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Written Question
Agriculture: Nature Conservation
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)

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 help farmers secure long term private finance for nature restoration.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As we set out in our Agricultural Transition Plan update in January, we want farmers and land managers to be able to confidently and securely access payments from both the public and private sector for the environmental benefits they produce.

The Government is:

  • supporting farmer-led innovation through Round 3 of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund and two rounds of Landscape Recovery. These schemes will further test how nature markets and private investment can work with public funds and provide examples of how farmers can access both sources of income and deliver more for the environment.
  • developing standards for high integrity private investment into nature through the BSI nature investment standards programme.
  • committing £30 million of investment into a blended finance Big Nature Impact Fund, which will unlock significant private investment into UK nature projects (e.g. tree planting) that can provide a return on investment.
  • designing the environmental land management offer to make it easier for farmers to identify what private sector income they can access alongside any public payments.
  • helping farmers with advice and support on accessing nature markets; for example, Defra supported the Green Finance Institute to develop a Farming Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities, which was published in January.
  • exploring with industry representatives ways to provide clarity on the taxation of nature markets.

We published an update on 12 March on progress to implement other measures in the Nature Markets Framework, and we will consult on specific steps and interventions needed to support growth of high integrity carbon and nature markets in the coming months.


Written Question
Nature Conservation: Finance
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2024 to Question 18175 on Nature Conservation: Finance, if he will publish a detailed breakdown of how the budget for climate change interventions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity was spent in the (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 financial years.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Later this year we will publish a detailed breakdown of all International Climate Programme spend, including those that protect and restore nature and biodiversity, through the UK's first Biennial Transparency Report under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This will cover calendar years 2021 and 2022. Future years spending will be published in future Biennial Transparency Reports.


Division Vote (Commons)
25 Mar 2024 - Investigatory Powers (Amendment)Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 120 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 171 Noes - 265
Division Vote (Commons)
25 Mar 2024 - Investigatory Powers (Amendment)Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 121 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 171 Noes - 265
Written Question
Trees: Diseases
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)

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 the number of trees that have died in each year since 2010.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We do not hold data on the number of trees which have died each year since 2010. We recognise trees can only help mitigate the impact of a changing climate if they are resilient to those challenges themselves, and to pests and diseases. Landowners and woodland managers should actively manage, increase diversity and maintain tree health so they are fit for the future, including new trees planted under our grant schemes. Our main grant schemes provide 15 years maintenance payments to give these trees the best chance to thrive.

Individual landowners are legally responsible for the care and management of trees on their land. Defra and the Forestry Commission provide guidance and grants, to help landowners manage the impacts of priority tree pests and pathogens such as ash dieback and oak processionary moth. Last year we published a new Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain (2023 to 2028) which sets out an ambitious plan of action for continuing to drive up biosecurity standards and increase the protection for our trees.


Division Vote (Commons)
19 Mar 2024 - Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 154 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 218 Noes - 305
Division Vote (Commons)
19 Mar 2024 - Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 151 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 217 Noes - 305
Division Vote (Commons)
19 Mar 2024 - Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 152 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 219 Noes - 306
Division Vote (Commons)
19 Mar 2024 - Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 153 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 224 Noes - 301
Division Vote (Commons)
18 Mar 2024 - Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill - View Vote Context
Steve Reed (LAB) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 179 Labour No votes vs 0 Labour Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 324 Noes - 253