including Surrey Heath, to agree priorities that help make local communities more resilient to flooding.

The Environment Agency’s local Flood Resilience Team also works with Surrey Prepared, a subgroup of the Surrey Local Resilience Forum that looks at flood resilience across the wider county. Further information is available on their website - Welcome to Surrey Prepared - Surrey County Council.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to mitigate risks to delivery of proposed water infrastructure upgrades arising from the financial instability of water companies.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies’ delivery of infrastructure and improved water demand management to secure our water supplies is a top priority and will be supported by our reforms of the sector.

Defra work with regulators to closely monitor delivery through annual reviews of how companies against their targets. If they are not meeting their targets, they will receive a joint regulators letter setting out what they are failing on and when they must rectify these issues.

We have established a ministerial Water Delivery Taskforce to monitor and intervene in projects that are essential for growth.

This will also work alongside the regulators to hold the water companies to account to deliver their PR24 plans and scrutinising the costs of major projects in PR24.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on sites previously used for the dumping of fly ash.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK.

Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64768 on Water: Prices, what estimate Ofwat has made of the average increase in water bills for homes with gardens affected by seasonal water metering.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ofwat has not conducted a specific bill impact assessment for homes with gardens for companies trialling this method of charging.

South West Water estimated that 55% of household customers would save on its seasonal saver tariff and 95% of customers would save on its summer peak tariff; South West Water has designed the trial to be revenue neutral within the trial groups. Anglian Water has estimated that 2 out of every 3 customers would be no worse off or marginally better off under its seasonal tariffs, compared with its standard charge.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will invite (a) Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, (b) textile traders, (c) recycling operators and (d) designers to participate in a (i) collaborative pilot and (ii) formal working group on international textile value chains.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to (a) support and (b) co-finance (i) textile recycling and (ii) waste infrastructure in Ghana through (A) UK aid, (B) public–private partnerships and (C) other bilateral arrangements.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) recover retention payments issued by Thames Water and (b) ensure this money is reinvested in customer services.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.

Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to review (a) retention payments and (b) similar schemes used by water companies subject to a ban on bonuses.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.

Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of retention payments issued by Thames Water in each of the last three years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.

Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Joint Unit For Waste Crime.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No formal assessment has been made but the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) recently published its annual report for 2024-25 here. A copy is attached to this answer.

Since 2020, the JUWC has worked with over 130 partner organisations and led or attended over 300 multi-agency days of action resulting in over 170 associated arrests. In recent years, the JUWC has made significant progress aligning its approach to other criminal justice agencies to target organised crime groups. The work of the JUWC has received cross government support and the model is respected internationally.

We have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) total budget for 2025-26, including the amount available to tackle waste crime. This will enable the EA to increase its frontline criminal enforcement resource in the JUWC and area environmental crime teams by 43 full time staff. This resource will be targeted at activities identified as waste crime priorities using enforcement activity data and criminal intelligence.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64767 on Waster Charges: Social Tariff, what recent estimate Ofwat has made of the (a) average cost to households of the cross-subsidy for social tariffs and (b) potential impact of proposed changes to social tariffs on the average cost to households in each year between 2025 and 2030.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

At PR24 Ofwat challenged companies to address customer concerns about the affordability of water bills in the 2025-2030 period and asked them to set out the measures that they would take and how they would fund these measures.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Canal and River Trust's decision to remove litter bins from canal towpaths on the effective management of litter on land owned by the Canal and River Trust.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As an independent charity, the Canal and River Trust is responsible for operational matters on its waterways and land owned by it, including litter management.

Under section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Trust has a duty to keep the land it is responsible for clear of litter and refuse. It is for the Trust to work out how best to comply with the duty, considering the standards set out in statutory Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. The Trust also has a responsibility to remove litter and fly-tipping in its canals where it would interfere with navigation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has been made of the potential impact of commercial greyhound racing on animal welfare.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The welfare of greyhounds in England is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. This includes where greyhounds are raced or kept at trainers’ kennels. Specific welfare standards at all greyhound racing tracks in England are also required by the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, including having a vet present while dogs are running (with all greyhounds inspected by the vet before being allowed to run).

In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), enforces welfare standards at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as at GBGB licensed trainers’ kennels. Independent, external oversight of GBGB’s regulatory work at tracks and trainers’ kennels is provided by the UK’s National Accreditation Body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

The GBGB has also undertaken a number of welfare reforms, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering the strategy and should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement on the future use of Border Control Posts.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Work is ongoing to confirm what the future requirements for activities at the border will look like under an SPS Agreement, including what will happen to operations at Border Control Posts (BCPs). The Government recognises that there are questions that will need to be looked at as part of implementation and remains committed to working openly and closely with the Devolved Governments, Port Health Authorities, Local Authorities and port operators to ensure the transition to these new arrangements is as clear and seamless as possible, noting that the precise detail and timing of this process – including legislative arrangements – are naturally subject to the course of the detailed negotiations.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 25 to Question 73558 on Veterans: World War II, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of commemorating the contribution of British famers to national security (a) through their service in the Home Guard and (b) supervision of prisoners of war during the Second World War.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have no current plans to create initiatives in respect of commemorating the role of British farmers in maintaining national security during the Second World War.

In May, Defra relaunched the Women’s Land Army and Timber Corps Scheme, a civilian veteran service medal scheme recognising those women volunteers who took on roles traditionally done by the men away at war by cultivating crops used to help feed the nation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of regulations on dog breeding; and what steps she is taking to tackle illegal puppy farming.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra undertook a post-implementation review of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, which was published in December 2024. The Government is considering the findings, as well, as the recommendations in the EFRA select committee’s report into pet welfare and abuse and the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on canine breeding.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to (a) improve the welfare of farmed animals and (b) restrict the use of cages.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the future of agri-environmental farming schemes.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In the recent spending review, we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million).

There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many inspections Border Control Posts have conducted since 2022; and at what cost to the public purse.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Checks at Border Control Posts (BCPs) are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk. To protect the integrity of this approach, we cannot share data on volumes of inspections.

Regarding the cost to the public purse, the only UK Government run BCP is at Sevington, where the Common User Charge applies (CUC). The CUC is intended to recover the operating costs of government-run Sevington BCP facility serving the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel. There will be no profit from the charge as it is intended to be a full cost recovery charging scheme only, in line with HMG’s Managing Public Money principles.

For information on calculation and operating costs please review the report at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sevington-border-control-post-estimated-operating-costs.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for the future use of properties utilised as Northern Ireland Points of Entry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Northern Ireland Points of Entry are critical for food security and biosecurity. These facilities will continue to be used to fulfil this critical function. The future use of these facilities once the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement is in place will depend on the final shape of that agreement, however the Government is clear that its priority is to reduce barriers to trade and red tape.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No money has been spent by Defra on social media influencers since July 2024.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to amend the regulation of genome-edited crops.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has been undertaking a programme of regulatory reform for precision breeding.

The Precision Breeding Act 2023 sets out a more proportionate and science-based regulatory framework for precision breeding that encourages innovation and enables products to be brought to market more easily. The secondary legislation needed to implement The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England was passed into law on 13 May 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 63553 on Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control, what nitrogen dioxide concentrations were monitored in the Greater Manchester reporting zone at (a) A34 Bridge Street, (b) A34 Quay Street, (c) A664 Shudehill, (d) Lever Street in Manchester, (e) A49 Chapel Lane and (f) King Street West in Wigan.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Plan modelling predicted localised nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) hotspots in 2026 at A34 Bridge St, A34 Quay St, A664 Shudehill and Lever St in Manchester, and at A49 Chapel Lane and King St West in Wigan.

The monitored annual mean NO₂ concentrations in 2023 on A34 Bridge Street, A664 Shudehill and Level Street in Manchester were 44.9, 58.6 and 55.7 µg/m³ respectively. Defra does not currently hold finalised 2023 monitoring data for the localised hotspots on A34 Quay Street in Manchester, and A49 Chapel Lane and King Street West in Wigan. We are working with Greater Manchester to obtain up to date monitoring data and this will be assessed as it becomes available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Environment Agency on their decision to remove opposition to new housing developments that would be connected to the Oxford Sewage treatment works in Oxfordshire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A multidisciplinary EA team worked with Thames Water to develop a strategic approach to managing wastewater capacity challenges in Oxford. This provided a framework for the EA to no longer object to developments, instead providing clear advice on the risks and how the regulatory process is now ensuring water quality is protected and environmental objectives would be met.

Following this outcome, the EA are continuing to engage with local authorities, Thames Water and developers through quarterly meetings to track delivery of the improvements to the Oxford STW and ensure wastewater capacity is delivered in this critical growth area.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to receive the final report of the Farming Profitability Review from Baroness Batters; and what her planned timetable is for publishing (a) the report and (b) the Government's response.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in the Terms of Reference, the recommendations of the Farming Profitability Review will inform Defra policy including the Farming Roadmap, Food Strategy and Land-use Framework.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that the decision not to extend the Movement Assistance Scheme a third time was compliant with his obligations under Section 46 of the Internal Market Act 2020.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) was always intended to be time limited. It was originally set up for a period of three months, and on review it was renewed for a further three months before being extended until December 2023. The decision to extend MAS until June 2025, to align with implementation of the Windsor Framework, was made public on 10th October 2023. There was never a suggestion it would extend beyond this date. MAS was created and extended to provide transitional support to businesses following the end of the transition period and during implementation of the Windsor Framework.

Defra remains committed to the ongoing support for Great Britain-Northern Ireland trade delivered through the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme and the Northern Ireland Plant Health Labelling Scheme, plus the ongoing work to reach an SPS agreement with the EU.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the police of (a) kennelling and (b) court fees for dogs subject to seized dog cases.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra does not hold data on the total cost to the police of kennelling or of court fees for dogs subject to seized dog cases. This information may be collected by individual police forces.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the consultation on poultry catching and handling, which ended on 2 May 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure that the research project to study the impact of various catching methods and different housing systems will reflect the practices of (a) the Netherlands, (b) Brazil and (c) other countries where upright catching is mandatory.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Poultry catching summary of responses was published in June, and includes a summary of views on the research and how robust data could best be generated. As set out in the Government response to the public consultation, we have commissioned research that will focus on addressing gaps in the scientific evidence on the impact of upright and two-legged catching within a commercial GB setting.

The research has started at SRUC and the University of Bristol and will take account of published peer-reviewed research, which may include information from other countries where relevant.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his decision not to extend the Movement Assistance Scheme beyond 30 June 2025 on Northern Ireland buyers of impacted Great Britain products moving those products into Northern Ireland.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra, like other Government departments, must prioritise its spending as part of the work to tackle the financial situation this Government inherited. The Department considered evidence on scheme closure from supermarkets and other retailers, producers and trade bodies. There was no evidence that the cessation of MAS would have anything beyond a marginal impact on Northern Ireland consumers. For context, MAS reimbursed £7 million of certification and testing costs but the total value of GB-NI agri-food movements last year was £3 billion.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to continue the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that will better target SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. Further information about the reformed SFI will be provided shortly.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the implementation of the Automatic-sorting for Circularity in Textiles UK pilot; what funding he has provided to that pilot; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that materials processed through that scheme are retained for domestic reprocessing.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The total cost of the Autosort for Circular Textiles Innovation Demonstrator was £4,128,228, with nearly £1.5 million of funding provided by industry and private investors.

One of the project’s aims was to ensure that the processed material was retained through domestic reprocessing. UK Fashion and Textile served as the lead partner, with supporting the UK textile manufacturing sector as one of their key objectives.

In addition, Innovate UK provided robust monitoring throughout the project to ensure it remained within its original scope, which we can confirm it did.

Although the funding phase has concluded, we continue to support this project and its partners to generate economic value that can be retained within the UK.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn. The Circular Economy Taskforce will initially focus on six sectors that have the greatest potential to grow the economy: textiles; agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; and transport. The Circular Economy Taskforce will assess what interventions may be needed across the textiles sector.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued on whether (a) nutrient credits, (b) biodiversity net gain payments, (c) Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space payments and (d) mitigation payments under the Habitats Regulations are required for development which is covered by permitted development rights that have not been removed by Article 4 directions.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Permitted development rights (PDRs) are subject to national conditions and limitations and therefore do not remove the need to comply with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

Where a development that benefits from PDR is likely to have a significant effect on a habitats site, a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) must be carried out, and mitigation may be required. Where appropriate this could be delivered through nutrients credits or through payments which contribute towards the delivery of Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space.

Further advice is available at Habitats regulations assessments: protecting a European site and via Planning Practice Guidance: When is permission required? - GOV.UK.

Government guidance confirms Biodiversity net gain (BNG) does not apply to development granted permission by General Permitted Development Order. See: Understanding biodiversity net gain - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the game keeping industry.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We do not currently have specific policies that support the gamekeeping profession. However, in addition to our work to support the farming sector, Defra works across Government to ensure policies are rural proofed with the aim of supporting rural businesses and communities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of recycling infrastructure in handling textile waste from fast fashion.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

While we do not hold any internal estimates on fast fashion waste volumes in the UK, industry partners provide some insight. WRAP estimates that the UK generated approximately 1.45 million tonnes of post-consumer textiles in 2022, which includes clothing, household linens and more. WRAP-Textiles-Market-Situation-Report-2024.pdf

WRAP does not isolate a proportion of this as fast fashion. However, they note that low-quality textile goods are saturating secondary markets, with the average person in the UK throwing 35 items of unwanted textiles straight into the general waste each year, demonstrating the fast turnover of clothing. The price of our addiction to cheap fast fashion as pressure builds on UK second hand clothing market | WRAP - The Waste and Resources Action Programme

Meanwhile, figures from BusinessWaste indicate that 300,000 tonnes of clothing waste enter household bins annually in the UK, with much of this likely being fast fashion. Fashion Waste Statistics & Facts | Textile & Clothing Waste Facts

The department hasn't made any recent assessments on the effectiveness of recycling infrastructure, however we continue to monitor evidence. Within the Circular Economy Strategy, the Government is developing policy measures to improve circularity in the textiles sector.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance (a) her Department and (b) Natural England has issued on whether a habitats regulation assessment screening is required for the exercise of 28 day camping allowed by permitted development rights.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Permitted development rights (PDRs) are subject to national conditions and limitations and therefore do not remove the need to comply with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

HRAs require an evaluation of whether a plan or project, including those benefiting from PDR, is likely to adversely affect any habitat site designated under the Habitats Regulations and/or its qualifying feature(s), and for any harm to be mitigated before the plan or project proceeds (unless there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest, no alternatives and necessary compensation is secured).

Guidance on the HRA process is available on Habitats regulations assessments: protecting a European site - GOV.UK, and via Planning Practice Guidance: When is permission required? - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67736 on Recycling, whether it remains her Department's plan to publish the Circular Economy Strategy for England in the autumn.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and his Brazilian counterpart on the Brazilian government's proposal to reclassify the Pernambuco tree from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs or their Brazilian counterpart. Preparations for the CITES Conference of Parties are led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how frequently drinking water is tested for compliance with (a) microbiological and (b) chemical safety standards.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The sampling frequency for drinking water is set out in Schedule 3 of The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 including which parameters are sampled at which point in the system, with some variation depending on factors such as treatment chemicals used, population served, etc.

There is also a requirement to monitor for anything else which may present a risk to health. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) ensures that these requirements are met by companies, and may on occasion increase the sampling frequency if a specific risk is under investigation.

The DWI published a report on 26 February 2025 recommending revisions to some parameters listed in the drinking water regulations. The report is the output of work by an advisory group of specialists both UK and internationally. Defra and the DWI will work together to consider potential regulatory updates to England’s drinking water quality legislation based on the recommendations.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of public drinking water supplies met national quality standards in the most recent reporting year.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment. Public drinking water compliance with the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 has been consistently high for a number of years, with a rate of 99.97% in 2024. This compares to compliance rates of between 98-98.5% in the early 1990s.

The DWI’s annual report on the quality of publicly supplied drinking water provides water companies, and also the public, with a picture of overall drinking water quality in England.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the additional costs to breweries arising from alcohol labelling and packaging regulations; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those costs on brewery closures in the next financial year.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

Defra has not made any recent changes to alcohol labelling regulations within its remit.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 73442 on Deposit Return Schemes: Newton Abbot, if she will make it her policy to ensure that remote collection points are available in villages without a (a) supermarket, (b) grocery store, (c) convenience store and (d) newsagent.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The scheme administrator, UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd. (UK DMO), is responsible for ensuring there is a comprehensive network of return points so that consumers can easily return their containers, including in rural areas.

Other types of organisations that sell in-scope drinks containers – including hospitality venues, food-to-go stores, schools, hospitals, gyms, sports centres and community centres – although not mandated to host a return point, can apply to operate one voluntarily. This has been popular in other international DRSs as organisations see the benefit of increased footfall.

UK DMO will undertake regular reviews of the return point network to consider the number, location and accessibility of return points.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public (a) health and (b) safety.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The two large gull species frequently seen in urban areas are the lesser black-backed gull and herring gull. There is a long term decline in the breeding population of both, which is most acute in coastal, rural areas. At the same time as this decline, and notwithstanding that populations of these birds in towns and cities are problematic to estimate, urban populations may have increased in recent years.

Defra has not made a recent assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public health and safety. All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The law allows for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the River Thames Scheme.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The River Thames Scheme is a proposed flood risk management project being developed by the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council. It is a landscape-based project designed to reduce flood risk to over 11,000 homes and businesses, while also creating new green open spaces and sustainable travel routes.

The River Thames Scheme is currently in mid project review. This review is to ensure that the scheme remains efficient, cost-effective and aligned with long-term goals; and to ensure the project delivers flood risk benefits in a robust and sustainable manner.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of pesticides used under emergency authorisations will be subject to risk assessments under the new guidance.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The new guidance applies to all applications for emergency authorisation of pesticides. All such applications will therefore be subject to assessments of risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on implementing a ban on the use, sale, and possession of snare traps in England; and whether she has a planned timeline for legislative action.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

48 responsible authorities were appointed by Defra to prepare Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for their area. Under Hertfordshire County Council’s draft LNRS, the hedgehog is designated as a ‘Flagship Species’ which is set to benefit from identified local actions to recover their habitat, thereby aiding their conservation.

Nationally, Natural England is supporting the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy and the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered from these projects will produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding seals to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The GB Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (GBCBs) acting through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) have carried out the latest quinquennial review of species afforded legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA). JNCC submitted the resultant advice to the previous government.

We continue to consider the evidence for making legislative change to protect our endangered species. This includes consideration of the proposals submitted by the JNCC in their advice to amend the lists of species afforded protection by the WCA, to include the grey and harbour seal.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 69834 on Water Charges, whether households can request that the smart element of smart water meters is deinstalled.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Smart water meters provide an increased regularity of data, in comparison to standard meters, which enables water companies to identify leaks in the property and can help incentivise more water efficient behaviours assisting in reducing overall water consumption. If customers are concerned about their bills increasing, many companies offer the option to switch to the lowest tariff if they find that their metered bill is more expensive.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of marine mammals that have been caught by fishing vessels in UK waters in 2023 and 2024.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Bycatch Monitoring Programme is currently producing the 2024 report on marine mammal bycatch estimates and is expected to be published by the end of the year.

According to the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme there were twenty cases of cetacean bycatch and entanglement in 2023 and fifteen in 2024. This data is taken from necropsy data only and does not include data collected on beaches/at sea by volunteer schemes from non-necropsied animals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 69834 on Water Charges, whether participation in tariff pilots is optional.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All water companies have committed to carrying out a charging trial by 2030. Ofwat has set good practice principles for the charging trials, which all companies must follow.

In designing their trials, companies are required to consult with the Consumer Council for Water to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable consumers or exclude them from trials where appropriate. This means that customers who may be struggling to pay their water bills are protected whilst the trials are carried out.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many reports of marine mammal bycatch were made in 2023 and 2024.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2023 there were 17 reports of marine mammal bycatch, six incidents of which resulted in injury or death. In 2024 there were 12 incidents reported, and none resulted in injury or death.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methodology her Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of the revised emergency authorisation guidance in reducing harm to bee populations.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has developed a Pesticide Load Indicator which combines data on quantities used with data on the properties of each pesticide. The indicator illustrates trends in the potential pressure on the environment arising from the use of pesticides. The metrics for bees indicate a very substantial reduction in load in recent years, due in large part to the end of widespread use of three neonicotinoid pesticides which carry risks to bee populations.

The National Honey Monitoring Scheme supports estimates of honeybee exposure to pesticides. Defra also contributes funding for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which tracks changes in numbers across the UK.

Defra will continue to monitor trends in these metrics and other data to ensure that risks from pesticides to bees, including the risks of any pesticides given emergency authorisation, are being kept to acceptable levels.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of snares on animal welfare.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises many people in this country have concerns about the use of snares.

Free-running snares are currently legal in England and are regulated by law. They must be checked at least once a day and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch certain non-target animals. Anyone using snares also has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure their activities do not cause wild animals or pets any unnecessary suffering.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. Defra is considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has set any quantitative targets for the reduction in emergency-authorised pesticide applications that risk harming pollinators, following the publication of the revised guidance.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The new guidance makes clear that risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators, will be taken fully into account. No pesticide will be granted an emergency authorisation unless the benefits outweigh those risks.

The legislation governing emergency authorisations for pesticides requires that each application is assessed against strict criteria. As each application is considered on its own merits and on the basis of the relevant evidence, it is not appropriate to set a target for the number of emergency authorisations.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they made to the government of the United States as part of their application for a comparability finding under the Marine Mammal Protection Act import provisions.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2021 the Government worked with the Devolved Administrations, Marine Management Organisation, Joint Nature and Conversation Committee and academia, to submit a suite of evidence to support the UK’s application for a comparability finding in respect of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA Import Provisions require that harvesting nations maintain a regulatory programme to address the intentional and incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in their export fisheries that is comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. regulatory programme. In August 2025, having reviewed this this evidence, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States found the United Kingdom’s regulatory programme to be comparable to the US, meaning trade in fisheries products can continue as before.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 72871 on Social Tariffs, whether the increase in customers on social tariffs will result in increased bills for other customers.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Statutory guidance requires companies to balance their support for low-income households against the interests of other customers.

In their business plans for the period between 2025–2030, some companies have committed to shareholder contributions to financial support schemes such as social tariffs and matched debt repayments.

The projected number of customers on social tariffs between 2025-2030 has already been factored into price controls; any additional increase will not affect bill levels for other customers.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many enforcement actions have been taken against water companies for breaches of drinking water quality standards in each of the last three years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to ensuring that drinking water supplies remain safe and reliable. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) regulates the industry and takes enforcement action where they or the companies identify a risk of failing to meet their obligations under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016, to mitigate against future breaches.

This information is published annually as part of the DWI’s Chief Inspector’s Report.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities and coastal agencies in ensuring public safety during periods of increased jellyfish activity along the coast of Fylde constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Responsibility for safety on the beach sits with the local authority or beach owner.

In conjunction with other services HM Coastguard provides safety advice and guidance about the coastal environment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the updated guidance for emergency authorisations of pesticides will apply retrospectively to applications submitted in 2024.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The updated guidance for emergency authorisations of pesticides was published on 11 September 2025. It does not apply retrospectively to applications submitted prior to that date, including any submitted in 2024.

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Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a breakdown of Government spending on advertising via social media platforms broken down by Department, over the last 12 months.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As with any media planning approach, channels are selected based on their ability to engage with relevant audiences in alignment with the government's strategic objectives.

The Cabinet Office is consistently tracking and reviewing spending on communications to ensure efficiency and that the appropriate strategy is implemented. We will not spend more than is needed to be effective and ensure best value for the taxpayer.

Please see the breakdown below of spend on social media broken down by department between 1st August 2024 and 31st July 2025.

Please note that this may not be the complete spend as the Cabinet Office does not centrally manage Departmental social media spend directly.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps their Department is taking to implement the guidance entitled The government’s approach to rural proofing 2025, published on 15 May 2025.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan – First Steps, published in February 2025, sets out our first actions to tackle digital exclusion. While it outlines key demographic groups, it recognises that rural communities are also impacted.

To ensure rural areas are not left behind and have access to digital infrastructure, we are continuing to deliver gigabit-capable broadband and 4G mobile coverage through Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department is taking to implement the guidance entitled The government’s approach to rural proofing 2025, published on 15 May 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

Rural proofing is important because rural communities are an important part of the economy. Rural areas are home to around one-fifth of England’s population and half a million registered businesses.

Policy outcomes in rural areas can be affected by economies of scale, distance, sparsity and demography. That is why it is important that government policies consider how they can be delivered in rural areas. Rural proofing ensures that these areas receive fair and equitable policy outcomes.

Our department takes its obligation to rural proofing seriously. Through the Arts Council England, funding to Rural areas has increased to around £44 million a year to 110 organisations.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to encourage methane gas electricity generators to capture landfill gas when the renewables obligation certificates scheme are phased out in 2027.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is aware that the operations of landfill gas generators may be affected by the phasing out of support under the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme.

Environmental permits mean that landfill operators will be required to manage methane emissions in any event. Whilst emissions from waste are a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), officials from both DEFRA and DESNZ are assessing the impact that the end of RO accreditation will have on these generators to consider whether further action is required.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support affordable housing developers with (a) making grid connections, (b) installing drainage infrastructure, (c) achieving biodiversity net gain and (d) other development challenges.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.

The government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through Land and Infrastructure funding programmes, such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 will also support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure. It makes clear that local authorities should have policies that set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places; that they should make sufficient provision for infrastructure including energy; and that applications which could affect drainage on or around the site should incorporate sustainable drainage systems.

The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

On 28 May 2025, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closed on 24 July 2025 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) veterinary certification guidance, (b) trade missions and (c) inclusion in mentorship schemes on Lancashire producers.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We will continue to work with Defra colleagues to support businesses and producers where appropriate.

Trade missions are promoted widely to companies in Lancashire through direct marketing and partners. Following the mission to Food & Hospitality China, in November 2024, Lancashire companies have forecast increased sales from new international business.

International Trade Advisers provide support for eligible businesses that require tailored advice to grow their international sales. DBT has seven Food & Drink Export Champions in the North, one of which is based in Lancashire.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) prevent future major wildfires, and (2) ensure fire and rescue services are adequately equipped to control those that do occur.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As the lead government department for wildfire, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains regular engagement with a range of other government departments, operational partners and key stakeholders to monitor and review sector led improvements and mitigations. This includes The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Cabinet Office, along with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF)

Since 2024, the Government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector. MHCLG also supports fire and rescue authorities in responding to incidents by providing national resilience capabilities, including High Volume Pumps (HVP).

At a local level, each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), and having regard to the views of other key local responders.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February, sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £69.1m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.

The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need to protect communities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential merits of exempting small urban (a) sites and (b) schemes under a certain threshold from biodiversity net gain obligations to prevent reductions in SME housing capacity.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 28 May 2025, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closed on 24 July 2025 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain on the proportion of homes delivered by SME developers in urban areas; and what steps she is taking to ensure such schemes remain viable.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 28 May 2025, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closed on 24 July 2025 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the delivery of small-scale (a) industrial and (b) commercial projects.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 28 May 2025, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closed on 24 July 2025 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain related delays on SME development finance costs.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 28 May 2025, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closed on 24 July 2025 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.

Review and update DEFRA rules to allow pets to enter the UK in the cabin on commercial flights, provided they meet existing pet travel requirements such as microchip, rabies vaccination, and valid pet passport or equivalent documentation.

Found: Review and update DEFRA rules to allow pets to enter the UK in the cabin on commercial flights, provided

Found: restoration levy must be treated as additional to the core funding of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: December 2022, available at: https:/ /www.nao.org.uk/reports/modernising-ageing-digital- services-defra

Found: supports UK Government policy on sustainable development as outlined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: supports UK Government policy on sustainable development as outlined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: 2024) CDE.26 BSI Standards Publication: Daylight in Buildings (2019) CDE.27 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Defra is the Government department with policy responsibility for the water sector in England.

Found: Defra is the Government department with policy responsibility for the water sector in England.

Found: International - Desnz - Nuclear Power And Decommissioning

Found: TOTAL DEL DEL PROG Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs X003L402 X003L402-DEFRA

Found: Company Reporting (hereafter referred to as the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA

Found: The targets are set by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural A ffairs (Defra).The current GGC

Found: The targets are set by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

Found: Organisations within scope – as determined by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra

Found: . • The Department works closely with Defra and other government departments through the National

Found: • The Department works closely with Defra and other government departments through the National

Found: ICF spending is split between FCDO, DEFRA, DESNZ and DSIT.

Found: 213.9820460385 0.0151952383353212 213.9820460385 z 47.3312513785 0.284014555556515 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 166.65079466 213.9820460385 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: 0 0.0 212.415973128 0.0255269731901963 1.5660729105 0.000557541436528021 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: An aggregate of the data from GGC reporting from relevant partner organisations is published by DEFRA

Found: An aggregate of the data from GGC reporting from relevant partner organisations is published by DEFRA

Found: An aggregate of the data from GGC reporting from relevant partner organisations is published by DEFRA

Found: Advertising Right of Way and Common Land PeopleScout Limited Not assigned Large Not assigned 5105600928 DEFRA

Found:

Found: C EC3A2AD 3,180.00 Housing, Communities & Local Government PINS 04/03/2025 Advertising Specialist Defra

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">Advertising

Found: roundtables included UKSA, DSIT, Evaluation of the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI) 5 DEFRA

Found: provisional assessment of the impacts on the justice system as part of Section 174 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in England IA No: RPC Reference No: RPC-DEFRA

Found: RPC-DEFRA-5347(2) 1 07/04/2025 Environmental protection – Ban on the supply and sale of consumer

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest

Found: electricity transmission network deployment: Electricity Networks Commissioner’s recommendations 17 DEFRA

Found: shall have the meaning given to it in the document published jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: shall have the meaning given to it in the document published jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: From: SM-Defra-RESP-noreply (DEFRA) To: Clare Meadows Subject: EPR/SP3731SC/S005 Permit Surrender is

Found: Davide Minotti Deputy Director, Floods and Water Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Environment Agency ("the Agency") applied to the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Environment Agency (“the Agency”) applied to the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: The Environment Agency continues to work with Government, including Defra and the Cabinet Office, on

Found: representations Marine licensing guidance for UXO clearance and Joint Position Statement published DEFRA

Found: The Scottish Government will need to work with Defra, who do not have a legal commitment to aligning

Found: Any correspondence or submissions from bodies such as NATS, DEFRA, BEIS, Transport Scotland, or foreign

Found: Justice, Department for Transport, Food Standards Agency (until 31 March 2015), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that three of the biggest six local authority areas that use the Seasonal Worker Visa scheme are located in Scotland, what representation it has made to the UK Government regarding the review of the scheme by the Migration Advisory Committee, and what the outcome was.

Answered by Stewart, Kaukab - Minister for Equalities

The Scottish Government recognises the vital contribution Seasonal Worker visa holders make to Scotland’s soft fruit and seasonal vegetable sectors and to Scotland’s economy.

We are absolutely clear that migration policy should support fair work and is one of our published principles underpinning migration policy.

Officials continue to engage regularly with the Home Office and DEFRA, raising concerns with the design of the visa route and exploitation concerns referenced in the MAC review. We fund the Worker Support Centre, which offers free, confidential advice and support to seasonal migrant workers across Scotland.

Our collaboration with the Worker Support Centre ensures policy development is grounded in the lived experiences of workers. This user-informed policy approach is essential when advocating for immigration reform with the UK Government.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support and accelerate economic growth across Scotland’s circular fashion and sustainable textiles sector; what consideration it has given to establishing a national industrial cluster for circular fashion and sustainable textiles, and what steps it will take to engage with Scottish operators, such as ACS Clothing, in its design and delivery of policies to support Scotland’s circular economy and net zero commitments.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

The Scottish Government recognises the value of a thriving circular fashion and sustainable textiles sector in Scotland and is committed to pursuing opportunities to strengthen support across the sector.

We have been working with stakeholders across the supply chain to develop further actions to accelerate sustainable economic growth. Recognising ACS’s commitment to innovation and circular fashion, Scottish Government officials met with ACS on Friday 5th September to discuss their ideas for further circularity innovations and collaboration between organisations across the sector.

We have confirmed that textile products will be a key focus of our product stewardship plan and we will consider the textiles sector in our forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy. We have also been working with Defra as they draw up their Circular Economy Strategy for England to understand where we can collaborate on measures, and where action must be taken by the UK Government.

Found: Private Member’s Bill, introduced by Dr Danny Chambers MP, and sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Members’ Bill, introduced by Dr Danny Chambers MP and is supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Private Member’s Bill introduced by Aphra Brandreth MP and sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs