Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the expected costs are for consultancy services in relation to the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme in Charmouth.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme for Charmouth and Swanage is being delivered through Dorset Council as the lead authority, with support from the Environment Agency, under the ‘Future Coast Dorset’ project.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of extending the life of existing coastal defences in Charmouth.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The feasibility of extending the life of any coastal defences or constructing new ones is considered as part of the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) policy developed for every section of coastline. The Environment Agency is continuing to work with coastal groups on further improvements to SMPs, including updates to the management approaches where needed and providing new assessments of coastal flood and erosion risks.
Defra has committed to review national policy for shoreline management plans by 2026. This will be informed by the Environment Agency’s SMP refresh. Charmouth is part of SMP16 ‘Durlston Head to Rame Head’ developed in 2011, which was recently reviewed in the SMP refresh process and the latest action plan is currently in delivery by the SMP16 management group.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the criteria used to select Charmouth as a location for the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme helps communities that cannot sustainably be defended from coastal erosion aiming to support residents and businesses prepare and plan for the long term.
In September 2023, Charmouth, West Dorset, was added to the programme, taking forward measures that will improve the resilience of local heritage and tourism assets. This was informed by an objective assessment from the Environment Agency (EA) of residential and non-residential properties at risk from coastal erosion. National and local EA coastal specialists also considered the capacity, capability, and willingness within the local authority and the actions needed for Charmouth.
As a UNESCO Jurassic World Heritage Site and Site of Special Scientific Interest, Charmouth represents a good opportunity to invest in and showcase coastal change resilience measures with the aim of benefiting the community, visitors and the local economy.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Dorset Council and (b) the Environment Agency on potential alternatives to the no active intervention policy for the Charmouth coastline.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is investing £36 million in the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme to support communities, including in Dorset, to explore innovative approaches to adapt to coastal change.
The Environment Agency has published updated National Coastal Erosion Risk Map data, including future climate change scenarios.
Shoreline Management Plans, developed by local councils, guide long-term strategies for managing flood and erosion risks. The SMP policies for Charmouth were considered during the development of SMP16 ‘Durlston Head to Rame Head’ and will be reviewed as part of the current SMP refresh process. Dorset Council and the Environment Agency are part of the SMP16 management group for South Devon & Dorset, who can consider any new data for this area which may have implications for the current SMP policies.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding his Department provides to support the development of sustainable coastal defences (a) by communities living in coastal areas at risk of erosion and (b) in Charmouth.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of the £2.65 billion FCRM Investment programme for flood and coastal risk reduction, approximately £500 million is being invested in coastal projects across the country to better protect people and properties.
The Environment Agency manages the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes (FCIP) which runs between 2021-2027. £3 million is allocated to Future Coast Dorset, which includes Future Coast Charmouth. This will help communities to manage their changing coasts and become more resilient.
Defra’s Coastal Erosion Assistance Grant also provides financial assistance to local authorities to support them with the cost of demolishing properties at imminent risk of loss from coastal erosion.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the potential impact of coastal erosion on public safety when there are high numbers of visitors to the coast.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities can use the most up to date data and information on the coast to assist with their planning and decision making around public safety near coastlines.
The National Coastal Monitoring Programme (NCMP) comprises of six regional programmes led by Coastal Authorities and the Environment Agency to optimise coastal investment and protect communities through the monitoring and analysis of existing coastal assets.
The new NCERM provides the most up to date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk for England. The Environment Agency has worked with local authorities, who supplied local data and verified outputs.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 local authorities on flood resilience in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) works in partnership with Dorset Council to improve flood resilience across the county. Engagement on flood resilience takes place where the risk is highest and where the highest numbers of flooded properties are reported. Through an active flood warden programme, the EA engage regularly with volunteers and Town and Parish Councils and provide them with Flood Action Guides, flood resilience newsletters and additional information to help raise flood risk awareness, preparedness, and resilience. Recently 17 West Dorset Communities and Dorset Council were represented at lunch and learn sessions.
New targeted Flood Warning Areas (FWAs) are identified based on risk using overtopping rates and working with other organisations. Several properties have had Flood Defence Grant-in-Aid investment into Property Flood Resilience in West Dorset, including over 25 in Sydling St Nicholas where a community test event is planned in the autumn.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 supermarkets on (a) the adequacy of the prices they pay to producers and (b) the potential merits of buying more produce from vertical farms.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020, we can introduce regulations to increase transparency and protect growers, across the range of horticultural production systems, from unfair commercial practices.
We are currently developing ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations for the fresh produce sector, which will cover growers that sell directly to retail. These regulations are designed to strengthen supply chain fairness and ensure all horticulture producers have clear and balanced contracts, which may include prohibiting practices such as cancelling orders at short notice.
As part of this work, we are engaging with retailers, producers, experts and other representatives of the horticulture sector to ensure the regulations are workable and effective.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent supermarkets from cancelling orders from vertical farms at short notice.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020, we can introduce regulations to increase transparency and protect growers, across the range of horticultural production systems, from unfair commercial practices.
We are currently developing ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations for the fresh produce sector, which will cover growers that sell directly to retail. These regulations are designed to strengthen supply chain fairness and ensure all horticulture producers have clear and balanced contracts, which may include prohibiting practices such as cancelling orders at short notice.
As part of this work, we are engaging with retailers, producers, experts and other representatives of the horticulture sector to ensure the regulations are workable and effective.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 discussions with (a) experts and (b) representatives of (i) traditional and (ii) vertical farming sectors on improving the (A) fairness and (B) reliability of supermarket supply contracts.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020, we can introduce regulations to increase transparency and protect growers, across the range of horticultural production systems, from unfair commercial practices.
We are currently developing ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations for the fresh produce sector, which will cover growers that sell directly to retail. These regulations are designed to strengthen supply chain fairness and ensure all horticulture producers have clear and balanced contracts, which may include prohibiting practices such as cancelling orders at short notice.
As part of this work, we are engaging with retailers, producers, experts and other representatives of the horticulture sector to ensure the regulations are workable and effective.