Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Rural Community Broadband Fund was (a) spent and (b) returned to the EU.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
As a result of the Rural Community Broadband Fund in England, the Government is expected to grant fund around £13.2 million for 22 projects. These projects are both community and local authority led, in areas not in scope of the current national superfast rollout programme. Of this, 17 local authority led projects are to be incorporated into current contracts under the main programme to increase coverage to harder to reach communities. Five further projects have been contracted under the Fund.
No money has been returned to the EU. Where possible, any remaining EU funds are being utilised elsewhere across the Rural Development Programme for England.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she and Ministers in her Department have visited a foodbank.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra Ministers have visited food banks several times over the past 18 months.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
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 paragraph 2.217 in Autumn Statement 2014, how much funding she has allocated to the (a) coastal path and (b) Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in each financial year to 2019-20.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Defra has announced that additional funding of £44,000 in 2014/15 and £5.26million in 2015/16 will be made available to complete the coastal path around England by 2020.
We have confirmed that resource funding for Royal Botanic Gardens Kew will be maintained at the levels in 2013/14 until April 2016. This follows the announcement in September 2014 that an additional £1.5million will be provided in 2014/15, and the announcement today (16 December) that a further £2.3m will be made available for 2015/16.
Departmental budgets for further years will be set at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the mode of storage and containment of water that has been used for the hydraulic fracking permitted by the Government to date; and whether any sites have been designated for this purpose.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Flowback fluids from hydraulic fracturing operations are deemed to be a mining waste and therefore require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency for temporary storage on site. Subsequent treatment and disposal of the fluid at a waste treatment facility is also regulated by the Environment Agency. Waste waters must be stored in sealed tanks on bunded storage areas. The storage of wastewaters in open lagoons, as has sometimes been practised in the US, would not be permitted in this country.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what courses of action are available for people to raise concerns about suspected contamination of water as a result of fracking.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Concerns about any suspected contamination incidents, irrespective of source, should be raised with the Environment Agency via its incident hotline, details of which are available on the GOV.UK website.
As far as fracking is concerned we have robust regulatory controls in place. Shale gas wells must be designed, built and operated to standards set in the regulations governed by the Health and Safety Executive, and the Environment Agency will not permit the use of substances hazardous to groundwater to be used in hydraulic fracturing where they may enter groundwater and cause pollution. Industry practice, underpinned by regulations, ensures monitoring will be required prior to, during and post-operation of the site.
As with any activity, the Environment Agency can take enforcement action to prevent or remedy pollution of groundwater caused by the actions of operators.