Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many claims made under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme are still outstanding; and when all the those claims will be settled.
Answered by George Eustice
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) estimates that as of 5 June 2016, 86,521 (99%) claimants have received a payment on their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claim. Of these, 82,460 have received a claim payment; 3,936 bridging payments; and 125 a manual hardship payment. There are a number of claims where processing has been completed successfully but they have not resulted in a payment for reasons such as the claim being under minimum claim size, or the Agency awaiting information on probate cases.
The RPA will continue to make top up payments throughout the remainder of the payment window up to the end of June 2016.
While the payment window runs between December and June, the RPA expects to make 90% of payments on eligible claims by the end of December this year and all remaining payments as promptly as possible. As of 5 June the RPA had received 86,581 applications for BPS 2016.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to commence the provisions of Schedule 23 of the Deregulation Act 2015 on the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973.
Answered by George Eustice
My Department has no plans to commence paragraphs 35 and 36 of Schedule 23 of the Deregulation Act 2015, relating to the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973. While the option to do so remains, we believe that for the foreseeable future these records do have a role in assisting Local Authorities investigating welfare concerns at dog breeding establishments. This will mean that licensed dog breeders will therefore be required to continue keeping records in a prescribed form.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what process local flood groups can apply for an allocation from the £2.3 billion of flood defence funding announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Answered by Rory Stewart
If a local flood group wish to progress a flood management scheme it should contact its local Environment Agency or the relevant county council or unitary authority for its area. Details for each local Environment Agency office can be obtained by email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk or by telephone: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm 0370 8506 506.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that supermarkets (a) do not sell British milk below the cost of production and (b) include British milk under their Fairtrade agendas.
Answered by George Eustice
All operators in the supply chain should receive a fair price for their goods. We regularly bring together supermarkets, processors and farmers through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum to discuss issues such as collaboration, risk management and market volatility. I am meeting industry leaders shortly to discuss what more can be done to get through this volatile period and help to build a long-term resilient dairy industry where businesses can thrive.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) was set up to help suppliers if they feel they are being treated unfairly by retailers, and we encourage dairy suppliers to use the GCA where they feel the grocery code has been breached.
The Fairtrade mark is a private initiative which can be used for products which have been sourced from products in developing countries.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Environment Agency classifies as a watercourse; if he will ensure that insurance companies can differentiate between major watercourses and watercourses of no consequence; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency defines a “Watercourse” according to section 72(1) of the Land Drainage Act 1991. It includes all rivers and streams and all ditches, drains, cuts, culverts, dikes, sluices, sewers (other than public sewers within the meaning of the Water Industry Act 1991) and passages, through which water flows.
Insurance companies take into account a range of factors in setting policy premiums and excesses, and different insurers take different approaches to assessing flood risk. Certain insurance companies would use proximity to a watercourse to assess the risk of flooding to a property, whilst other companies may use postcodes to assess flood risk or their own flood risk models.