Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will undertake a review of the Government funding provided to catchment flood management plans.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Lead Local Flood Authorities are required to have a local flood risk management strategy. This must include an assessment of local flood risk and objectives for managing risk. The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2023-24 makes available up to £59.7 billion for local government in England, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £5.1 billion or 9.4% in cash terms on 2022-23.
The Government has committed to reform the current approach to local flood risk planning by 2026. Every area of England will have a more strategic and comprehensive plan that drives long-term local action and investment and supports a catchment-based approach. The Plan for Water also commits to greater join up and better integration between flood and water planning.
As part of the Government’s six-year £200 million innovation fund, £8 million was allocated to develop adaptation pathway plans in four locations across England. Adaptation pathways will look ahead, at least 50 years, to work out what flood defences are necessary in the long-term and when they should be built to avoid unnecessary investment costs in future and missed opportunities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 held with international counterparts on the (a) prevention and (b) mitigation of melting of the Arctic ice cap.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Secretary of State holds regular discussions with international counterparts on a number of issues, including those to do with climate change.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 is taking to measure changes in the level of climate-related (a) loss of the coastline, (b) flooding, (c) drought and (d) other extreme weather events.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government uses cutting-edge science, including advances in climate modelling and projections, to inform and prepare our response to rising sea levels. The Government continues to work closely with the Met Office to assess the science of sea-level rise as part of the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme, including examining the implications of the latest IPCC's 6th assessment report (AR6). This includes the outcome of significant ice mass loss from Antarctica and Greenland.
Our long-term policy statement sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. It includes five ambitious policies and over 40 supporting actions we will take to accelerate progress to better protect and prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion from more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 is taking to (a) measure and (b) mitigate the impact of climate change on the rural economy.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The government published the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) in January 2022 identifying 61 climate risks and opportunities, informed by an independent assessment undertaken by the Climate Change Committee (CCC). For each of the 61 climate risks and opportunities, an assessment of the urgency of further action was conducted based on global warming scenarios of 2ºC and 4ºC.
The extent and distribution of future climate impacts in the UK are uncertain. That is why the government is taking decisive action to adapt to climate change now while addressing uncertainties through research and monitoring. The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), published 17th July 2023, marks the start of an actively-managed programme to mitigate climate risks across sectors and monitor progress and delivery of the actions set out in the document.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 is taking to help ensure the safe disposal of vapes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the UK, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations require producers of electricals, including vapes, to finance the collection and treatment of these products when they become waste. We will consult on reviewing these regulations and will explore measures to drive up higher levels of collections of electricals, including vapes, later this year. We are also working with the regulators who enforce these regulations to ensure vape producers and distributors are compliant with their existing obligations under the WEEE Regulations, including the requirement for retailers to offer take back in store of unwanted electrical equipment, including vapes.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to help ensure that the polluter pays principle applies to vaping products.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the UK’s WEEE Regulations, businesses which manufacture, import or sell vaping devices have obligations to finance the collection and treatment of these products once they become waste. We are working with the regulators who enforce these regulations to ensure that these businesses are compliant with their existing obligations. We will also consult on reviewing these regulations and explore measures aimed at increasing levels of collections of electricals, including vapes, for recycling.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to provide education to (a) adults, (b) young people and (c) children on the environmental effects of vaping.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are aware that the use of vaping devices has increased substantially in recent years and we are considering the implications of this trend on the environment. We are currently reviewing the responses to the Department of Health and Social Care’s recently published call for evidence on youth vaping and the environment and will use this evidence to inform what policy decisions we might take in the future to mitigate the impacts of vapes.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) sum and (b) percentage of her Department's spending is committed to drought mitigation.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recently published its Plan for Water setting out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The National Framework for water resources sets out in detail how the Government, regulators and regional groups, including water companies, will work together to improve water resources management. This includes reducing demand, halving leakage, developing new water supplies and moving water to where it is needed.
Earlier this year, regional water resources groups and water companies including Yorkshire Water consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years and develop drought plans, which outline the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events. In their plans, water companies consider all options, including demand management and water resources infrastructure. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new schemes by 2050, including nine new desalination schemes, nine new reservoirs, 11 new water recycling schemes, and several new internal and inter-company transfers to share resources, as well as the expansion of some existing reservoirs.
Water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the period 2020-2025, to develop strategic water resources options required to improve the resilience water supplies. In April 2023, Ofwat announced that water companies are bringing forward £2.2 billion for new water infrastructure, starting in the next two years, with £350 million worth of investment in water resilience schemes.
The Government also supports the agricultural sector with its Water Management Grant, under the Farming Transformation Fund, for the construction of new on-farm reservoirs and the adoption of best practice irrigation application equipment to help ensure farmers have access to water when they need it most. We aim to launch a third round of the grant next year in 2024.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 is taking to incentivise water companies to invest in drought mitigation.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recently published its Plan for Water setting out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The National Framework for water resources sets out in detail how the Government, regulators and regional groups, including water companies, will work together to improve water resources management. This includes reducing demand, halving leakage, developing new water supplies and moving water to where it is needed.
Earlier this year, regional water resources groups and water companies including Yorkshire Water consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years and develop drought plans, which outline the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events. In their plans, water companies consider all options, including demand management and water resources infrastructure. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new schemes by 2050, including nine new desalination schemes, nine new reservoirs, 11 new water recycling schemes, and several new internal and inter-company transfers to share resources, as well as the expansion of some existing reservoirs.
Water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the period 2020-2025, to develop strategic water resources options required to improve the resilience water supplies. In April 2023, Ofwat announced that water companies are bringing forward £2.2 billion for new water infrastructure, starting in the next two years, with £350 million worth of investment in water resilience schemes.
The Government also supports the agricultural sector with its Water Management Grant, under the Farming Transformation Fund, for the construction of new on-farm reservoirs and the adoption of best practice irrigation application equipment to help ensure farmers have access to water when they need it most. We aim to launch a third round of the grant next year in 2024.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to prevent drought (a) nationally and (b) in Yorkshire.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recently published its Plan for Water setting out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The National Framework for water resources sets out in detail how the Government, regulators and regional groups, including water companies, will work together to improve water resources management. This includes reducing demand, halving leakage, developing new water supplies and moving water to where it is needed.
Earlier this year, regional water resources groups and water companies including Yorkshire Water consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years and develop drought plans, which outline the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events. In their plans, water companies consider all options, including demand management and water resources infrastructure. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new schemes by 2050, including nine new desalination schemes, nine new reservoirs, 11 new water recycling schemes, and several new internal and inter-company transfers to share resources, as well as the expansion of some existing reservoirs.
Water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the period 2020-2025, to develop strategic water resources options required to improve the resilience water supplies. In April 2023, Ofwat announced that water companies are bringing forward £2.2 billion for new water infrastructure, starting in the next two years, with £350 million worth of investment in water resilience schemes.
The Government also supports the agricultural sector with its Water Management Grant, under the Farming Transformation Fund, for the construction of new on-farm reservoirs and the adoption of best practice irrigation application equipment to help ensure farmers have access to water when they need it most. We aim to launch a third round of the grant next year in 2024.