Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 had recent discussions with his international counterparts on best practice in flooding mitigation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State and Ministers regularly speak to international partners on a range of topics, including climate change risks and how to mitigate them.
The Environment Agency (EA) has worked with international partners such as the Dutch flood agency - Rijkswaterstaat, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers for many years. This work includes exchanging knowledge, research, and technical expertise in flood and coastal risk management.
The EA also regularly contributes to broad, multi-partner international networks such as KRING, I-STORM, ICold (the international conference on dams) and the International Nature Based Solutions Working Group. These enable partners to share knowledge and experience on common issues such as responding to climate change, sea level rise, and innovating flood warning systems.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse from ending the Chilterns National Landscape Boundary Review project.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or ex-tended National Landscape designations. Defra had provided £1.1 million RDEL a year from 22/23 to 24/25for Natural England to accelerate their National Landscapes pro-gramme and wider work on alternative approaches to statutory designations
Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural England have made the decision to stop work on some of the planned programme – including the Chilterns boundary review. We have not made any assessment regarding potential savings relating to this specific decision.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 National Landscape status on biodiversity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations.
National Landscapes have a statutory purpose to conserve and enhance natural beauty, and biodiversity is a key consideration within this purpose.
The Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework is supporting delivery of our EIP and statutory biodiversity targets in Protected Landscapes, empowering Protected Landscape bodies, relevant authorities, farmers, land managers and other organisations to work together in planning and targeting resources and activity.
We have also extended our Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, providing £30 million to support nature recovery and other projects in our National Landscapes and National Parks, until March 2026.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 reducing funding to Natural England’s programme to designate or expand National Landscapes on employment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England (NE) has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to NE to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, NE have made the decision to stop work on some of the planned programme. Other elements of the programme, including the Surrey Hills boundary review and potential new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds, are being maintained and progressed as the work was further advanced.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 press release entitled EA steps up dry weather prep after driest spring start since 1956, published on 7 May 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway Park on managing drought in the East of England.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) are working closely with the Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway Park Trust, and other stakeholders including Water Resources East, to consider the benefits and opportunities for water management in the local area and across the East of England. Ongoing discussions are considering navigation, flood risk, biodiversity, and water resources. Through these partnership discussions the EA will be looking to maximise opportunities for improving the local management of water.
Whilst we have seen a dry Spring the water situation in Bedfordshire is currently assessed as ‘normal’. Environment Agency teams are closely monitoring the situation, managing water availability with licensed abstractors and are on standby to respond to reports of environmental incidents.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 changes to funding to Natural England for national landscapes on important (a) habitats and (b) wildlife.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For the 2024-2025 financial year Natural England received a total of £237 million funding from Defra in their Delegated Authority Document, and for 2025-2026 this figure is £248 million.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the designation of National Landscapes on nature recovery in Mid Bedfordshire.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England (NE) has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. As part of this, they undertake evidence-based assessments to consider the potential impact of any proposed changes. This assessment includes consideration of the contribution of wildlife to the natural beauty of the area and if the designation of a National Landscape is desirable in order to conserve and enhance the area’s natural beauty.
Given budgetary constraints, NE has made the decision to stop work on some of the planned National Landscapes programme – including the Chilterns boundary review. Natural England are considering how the evidence base which has been gathered so far through their designation work can best be shared and used.
The existing boundary for the Chilterns National Landscape is unaffected and remains in place.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 trends in capital investment in the farming sector ahead of the implementation of reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Data on farm investment income is available in the table 5 series of Farm Accounts in England – these tables show data for 2022/23 and 2023/24.
The Farm Business Survey is currently collecting the 2024/25 data.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 it his policy to expand the Chilterns National Landscape area to cover the whole of the Chilterns Character Area in Bedfordshire.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. Once the designation assessment has been completed, Natural England may submit a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who may confirm, refuse or amend it after considering relevant evidence.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 National Landscape status on (a) planning and (b) development of that land.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. As part of this, they undertake evidence-based assessments to consider the potential impact of any proposed changes.
As set out in the National Planning Policy Framework great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and National Landscapes which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.
The scale and extent of development within all these designated areas should be limited, while development within their setting should be sensitively located and designed to avoid or minimise adverse impacts on the designated areas.
When considering applications for development within National Landscapes, permission should be refused for major development other than in exceptional circumstances, and where it can be demonstrated that the development is in the public interest.