Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve flood defences in North West Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, a £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, £170 million for economic recovery from flooding and over £30 million of funding for flood incident management.
In the £5.2 billion capital investment programme, funding is consistently distributed across the country wherever the risk is greatest and the benefits are highest. The Environment Agency administer this funding to maintain flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) assets across NW Leicestershire and is responsible the management of flood risk from watercourses designated Main River. They complete routine maintenance on assets with support from partners/contractors and this programme includes regular vegetation management, blockage removal and conveyance work to keep watercourses clear.
Packington was impacted by flooding in September 2023 and the Environment Agency are working with Leicestershire County Council (LCC) to assess what improvements can be made locally, such as improved flood warnings, property flood resilience (PFR) and natural flood management (NFM) mitigation measures.
A further 63 properties in the constituency were affected by flooding during Storm Babet in October 2023, and 43 impacted by Storm Henk in January 2024. In the current national 6-year programme, more than £0.5 million of government investment is planned by the Environment Agency to support schemes led by LCC at Breedon on the Hill, Diseworth & Long Whatton. Again, a variety of PFR, NFM and other flood alleviation measures will be utilised, aiming to better protect more than 60 properties.
The Environment Agency has also improved local flood modelling information and used this to work with developers to reduce flood risk in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) plants, (b) trees and (c) seeds are not allowed to be sent to Northern Ireland from Great Britain as a result of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Windsor Framework provides for simplified arrangements for the movement of plants and plant products between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, meaning a phytosanitary certificate is not required and that a wider variety of plants can move.
We have secured the lifting of a ban on the movement of twelve plant species - apple, Japanese / delavay privet, European crab apple, common hawthorn, Norway maple, Japanese maple, sycamore maple, field maple, English oak, sessile oak, European beech and, most recently, hazel. We are in active dialogue with the EU Commission on a number of other species which industry has proposed as priorities. We will continue to engage with industry to ensure the smooth movement of additional plant species. Further details can be found on Defra’s online Plant Health Portal. All information on high-risk plants, including the latest information on the plants’ dossiers and those where the bans have been lifted, can be found at the ‘Plant Portal’ here.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support small rural community projects in North West Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
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 impact of the proposed EU regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability on Northern Ireland; and whether he plans to legislate to extend that regulation to the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will assess the impact of the proposed EU regulations on the welfare of dogs and cats in line with agreed frameworks and established conventions and fora.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
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 has taken to help prepare the UK fishing fleet for the transfer of EU quotas to the UK by June 2026 in the context of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement secured the UK an increase in its share of quota for jointly managed fish stocks. This increase in fishing opportunities for the UK fleet has been gradually implemented across the duration of the transition period for fisheries to allow for the necessary adjustments by the UK fishing fleet, and in 2023 this uplift of quota was worth around £100m in additional fishing opportunities based on historic landing price. Increases in the UK quota share will continue annually until the adjustment period ends on 30 June 2026.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
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 work of (a) the National Plant Collections and (b) Plant Heritage on biodiversity; and if he will take steps to help support the work of these organisations.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The conservation work carried out by Plant Heritage to ensure the resilience of garden plants to environmental and societal change, makes an important contribution to HM Government’s plans to tackle biodiversity loss. There are currently over 650 registered and documented plant collections containing around 95,000 specimens under the auspices of Plant Heritage. Defra supports Plant Heritage alongside other organisations that hold plant collections, such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, which is a Defra non-departmental public body whose work aligns closely with the objectives of Plant Heritage. The National Collections held at Kew include species and cultivars grown for scientific research as well as ornamental display. They include genera such as bananas, important for their potential to safeguard food security through genetic diversification, and Betula, one of our most attractive garden trees. These collections form the basis for innovative interpretation and a vast programme of training and education. They come from a range of global locations and may offer valuable indications of which species could be fit and functional in the long term, in the face of biotic and abiotic threats. For example, incorporation of the genus Nothofagus (southern beech) into our tree planting programmes could help to ensure well-functioning future woodlands. With biodiversity disappearing at an unprecedented rate, the National Plant Collections and organisations such as Plant Heritage have an important role to play in the achievement of HM Government’s biodiversity ambitions.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
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 he has made of the potential contribution of gardens to the Government's environmental objectives.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government fully recognises the contribution of gardens, alongside the other natural features and spaces making up green infrastructure networks in towns and cities. Green infrastructure contributes to nature recovery and wider environmental benefits as well as making places more attractive to live and work. The 25 Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to introduce stronger new standards for green infrastructure. Natural England is delivering this Green Infrastructure Framework to help local authorities, developers and communities to improve provision in their area.