Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and 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 total dividends paid to shareholders by water companies in each year since 2010.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Based on data from Ofwat the total dividends paid to shareholders by water companies in England between 2010 and April 2022 amounts to just under £23.4 billion. In each year since privatisation, investment has been greater than dividends paid.
We are clear water companies must not profit from environmental damage and through the Environment Act 2021 have given Ofwat increased powers that will better enable them to hold companies to account for their performance.
Using these powers, Ofwat introduced a new licence condition last year to require companies to demonstrate dividends are linked to performance for customers and the environment. Ofwat now intends to issue updated guidance to provide greater clarity on how it assesses companies' dividend decisions and compliance with their licence. This will include a clear reminder that companies carefully consider serious criminal breaches of the law when taking account of their performance and potential dividend payments.
Where this guidance is not followed, Ofwat will not hesitate to undertake enforcement action.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in each of the last four years.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. We are in the third year of this Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management investment programme. Since April 2021, approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties.
The table summarises the amount of flood and coastal erosion risk management budget that has been spent in each of the last 4 years:
| 2015-2021 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Investment Programme | 2021-2027 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Programme | ||
April 2019 to March 2020 | April 2020 to March 2021 | April 2021 to March 2022 | April 2022 to March 2023 | |
Grant in Aid expenditure (millions) | £ 501 | £ 610 | £ 742 | £ 754 |
Defra publishes central government expenditure figures for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) annually on gov.uk. Funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This publication shows both resource and capital spend on FCERM for each financial year since 2005/06, as well as indicative allocations for the following financial year.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
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 make an estimate of the amount and proportion of the total flood and coastal risk management budget that has been allocated but not spent in each (a) region, (b) constituency and (c) local authority.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. We are in the third year of this Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management investment programme.
Since April 2021, approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties.
Below is a table which shows the actual spend between 2021 and 2023, the allocation between 2023 and 2025, and an indicative allocation from 2025 to 2027 by ONS region. An indicative range is given for 2025 to 2027 because the programme is reviewed and refreshed annually as projects progress. This allows for flexibility to manage change and introduce new schemes or urgent works if necessary.
Grant in Aid (Millions) | Actual spend | Allocation | Indicative allocation range | ||
ONS Region | April 2021 to March 2022 | April 2022 to March 2023 | April 2023 to March 2024 | April 2024 to March 2025 | April 2025 to March 2027 |
East Midlands | £71.3 | £76.5 | £64.1 | £600.3 | £146 to £206 |
East of England | £73.7 | £79.2 | £107.0 | £111.9 | £168 to £254 |
London | £32.7 | £34.3 | £47.3 | £15.5 | £18 to £36 |
North East | £13.6 | £15.5 | £17.4 | £32.0 | £68 to £94 |
North West | £107.6 | £95.4 | £95.4 | £98.8 | £256 to £356 |
South East | £115.3 | £130.8 | £134.7 | £108.1 | £226 to £330 |
South West | £95.2 | £95.6 | £109.0 | £155.9 | £293 to £417 |
West Midlands | £37.2 | £35.2 | £36.1 | £40.9 | £67 to £99 |
Yorkshire | £128.7 | £114.9 | £104.5 | £117.4 | £246 to £350 |
Projects in more than one ONS region | £66.9 | £76.8 |
|
| £342 to £418* |
* Projects in more than one ONS region indicative allocation range is inclusive of April 2023 to March 2027
Investment is allocated where the flood risk is highest and the benefits of flood resilience are the greatest. A consistent methodology is used, applying a national funding formula under the partnership funding policy, to allocate funding to schemes proposed by all risk management authorities. This ensures a fair distribution of funding based on agreed priorities, principles and needs. The availability of feasible projects also influences the distribution of investment. There are therefore no specific regional investment targets.
The table attached (with data caveats) also shows the allocation and spend by local authority and constituency between 2021 and 2025.
See table attached.
Each year the Environment Agency also produces a summary of flood and coastal erosion risk management work carried out by risk management authorities in England. This is required under Section 18 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. When the current FCERM investment programme ends, after March 2027, the Environment Agency will publish a report with a breakdown of spending, similar to the report published in 2022 after the 2015-2021 investment programme.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and 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
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:
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.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and 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
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.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and 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 plans to take to help protect hedgerows.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority.
In June 2023, the Government launched a consultation on how hedgerows should be further protected in England. The responses to the consultation supported bringing hedgerow management rules into regulation and this is what the Government will do as soon as parliamentary time allows. The regulations will require a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of the hedge, where no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers must take place, and will ban the cutting of hedges between 1 March and 31 August. The regulations will support other Government actions and incentives, including over 90,000 km of hedgerows being managed through 16,000 agreements in the Government’s Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.
Defra is also working with stakeholders and other Government departments to understand how to support the creation and maintenance of hedgerows in non-agricultural contexts, to maximise the benefits they provide.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and 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 her Department's timetable is for publishing the report of the Responsible Dog Ownership working group.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We expect the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce to publish its findings soon.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and 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 support farmers pursue nature-friendly farming.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan says we are aiming for between 65 to 80% of landowners and farmers to adopt nature friendly farming on at least 10-15% of their land by 2030.
This will be delivered through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity.
Farmers will be supported to deliver these measures through our Environmental Land Management schemes (Countryside Stewardship, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and Landscape Recovery), the Farming Investment Funds and Farming Innovation Programme, woodland creation and tree health grants, and grants to assist with the cost of improved slurry infrastructure and equipment.
We will continue to work with farmers and land managers to ensure we achieve these targets in the most effective way, and in a way that works best for farmers and farm businesses and supports our commitment to maintain domestic food production.
These changes are effective, we are seeing over 100 farmers a day on average applying for the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13732 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure, for what reason funding has been reprofiled; and if he will list all programmes impacted by these budget changes.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Details of the reasons that funding has been reprofiled; and a list of all programmes impacted by these budget changes can be found here (Supplementary Estimates, Budget Regime Changes, Budget Surrenders, page 387):
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
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 respond to Question 13730 on Environmental Land Management Schemes tabled by the hon. Member for Croydon North on 8 February 2024.
Answered by Mark Spencer
A response to Question 13730 is being prepared and will be provided as soon as possible. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.