Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential benefits to waterways management of the proposals by the Inland Waterways Association to transfer management of the waterways from the Environment Agency to the Canal and River Trust.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra has not received proposals from the Inland Waterways Association for the transfer of the management of the waterways from the Environment Agency to the Canal and River Trust.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the net value was of food imports from the EU in the last 10 years.
Answered by George Eustice
The following table shows the net value (imports minus exports) of food imports from EU countries, for the last ten years, according to HMRC trade statistics[1]:
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| £'million |
Year | Total Exports | Total Imports | Net Imports |
2006 | 6,849.6 | 14,293.2 | 7,443.6 |
2007 | 6,761.9 | 14,250.4 | 7,488.5 |
2008 | 7,401.8 | 14,534.3 | 7,132.5 |
2009 | 7,724.5 | 13,888.6 | 6,164.2 |
2010 | 8,265.3 | 14,311.8 | 6,046.6 |
2011 | 7,319.9 | 14,638.1 | 7,318.2 |
2012 | 6,085.5 | 16,498.5 | 10,412.9 |
2013 | 5,837.4 | 19,021.0 | 13,183.7 |
2014 | 6,422.6 | 17,354.3 | 10,931.7 |
2015 | 7,560.6 | 18,065.6 | 10,504.9 |
Total trade | 70,229.1 | 156,855.9 | 86,626.8 |
[1]
Source: HM Revenue and Customs | |||
Data prepared by the Food & Trade Statistics team, Great British Food Unit, Defra | |||
2015 data are subject to amendments | |||
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the net value was of food imports from Africa in the last 10 years.
Answered by George Eustice
The following table shows the net value (imports minus exports) of food imports from Africa, for the last ten years, according to HMRC trade statistics[1]:
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|
| £'million |
Year | Total Exports | Total Imports | Net Imports |
2006 | 173.5 | 1,200.7 | 1,027.1 |
2007 | 168.5 | 1,260.7 | 1,092.2 |
2008 | 263.6 | 1,428.6 | 1,165.0 |
2009 | 259.2 | 1,506.2 | 1,247.1 |
2010 | 372.1 | 1,419.7 | 1,047.7 |
2011 | 375.0 | 1,497.6 | 1,122.6 |
2012 | 430.0 | 1,419.9 | 990.0 |
2013 | 502.9 | 1,565.5 | 1,062.6 |
2014 | 594.6 | 1,467.5 | 872.9 |
2015 | 448.7 | 1,307.9 | 859.2 |
Total trade | 3,588.1 | 14,074.3 | 10,486.2 |
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[1]
Source: HM Revenue and Customs | |||
Data prepared by the Food & Trade Statistics team, Great British Food Unit, Defra | |||
2015 data are subject to amendments | |||
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
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 current progress against the air quality target of 40 microgrammes of NO2 per cubic metre; and whether the Government expects to meet that target.
Answered by Rory Stewart
We have improved air quality significantly over recent decades and the UK currently meets the EU limit values for almost all pollutants. We have consulted on our draft revised air quality plans for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which set out a range of local, national and international actions to lower levels of harmful emissions and are currently analysing all of the responses received. By the end of the year we will submit the finalised plans to the European Commission outlining how the UK will meet the EU limit values for NO2 including those of 40 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre in the shortest possible time.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the annual cost to British businesses of the EU's pollution directive.
Answered by Rory Stewart
There are a number of EU directives covering a wide range of pollution issues. This answer refers to the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), which was transposed into law in England and Wales in February 2013. The Directive requires operators in a range of industrial sectors to comply with certain standards to ensure the reduction of emissions from their activities.
Prior to transposition of the Directive, our impact assessment estimated that the annual regulatory and compliance costs for the main affected sectors would be £105m for operators of large combustion plants and £0 - £15m for a range of other installations in the waste treatment and wood treatment sectors.
The impact assessment estimated that the annual human health benefits due to a reduction in emissions of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter from large combustion plants alone would be £188m. Other benefits for human health and the environment were also expected to arise from other pollutants that could not be monetised.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency's flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme 2015 to 2021, what estimate she has made of the number of properties that will be protected in the (a) Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, (b) Thames Valley and (c) UK by that programme.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency has estimated that its flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme 2015-2021, will reduce the risk of flooding to:
· around 400 households in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead;
· over 3,000 households in the Thames Valley - this number is based on delivery of schemes across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, including schemes around Oxford, Abingdon, Slough, Marlow, Newbury, Winnersh, Bicester, Northway and Marston;
· at least 300,000 households in England.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the Environment Agency budget was spent on flood defences and prevention in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The following table shows the proportion of Environment Agency budget spent on flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) in the financial years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14.
The final FCRM spend for the financial year 14/15 is yet to be confirmed.
Expenditure | 2013-2014 (£M) | % of Total Spend | 2012-2013 (£M) | % of Total Spend | 2011-2012 (£M) | % of Total Spend |
Flood and coastal risk management | 637 | 56 | 585 | 54 | 600 | 54 |
Total | 1,143 | 100 | 1,091 | 100 | 1,113 | 100 |
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made in deregulating the consent process for river maintenance pilots; and what plans she has to start new pilot schemes (a) along the Thames in Berkshire and (b) elsewhere.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
On 10 December 2014, Defra launched a consultation on proposals to integrate flood defence consents into the Environmental Permitting framework. The new scheme will simplify the application process while removing unnecessary costs and burdens for those who wish to carry out construction works or other activities in, or near, main rivers.
The River Maintenance Pilots (which explore how red tape could be reduced for landowners who wish to undertake maintenance in man-made ditches, land drains or previously straightened watercourses that had been dredged in the last ten years) were launched by the Environment Agency in October 2013 and were scheduled to last for one year. In response to interest shown by local farmers, the pilots were expanded in May 2014 to include two new pilot areas, and expand an existing area. To allow those affected by the 2013/14 floods extra time to carry out their work, the pilots were also extended until mid-March 2015. We will consider the evidence from the pilots when they are complete.
In addition, the Environment Agency and National Farmers Union are launching a new local initiative across rural Oxfordshire to help landowners along tributaries of the River Thames with the consenting process. This initiative will start in 2015/16 and it is likely to expand into Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
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 improve flood defences in the Thames Valley in 2014.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Since the 2013/14 winter flooding, over £3 million has been spent on work to restore flood defence assets in the Thames Valley and Surrey areas to help reduce the risk of flooding to communities. This has included completing eight flood defence repair projects and capital works on two weirs (Molesey and Godstow). The Environment Agency has also carried out repairs to damage on three Thames weirs, including removal of trees and blockages, and shoal clearance works across twenty sites through the Lower Thames.
During this year, the Environment Agency has also made progress in developing two large-scale flood alleviation schemes:
- The Oxford to Abingdon scheme, reducing flood risk to over 1,000 properties; and
- The River Thames scheme, reducing flood risk to over 15,000 homes and businesses and significant local infrastructure around Teddington to Datchet.
An indicative allocation of £297m of Grant in Aid has been allocated to projects within the Thames RFCC are over the next 6 years. These projects will better protect at least 25,000 households by 2021. It is planned to start the construction of 36 projects by April 2016 with a further 126 projects in development and the pipeline for construction in future years.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Repair and Renew grant scheme.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
We are working closely with local authorities, with support from the Environment Agency, to ensure the effective delivery and deliver the maximum benefit for the ‘Repair and Renew’ grant. We are aware of a number of collaborative applications that will have multiple beneficiaries. These demonstrate particularly effective use of the grant.
The scheme is still running. All local authorities must claim reimbursement for grant payments from Defra by 31 March 2015. After then we will be better placed to assess the effectiveness of the scheme.