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Written Question
Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014
Tuesday 21st May 2024

Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014.

Answered by Mike Freer

On 17 July 2023, following a review of the fees that enforcement agents and High Court Enforcement Officers can recover when using the taking control of goods procedure, we announced that we intended to amend the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 to uplift such fees by 5%. We also announced that we would consult on reforms that aimed to encourage earlier and cheaper settlement of debt. We said that we would implement any reforms and the fee uplifts at the same time, in order to balance the need to ensure that there is a sustainable enforcement industry with making sure that those facing enforcement action are treated fairly. That consultation closed on 6 December 2023.

We received detailed feedback from a wide range of stakeholders and the Enforcement Conduct Board have been consulted. A response to the consultation will be published and a timetable for implementation will be announced in due course.

Written Question
Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2024
Monday 20th May 2024

Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)

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 make an assessment of the potential impact of the draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2024 on the incomes of farmers.

Answered by Mark Spencer

As part of our transition away from Direct Payments, the draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2024 will apply reductions to delinked payments in 2024. However, this money is not being lost to the sector. The overall farming budget in England is being maintained at an average of £2.4 billion per year across this Parliament. The money released from the reductions is being reinvested in our other schemes for farmers and land managers. This means farmers can access funding which will help reduce costs and improve productivity and resilience, as well as benefitting the environment.

Analysis of the impacts of removing Direct Payments was included in the Government’s 2019 farming evidence compendium and 2021 and 2022 Agriculture in the UK Evidence Packs.

Division Vote (Commons)
15 May 2024 - Criminal Justice Bill - View Vote Context
Bill Wiggin (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 260 Conservative No votes vs 1 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 17 Noes - 268
Division Vote (Commons)
15 May 2024 - Criminal Justice Bill - View Vote Context
Bill Wiggin (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 272 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 167 Noes - 275
Division Vote (Commons)
15 May 2024 - Criminal Justice Bill - View Vote Context
Bill Wiggin (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 268 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 171 Noes - 272
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 14 May 2024
World Species Congress

"Will the Minister look at simple things we can do in the UK in that legislation, such as not insisting on a bat survey in the planning process, but insisting that bats get the mitigating changes to building regulations that they require automatically, thus saving developers and getting on with …..."
Bill Wiggin - View Speech

View all Bill Wiggin (Con - North Herefordshire) contributions to the debate on: World Species Congress
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 14 May 2024
World Species Congress

"Does the hon. Lady agree that the example that the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the zoos are setting has not been copied by the country’s largest landowner, the National Trust? The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been complaining about this issue ever …..."
Bill Wiggin - View Speech

View all Bill Wiggin (Con - North Herefordshire) contributions to the debate on: World Species Congress
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 14 May 2024
World Species Congress

"Leptodactylus fallax, the mountain chicken frog, is dying not because it is being consumed, but because it gets a very nasty fungus called chytridiomycosis, and zoos are able to protect those frogs because they can take them away from their very small habitats. Nearly all species decline is due to …..."
Bill Wiggin - View Speech

View all Bill Wiggin (Con - North Herefordshire) contributions to the debate on: World Species Congress
Division Vote (Commons)
13 May 2024 - Risk-based Exclusion - View Vote Context
Bill Wiggin (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 165 Conservative No votes vs 8 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 170 Noes - 169
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 13 May 2024
Agriculture

"DEFRA is often a watchword for incompetence, and the approach to bluetongue is no exception to that. We need to be competing with Germany and Holland in the way we approach agriculture. This statutory instrument is particularly interesting—I declare my interests as listed in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, …..."
Bill Wiggin - View Speech

View all Bill Wiggin (Con - North Herefordshire) contributions to the debate on: Agriculture