Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the balance is between nature recovery and growth in domestic farm production in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 ensures that nature’s recovery is a key priority, fundamental to the Government’s approach to economic growth. This Government is committed to deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, to restore and protect our natural world.
The EIP explains how nature and the actions we take to protect and restore it can enable, drive and protect economic growth.
The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. The Government is targeting public money where it delivers most value, supporting nature. By investing in nature, we are helping secure the foundations of long-term food security.
The Government is working with farmers, farming and environmental organisations to develop the Farming Roadmap, which will set the course of farming in England for the next 25 years. The aim is to maintain food production, meet our environmental outcomes, and deliver a thriving and profitable farming sector.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of fly tipping to private landlords in each of the past three years.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has not made an estimate of the cost of fly-tipping to private landlords for the last three years.
Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action to Defra, which the department have published annually since 2012, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. We expect that this data excludes the majority of private-land incidents. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is currently being processed.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with Chester Zoo on global conservation and species recovery work.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the important role Chester Zoo plays in global conservation and species recovery. Chester Zoo has a strong partnership with Defra through the Darwin Initiative, which funds some of the zoo’s international conservation efforts. Since 2007, Chester Zoo has delivered 10 Darwin-funded projects worth £2 million across five countries, focusing on human-wildlife conflict, forest restoration, and community livelihoods. It has also partnered on a Darwin Plus project in Montserrat to help save the critically endangered mountain chicken frog.
In addition, Chester Zoo is an active stakeholder under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) through the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and undertakes significant work to support the conservation of CITES-listed species.
New rounds of Defra’s challenge funds, including the Darwin Initiative and Darwin Plus, are expected to open in 2026 for applications, and we would welcome applications from Chester Zoo.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recognition and support they will give to schemes that promote conservation and recovery of threatened native species, including the harvest dormouse, the large heath butterfly and other endangered species.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets including supporting the recovery of threatened species such as the harvest dormouse and large heath butterfly. A key delivery programme for threatened species in England is Natural England’s (NE) Species Recovery Programme which, since the early 1990s, has funded targeted action for over 1000 species and prevented the national extinction of at least 35.
From April 2023 to March 2026, the Species Recovery Programme allocated £32.2 million to projects which supported recovery of more than 600 species. In October 2025, NE launched a call for ideas for projects to be funded by the Programme. Shortlisted projects will shortly be invited to apply for funding over the next three years.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resilience of infrastructure and flood defences to recent and future flood events, and what plans they have to increase such resilience.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We inherited flood defences in the worst condition on record, putting lives and livelihoods at risk. We are investing a record £10.5 billion into our flood and coastal defences by 2035/36 to improve flood resilience and better protect nearly 900,000 properties. The Environment Agency has reprioritised £108 million into urgent maintenance, halting the decline of our assets.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish (1) the Land Use Framework, and (2) the Water White Paper.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government consulted on land use in England from January to April this year. The responses are informing the preparation of the Land Use Framework.
The Government will respond to the Independent Water Commission's recommendations through a White Paper.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many owners have been prosecuted in the past year for (1) the illegal ownership of banned breeds of dog, or (2) failure to muzzle those dogs in public areas.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government does not hold information on the number of owners prosecuted for illegal ownership of banned breeds or failure to muzzle their dogs in public areas.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that internal drainage boards are fully funded for their role in preventing flooding and water management.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government supports and values the vital work internal drainage boards (IDBs) undertake in managing water levels and reducing flood risk, benefitting communities, businesses and farmers.
IDBs are mainly locally funded by the beneficiaries of their work, farmers paying drainage rates and local authorities paying special levies.
The Government’s £91m IDB Fund is supporting greater flood resilience for farmers and rural communities. IDBs are delivering projects that are already benefiting over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties.
However, we recognise the need to ensure IDBs are set up in the longer term. In response to rising financial pressures on IDBs, and the farmers and local authorities who fund their work, Defra and MHCLG have commissioned a research project into IDB funding and costs. This is focussed on financial efficiency, value for money, and the broader benefits which IDBs deliver for local communities.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the White Paper for water, and when they plan to introduce legislation giving effect to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will respond to the recommendations in full via a White Paper, published later this year. The White Paper will outline the Government’s vision for the future of the water sector, marking the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation.
Following this there will be a new water reform bill, which we will introduce during this Parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, and the environment.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government by which date they expect to implement Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 in England.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this.
Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
We intend to consult on national planning policy related to decision making, including policies on flood risk and SuDS. The Government also recognises the importance of long-term maintenance of SuDS. We will be consulting on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of unadopted estates, and the injustices associated with them, including for SuDS.