Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many departmental jobs are being transferred from the Welsh Government building in Caernarfon to the site at Victoria Dock.
Answered by George Eustice
Although commercial offices at Victoria Dock were considered as part of an options appraisal for the relocation of Defra staff based in Caernarfon, the decision has been made to relocate to Gwynedd Council’s offices at Penrallt.
All staff currently located in the Welsh Government offices at North Penrallt will relocate to the Council offices.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will commit to not falling below the standards set in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 when establishing common UK frameworks for the environment after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Prime Minister has been clear that current environmental protections will not be weakened after the UK leaves the EU. We are committed to working closely with the devolved administrations to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK, whilst also respecting the devolution settlements and the specific needs of each administration.
Ministers and officials are in regular discussion with counterparts in the devolved administrations on environmental policy matters. This includes considering the need for common frameworks after the UK leaves the EU, and how standards set in relevant devolved legislation, such as the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, should be taken into account in any future framework arrangements agreed between the UK Government and the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra uses Civil Service Learning and local delivery for the provision of learning and development.
Defra provides a range of learning on devolution and intergovernmental relations for all levels of staff. This includes online learning, face to face workshops, and bespoke sessions designed for specific requirements of Defra staff. The learning includes sessions for new and existing staff, senior civil servants, fast stream civil servants, civil servants registered in talent schemes, civil servants working on legislation, and those working closely with Ministers.
Since April 2017, Defra has facilitated or delivered 20 devolution seminars to over 1,200 of its staff who have the most engagement with counterparts in the devolved administrations. We do not hold information on the numbers of Defra staff who attended devolution training held before 2017.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra uses Civil Service Learning (CSL) for the provision of learning and development to our people. The management information data provided by CSL to Defra does not differentiate between generalists and fast stream civil servants and therefore we are not able to provide specific attendance data for CSL courses for fast streamers. The CSL managed learning offer changed in late 2016 / early 2017 and the department only has management information data for learning products accessed via the new managed offer.
CSL’s ‘EU exit and new UK partnerships’ course is a face to face workshop for all grades. CSL released this course in early 2018 and one pilot session has been delivered. No Defra general, fast stream or SCS civil servants attended the pilot course.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements he plans to make for continued UK involvement in the EU Circular Economy programme after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is developing a strategy on resources and waste, which includes the circular economy. This is not dependent on our membership of the EU. The aim of the strategy will be to make us a world leader in resource efficiency and resource productivity and increase competitiveness. It will set out how we will work towards our ambitions of doubling resource productivity and zero avoidable waste by 2050, maximising the value we extract from our resources and minimising waste and the negative environmental impacts associated.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 outcomes of the 2018 Plenary meeting of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The sixth Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) met in Medellin, Colombia between 17 and 24 March.
Five new assessments were adopted – four Regional Assessments on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (for Africa; the Americas; Asia-Pacific; and Europe and Central Asia) and a thematic assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration. UK scientists have been at the forefront of delivering these assessments. Thirteen leading UK scientists worked on the assessment for Europe and Central Asia.
The assessments will feed into a global synopsis called Global Biodiversity Outlook to be finalised in 2019 and this will inform future targets and action under the Convention on Biological Diversity. We are determined to play a lead role in the development of an ambitious international biodiversity strategy under the Convention.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements he plans to make for continued co-operation with EU member states on international biodiversity issues after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Our ambition to leave the environment in a better state than we found it requires joint action on a global scale. As set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan we will continue to lead international work on the environment and will remain active partners in international fora.
We remain fully committed to our environmental ambitions and will continue to work closely with our international and EU partners to deliver them.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department plans to spend on projects relating to the UK leaving the EU in the next five years; and if he will list the projects to which that funding has been assigned.
Answered by George Eustice
HM Treasury has already allocated departments nearly £700 million to prepare for Brexit: £412m for DIT, FCO and DExEU over the parliament at Autumn Statement 2016 and nearly £300m across a number of departments from the Reserve in 17/18 - Defra received £67m of this funding to support our comprehensive EU exit programme of projects and other activities.
At Autumn Budget 2017 HM Treasury made another £3bn of additional funding available over 18/19 and 19/20 – £1.5bn in each year. We are currently working with HM Treasury to determine our allocation for 18/19 with the aim to agree this soon.
Departmental allocations for 19/20 will be agreed later on in the year and decisions on funding in 20/21 and beyond will be decided at the next Spending Review. This is because requirements in these years will be heavily affected by what is agreed in our negotiations with the EU.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what bilateral agreements (a) have been negotiated and (b) are being planned with (i) Spain, (ii) Iceland and (iii) other EU countries with major fishing fleets to address the potential consequences of the UK's withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention.
Answered by George Eustice
The UK gave notification of its withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention on 3 July 2017. There is a two-year notification period.
Iceland is not a signatory to the London Fisheries Convention. Spain is but does not have access to the UK’s 6-12 mile zone which, for all signatories, are the waters covered by the Convention. On leaving the EU, the UK will become an independent coastal state and, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, will have responsibility for the management of fishing resources within its own Exclusive Economic Zone including any access arrangements. The UK will make bilateral or multilateral agreements with other independent coastal states, such as Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway. Spain and all other EU member states will continue to be represented by the European Union, and the UK will deal bilaterally with the European Commission in any subsequent fisheries agreements.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to preserve verges and hedgerows as valuable reserves for wildlife.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter.
Hedgerows and verges play an important role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity. Most countryside hedgerows are legally protected and land managers in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme payments are required to protect hedgerows on their land. Through our agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship, we further recognise their valuable role by funding the management of hedgerows to deliver recognised benefits for wildlife, landscape and the historic environment.
Local authorities and other public bodies (including county, district and parish councils) in England and Wales have a statutory duty, under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, to consider the conservation of biodiversity in exercising their functions, including decisions on managing local roadside verges. Defra and the Welsh Assembly have issued guidance for local authorities and other public bodies on implementing their biodiversity duty.