We are the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people’s day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
The UK Government has set numerous goals related to habitat restoration under the Environmental Improvement Plan, much of which of …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to make provision about the regulation, governance and special administration of water companies.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 24th February 2025 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership
Gov Responded - 19 May 2026 Debated on - 29 Jun 2026Create a public register of all offenders convicted of animal abuse and introduce an automatic, lifetime ban on animal ownership for anyone convicted of animal neglect or abuse. This register should be searchable by vets, breeders, charities and the public to prevent repeat offending.
Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership
Sign this petition Gov Responded - 23 Apr 2026 Debated on - 14 Sep 2026Hold a binding national referendum on whether the water industry should be returned to public ownership. Water is a basic human necessity; we believe our privatised system has failed, so the public should decide who owns and controls it.
Reduce the maximum noise level for consumer fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels
Gov Responded - 7 Nov 2025 Debated on - 19 Jan 2026We think each year, individuals suffer because of loud fireworks. We believe horses, dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife can be terrified by noisy fireworks and many people find them intolerable.
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
The Government recognises the importance of improving food waste data to help reduce food waste and improve resource efficiency. Defra is engaging with industry to improve reporting and data quality, while considering a range of policy options.
The Government supports food waste reduction through WRAP’s UK Food and Drink Pact and Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, helping businesses measure, reduce, report waste and increase surplus food redistribution. Businesses should prioritise redistribution; in 2024 retail redistributed 97,889 tonnes, 46% of surplus food redistributed in the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates that the mortality burden of air pollution is linked to 29,000-43,000 deaths annually. The ONS does not produce estimates of the number of deaths attributable to ozone, PM2.5 or PM10 during specific heatwave periods.
This information is publicly available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fens-2100.
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
The Government commissioned the Independent Water Commission which scrutinised different ownership models, including Northern Ireland Water.
This Government is committed to keeping essential living costs affordable.
All communicators are members of the Government Communication Service.
Enforcement and disruption of industrial-scale waste crime is carried out by the Environment Agency. Through the Waste Crime Action Plan Defra has granted the Environment Agency an additional £45 million for waste crime enforcement over three years. The Environment Agency is strengthening intelligence-led enforcement, investing in drones and satellite technology.
The Environment Agency Pension Funds (EAPF) contract was awarded in accordance with procurement regulations applicable at the time. As part of the decision to exercise the option to extend its administration contract with Capita Pension Solutions (CPS), the EAPF undertook an assessment and due diligence on the performance of other public sector pension contracts.
The EA is a separate contracting authority, and the EAPF contract is separate from other CPS public-sector pension administration contracts. The EAPF has in place an 8-year contract with CPS. During the initial four-year term of the contract, CPS met its contractual service standards with the EAPF in full. Conscious of the experience of other public sector pension contracts, the EAPF considered potential performance risks and put in place mitigations to provide assurance that CPS would continue to meet its contractual service levels throughout the extension period.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 September to PQ UIN 26883.
All regulatory intervention is considered based on the specific facts and circumstances at the time.
Water companies' principal statutory duties are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991. Under section 37 of the Water Industry Act 1991 a water company has the duty to ensure the supply of water within its area of appointment and to develop and maintain an efficient and economical supply system for that purpose. In addition, under section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, a water company that also holds a sewerage appointment has the duty to effectually deal with the contents of sewers and provide the necessary infrastructure for that purpose.
St Ives Sluice is progressing through the Environment Agency full business case approval process. The fixed weir option currently provides the best whole life cost solution.
St Ives Sluice is progressing through the Environment Agency full business case approval process. The fixed weir option currently provides the best whole life cost solution.
The statutory grounds for placing a water company into a Special Administration Regime (SAR) are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991 and apply consistently across all water companies.
Environmental Performance Assessment and persistent sewage discharges in breach of permit conditions may each be relevant factors for the purpose of a number of different regulatory interventions by Regulators and, if needed, Government.
Environmental Performance Assessment and persistent sewage discharges in breach of permit conditions may each be relevant factors for the purpose of a number of different regulatory interventions by Regulators and, if needed, Government.
Defra works closely with Ofwat on issues of financial resilience and performance across the water sector through regular engagement.
The costs of a SAR would vary significantly depending on the circumstances of the individual company, including the duration of the special administration, the company's operational and financial position, and the arrangements required to ensure continued delivery of water and wastewater services. The costs of a private sector restructuring would likewise depend on the specific terms of any restructuring proposal and the funding commitments made by investors and creditors.
Sections 14 and 15 of the Water (Special Measures) Act introduced new powers for the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers to modify water company licences to recover any shortfall following the provision of financial assistance to a company in special administration. Additionally, section 16 of the Water (Special Measures) Act ensures that, should a water company’s creditors apply to the court for the company to be wound up, 14 days’ notice would have to be given to the Secretary of State or the Welsh Minsters and Ofwat.
Neither Defra nor any Defra group Arm’s Length Bodies manage internship schemes with such restrictions.
The Government recognises that, while data centre water use is likely to remain a small component of national water demand (less than 1%), local impacts may be significant, particularly during periods of peak demand. Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce is bringing together government, regulators and the water industry to improve the evidence based on data centre water use.
Water companies are not required to supply water for data centre cooling and may refuse a connection where sufficient resources are unavailable. The Government expects developers to work closely with water companies to secure sustainable supplies and explore alternative water sources where possible.
When aerial firefighting is required, local emergency responders work collaboratively with partners to determine the best sources of water to use. This requires balancing the logistics of firefighting with a range of factors. These discussions are typically held at a local level.
This Government is committed to tackling illegal waste dumping. The Waste Crime Action Plan is ensuring we pursue offenders and clean-up the most egregious illegal waste sites. This includes reforms to the waste carrier regime, the introduction of digital waste tracking and strengthened enforcement activity to identify and act against waste criminals.
The Government is committed to meeting the statutory Environment Act target to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England to at least 16.5% by 2050. We continue to support local authorities and partners to increase tree cover, including in towns and cities, through a range of tree planting and establishment programmes.
The Government is pushing ahead with reforms to the water sector under our Plan for Change, which includes £104 billion of private investment, including £8 billion dedicated to improved drought planning, long-term water resource management and the delivery of 9 new reservoirs alongside major infrastructure upgrades to reduce leakage and improve water security.
The Government recognises the importance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in improving drought resilience and reducing demand on water supply. The National Planning Policy Framework requires SuDS in all new development, designed and maintained to the National Standards.
Defra supported a number of tree planting delivery partners between 2024 and 2026. These partners delivered a range of tree planting. This includes the Coronation Living Heritage Fund. This Fund spent £1.1 million on Miyawaki (micro wood) projects. The funding was distributed to local authority delivery partners in November 2023. The planting of these projects took place between November 2023 and March 2026.
Defra is exploring opportunities for businesses to use treated wastewater instead of drinking water or water taken from the environment. The Environment Agency supports innovation and wastewater treatment approaches where there is sufficient evidence, regulatory assurance, and protection of people and the environment.
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should protect and enhance valued landscapes and sites of biodiversity, which includes Chalk Streams. We have also set out more clearly expectations for development proposals to assess and mitigate adverse impacts to water quality on these sensitive waterbodies.
The Forestry Commission publishes statistics on new planting of woodland, and trees outside woodland, in England, in the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators (copy attached). They plan to publish related geospatial data by the end of 2026-27 on the locations of the new planting wherever considerations such as data quality and data licencing enable this.
Water companies have committed to halving leakage by 2050, from a 2017/18 baseline, and the Government has set an interim target of 30% reduction by 2032. The Water Delivery Taskforce is holding water companies to account for delivery of their planned investments, within and beyond Price Review 2024.
Thames Water achieved 99.97% compliance with the drinking water standards in 2025. Customers should have confidence that their drinking water is safe. All compliance failures are investigated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) to ensure that public health of all consumers is safeguarded. Where there is an unmanaged or unmitigated risk to public health, the DWI will take appropriate enforcement action to protect the public.
We are investing in citizen science to improve environmental understanding and generate high-quality evidence to solve water system problems. Government has doubled support to catchment partnerships and funded Water Environment Improvement Fund projects which support development of citizen science. Catchment Partnerships will ensure regional plans are grounded in local knowledge.
The Government is reviewing the public consultation on reservoir safety reform. Many of the recommendations from the Independent Reservoir Safety Report have already been implemented – detail can be found at Reservoir Safety Reforms | Reservoir Safety Reform Programme | Engage Environment Agency.
South Staffs Water has a target to reduce leakage by 17% during 2025-30. Ofwat assesses company performance through its regulatory reporting and performance framework, which includes leakage and demand management measures.
Water companies must comply with applicable data protection and privacy legislation when collecting and processing customer information. The collection, retention and operational use of smart meter data are matters for individual water companies, subject to relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
The Forestry Commission publishes statistics on new planting of woodland, and trees outside woodland, in England. The requested information is available at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forestry-commission-corporate-plan-performance-indicators. These statistics are reported annually for each financial year with interim updates where data are available after mid-year. The Coronation Living Heritage Fund ran from August to September 2023, with planting taking place between November 2023 and March 2026. The planting figures are:
New planting of trees outside woodland
Financial year | Approximate area equivalent (hectares) | Number of individual trees newly planted (number) |
2025-26 | 3 | 2,000 |
2024-25 | 16 | 13,000 |
2023-24 | 18 | 14,000 |
Total | 37 | 29,000 |
It is the responsibility of water companies to determine when and how Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) are implemented. The Environment Agency meets with the water company weekly to discuss water resources and drought actions. It provides monthly drought prospects assessing risks in future months.
South Staffs Water's metering programme forms part of its wider demand management activities. Ofwat's PR24 framework sets expectations for demand reduction and monitors delivery against company commitments through its regulatory performance framework.
Current evidence suggests existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of non-household demand. Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand the sectors growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting rollout of smart meters in the non-household market.
Current evidence suggests existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of non-household demand. Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand the sectors growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting rollout of smart meters in the non-household market.
Defra wants thriving workplaces that benefit everyone and that meet the needs of our customers and partners. The department are committed to offering staff hybrid working to enable choice in where colleagues work, within a framework.
Recognising the value of coming together, like many other organisations across the Civil Service, staff are expected to attend workplaces for at least 60% of their working time (averaged over a 4-week period).
Attendance statistics are collated for departmental offices and are provided to senior management teams for the purposes of monitoring compliance with workplace attendance expectations.
This applies to employees in Defra, RPA, APHA & VMD, including any agency workers and contractors working alongside Defra.
There is no fixed rainfall threshold for a storm overflow to discharge. Storm overflows may only operate as permitted, with compliance assessed case-by-case against site-specific rainfall, flow and network conditions.
The adequacy of South Staffs Water's metering programme is assessed through the company's statutory Water Resources Management Plan and regulatory oversight arrangements. Defra does not hold a published forecast of household meter installations by local authority and financial year. Detailed delivery assumptions are a matter for the company and regulators.
The adequacy of South Staffs Water's metering programme is assessed through the company's statutory Water Resources Management Plan and regulatory oversight arrangements. Defra does not hold a published forecast of household meter installations by local authority and financial year. Detailed delivery assumptions are a matter for the company and regulators.
The adequacy of South Staffs Water's metering programme is assessed through the company's statutory Water Resources Management Plan and regulatory oversight arrangements. Defra does not hold a published forecast of household meter installations by local authority and financial year. Detailed delivery assumptions are a matter for the company and regulators.
In 2022 the Environment Agency declared a drought in south east England. This resulted in lower than average flows in the River Thames, reducing the volumes that could be abstracted and stored in reservoirs in London, including the Queen Mary, Queen Mother and Wraysbury reservoirs.
Thames Water has said London’s total reservoir storage fell to around 58%, compared to a normal seasonal average of 75%, as a result of this reduced abstraction and higher than normal demand associated with the prolonged dry weather. The reservoirs were subsequently filled when the drought ended, recovering to normal levels over the autumn and winter period.