Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support East Anglian wine producers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to supporting rural economies and ensuring the UK has a thriving and diverse economy that promotes local jobs and boosts growth.
The English wine sector is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors, which continues to attract domestic and foreign investment. Defra works closely with the sector to support its ambitions and drive growth and exports. This in turns helps to provide high-quality jobs in rural communities.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Welsh Government's Sustainable Farming Scheme; and what consideration they have given to the introduction of a similar scheme in England.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Agriculture is a devolved area, and Wales’s Sustainable Farming Scheme is therefore a matter for the Welsh Government.
Defra and devolved administration officials meet routinely to share experiences and insight regarding our respective agricultural policies.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.
Information on spending and staffing can be found in the department's annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 review the rules on beaver (a) protection and (b) management.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government has no plans to review the rules on beaver protection. Beavers are a protected species under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. Protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb, or injure beavers, or to damage or destroy their breeding sites or resting places. Protection means a licence is required for certain beaver management actions.
Defra will continue to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. Beaver management should follow the 5-step management approach published on GOV.UK. Licensed projects are responsible for managing animals they have released and are also expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conservation Translocations in England. Landowners and managers who may be affected by beaver activity can find further guidance on beaver management, including when a licence might be needed, on GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) banning and (b) further regulating wood burning stoves in domestic dwellings.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Domestic wood burning stoves make a significant contribution to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions nationally, with implications for the health of everyone exposed to smoke. Defra is currently considering options for action to reduce the impact of wood burning stoves on people’s health and to meet our statutory targets for this pollutant.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 potential merits of banning greyhound racing.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is aware of the concerns that surround greyhound racing. However, we also recognise that the sport is already attempting to address many of these issues. The Government is monitoring the sport’s progress and should further measures and protections be required we will, of course, consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the complaint in relation to the Government's badger culling policy being considered by the Bureau of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention at its third meeting of 2024, on what occasions their actions have been brought to the attention of the Bureau of the Standing Committee, and how many times that they are aware of has an open file been kept on their actions.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A complaint was submitted to the Bureau of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in 2019 in relation to the licensed culling of badgers to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England. In response to the evidence submitted by the UK Government, the Bureau decided there was insufficient evidence to open a complaint. Instead, it decided to keep it on standby so the situation could be monitored. As requested by the Bureau the UK has provided further progress reports in 2021 and 2023. The UK’s next progress report is due in July 2026.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 ensure regulators sponsored by his Department have sufficient resources for enforcement work.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department recognises the vital role that regulators play in the context of enforcement. The enforcement powers of bodies such as Ofwat and the Environment Agency are key to ensuring companies meet their obligations across the water and waste sectors in England and Wales. The Water (Special Measures) Bill, which was introduced into Parliament on 4 September, will strengthen the power of the water industry regulators and expand the cost recovery powers available to the regulators, enabling them to recover their costs for enforcement action from water companies.
Officials work closely with Defra’s public bodies throughout each spending review period, to agree enforcement plans and the required resources.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The details of any ministerial severance payments can be found in our Annual Report & Accounts.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 publish the outputs of the Air Quality Common Framework emissions reduction sub-group.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Air Quality Common Framework emissions reduction sub-group is a working level meeting between officials in the UK Governments. We will consider further whether any additional information regarding emissions policies under consideration should be published in due course.