Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what figure of the SFI 2026 was unspent.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No funding allocated to new Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 agreements was left unspent. We increased the funding available for SFI26 Window 2, including an additional £50 million announced by the Prime Minister on 15 August 2026 and a further £20 million before the window opened, bringing the total budget for new agreements to £310 million. The budget was fully allocated. We provided updates on budget allocation during the application window.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Minister for Water and Flooding's Oral Statement of 1 July 2026, columns 929-931, what assessment she has made of the financial impact of the reforms to the Flood Re scheme.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 1 July 2026 this Government announced reforms to ensure Flood Re remains fair, sustainable and focused on supporting the lower and average-income households who need it most. Financial impact assessments will form part of the process of implementation.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what was the total funding allocated to Flood Re.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Flood Re is funded through a mandatory levy on UK household insurers, currently £160 million per financial year, and fixed premiums paid by insurers when policies are ceded to the scheme. Premiums are set according to the council tax band of the property.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the breakdown of the Flood Re scheme for each year since inception per county.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On a national level, Flood Re has benefitted over 742,000 properties since the scheme launched in 2016. The Government does not hold data broken down by county.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what timetable her Department has set for mandating Remote Electronic Monitoring, including camera monitoring of catches, on pelagic trawl vessels operating in English waters, following the completion of the test-and-learn phase in 2025.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working towards making Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) a statutory requirement for large pelagic trawlers fishing in English waters. The department will make an announcement in due course. Following the announcement, vessel owners will be given a minimum of 24 months’ notice before mandatory requirements are introduced.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for the White Horse Reservoir (formerly the South East Strategic Reservoir Option) to move from pre-application to a submitted application; what role her Department has played in progressing it; and whether it will be treated as a priority alongside the Fens and Lincolnshire reservoirs.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
White Horse Reservoir would provide up to 271 million litres of water per day, strengthening water security across the South-East. It passed RAPID Gate 3 and is preparing a planning application expected later in 2026. Defra supports delivery through programme coordination and resolving delivery issues. It remains a government priority.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Fens Reservoir is on course to be completed by 2036 and the Lincolnshire Reservoir to be operational by 2040; and what the latest projected dates are for the start and completion of examination and decision for each.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fens and Lincolnshire reservoirs would increase water supply and strengthen drought resilience in eastern England. Current plans indicate benefits from Fens from 2036 and operation of Lincolnshire from 2040, although timings remain subject to planning, regulatory approvals and delivery.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the latest estimated capital cost is for each of the nine planned reservoirs; how much of Ofwat’s £2 billion of development funding has been allocated to them so far; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact on customers’ water bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Cost estimates are refined as designs develop and, where available, are published by water companies. Ofwat and RAPID scrutinise costs, affordability, and value for money. Customers will contribute through water bills, with future bill levels determined through PR29. Protecting customers remains an important consideration throughout this process.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the applications for (a) Fens Reservoir and (b) Lincolnshire Reservoir; when she expects Development Consent Order applications for each to be submitted; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of designation as nationally significant infrastructure projects on the speed of the delivery process.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fens and Lincolnshire reservoirs could collectively provide around 570 million litres of water per day, improving water resilience across eastern England. Fens is progressing towards RAPID Gate 3, with a DCO submission target of 2028. Lincolnshire remains in pre-application. Section 35 designation supports streamlined delivery through the DCO regime.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on legislating so that water resilience projects are automatically treated as nationally significant; and which of the other planned reservoirs in Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands she expects to enter the Planning Inspectorate process, and when.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Projects meeting the Planning Act 2008 thresholds, or designated under section 35 direction, enter the Development Consent Order regime. The Suffolk reservoir proposals are proceeding under this process. The Somerset, Kent, East Sussex and West Midlands schemes could also do so if developers seek and obtain a section 35 direction.