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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.


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
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.


Written Question
Nature Conservation: Finance
Monday 18th 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, with reference to the press release by the Prime Minister, entitled Prime Minister commits £3bn UK climate finance to supporting nature, published on 11 January 2021, if he will provide a breakdown of where this money has been spent to date.

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

Between financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23 the UK spent £763 million on climate change interventions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity. This includes £402 million on programmes focussed on protecting and restoring forests and £361 million on programmes supporting other nature and biodiversity priorities such as protecting oceans and supporting land use and agriculture. All programmes supported by UK International Climate Finance, including those supporting our nature commitment can be accessed via the development tracker website and we provide a detailed breakdown of programme spend to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) every two years in line with our international reporting obligations.


Written Question
Hedges and Ditches: Nature Conservation
Friday 15th 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 plans to take to help protect hedgerows.

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

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.


Written Question
Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group
Tuesday 12th 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 her Department's timetable is for publishing the report of the Responsible Dog Ownership working group.

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

We expect the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce to publish its findings soon.


Written Question
Agriculture: Sustainable Development
Tuesday 12th 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 support farmers pursue nature-friendly farming.

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

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.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure
Tuesday 12th 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, 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 - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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):

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65df0b24cf7eb1e5f4f57f67/E03059123_CG_Supp_Estimates_2023-24_Web_Accessible.pdf.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions
Tuesday 12th 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, 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 - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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.


Written Question
Marine Protected Areas
Tuesday 12th 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 and proportion of the marine protected area network is in (a) effective management and (b) favorable condition.

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

We have established a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering 40% of English waters and last year introduced a new statutory MPA target. All MPAs are protected through the planning and licensing process. We are also working with regulators to introduce any necessary additional management measures. 60% of the 181 English MPAs are already protected from damaging fishing activity through byelaws, including the new byelaw announced in February to ban bottom trawling in a further 13 MPAs. Our scientific advisors (Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) are developing an MPA monitoring strategy to assess progress towards meeting the statutory MPA target, including whether the necessary management measures are in place. The current estimate is that 44% of our protected features are in favourable condition.