Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help local authorities to develop financial risk assessments for climate change related weather events.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The UK Climate Projections, developed by the Met Office and Defra, provide climate information that can support local decision making to address climate risks, including on hazards such as heatwaves and short-term localised heavy rainfall.
In addition, we are carrying out a one year pilot (Local Authority Climate Service) for the provision of more specific projections to local areas. This Met Office tool will give councils access to critical climate data to inform adaptation decision making in local areas. And the fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment, to be published in 2027, will include data on climate risks that can also be used to support local decision-making.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to align the air quality strategy for England, published on 28 April 2023, with the Government's net zero strategy.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
During development of the Air Quality Strategy, Defra engaged extensively with teams across Government including those working on the Government’s Net Zero Strategy. The Strategy notes the need to identify tensions that can sometimes occur between measures designed to reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality. These interactions must be carefully considered, and steps should be taken to manage them proactively.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the air quality strategy for England, published on 28 April 2023.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Since publication of the Air Quality Strategy in April 2023, Defra have been in regular contact with local authorities. On the 13 September 2023, Defra hosted a Local Air Quality Symposium with local authorities across England including a workshop on the Air Quality Strategy.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many local authorities applied for funding through the air quality grant scheme in 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The total number of local authorities who applied for the Defra Air Quality Grant scheme in 2022 was 68.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many local authorities applied for the air quality grant scheme in 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The total number of local authorities who applied for the Defra Air Quality Grant scheme in 2022 was 68.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) powers and (b) funding available to local authorities for regulating domestic wood burning.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Our Environmental Improvement Plan and Air Quality Strategy, both published this year, sets out our plan to reduce emissions from domestic combustion and the key role that local authorities play. Through our landmark Environment Act 2021, we have already enabled local authorities to enforce Smoke Control Areas more effectively. We have also introduced legislation to phase out the most polluting fuels, including banning the sale of wet wood in small volumes.
These changes have been matched with new funding to local authorities to enable them to carry out their responsibilities effectively, including a non-competitive grant. We also fund local authorities through the Air Quality Grant, which has provided more than £53 million across over 600 projects since 2010.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that action is taken by the Environment Agency against water companies when illegal sewage discharges occur.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is clear that the volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable. That is why we are tackling every source of pollution. Our Plan for Water sets out increased investment, tougher enforcement and tighter regulation.
If illegal sewage discharges occur, the Environment Agency (EA) will not hesitate to use all options for robust enforcement action. This can include criminal prosecution by the EA for which there can be unlimited fines.
We have boosted funding for the Environment Agency with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity. The Environment Agency is improving how the sector is regulated including expanding the number of officers focused on regulation, increasing compliance checks, and recruiting more data specialists able to translate storm overflows monitoring data into stronger regulatory intelligence.
Since 2015, the Environment Agency has concluded 59 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies, securing fines of over £150m.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date she last met the Local Adaptation Advisory Panel for England Steering Group.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Secretary of State is yet to meet with the Local Adaptation Advisory Panel Steering Group. However, Defra provides the secretariat for the group and senior officials meet with them regularly.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department are taking to collaborate with (a) local authorities and (b) water companies on flood mitigation measures.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s record £5.2 billion flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme requires risk management authorities, including the Environment Agency, local authorities and water companies, to work closely together to better protect hundreds of thousands of properties in England by 2027.
Around half of the schemes funded by the programme will be delivered by the Environment Agency, with the other half being delivered by other risk management authorities. The Environment Agency provide support to the risk management authorities, including the latest techniques to build good partnerships and secure contributions. They also provide expert advice on specific projects and will simplify business case development and approval for smaller projects and make it easier to access funding. The changes being made are part of our ongoing programme of improvements to strengthen delivery of flood and coastal resilience projects and help achieve the ambitions from the FCERM Strategy.
An additional £200 million (£153.5m for 25 areas, £8m for adaptive pathways, £36m for Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP), and £2.5m for evaluation projects) is being invested in the Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme. This includes helping 25 local areas over six years to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.
The Government also sets its expectations for Ofwat and water companies via its Strategic Policy Statement. These priorities include a resilient water sector that meets long-term water resource needs, delivers resilient drainage and wastewater services and greater resilience to flooding.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which grants will be impacted by the planned £200m reduction in her Department’s capital expenditure in 2024-25.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra's capital budget was set at Spending Review 21 on the basis of the funding needed in each year to deliver our outcomes. The profile of our spend reflects these needs, which fluctuate.