Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the primary sources of phosphates present in English watercourses are from (1) agricultural activities, (2) water industry discharges, or (3) other activities.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The overall largest source of phosphorus entering English rivers is effluent from water industry sewage treatment works, contributing about 70% of the total phosphorus loading. 25-30% of phosphorus entering rivers comes from agriculture. For lakes, agriculture tends to be the largest contributor.
Other sources of phosphate are relatively small (less than 5%) at a national scale but can sometimes be important at a local level. These include effluent from septic tanks, road/urban runoff, leaking sewers and storm overflows.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the environmental condition of the Sites of Scientific Interest within the Somerset Levels and Moors being downgraded.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
As the Government’s conservation advisory body, condition assessments of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are carried out by Natural England. Natural England’s assessment of the Somerset Levels and Moors SSSIs is based on the latest available evidence including monitoring and modelling work carried out by Wessex Water and agreed with the Environment Agency.
A full assessment of Natural England’s evaluation has been set out in their SSSI condition change briefing note. This was published in May 2021 and is attached here.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the amount of phosphates entering English watercourses is declining or increasing.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Environment Agency monitoring data show dramatic reductions in phosphorus concentrations in English rivers over the last 25 years. Average concentrations now are about one-fifth of those in the mid-1990s.
The Environment Agency has also assessed the loadings of phosphorus entering rivers from water company sewage treatment works nationally. From 1995 to 2020 the phosphorus loadings were reduced by 66 percent.
The amounts of phosphorus applied to land as fertiliser have also reduced significantly over the last 25 years and livestock numbers have fallen leading to less manure production.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether the rate of loss of flying insects due to artificial light at night is increasing or decreasing.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
In 2019 Defra published an evidence review of the status and risks to UK pollinating insects, developed with leading academics supporting our National Pollinator Strategy.
This review did not identify artificial light as a driver of insect trends. However, we are aware of recent scientific studies that have identified impacts of artificial light on the behaviour and physiology of some insect species. Generally, these studies highlight the need for further research to understand the significance of these impacts.
Defra has published or contributed to a range of assessments of the impact of artificial light on insects and wider biodiversity, as well as global and national assessments of the drivers of biodiversity loss more generally, and will continue to work with our academic partners so that emerging evidence is kept under review.
We have measures in place to mitigate the impacts of artificial light, through the planning system, the statutory nuisance regime, and where possible with improvements to street lighting.
Additionally, we are investing in pollinator monitoring to better understand populations trends and continue to take the right action to support recovery.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need, if any, to improve the protection of ancient and veteran trees in England.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The irreplaceable nature of ancient and veteran trees and woodland is recognised in our 25 Year Environment Plan. We therefore strengthened the protection of ancient and veteran trees through the National Planning Policy Framework and guidance to planners. These outline that developments should be refused if they would lead to the loss and deterioration of ancient and veteran trees, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and suitable compensation measures.
In 2019, we announced that Government would give the Woodland Trust £210,000 to work with Natural England to update the Ancient Woodland Inventory which identifies over 53,000 ancient woodland sites in England. Having an up-to-date inventory will make it easier for us all to protect this important habitat. Updates to the Ancient Woodland Inventory will also seek to identify further ancient wood pasture sites, which contain a significant number of ancient and veteran trees. By adding these sites to the inventory, we will strengthen the protection of ancient and veteran trees in England.
On 18 May we published the England Trees Action Plan which set out our long-term vision for trees, including for ancient and veteran trees. We announced a number of measures to improve protection of our ancient and veteran trees.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact, if any, that ancient and veteran trees may have on particular ecosystems.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Ancient and veteran trees are both irreplaceable habitats. Ancient trees can have significant biodiversity value as a result of significant wood decay and the habitat created from the ageing process, proving important for wildlife, including rare and threatened species. A veteran tree may not be very old, but it has decay features, such as branch death and hollowing. These features contribute to its biodiversity, cultural and heritage value.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they differentiate between ancient and veteran trees; and if so, what is their definition of each type.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Ancient and veteran trees can be individual trees or groups of trees within wood pastures, historic parkland, hedgerows, orchards, parks, or other areas. They are often found outside ancient woodlands.
An ancient tree is considered an irreplaceable habitat. Attributes can include its great age, size, condition, biodiversity value as a result of significant wood decay and the habitat created from the ageing process, and cultural and heritage value. All ancient trees are veteran trees, but not all veteran trees are ancient. A veteran tree is also considered an irreplaceable habitat. It may not be very old, but it has decay features, such as branch death and hollowing. These features contribute to its biodiversity, cultural and heritage value.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the numbers of recorded ancient and veteran trees in England are increasing or declining.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government does not have a statutory duty to collate numbers of ancient and veteran trees. The Natural England and Forestry Commission Standing Advice on Ancient Woodland, Ancient and Veteran Trees, available at gov.uk/guidance/ancient-woodland-and-veteran-trees-protection-surveys-licences, directs users to the Woodland Trust's Ancient Tree Inventory which is collated by volunteers around the country: https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/. The Ancient Tree Inventory currently lists 160,000 ancient, veteran and notable trees across the UK.
In 2019, we also announced that Government would give the Woodland Trust £210,000 to work with Natural England to update the Ancient Woodland Inventory which identifies over 53,000 ancient woodland sites in England.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current rate of removal of hedgerows by (1) housebuilders, and (2) farmers.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government does not have an up to date assessment of hedgerow removal but is committed to protecting hedgerows, and other field boundaries, and the habitats they provide.
Hedgelink, a partnership supported by environmental, farming and heritage organisations, has estimated that between 1984 and 1990 the length of hedgerows in Great Britain had declined by about 23%. The Countryside Survey 2000 indicated that by 1998 this decline in the length of hedgerows had been halted.
Legal protection for hedgerows is provided by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 which prohibit the removal of countryside hedgerows without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. The authority is required to decide whether a hedgerow is “important” according to the criteria in the Regulations and should not be removed. Although there is local variation, research has indicated that, nationally, over 70% of hedgerows in England and Wales are 'important'. The Regulations therefore play a valuable role in providing statutory protection for a large proportion of hedgerows in the countryside.
When granting planning permission, a local authority has the power to impose enforceable planning conditions on a developer in order to protect hedges or trees assessed as being worthy of retention, which might otherwise be harmed by construction or the new land-use.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of hedgerows in carbon capture.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
A Defra-funded review in 2014 by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology illustrated the ability of hedges to store and accumulate significant amounts of carbon both above and below ground. The value of hedgerows in carbon capture was shown to vary with hedge structure, woody species and age. Tree lines were shown to be particularly impactful.
Separate analysis by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has looked at the existing agricultural hedges in England and estimated a total carbon stock of 9 million tonnes.
There is potential to increase this carbon stock in England through hedgerow creation and reducing hedgerow removal. This is reflected in Defra’s ongoing “Delivering Clean Growth Through Sustainable Intensification” project. The total potential carbon savings from hedgerow creation in England, based on a high ambition scenario, are estimated at 100,000 tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) over carbon budget 4 (2023–27) and 300,000 tonnes CO2e over carbon budget 5 (2028–32). This equates to a total of 696ha and 2262ha of grassland converted to hedgerows in carbon budget 4 and in carbon budget 5 respectively.
Future work should focus on gathering more empirical data on the carbon stock of hedgerows, including below-ground carbon stocks.