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, if he will provide the 2024-25 spend figures to date for the Farming and Countryside Programme to match the categories set out in Annex 1 of the Farming and Countryside Programme annual report 2023 to 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The farming blog published on Wednesday 12 March set out Defra’s spend for 24/25 and 25/26 split across the Farming and Countryside Programme schemes.
Defra manages the farming budget flexibly to respond to demand, and achieve our intended outcomes for farm productivity, environment, climate and animal health and welfare.
In line with its obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, Defra regularly publishes an annual report, setting out commitments in the previous financial year.
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, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applicants there were to the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in (i) 2023 and (ii) each year since its creation.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme (FVAS) runs from 01 January – 31 December. In relation to the 2023 scheme year, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) received 32 successful applications by recognised Producer Organisations (POs). There were no unsuccessful applications during the same period.
The scheme was first introduced in 1996 and the number of UK-recognised Producer Organisations (POs) has varied overtime, but now there are 32 F&V POs across the UK. Each recognized PO will submit an application for an operational programme (OP) or amendment to that OP each year.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Metropolitan Police on arrests made in a Quaker meeting house in March 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The police are operationally independent of the government and make decisions on specific incidents based on their intelligence and judgment. The Home Office does not have the power to direct them to make any operational decisions. However, the Home Secretary has regular meetings with all policing leaders, including the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), covering a range of matters.
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 steps he plans to take to support brewers meet the costs of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). This is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise packaging producers to reduce their material footprint and use more sustainable packaging.
Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the brewing and hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. Despite considering multiple approaches, a consensus on a single approach that works for all sectors and within the bounds of legal and regulatory requirements, was not reached. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward and on assessing the tonnages of packaging any amendment might affect in the hospitality sector and in other sectors. We are planning next steps as a priority and will share more information soon.
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 budget is for the Farming and Countryside Programme for 2025-26 by category in Annex 1 of the Farming and Countryside Programme annual report 2023 to 2024, published on 10 September 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The farming blog published on Wednesday 12th March set out Defra’s spend for 24/25 and 25/26 split across the Farming and Countryside Programme schemes.
Defra manages the farming budget flexibly to respond to demand, and achieve our intended outcomes for farm productivity, environment, climate and animal health and welfare.
In line with its obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, Defra regularly publishes an annual report, setting out commitments in the previous financial year.
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, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of The Environmental Targets (Fine Particulate Matter) (England) Regulations 2023 in achieving reductions in concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in ambient air.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The revised Environmental Improvement Plan is due to include further details on fine particulate matter targets set under the Environment Act 2021.
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 estimate he has made of the emissions reductions required in (a) agriculture, (b) land use and (c) waste to deliver the sixth carbon budget.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The extent of emissions reductions required by Defra sectors in order to deliver the Government’s overall Carbon Budgets is determined by a cross-Government decision making process led by DESNZ. Underpinning this is the UKTM (UK Times Model).
This takes assumptions on the ‘baseline’ trajectory for emissions informed by the annual Emissions and Energy Projections and seeks to determine what interventions can achieve the lowest cost pathway to achieving Net Zero, accounting for the Government’s energy and growth plans.
The Carbon Budget Delivery Plan provides the specific estimates on the extent of emissions reductions required in Defra sectors.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 to change the target for official development assistance to 0.5 percent of gross national income.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to amend the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 to change the target for Official Development Assistance (ODA) to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI).
The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on ODA as soon as fiscal circumstances allow.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on implementing (a) the draft RSHE curriculum and (b) the suicide prevention content in that curriculum.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government is clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of statutory guidance on teaching relationships, sex and health education and, as such, the department is looking carefully at responses to the public consultation conducted last year, considering the relevant evidence and discussing with stakeholders before setting out next steps to make sure the guidance draws from the best available evidence.
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 financial support he is providing to low carbon farming.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), funded by a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, are paying farmers to take up land management practices that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Government has also spent £51.8 million through the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP), with a further £98 million committed to ongoing projects in support of Agri-technology research and innovation. FIP competitions for 2025/26 will include up to £12.5 million for the Net Zero Farming thematic competition.
Since 2021, Defra’s Farming Investment Fund awarded more than 11,000 grants worth over £130 million to farmers, growers and foresters to invest in technology, equipment and infrastructure, much of which supports low carbon farming practices. Of this, £107 million was through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). The next window of FETF will launch in Spring 2025.