Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
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 sports clubs engaged in (a) swimming, (b) surfing, (c) angling, (d) canoeing and (e) other water sports who have impacted by water pollution and sewage discharges.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to improving the quality of our coastal and inland waters for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses it. The Environment Agency takes over 7,000 samples each year at England’s 424 designated bathing waters, which are used to determine the annual bathing water classifications. These classifications are displayed on signage at bathing waters and online on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website, to allow bathers to make informed decisions before entering the water. Defra welcomes applications for bathing water designations in England for both coastal waters and inland waters such as lakes and rivers. Anyone, including swimming clubs, can apply to designate a site as a bathing water by following the application guidance available at: Designate a bathing water: guidance on how to apply - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Government is clear that the amount of sewage discharged into our waters is unacceptable. We have taken a series of actions to require water companies to improve how they manage wastewater. For example, we have set ambitious targets through the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan to reduce the use of storm overflows. This will drive the largest infrastructure programme in water company history: estimated at £60 billion capital investment in 25 years. To support these targets in the near term, water companies have committed to £180m of new funding over the next year to help tackle sewage spills. This is a new investment committed by water companies to deliver enhanced maintenance programmes to improve the sewer network and is expected to prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting English waterways.
These measures will benefit swimming, surfing, angling, canoeing and all other water sports.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of sewage discharges on sports clubs engaged in (a) swimming, (b) surfing, (c) angling, (d) canoeing and (e) other water sports.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In our Sport Strategy, ‘Get Active’, we set out our unapologetic ambition to build a more active nation and our vision to ensure the sector can thrive in the years ahead. Outdoor recreation on our nation’s coastline and in our rivers, lakes and canals are vital to the participation landscape.
We recognise the need for water sport participants to have access to consistent and up-to-date data about bathing water quality. DCMS is working with relevant water based National Governing Bodies and the Outdoors For All Coalition to understand the barriers to accessing and participating in green and blue spaces.
Designated bathing waters and water quality monitoring in England remain the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency (EA). DEFRA is a permanent member of the National Physical Activity Taskforce, which ensures that we deliver coordinated policy in this area.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on opening a recreational catch and release fishery for bluefin tuna by summer 2024.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Legislation to enable a UK bluefin recreational fishery was laid in Parliament on 14 March 2024. If the legislation is enacted it will support the opening of a recreational fishery in English waters this summer.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The following is a combined list of subscriptions that the Defra Library and Communications have paid for over the last three financial years. Some are in print and some are online. Not everything on the list was purchased in all three years – subscriptions change on demand and to reflect usage. Information on any subscriptions from other team budgets is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Defra Library purchases magazines and journals for Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency and Natural England staff to support them in their role. The Communications team purchases newspapers for monitoring the media coverage of issues in Defra’s remit.
Angling Times magazine | Environmental Finance | Lyell Collection |
Animal Health Research Reviews | Estates Gazette | Materials Recycling World |
Argus Fertilizer Europe | Ethical Consumer | Microbiology Society |
Avian Pathology | Executive Support magazine | New Zealand Veterinary |
BioOne | Farmers Guardian | Planning Resource |
Bird Study Pack | Farmers Weekly | Privacy and Data Protection |
Bloomberg | Financial Times | Professional Update |
British Archaeology magazine | Fishing News Weekly | Responsible Investor |
British Poultry Science | Freedom of Information Journal | Royal Forestry Society |
British Wildlife Magazine | Fresh Produce | Sunday Times |
Conservation Land Management | Geoheritage | Telegraph |
Daily Express | Goat Veterinary Journal | The Economist |
Daily Mail | Guardian | The Grocer Magazine |
Daily Mirror | Habitats Regulations Assessment | The Sun |
Daily Telegraph | Harvard Business Review | The Times |
Dairy Industry Newsletter | Horticulture Week | UK Livestock magazine |
Dods People and Monitoring | I | Veterinary Pathology |
Econlit | ICES Journal of Marine Science | Washington Trade Daily |
Elsevier Freedom Collection | iNews | Water Report |
Ends Europe | Inside Housing | Wiley STM Collection |
Ends Report | Insurance Post | Yorkshire Post |
Ends Waste & Bioenergy | Nature.com |
|
Environment Complete | Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation |
|
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many successful prosecutions by the Environment Agency there were for fishing without a licence in England in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In addition to prosecution, the Environment Agency will use other enforcement outcomes that include formal cautions, warning letters and issuing advice and guidance. The table below provides the numbers of these used alongside prosecutions between 2019 to 2023.
Final Action Taken | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Grand Total |
Advice and Guidance Total | 261 | 59 | 167 | 114 | 78 | 679 |
Caution Total | 113 | 25 | 254 | 573 | 1176 | 2141 |
Warning Letter Total | 182 | 102 | 238 | 1447 | 338 | 2307 |
Prosecutions (Successful) Total | 1876 | 464 | 728 | 379 | 250 | 3697 |
Grand Total | 2432 | 650 | 1387 | 2513 | 1842 | 8824 |
The total number of successful prosecutions is higher (+498) than the table above if you include fisheries byelaw offences such as fishing in the close season. Please see the table below for all prosecutions and enforcement actions.
Final Action Taken | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Grand Total | |
Advice and Guidance | 269 | 62 | 167 | 116 | 79 | 693 | |
Caution |
| 123 | 29 | 276 | 579 | 1185 | 2192 |
Warning Letter |
| 191 | 110 | 265 | 1461 | 362 | 2389 |
Prosecutions (Successful) | 2057 | 494 | 818 | 483 | 343 | 4195 | |
Grand Total |
| 2640 | 695 | 1526 | 2639 | 1969 | 9469 |
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of social prescribing; and whether her Department issues guidance on which models provide the most effective treatment.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As a relatively new programme, the evidence base around nationally linked social prescribing is still evolving and robust quantitative evidence is limited. However, a growing body of work is suggestive of positive effects. The Department continues to work to understand the effectiveness of social prescribing to enhance physical and mental health and wellbeing, building on existing positive local evidence.
The Department of Health and Social Care works on the Green Social Prescribing programme established with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to increase the use and connection to the natural environment to tackle mental ill health. The Department of Health and Social Care funds the evaluation and research element including research studies into angling and outdoor swimming.
The Department funds via grant the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP). Their role is to support and promote social prescribing at a local and national level and develop the evidence base. A range of research into the effectiveness of social prescribing published by NASP is available at the following link:
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/read-the-evidence/
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
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 using fines collected from water companies to support angling societies to replenish fish stocks.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the Plan for Water, we announced the Water Restoration Fund which will channel environmental fines and penalties collected from water companies into projects that improve the water environment. The Fund will support a wide range of projects to improve the environment such as removing invasive non-native species; creating and restoring water-dependent habitats; removing barriers to enable fish and other species’ natural movement in rivers. Further details will be announced later in the year.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many rod licences were issued by the Environment Agency in each (a) region and (b) county in 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency holds information on the sale of rod licences for the following geographical areas. The numbers of rod licences issues in 2022 are provided below.
Cumbria and Lancashire | 32,081 |
Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire | 50,657 |
Devon and Cornwall | 17,011 |
East Anglia | 94,956 |
Greater Manchester Merseyside and Cheshire | 58,513 |
Hertfordshire and North London | 52,320 |
Kent and South London | 64,009 |
Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire | 39,702 |
Northumberland Durham and Tees | 25,669 |
Solent and South downs | 37,149 |
Wessex | 39,771 |
West Midlands | 101,326 |
West Thames | 45,452 |
Yorkshire | 74,158 |
TOTAL | 732,774 |
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of rod licences issued by the Environment Agency in 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In addition to the information provided to PQ196068 the Environment Agency records the type of rod licence sold (e.g. salmon / coarse and trout / senior / junior / disabled / annual / 8 day or 1 day).
Additional information is recorded for the individuals who purchase a rod licence as follows: Name, Address and Date of Birth (Mandatory); E-mail and Telephone number (Optional); Proof of eligibility for disabled concession (mandatory for those claiming concession).
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of social prescribing in improving (a) physical and (b) mental health.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to work to understand the effectiveness of social prescribing to enhance physical and mental health building on existing positive local evidence.
As part of our commitment to the cross-Government, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)-led Green Social Prescribing Programme, we have commissioned and funded three clinical research feasibility studies that could lead to full Randomised Controlled Trials via the National Institute for Health and Care Research. These studies aim to test the effectiveness of nature-based activities on mental health outcomes, including outdoor swimming as a nature-based intervention for depression, angling to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and work with Newquay Orchard and the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. The Department expects decisions to be made soon on whether they will proceed to full scale trials.