"My Lords, to follow my noble friend’s question, the Government have announced that water company fines will help fund environmental restoration, including 100,000 new trees. To put that in context, a block that size would be only 50 hectares and cost £200,000. That seems a token effort. Will the Minister …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, following on from the question from the noble Baroness, Lady Boycott, the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust have produced excellent research on the water-related benefits of tree planting, peatland restoration and rewetting wetlands. This demonstrates that reductions in peak flow rates during high rainfall events alleviate flood …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, data from the Food Standards Agency revealed that in the last decade 27% of inspections of slaughterhouses permitted to perform religious non-stun slaughter concluded with a rating of improvement necessary or urgent improvement necessary. This compares with just 10% of all other establishments. Can the Minister clarify what …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"The Cunliffe report highlighted eroded trust in water industry regulators among stakeholders and has recommended a new integrated regulator. Can the Minister confirm that this new regulator will be fully accountable to the Secretary of State and, by extension, will be fully exposed to parliamentary scrutiny?..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, the Environmental Audit Committee’s fourth report on flood resilience in England in October 2025 highlighted that Defra’s flood budget is increasingly a thin blue line protecting the nation’s transport, energy, housing and utilities from escalating flood impacts, yet it remains siloed, with no cross-government accountability for measurable outcomes …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the Environment and Climate Change Committee for its excellent work in producing this report. I thank its members for their contributions to this debate, as well as those who submitted valuable evidence to help assess ways in which we can reduce nitrogen pollution.
"I understand that this may be beyond the Minister’s notes today, but I asked whether there will be an opportunity to use technology more effectively in compliance and in enforcing these regulations. I am happy for the Minister to write to me on that, if he is willing, as well …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, I too thank the Minister for introducing these amended regulations. I begin by acknowledging that they make a number of sensible technical adjustments to the extended producer responsibility scheme. They show some movements in response to concerns raised by industry, and they are broadly welcomed on that basis. …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, last week BBC “Countryfile” broadcast an interview with an 82 year-old farmer who said he had considered suicide in direct response to the Government’s family farm tax. Given that the Budget makes clear the Government’s intention to press ahead regardless with a tax that dwarfs profitability, will the …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech
"My Lords, we on these Benches and many other noble Lords have challenged the necessity for Part 3 throughout the Bill’s passage through your Lordships’ House. The Government have made a number of amendments, which have improved the Bill, to reintroduce nature protections and give more comfort on the Bill’s …..." Lord Roborough - View Speech