Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 Green Finance Strategy's target of raising £500m in private finance every year by 2027, how much private finance to support his Department's work has been raised in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in ‘Mobilising Green Investment: 2023 Green Finance Strategy’, we are committed to monitoring annual private finance flows into nature’s recovery in England against our target.
The Government has not produced an official annual estimate of private finance into nature’s recovery, as no reliable measures are yet in place. Defra is developing a methodology for tracking this private finance. We will publish our first annual estimate, using this methodology, once data is available.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of fireworks on (a) domestic animals, (b) wild animals and (c) vulnerable people.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks. We believe that the majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner.
The Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously and we understand the concerns that some people have about the potential for distress to be caused by them. That is why there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for fireworks, that aims to reduce the risks and disturbances to both people and animals.
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause unnecessary suffering to animals covered by the Act, and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty under the Act of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment.
Lower noise fireworks are commercially available to consumers to purchase if they wish to, potentially reducing distress to vulnerable groups and animals.
Animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA also provide pet owners with advice on how to look after their pets during fireworks: How To Keep Your Pets Safe During Fireworks | RSPCA.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of fireworks on farms and farming.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks. We believe that the majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner.
The Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously and we understand the concerns that some people have about the potential for distress to be caused by them. That is why there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for fireworks, that aims to reduce the risks and disturbances to both people and animals.
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause unnecessary suffering to animals covered by the Act, and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty under the Act of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment.
Lower noise fireworks are commercially available to consumers to purchase if they wish to, potentially reducing distress to vulnerable groups and animals.
Animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA also provide pet owners with advice on how to look after their pets during fireworks: How To Keep Your Pets Safe During Fireworks | RSPCA.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent employees worked at Natural England in each year since 2019.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees of Natural England as of 31 March 2019 and subsequent years through to 31 March 2023.
As at Date | FTE |
31/03/2019 | 1755 |
31/03/2020 | 1780 |
31/03/2021 | 2101 |
31/03/2022 | 2527 |
31/03/2023 | 2955 |
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of introducing a land use framework.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
There are many uses of our land that we need to anticipate for the future. The Land Use Framework for England, to be published this year, will provide a long-term perspective on the land uses required to deliver growth, Net Zero, climate change adaptation, nature recovery, food security, and economic infrastructure. The Framework will help to inform how we manage any trade-offs, supporting the delivery of resilient, multifunctional landscapes, which will be dependent on the local context and national needs. While we have not formally consulted on the Framework, we are taking account of engagement undertaken for Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and have met with the local authority stakeholders such as the County Councils Network, ADEPT and the Local Government Association (LGA).
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 held consolations with local authorities on developing a land use framework.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
There are many uses of our land that we need to anticipate for the future. The Land Use Framework for England, to be published this year, will provide a long-term perspective on the land uses required to deliver growth, Net Zero, climate change adaptation, nature recovery, food security, and economic infrastructure. The Framework will help to inform how we manage any trade-offs, supporting the delivery of resilient, multifunctional landscapes, which will be dependent on the local context and national needs. While we have not formally consulted on the Framework, we are taking account of engagement undertaken for Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and have met with the local authority stakeholders such as the County Councils Network, ADEPT and the Local Government Association (LGA).
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish a land use framework.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
There are many uses of our land that we need to anticipate for the future. The Land Use Framework for England, to be published this year, will provide a long-term perspective on the land uses required to deliver growth, Net Zero, climate change adaptation, nature recovery, food security, and economic infrastructure. The Framework will help to inform how we manage any trade-offs, supporting the delivery of resilient, multifunctional landscapes, which will be dependent on the local context and national needs. While we have not formally consulted on the Framework, we are taking account of engagement undertaken for Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and have met with the local authority stakeholders such as the County Councils Network, ADEPT and the Local Government Association (LGA).
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of offering multi-year funding settlements for nature restoration and protection projects.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department has run and is currently running multiple grant schemes funding nature restoration and protection projects. These include a variety of allocation methods including criteria-based and competed general grants to meet the Government’s objectives. The use of multi-year awards is advisable to provide certainty for multi-year projects but dependent on the nature of the project funded
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons her Department did not include an apex target in the 25 year environmental improvement plan.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 states that its apex goal is to halt the decline in our biodiversity so we can achieve thriving plants and wildlife. This is underpinned by our apex target to halt species decline in England by 2030.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with which stakeholders Ministers in her Department held discussions on the renewal of General Licence 43 for releasing gamebirds on protected areas between 1 May 2022 and 31 May 2023.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department has held frequent meetings with stakeholders, including those interested in the release of gamebirds.