Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to local authorities for the installation of gullies for flooding and excessive rainfall.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Flood risk management is a devolved matter, and in England surface water flood risk management is the responsibility of lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) to manage and mitigate. They do this in partnership with highways authorities who are responsible for highway and gully maintenance and water companies who have a duty to maintain their sewers to ensure that their area is effectually drained. It is for LLFAs to determine the best approach to mitigating the risk.
The government has taken steps to change partnership funding rules that apply in England to enable more surface water schemes in our new £5.2 billion flood defence programme. Around half of the schemes funded by the programme will be delivered by risk management authorities, such as LLFAs, who apply by using the Partnership Funding rules.
The Local Government Finance Settlement for England in 2023/24 makes available up to £59.7 billion for local government in England, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £5.1 billion or 9.4% in cash terms on 2022/23. The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to spend according to local priorities.
The devolved administrations receive funding through the Barnett Formula when changes are made to UK Government departments’ Department Expenditure Limit (DEL). Changes to the local government DEL therefore have an impact on devolved administration funding through the Barnett Formula. Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual block grants of any spending review settlement since the Devolution Acts in 1998. Over the Spending Review 2021 period, the UK Government is providing the devolved administrations with over 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department plans to provide for rock armour coastal pathway protection schemes; and if she will increase UK-wide funding for those schemes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over 6 years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. Our £5.2 billion 2021-27 programme includes defences for the coast where it is sustainable and affordable to defend the coastline. In areas where it is not, other approaches such as managed realignment or transition will be needed. Approximately 1/6th of the projects in the £5.2bn programme will help better protect coastal communities.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure food security.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food supply is one of the UK's 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. As such we work closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.
Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. This report will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.
The capability, levers and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. Government's role is to support and enable an industry-led response. For example, the Government has taken steps to support energy costs, cut tariffs to reduce animal feed costs, improved avian influenza compensation schemes and taken a range of measures on fertilisers.
Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Defra also works with the Devolved Administrations at the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle rural crime.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
This Government is committed to driving down rural crime. Our manifesto committed us to use police resources to tackle rural crime. As well as recruiting 20,000 additional police officers, we are also taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing, and the Government is supporting the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, which aims to prevent the theft of quad bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit. In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25. My Department continues to work closely with the Home Office on all matters relating to rural crime in England.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to control the grey squirrel population.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is committed to addressing grey squirrel impacts.
In 2019, the Government put in place the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order. Under the Order, listed invasive species, including the grey squirrel, cannot be imported, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, or released into the environment.
We announced in the England Trees Action Plan and Environment Improvement Plan that we will update the Grey Squirrel Action Plan. The Government has introduced Countryside Stewardship funding for grey squirrel control and management.
We have also worked with stakeholders and the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) on their England Red Squirrel Action Plan which was published in January this year and sets out the actions needed to guide red squirrel conservation and recovery. Alongside the UK Squirrel Accord, research into fertility control for grey squirrels to reduce local grey squirrel populations.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to help support fishing communities in (a) Strangford constituency and (b) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since leaving the EU, the UK Government continues to provide £3.1 million annually through the Maritime and Fisheries Fund (NI) to support Northern Ireland fishing stakeholders for investments tailored to the specific needs of the sector and its dependent communities.
In addition, the £100 million UK Seafood Fund is offering support to fishing communities across the UK including Strangford and Northern Ireland by reforming and modernising infrastructure and delivering science and innovation to inform fisheries management. So far, we have awarded £350,000 in Northern Ireland to projects involving the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute who are working in partnership with industry to provide valuable research.
The UK Seafood Fund is also encouraging new entrants to industry whilst upskilling the existing workforce and a new £2 million funding round is now available to the small-scale coastal fleet in Northern Ireland for the replacement of new engines that will provide much needed support for the catching sector.
The Department has also worked in UK-EU consultations to secure a good outcome on the management of stocks of interest to Northern Irish fishers, including new access arrangements to fish albacore tuna in EU waters, and increased fishing opportunities for Nephrops in 2023.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help protect (a) dog owners and (b) dogs from unregulated breeding clinics.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations), anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to hold a valid licence issued by their local authority. All dog breeders, including canine fertility clinics who do not meet the threshold for licensing under the 2018 Regulations, are obliged under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to protect their animals from suffering and provide for their welfare needs in line with best practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with representatives of water companies on steps to make members of the public aware of the timing of water works.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved issue and the information provided relates to England only.
Repairing and replacing leaking pipes is critical to maintaining a clean, safe and relia-ble supply of drinking water to homes and businesses.
It is for companies to decide how to maintain their infrastructure. Information on com-panies’ works is normally available on companies’ website, including details of the work and expected timescales.
However, water companies in England, along with all utility companies, are required to apply for a permit from the relevant highway authority before planned works can begin, and within 2 hours of being on site for emergency works. This allows the au-thority to coordinate all works and minimise disruption to the public.
Information on live and planned works is now streamed real-time through the DfT’s Street Manager digital service.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure food security for families In Northern Ireland in absolute poverty.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is a devolved matter and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has responsibility in Northern Ireland.
In the absence of locally accountable leadership in Northern Ireland, the UK Government has stepped in to set a Budget for 2022/23 which has an overarching objective of protecting the most vulnerable during a time of particular economic hardship
The Budget Bill introduced in Parliament on 12 January 2023 is a critical step to ensure Northern Ireland departments can access their full funding for the year. But the absence of devolved functioning institutions is an unsustainable situation that the UK Government wants to see resolved by the restoration of local leadership as soon as possible.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage farmers to increase their use of solar panels; and whether she is providing specific funding designed to achieve that aim.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto. The Net Zero Strategy sets out a clear vision for a sustained increase in deployment of renewable generation capacity in the 2020s and beyond. In addition, The British Energy Security Strategy set out a series of bold commitments to support and accelerate this as part of a decisive shift away from expensive fossil fuels
HM Government recognises the need to preserve our most productive arable farmland as best as possible. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.
On farm, the Farming Investment Fund seeks to encourage farmers to invest in technologies with improved energy-use efficiency and use of renewable energy. The Farming Innovation Programme supports industry-driven research into innovative technologies. It is funding projects that explore renewable energy sources.