Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of (a) each nationality represented in the UK fishing sector workforce and (b) the changes in the levels of those nationalities after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Following a pilot labour survey of the catching sector in 2017, Seafish will be conducting a full labour survey as part of its wider analysis of the UK fleet in 2018. The results of the 2017 pilot are published by Seafish and the analysis undertaken in 2018 will be published later this year.
The Government has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the role that EU citizens play in the UK economy and society, and how to align the future immigration framework with modern industrial strategy. We welcome the MAC’s interim report published in March 2018 and will consider its evidence in full when it publishes its final report in September 2018.
http://www.seafish.org/media/publications/Seafish_2017_Pilot_fleet_employment_survey_report_FULL.pdf
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to introduce an alternative funding stream to the European and Maritime and Fisheries Fund after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The government has made clear that all European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) projects approved before the UK leaves the EU will be fully funded even if these projects have not been completed by the time the UK leaves the EU. This guarantee applies across the UK.
Work to develop future domestic funds to replace those currently operated by the EU is underway.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
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 his Department's press release, entitled flood scheme boost with £36 million of funding, published on 27 March 2018, how many schemes were considered for receiving an allocation of that funding but were unsuccessful in securing it.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The £36 million of the £76 million funding announced for flood defence at the Autumn 2017 budget has been allocated to the 37 projects listed below. Twelve of the projects, in Devon and Cumbria, were announced in December and the remaining and the remaining 25 were on 27th March.
Funding was requested and provided for all the schemes that would meet the two criteria :- i) a new project could be completed in the next 3 years; ii) the scheme would either generate sufficient benefits in term of reduced flood risk to qualifying for 100% funding or have a high confidence of securing any partnership contributions needed.
Project name / Location | Parliamentary Constituencies | Additional GiA required to March 2021 (£m) |
Hull River Defences Phase 2 | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | 11.80 |
Bath Flood Defence Scheme (Twerton gate replacement) | Bath | 4.80 |
Hexham Industrial Estates Flood Alleviation Scheme | Hexham | 3.73 |
Seahouses Main Pier Rehabilitation | Berwick-upon-Tweed | 2.88 |
Irwell Vale to Strongsty, Lancashire | Rossendale and Darwen | 2.43 |
Torksey Area Flood Risk Management Scheme | Gainsborough | 1.60 |
Sud and Twyver Flood Risk and Restoration Project | Gloucester | 1.27 |
Wallasey Embankment, Wirral | Wirral West | 0.67 |
Warwickshire Property Level Protection Schemes (Galley, Grendon, Fillongley, Bermuda) | Nuneaton, North Warwickshire | 0.64 |
Ashes Road Scheme, Rowley Regis | Warley | 0.50 |
Morton Corner, Gainsborough | Gainsborough | 0.44 |
Summer Lane Improvement Works, Worle, Somerset | Weston-Super-Mare | 0.43 |
Cuttle Brook Increased catchment storage, Derby | Derby South | 0.38 |
Lower Brailes Flood Alleviation Scheme, Welford-Upon-Avon | Stratford-on-Avon | 0.38 |
Upsizing and Diversion of Culvert at Skipton Road, Barnoldswick | Pendle | 0.30 |
Upper Brookstray, Coventry, Flood Alleviation Scheme | Coventry North West | 0.29 |
Eel Mires Dike Flood Alleviation Scheme, Dinnington | Rother Valley | 0.29 |
Broad Oak Water culvert, Accrington | Hyndburn | 0.23 |
Sutherland Road, Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire | South Staffordshire | 0.15 |
Bennetts Road, Keresley Flood Alleviation Scheme | Coventry North West | 0.15 |
Calico Brook, Appley Bridge - Scheme Review & Enhancement | Wigan | 0.11 |
Waterhead Brook, Wolverhampton Flood Risk Alleviation | Wolverhampton North East | 0.10 |
West Lancashire - Burscough - Level 2 Surface Water Management Plan | West Lancashire | 0.10 |
Welford on Avon Flood Alleviation Scheme | Stratford-on-Avon | 0.09 |
Shropshire Property Level Protection Longden and Worthen | Shrewsbury and Atcham and Ludlow | 0.07 |
Schemes announced in December 2017.
Project name / Location | Parliamentary Constituencies | Additional GiA required to March 2021 (£m) |
Whimple Flood Defence Scheme | East Devon | 1.03 |
Laira Avenue/Lipson Vale Integrated Urban Drainage Management scheme, Plymouth | Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport | 0.61 |
Newby Bridge Sluice Refurbishment | Westmorland and Lonsdale | 0.10 |
Railway Terrace Flood Alleviation Scheme, Seascale | Copeland | 0.10 |
Ravenglass Tidal Gate Replacement | Copeland | 0.09 |
Caldew | Carlisle | 0.06 |
Santon Way Flood Alleviation Scheme, Seascale | Copeland | 0.05 |
Gravel Management, Kent at Kendal | Westmorland and Lonsdale | 0.03 |
Gravel Management, Greta at Keswick | Copeland | 0.03 |
Troutbeck Bridge Property Level Protection | Westmorland and Lonsdale | 0.03 |
Gravel Management, Derwent at Cockermouth | Workington | 0.02 |
Longtown Flood Storage Reservoir | Penrith and The Border | 0.02 |
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
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 his Department's press release, entitled flood scheme boost with £36 million of funding, published on 27 March 2018, if he will list the 25 flood schemes that will receive a share of that funding.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The £36 million of the £76 million funding announced for flood defence at the Autumn 2017 budget has been allocated to the 37 projects listed below. Twelve of the projects, in Devon and Cumbria, were announced in December and the remaining and the remaining 25 were on 27th March.
Funding was requested and provided for all the schemes that would meet the two criteria :- i) a new project could be completed in the next 3 years; ii) the scheme would either generate sufficient benefits in term of reduced flood risk to qualifying for 100% funding or have a high confidence of securing any partnership contributions needed.
Project name / Location | Parliamentary Constituencies | Additional GiA required to March 2021 (£m) |
Hull River Defences Phase 2 | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | 11.80 |
Bath Flood Defence Scheme (Twerton gate replacement) | Bath | 4.80 |
Hexham Industrial Estates Flood Alleviation Scheme | Hexham | 3.73 |
Seahouses Main Pier Rehabilitation | Berwick-upon-Tweed | 2.88 |
Irwell Vale to Strongsty, Lancashire | Rossendale and Darwen | 2.43 |
Torksey Area Flood Risk Management Scheme | Gainsborough | 1.60 |
Sud and Twyver Flood Risk and Restoration Project | Gloucester | 1.27 |
Wallasey Embankment, Wirral | Wirral West | 0.67 |
Warwickshire Property Level Protection Schemes (Galley, Grendon, Fillongley, Bermuda) | Nuneaton, North Warwickshire | 0.64 |
Ashes Road Scheme, Rowley Regis | Warley | 0.50 |
Morton Corner, Gainsborough | Gainsborough | 0.44 |
Summer Lane Improvement Works, Worle, Somerset | Weston-Super-Mare | 0.43 |
Cuttle Brook Increased catchment storage, Derby | Derby South | 0.38 |
Lower Brailes Flood Alleviation Scheme, Welford-Upon-Avon | Stratford-on-Avon | 0.38 |
Upsizing and Diversion of Culvert at Skipton Road, Barnoldswick | Pendle | 0.30 |
Upper Brookstray, Coventry, Flood Alleviation Scheme | Coventry North West | 0.29 |
Eel Mires Dike Flood Alleviation Scheme, Dinnington | Rother Valley | 0.29 |
Broad Oak Water culvert, Accrington | Hyndburn | 0.23 |
Sutherland Road, Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire | South Staffordshire | 0.15 |
Bennetts Road, Keresley Flood Alleviation Scheme | Coventry North West | 0.15 |
Calico Brook, Appley Bridge - Scheme Review & Enhancement | Wigan | 0.11 |
Waterhead Brook, Wolverhampton Flood Risk Alleviation | Wolverhampton North East | 0.10 |
West Lancashire - Burscough - Level 2 Surface Water Management Plan | West Lancashire | 0.10 |
Welford on Avon Flood Alleviation Scheme | Stratford-on-Avon | 0.09 |
Shropshire Property Level Protection Longden and Worthen | Shrewsbury and Atcham and Ludlow | 0.07 |
Schemes announced in December 2017.
Project name / Location | Parliamentary Constituencies | Additional GiA required to March 2021 (£m) |
Whimple Flood Defence Scheme | East Devon | 1.03 |
Laira Avenue/Lipson Vale Integrated Urban Drainage Management scheme, Plymouth | Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport | 0.61 |
Newby Bridge Sluice Refurbishment | Westmorland and Lonsdale | 0.10 |
Railway Terrace Flood Alleviation Scheme, Seascale | Copeland | 0.10 |
Ravenglass Tidal Gate Replacement | Copeland | 0.09 |
Caldew | Carlisle | 0.06 |
Santon Way Flood Alleviation Scheme, Seascale | Copeland | 0.05 |
Gravel Management, Kent at Kendal | Westmorland and Lonsdale | 0.03 |
Gravel Management, Greta at Keswick | Copeland | 0.03 |
Troutbeck Bridge Property Level Protection | Westmorland and Lonsdale | 0.03 |
Gravel Management, Derwent at Cockermouth | Workington | 0.02 |
Longtown Flood Storage Reservoir | Penrith and The Border | 0.02 |
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
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 his Department's press release, entitled flood scheme boost with £36 million of funding, published on 27 March 2018, what criteria was used for determining the 25 flood schemes that will receive an allocation of that funding; and for what reasons schemes in Bury did not meet that criteria.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The criteria for the allocation of the £36 million required each scheme to be a new project that could be completed in the next 3 years.
The schemes needed to either generate sufficient benefits in term of reduced flood risk to qualifying for 100% funding or have a high confidence of securing any partnership contributions needed.
Schemes proposed in the Bury area fell under the following two categories and were therefore not eligible for funding from the £36 million allocation.
1. The schemes were either already part of the Environment Agency programme and are already receiving funding. This money was specifically aimed at bringing new schemes into the programme.
2. The potential new schemes associated with Bury that are currently sitting outside the current programme of work were not able to be accelerated to deliver and protect homes before 2021 as per the criteria for this funding.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
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 4.50 of Autumn Budget 2017, how much of the £40 million to boost local regeneration in deprived communities at high flood risk has been allocated; what projects are set to benefit from that funding; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Ministers are still considering which schemes will benefit and expect to decide in due course.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
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 effect of a cessation of drift net salmon fishing in 2018 on heritage fishing in North Shields.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The North East coast net fishery, including drift nets at North Shields, operates as a coastal mixed stock fishery, catching salmon from a large number of different populations from rivers in both Scotland and England on the eastern coast of Britain.
The UK Government has international obligations as a member of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) to close coastal mixed stock fisheries as it is not possible to manage them in such a way as to effectively protect contributing salmon stocks. Closing fisheries is not an action that is taken without careful consideration. In reaching this position the Environment Agency (EA) has followed the NASCO guidelines and applied the Precautionary Approach to the conservation and management of salmon populations, giving priority to conserving and protecting salmon stocks.
The EA understands that these new management measures could impose a financial burden on licensed drift netsmen. It has not taken the decision to propose measures lightly, but salmon are in decline across the country. On the grounds of ensuring stocks exist at a sustainable level now and in the future, these are the measures that are being proposed.
The EA intends to formally advertise its proposals later this month and all stakeholders will have the opportunity to respond to the proposed byelaws and to request changes or modifications.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of water utility companies that use (a) off-shore financial arrangements and (b) tax havens.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
According to data compiled by Ofwat, the following regulated water companies have offshore finance structures registered in the Cayman Islands: Affinity Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, Welsh Water and Yorkshire Water.
All of these offshore finance structures are UK resident for tax purposes.
Thames Water and Yorkshire Water have both recently announced their intention to close their offshore finance structures.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many water companies missed their leakage targets in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
No companies missed their leakage targets for the financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16. Six companies missed their leakage targets in 2016/17. These were:
Water company | Performance commitment (Million litres per day) | Actual performance (Million litres per day) |
Bristol Water | 47 | 47.4 |
Essex and Suffolk Water | 66.00 | 68.08 |
Portsmouth Water | 29.95 | 30.37 |
Sutton and East Surrey Water | 24.30 | 24.34 |
Cambridge Water | 13.5 | 14.32 |
Thames Water | 630 | 677 |
The reported level of performance is based on Ofwat’s 2014 Price Review (PR14) methodology.
Leakage figures for all the water companies in England and Wales are available at Discover Water https://discoverwater.co.uk/leaking-pipes.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the cessation of all drift net salmon fishing in 2018 on salmon stocks.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The 2014 assessment of salmon stocks showed the lowest population levels in our rivers nationally on record. In response to this ongoing decline, the Environment Agency has proposed new measures to reduce the exploitation of salmon by net fisheries.
It is estimated that these measures affecting the drift net fisheries would enable 16,000 more salmon and sea trout to return to our rivers to spawn annually, providing opportunity for future recovery of the species.