Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to report on their research into potential environmental exposure pathways for flea and tick products.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The research in question is currently under peer review. Although publication is anticipated in the next few months, it is not possible to give an exact time due to the external peer review process.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make it a mandatory requirement for dog and cat flea treatments only to be approved for use if they have passed an environmental damage test.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Exposure to fleas and ticks may give rise to parasitic disease in pets and present zoonotic risks to humans, as well as causing distress and discomfort. Topical flea treatments form an important part of effective parasite control to protect both human and animal health. Therefore, it is essential to take a balanced approach in terms of the benefits of these treatments and their potential environmental impact when considering this issue.
Nevertheless, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) recognises the concerns raised by stakeholders with regard to the potential contribution of flea and tick treatments for companion animals to the levels of certain chemicals of concern currently being detected in UK surface waters, such as fipronil and imidacloprid.
The VMD is reviewing the environmental risk assessment process for companion animal flea and tick treatments, and this is being treated as a priority.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been awarded to date from the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund; and how many local authorities have applied.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Forestry is a devolved matter; this answer is for England only. To date, a total of £9.5m of the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund has been awarded. A total of 107 Local Authorities applied.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the overall success rate of tree planting and survival was recorded from local authorities who received funds in (1) 2021, and (2) 2022, from (a) the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, and (b) the Urban Tree Challenge Fund.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Forestry is a devolved matter and so this answer is for England only.
The Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) has an expected survival rate of 100% for standard trees in the first two years, dropping to 90% from year three. A selection of planting sites is inspected each year. Any excess failures will require remedial action for trees to be replaced. All post-planting reports for the Local Authority Treescape Fund (LATF) confirm a survival rate of at least 75%.
The UTCF also includes three years of establishment payments for weeding, watering and aftercare to help secure successful establishment. In 2022, this government also offered extraordinary payments to UTCF holders to replace trees lost due to the hot and dry weather.
Figures for these funds are provided in the table below.
Year | Fund | Funding awarded (£m) | Local authorities funded |
2021-22 | LATF | 8.4 | 42 |
2021-22 | UTCF | 8.4 | 63 |
2022-23 | LATF | 6.7 | 35 |
2021-23 | UTCF | 3.6 | 39 |
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many local authorities in (1) 2021, and (2) 2022, received grants from (a) the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, and (b) the Urban Tree Challenge Fund.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Forestry is a devolved matter and so this answer is for England only.
The Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) has an expected survival rate of 100% for standard trees in the first two years, dropping to 90% from year three. A selection of planting sites is inspected each year. Any excess failures will require remedial action for trees to be replaced. All post-planting reports for the Local Authority Treescape Fund (LATF) confirm a survival rate of at least 75%.
The UTCF also includes three years of establishment payments for weeding, watering and aftercare to help secure successful establishment. In 2022, this government also offered extraordinary payments to UTCF holders to replace trees lost due to the hot and dry weather.
Figures for these funds are provided in the table below.
Year | Fund | Funding awarded (£m) | Local authorities funded |
2021-22 | LATF | 8.4 | 42 |
2021-22 | UTCF | 8.4 | 63 |
2022-23 | LATF | 6.7 | 35 |
2021-23 | UTCF | 3.6 | 39 |
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding was awarded to local authorities in (1) 2021, and (2) 2022, from (a) the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, and (b) the Urban Tree Challenge Fund.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Forestry is a devolved matter and so this answer is for England only.
The Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) has an expected survival rate of 100% for standard trees in the first two years, dropping to 90% from year three. A selection of planting sites is inspected each year. Any excess failures will require remedial action for trees to be replaced. All post-planting reports for the Local Authority Treescape Fund (LATF) confirm a survival rate of at least 75%.
The UTCF also includes three years of establishment payments for weeding, watering and aftercare to help secure successful establishment. In 2022, this government also offered extraordinary payments to UTCF holders to replace trees lost due to the hot and dry weather.
Figures for these funds are provided in the table below.
Year | Fund | Funding awarded (£m) | Local authorities funded |
2021-22 | LATF | 8.4 | 42 |
2021-22 | UTCF | 8.4 | 63 |
2022-23 | LATF | 6.7 | 35 |
2021-23 | UTCF | 3.6 | 39 |
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government who they have consulted within the forestry industry regarding their tree planting policy; and what consultation they are currently conducting to inform that policy.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between 19 June 2020 and 11 September 2020, the government ran a public consultation to help inform the development of a new action plan for trees, woodland and forestry in England. We received over 20,400 responses to this consultation, which are summarised in the England Tree Strategy consultation analysis of responses available at GOV.UK.
The England Trees Action Plan was informed by responses to the consultation and provides the strategic framework for the policy measures we will take over this parliament and beyond to meet our long-term vision for healthy and resilient treescapes to 2050. Implementation of the action plan is supported by over £650 million of funding under the Nature for Climate Fund. Our dialogue with delivery partners and other stakeholders continues through the Future of Trees & Forestry Forum and other engagements.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether local authorities are required to report each year on the success rate of tree planting; and whether they require local authorities to seek advice on best practice for tree planting.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Local authorities in receipt of funding from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund and Urban Tree Challenge Fund must report annually on the success rate of tree planting and survival to be eligible to receive funding for three years of post-planting maintenance.
However, tree planting is not a statutory duty for LAs and there is no requirement in law for them to report on tree planting rates.
The Local Authority Tree and Woodland Strategy Toolkit, published in December 2022, provides step-by-step guidance for local authorities to develop an effective trees and woodland strategy to realise the multiple benefits trees can deliver to their communities. It contains helpful information and resources that can be used to guide tree planting and management. We encourage all local authorities to use this resource and create their own strategic approach to expanding, managing and protecting their local treescape.
We have also launched the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund which is designed to provide financial support to local authorities to increase their capacity and specialist skills to enable them to ramp up tree planting and woodland creation delivery.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consultation they are undertaking regarding the planting of trees to ensure the correct type of tree is being planted, the time of planting is optimum, and the appropriate protections for the trees are being considered to ensure trees planted survive; and what discussions they have had with local authorities also consulting on these matters.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Afforestation proposals are screened against environmental constraints and concerns under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) forestry regulations. Defra group / The Forestry Commission has published guidance to help landowners develop appropriate proposals where afforestation is on or near breeding wader sites, and on whether to plant or restock woodland on deep peat and peaty soils. When assessing proposals for grant or regulatory approval, the Forestry Commission must consult the proposer, the relevant interested bodies and place details of the proposal on the Public Register for forestry projects. The Forestry Commission must also consider stakeholder feedback before a decision on approval is made
The UK Forestry Standard sets out the requirements and standards for sustainable forestry, as well as supporting guidance on woodland creation good practice. Maintenance grants are available to help ensure trees are appropriately planted and survive.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) how many trees were planted in England in 2022, and (2) how many trees planted in 2022 have died.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Forestry Commission produces statistics on new planting of woodland, and trees outside woodland, in England. These can be found in the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators at GOV.UK.
The statistics are reported for each financial year with an interim mid-year estimate where is data available. The reports show that new planting of woodland and trees in amounted to approximately 4,344,000 trees in 2021-22 plus 1,389,000 trees in the first half of 2022-23 to 30 September 2022. We expect to publish statistics for the 2022-23 year in June 2023. We do not collect information on the number of recently planted trees that have died, although a minimum survival rate is required for grant-funded schemes. However, responding to last summer’s exceptionally hot weather, we have supported agreement holders who lost a high proportion of trees planted in winter 21/22 through ‘extraordinary Payments for Replanting in Exceptional Conditions.’