Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Earl of Caithness, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Earl of Caithness has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Earl of Caithness has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
We held a public consultation on key proposals for the English deer management strategy in 2022. Consultation responses have been collated, analysed and fed into the development of the deer management strategy. We are also working to refresh the Grey Squirrel Action Plan.
It is our intention to publish them as soon as we are in a position to do so.
We encourage anyone feeding wild birds to do so responsibly and not feed them in the vicinity or on the same premises as poultry or other captive birds and to be aware of the risk of carrying contamination back to their poultry or other captive birds, for example on their footwear.
The feeding of wild garden birds is not prohibited by the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) measures or other avian influenza disease control legislation. Where an AIPZ has been declared wild gamebirds should not be fed within 500m of a premises where more than 500 poultry or other captive birds are kept (where this area is under the control of the keeper).
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low. However, members of the public should not touch, pick up or transport dead or sick birds and should keep away from bird droppings if possible, and wash their hands thoroughly if they accidentally come into contact with any bird faeces, feathers or other potentially contaminated material. The NHS website [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bird-flu/prevention] has further information.
Wild birds are susceptible to a range of different pathogens. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) provides advice about keeping bird feeders and water baths clean to prevent transmission between wild birds, this guidance will also help minimise the risk of transmission of avian influenza.
The Government recognises the importance of stakeholder engagement for the development of a strategic and coherent plan for soil health measures. Further details regarding planned engagement with stakeholders on the importance of soil and the actions needed to ensure it remains a healthy and sustainable resource, will be published soon.
We are currently developing the stakeholder engagement plan for the Soil Health Action Plan for England and will confirm timelines in due course.
A Soil Health Action Plan for England (SHAPE) is currently being developed. Stakeholder engagement on the outline of SHAPE is planned for this spring ahead of publication, which is anticipated for 2023. As part of the Soil Structure Measuring and Monitoring Scheme, methodology and guidance for arable and grassland soils is being developed and will be tested with practitioners this spring.
The Government recognises the importance of labour to bringing home the harvest.
Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.
The expanded Seasonal Workers Pilot has provided a solution to the unskilled labour needs of the edible horticulture sector through 2021, supporting farmers growing UK fruit and vegetables. This sector of agriculture has the highest dependency on seasonal labour.
The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.
In addition, food and farming businesses can continue to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.5 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
The Government encourages all sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in automation technology. To support these efforts, Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities in the food and farming sectors among UK workers.
Defra is also leading a Government review of automation in horticulture to improve our understanding of what is required to accelerate the development and uptake of automation technologies in both the edible and ornamental sectors, in England, with the view to reducing the sector’s long-term dependency on seasonal migrant labour. The review’s final report will be published shortly and will inform a range of policy decisions regarding automation and seasonal labour from 2022 onwards.
Non-quota species (NQS) fisheries in English waters are of significant interest to both UK and EU vessels, given the high value of NQS, and their importance to local communities. Despite this, NQS are in many cases data limited, and improving the robust scientific evidence base underpinning management of NQS is a priority area. Doing so will allow for improved assessments of stock status to take place.
The Fisheries Act also commits the Government to publish Fisheries Management Plans to help deliver our ambition for sustainable fisheries. These plans will set out how we can manage fishing activity to achieve our ambition for stocks to recover and be maintained within sustainable limits, while reducing the impact of fishing on the wider environment. The Joint Fisheries Statement will set out a list of proposed Fisheries Management Plans that will be published over the next five years.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement outlines provisions for the management of shared non-quota species. Working with the EU, through the Specialised Committee on Fisheries, we will develop multi-year strategies for the sustainable management of shared NQS which will be key to improved data collection.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has awarded Cranfield University the tender to provide technical assistance in its project to develop a soil health indicator for England.
Work is currently underway to establish this indicator based on a conceptual framework that links understanding of our soil systems with an approach that can interpret soil data and provide a foundation to indicate soil health in a number of scenarios. We plan to consult on the draft indicator in due course.
The information requested on money spent and staff resources to support development and implementation of the listed agreements and bodies is not held centrally. Compiling it would be a complex exercise incurring disproportionate costs. We have therefore provided the information that is readily available below.
As a Party or Member of these Conventions, Agreements and Bodies, the UK is required to make financial contributions to support their development and implementation. Details of the mandatory and voluntary financial contributions made will be publicly available in their financial records. The UK’s mandatory contributions to the conventions and bodies listed amount to more than £18 million since 2015[1].
The UK also implements these agreements through financing a large number of cross-cutting programmes and activities. One example is the world-renowned Darwin Initiative which delivers on multiple international commitments and on the UK’s wider ambitions for the protection of global biodiversity. The Darwin Initiative has committed £57 million since 2015.
Staff resources are in place to work directly on UK input to the listed agreements and organisations and also on programmes to implement them. Given the cyclical timetable of the global meetings of the Conventions and Agreements and the changing nature of the topics which they cover, staff resources are adjusted over time to ensure the UK is able to participate effectively in them. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately quantify the staff resources that have been involved since 2015.
The UK Government is fully committed to putting nature at the heart of our plans for tackling the interlinked global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Our departure from the EU presents an important opportunity for the UK to play a stronger global role and in some areas this will require additional resource. Efforts are underway to make sure that resources are available in order that we seize these opportunities, starting with securing an ambitious set of post-2020 global biodiversity targets at CBD COP15 and successful hosting of COP-26.
[1] Based on current exchange rates. Some subscriptions are paid in non-sterling currencies.
The information requested on money spent and staff resources to support development and implementation of the listed agreements and bodies is not held centrally. Compiling it would be a complex exercise incurring disproportionate costs. We have therefore provided the information that is readily available below.
As a Party or Member of these Conventions, Agreements and Bodies, the UK is required to make financial contributions to support their development and implementation. Details of the mandatory and voluntary financial contributions made will be publicly available in their financial records. The UK’s mandatory contributions to the conventions and bodies listed amount to more than £18 million since 2015[1].
The UK also implements these agreements through financing a large number of cross-cutting programmes and activities. One example is the world-renowned Darwin Initiative which delivers on multiple international commitments and on the UK’s wider ambitions for the protection of global biodiversity. The Darwin Initiative has committed £57 million since 2015.
Staff resources are in place to work directly on UK input to the listed agreements and organisations and also on programmes to implement them. Given the cyclical timetable of the global meetings of the Conventions and Agreements and the changing nature of the topics which they cover, staff resources are adjusted over time to ensure the UK is able to participate effectively in them. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately quantify the staff resources that have been involved since 2015.
The UK Government is fully committed to putting nature at the heart of our plans for tackling the interlinked global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Our departure from the EU presents an important opportunity for the UK to play a stronger global role and in some areas this will require additional resource. Efforts are underway to make sure that resources are available in order that we seize these opportunities, starting with securing an ambitious set of post-2020 global biodiversity targets at CBD COP15 and successful hosting of COP-26.
[1] Based on current exchange rates. Some subscriptions are paid in non-sterling currencies.
The information requested on money spent and staff resources to support development and implementation of the listed agreements and bodies is not held centrally. Compiling it would be a complex exercise incurring disproportionate costs. We have therefore provided the information that is readily available below.
As a Party or Member of these Conventions, Agreements and Bodies, the UK is required to make financial contributions to support their development and implementation. Details of the mandatory and voluntary financial contributions made will be publicly available in their financial records. The UK’s mandatory contributions to the conventions and bodies listed amount to more than £18 million since 2015[1].
The UK also implements these agreements through financing a large number of cross-cutting programmes and activities. One example is the world-renowned Darwin Initiative which delivers on multiple international commitments and on the UK’s wider ambitions for the protection of global biodiversity. The Darwin Initiative has committed £57 million since 2015.
Staff resources are in place to work directly on UK input to the listed agreements and organisations and also on programmes to implement them. Given the cyclical timetable of the global meetings of the Conventions and Agreements and the changing nature of the topics which they cover, staff resources are adjusted over time to ensure the UK is able to participate effectively in them. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately quantify the staff resources that have been involved since 2015.
The UK Government is fully committed to putting nature at the heart of our plans for tackling the interlinked global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Our departure from the EU presents an important opportunity for the UK to play a stronger global role and in some areas this will require additional resource. Efforts are underway to make sure that resources are available in order that we seize these opportunities, starting with securing an ambitious set of post-2020 global biodiversity targets at CBD COP15 and successful hosting of COP-26.
[1] Based on current exchange rates. Some subscriptions are paid in non-sterling currencies.
The latest Woodland Natural Capital Accounts were published by the Office for National Statistics in February 2020. These classify 85% of woodlands in Great Britain as in a favourable condition for tree health. They also provide information on the number of sites and felling areas under Statutory Plant Health Notices.
The UK Plant Health Risk Register contains the details of over 1,000 plant pests and pathogens which have been assessed for their potential to be damaging to the UK. 350 of these are forest pests, 17 of which are considered high priority and are tracked in an annual corporate performance indicator published by the Forestry Commission.
Deer, grey squirrels and rabbits can also prevent trees and woodlands establishing and realising their full potential.
This information is used by the Forestry Commission to assess applications for new woodlands (for timber production and other purposes). Landowners who do not include a mixture of tree species, suited to site conditions, adequately protected and resilient to known pests and disease threats, will not receive grant aid for woodland creation. In England, grants are available to help owners restock woodlands after felling due to a tree health issue, including where disease has killed ash, a broadleaf species planted for timber production in the past. The Government also works in partnership with others to reduce the negative impacts of squirrels and deer on trees.
This spring we will consult on an English Tree Strategy, including measures to support our domestic timber industry.
We are working to understand the scope for increasing UK-sourced timber in buildings, and our commitment to increase tree planting will increase the supply of domestically grown timber, reducing current reliance on imports.
Increasing the use of domestically grown timber in construction is a goal of the Clean Growth Strategy and 25 Year Plan for the Environment. This can lock up carbon in the long term and create a market for domestic timber.
Planning permission may be required to demolish a building, but if not required, the applicant may still be required to seek prior approval from the local planning authority before demolition. Where the demolition of one or more buildings is required as part of a redevelopment, details of the demolition can be included in the planning application. This will give the local planning authority the opportunity to consider demolition alongside other aspects of the development including energy efficiency. Where appropriate, the local planning authority may impose conditions on demolition if planning permission is granted.
The car travel allowance for jurors is 31.4 pence per mile, with additional allowances available if the car contains other jurors as passengers. It was set at 31.4 pence per mile by the Ministry of Justice when the price of fuel was 121 pence per litre.
There is an additional rate for jurors of 4.2 pence per mile if one other juror is a passenger, with further juror passengers having a rate of 3.2 pence. With 4 juror passengers (additional to the driver), 45.2 pence per mile could be claimed.
The government values jury service as an important civic duty, that should be representative of society. In addition to the car travel allowance, there are other expenses that can be claimed. Information on what can be claimed is available on the gov.uk website and this information is also provided to jurors when they are summoned.