Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of demographic decline in rural areas on long-term climate adaptation needs for remote communities.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra publishes statistics on rural population trends in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Defra prepares a Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years which considers the key risks that relate to both rural and urban areas. It’s followed by a National Adaptation Programme (NAP), setting out actions by relevant government departments to address the risks identified in the latest risk assessment. The NAP is focussed on England with the exception of issues that are reserved and relate to the UK more broadly like international climate risks.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 he has had with stakeholders on the potential impact of rural depopulation on land management, biodiversity and progress towards national climate targets.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.
Defra has not had specific discussions with rural stakeholders on the potential impact of rural depopulation on land management, biodiversity and progress towards national climate targets.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 effect of rural depopulation on the carbon intensity of delivering public services in remote and sparsely populated areas.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.
Defra has not made a specific assessment of the effect of rural population decreases - or increases - on the carbon intensity of delivering public services.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 is taking to ensure that people appointed to the Food Strategy Advisory Board uphold high standards across the food system, including on animal welfare.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Strategy Advisory Board is a small group of senior leaders who represent a wealth of experience and important elements within the food system and reflect the diversity of the sector. The Board considers ideas and provides advice on the food strategy. Members do not represent their business, sector or regional interests.
Members are expected to observe the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in relation to the advice and recommendations they provide, as set out in the terms of reference published on the Board’s page on gov.uk.
Defra keeps membership under review to ensure the Board holds the necessary depth and breadth of expertise.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department uses to determine eligibility for appointment to the Food Strategy Advisory Board.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Strategy Advisory Board is a small group of senior leaders selected for their wealth of experience, collectively reflecting important elements within the food system and its diversity. The Board stress tests ideas and provides advice. Members do not represent their business, sector or regional interests.
Defra keeps membership under review to ensure the Board holds the necessary depth and breadth of expertise.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 potential impact of appointing people from organisations that have recently undertaken remedial action on animal welfare issues on the Food Strategy Advisory Board’s work.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is committed to upholding high standards across the food system, including in relation to animal welfare.
I was extremely concerned to see allegations and footage of animal welfare and environmental abuse at Cranswick farms. The film taken and shared by animal justice groups showed animal welfare treatment that was clearly unacceptable.
As such, I met with Tim Smith, chairman of Cranswick plc, to discuss these matters. I was reassured that Cranswick has taken swift and comprehensive remedial action in response to these incidents, including implementation of recommendations in an independent review into animal welfare and husbandry practices led by a senior veterinarian.
The Food Strategy Advisory Board is a small group of senior leaders who represent a wealth of experience and important elements within the food system and reflect the diversity of the sector. Members do not represent their business interests. Membership is kept under review.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 is taking to help prevent offences against protected species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously and there is a range of legislation in place to protect it. Most notably, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales.
Under this Act, as well as the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and species-specific legislation such as the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, there are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on protected species of wildlife.
Additionally, Defra supports the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £424,000 for NWCU in the financial year 2025-26.
Furthermore, the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations (WTRs) implement the UK’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to ensure trade in protected species is legal and sustainable. Breaches can lead to prosecution with penalties of up to seven years’ imprisonment or unlimited fines, providing a strong deterrent against wildlife crime.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 relationship between access to core utilities and population retention in remote rural areas.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.
Despite this we know that people living in rural areas often have greater distances to travel to access essential services and can struggle to access other core utilities.
This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. We have made a commitment that all policy decision-making including the provision of utility infrastructure should be rural proofed to ensure that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 is taking to support essential infrastructure in rural communities at risk of depopulation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.
Despite this we know that people living in rural areas often have greater distances to travel to access essential services and can struggle to access other core utilities.
This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. We have made a commitment that all policy decision-making including the provision of utility infrastructure should be rural proofed to ensure that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 is taking to (a) improve water efficiency and (b) reduce leaks in the public water supply network.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is delivering on improvements in water efficiency and leakage reductions via a series of water demand targets, which will reduce water usage by 20% per person by 2038 and cut leakage in halve by 2050. To meet these targets, the Government is rolling out a Mandatory Water Efficiency Label for products and consulting to revise the minimum Water Efficiency Standard for new houses in the 2010 Building Regulations.
We are working with regulators to assure the roll out of 10.4 million smart meters over the next five years. This will be delivered alongside a £100 million Water Efficiency Fund (WEF) over the next 5 years.