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

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards their target of ensuring that 50 per cent of publicly procured food is either from local producers in the UK or from suppliers certified to higher environmental standards.

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

The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that British producers are well-placed to meet.

Data collection on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local sustainable sources is currently underway. We expect the work to be completed by Summer 2027.

Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of food supplied in (1) schools, (2) prisons, (3) military establishments, and (4) hospitals, is produced in the UK.

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

We do not currently have access to sufficient data on the proportion of UK-produced food that is purchased across the public sector to produce reliable sector-specific estimates. However, we are carrying out further research to improve the quality, coverage, and understanding of this data and expect to conclude in summer 2027. The findings will inform future policy development, including how we might improve data collection and monitoring arrangements for public sector food procurement, increasing transparency and supporting opportunities for British farmers to benefit from public sector contracts.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what role they envisage for farmers in encouraging nature recovery; and what measures they plan to take to reward them for their efforts in this regard.

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

This Government is backing British farming by maintaining a commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery as set out in the recently published farming roadmap.

This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament and is investing more than £2.7bn a year in farming and nature recovery.

This includes funding for the Environmental Land Management schemes paid to farmers increasing by around 150%, rising from £800m in 2023/24 towards £2bn by 2028/29.

It also includes up to £400m from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) review, and (2) reduce, the amount of productive farmland being taken out of food production for clean energy schemes.

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

The Land Use Framework (LUF) included a review of the demand for productive farmland from clean energy schemes and makes clear that land use change should be focussed away from our most productive farmland to prioritise resilient food production.

The key decision-making principles in the LUF are already reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework, which supports the effective use of land. Defra is also working with the National Energy System Operator and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure that energy infrastructure needs are balanced with other national priorities such as food production and based on the same land use data.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Westminster City Council about (1) the safety assessment of the cycle lane outside Parliament on Abingdon Street, and (2) ensuring pedestrian safety.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Responsibility for managing London’s road network is shared between Transport for London, National Highways, the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation. Abingdon Street falls under the responsibility of Westminster City Council, and the Department has had no involvement in the development or delivery of this cycling scheme.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to reduce the funding gap in income for farmers between the reduction in the basic payment scheme for farms, and the move to environmental land management schemes.

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

This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.

Defra is winding down subsidy payments that do not provide returns on investment. It is targeting public money where it delivers most value, the foundations of long-term food security: healthy soils, clean water, thriving ecosystems.

There are now 50,000 farm businesses and half of all farmed land now managed under Defra schemes, with more money being spent through these schemes than at any point.

Defra has reformed the Sustainable Farming Incentive to ensure more farmers can access funding. The first application window, for small farms and also farms without existing Environmental Land Management revenue agreements, opened on 30 June.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent the Farming Roadmap 2050 will address the funding gap for farmers.

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

The Roadmap provides clear direction towards a future for farming, underpinned by four priorities: profitability, productivity, sustainability and resilience.

It sets out a practical vision for the years ahead: most farms adopting nature-friendly methods that support long-term, profitable food production and develop resilience to global shocks. And it sets out government’s role in backing farmers to grow, invest and compete in order to produce food for domestic and international tables.

This includes investing the record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. It also includes other government action, including ensuring markets work fairly and ensuring farmers have access to private finance.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) fines have been issued, (2) prosecutions made in the last six months following breaches of the Road Traffic Act 1988 by cyclists; and what plans they have, if any, to keep this under review.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The collection of data on prosecutions is a matter for the Ministry of Justice, and they hold information up to December 2025. Therefore, no information is available for the last six months.

Found: Baroness Sheehan (Chair) Lord Ashcombe Baroness Coffey Lord Jay of Ewelme Lord Krebs Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

Found: Krebs No relevant interests declared Lord Lennie No relevant interests declared Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

This inquiry will consider how the UK can maintain a secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity supply during ‘dunkelflaute’ events – periods of low wind and solar energy generation. This will include an assessment of current UK preparedness for dunkelflaute conditions, future plans, and policy and regulatory gaps.