Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the bird shooting industry on (a) native bird populations and (b) the natural environment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has considered the potential impact of the bird shooting industry in a range of ways.
In 2020, Defra considered the ecological impact of gamebird release and commissioned an assessment, as well as identifying evidence gaps for further work. In 2021, Defra launched a three-year Gamebird Research Programme to fill those gaps. Project reports, to be published at https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ will be reviewed and inform future policy.
Since 2021 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has become a threat to our vulnerable bird populations. In 2022, at the request of Defra the Animal and Plant Health Agency assessed the risk of released gamebirds spreading HPAI to wild birds.
In 2023 Defra and Natural England reviewed Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This lists wild bird species which can be shot during their open season. Natural England recommended greater protection for some of the species to ensure that such shooting is sustainable and does not undermine the conservation status of the species. Defra will consult on proposals shortly.
There is evidence linking gamebird shooting to illegal raptor persecution. Defra funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to assist law enforcers investigating this national wildlife crime priority.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 17 December 2025 to Question 99506 on Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), whether the upcoming PFAS Plan will commit to the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE’s) suggestions, following on from the RMOA and the HSE UK REACH Work Programme 2024-25, to restrict PFAS in wide dispersive uses and PFAS in consumer products.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s approach to PFAS includes consideration of appropriate regulatory interventions as well as other actions, and more details will be provided in the PFAS Plan when it is published.
We recognise that PFAS is used in a wide range of contexts, including wide dispersive uses and in consumer products. Current work includes a 6 month HSE consultation on whether to restrict the wide dispersive use of PFAS in fire-fighting foams, as one of the largest sources of direct releases of PFAS to the environment.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who is the Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department does not have a formally designated Chief Risk Officer for national security risks. As with other Lead Government Departments, each Defra-owned risk in the National Risk Register (NRR) has a designated Risk Owner who is responsible for that risk area in the Department. These risks are discussed internally by the Executive Committee. The Secretary of State and accounting officers are ultimately responsible for all risks Defra owns.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of grouping Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in regulation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
PFAS represent a group of thousands of chemicals, with hundreds used commercially across many sectors of industry and society. The structural diversity of PFAS poses a challenge to grouping.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) published an “Analysis of the most appropriate regulatory management options (RMOA)” for PFAS in March 2023. This RMOA addresses PFAS, that are potentially on the GB market, by applying a grouping approach to improve manageability and help address the issue of regrettable substitution. HSE’s Restriction Report on PFAS in firefighting foams, published in August 2025, takes a group approach on this basis, using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 2021) definition of PFAS.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s casework data is held for three years from the date of case closure.
Over the last three years, 139 officials were investigated under Defra’s disciplinary process. The 139 cases are broken down into the following:
2022 = 7 disciplinary cases were raised
2023 = 33 disciplinary cases were raised
2024 = 60 disciplinary cases were raised
2025 to date = 39 disciplinary cases have been raised
The information requested for 2020 and 2021 is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances are classified as Substances of Very High Concern.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations provide for a list of Substances of Very High Concern to be established. This list currently contains six entries relating to Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), each covering a group of PFAS.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 consult stakeholders on the development of the Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The PFAS plan will set out a coordinated response for addressing risks relating to PFAS exposure, extending across government and industry. Engagement with stakeholders to date has been vital in informing policy, and we will use the plan as a platform to engage further with industry, other bodies, and the public on PFAS. In doing so, we hope to develop a collective set of actions and initiatives to address this shared challenge.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 have been taken to ensure the adequate welfare of racing greyhounds.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The welfare of greyhounds in England is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. Specific welfare standards at all greyhound racing tracks in England are also required by the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010.
In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), has also undertaken several welfare reforms, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The strategy focuses not only on reducing risks of injury but also developing new management practices to improve the welfare of greyhounds throughout their lives.
The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering the strategy. Should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has been made of the potential impact of fireworks on the welfare of (a) livestock and (b) pets.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of fireworks on animal welfare.
However, the Government is continuing to engage with animal welfare stakeholders, businesses, consumer groups and charities on the impacts of fireworks, to inform any future action.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to create a national inventory to (a) capture and (b) report sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is actively considering its approach to managing the risks posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and progressing work on PFAS measures. To better understand legacy PFAS pollution, the Environment Agency (EA) has undertaken a risk screening project to identify potential PFAS sources which provides crucial information for the EA and its stakeholders to investigate and mitigate these risk issues.