Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what her Department's Environmental Improvement Plan ensures people have equal access to nature.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan we have committed to work across government to ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space. The Government is taking forward a number of polices to increase access to nature including:
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to protect and preserve landscapes with a distinct literary heritage and value.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Many of our most precious literary landscapes are protected in law as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). In England, there are 10 National Parks and 34 AONBs. Together, they cover nearly 25% of land in England. These places are designated in statute for their natural beauty which provided the inspiration and the settings for some of our greatest works of literature. There are also some good examples of literary considerations in landscape character assessments, including Natural England’s National Character Areas, which reference these associations across England’s landscapes.
These designated landscapes are all managed to conserve and enhance their important cultural associations, including relevant literature and the sites which inspired it, as key components of the natural beauty of the area. For instance, the Lake District National Park celebrates its close links to and the inspiration it provided for the great British Romantic Movement, including authors such as Wordsworth and the other Lakes Poets, as well as the much loved children’s authors Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons). Exmoor National Park actively promotes its links with Robert Blackmore’s ‘Lorna Doone’. The Dorset, Blackdown Hills and Cranbourne Chase AONBs all rightly celebrate their associations with Thomas Hardy and help conserve and enhance the settings for his novels.
Literary associations are also celebrated and conserved in some of the England’s World Heritage sites. The Lake District World Heritage Site was designated in part due to the fact that it is “A landscape which has inspired artistic and literary movements and generated ideas about landscapes that have had a global influence and left its physical mark” and the Management Plan for this site emphasises the importance of its literary associations.
In addition, nearly 400,000 heritage assets – many of them located within the boundaries of National Parks and AONBs – benefit from statutory protection in their own right as Listed Buildings or Scheduled Monuments. Often such assets have strong literary associations – for instance, Stonehenge (protected as a Scheduled Monument) famously provided the setting for the tragic climax of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, while Max Gate (protected as a Listed Building) survives as the house Hardy designed and had built in Dorchester, and in which he wrote this and several of his other classics. These are but two of several such examples.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to revise the powers given to telecommunications companies to erect phone masts in order to give greater protection to land within or adjacent to Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty which already have sufficient mobile phone signal.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to providing the necessary digital infrastructure across the UK to ensure that people and businesses have the connectivity they need, and in the years ahead. The changes we made to planning law in England in 2022 will help to extend and improve mobile coverage, including supporting our £1 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.
However, it is important that the delivery of network infrastructure is balanced with environmental considerations. Planning legislation allows for planning authorities to assess the impact of certain infrastructure, such as new masts, and decide whether it is appropriate for the proposed location. There are also greater restrictions and limitations on network development in more sensitive locations, such as National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Operators are required to minimise the visual impact of network infrastructure in these areas.
In addition to this, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England sets out how operators and planning authorities can work collaboratively to ensure that network deployment is carried out in a way that provides positive benefits to communities, whilst respecting the sensitive nature of protected areas.
The Government also supports the view that operators should use existing structures and buildings for hosting infrastructure, and share sites where possible, to reduce the environmental impact of installation. The SRN in particular is a sustainable approach to the challenge of delivering rural mobile coverage and will transform 4G coverage without duplicating infrastructure, minimising the impact on our countryside.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has made representations to the Welsh Government on renaming the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
National parks are a devolved matter in Wales. However, I regularly engage with the Welsh Labour Government on a variety of topics, and I would welcome discussions with them on national parks matters next time I meet with them.
The UK Government is committed to supporting the promotion and use of the Welsh language, including the Welsh Government’s ambition for one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Indeed, as a Welsh speaker, I take every opportunity to promote the use of Welsh and communicate bilingually where possible. In addition, the UK Government has agreed a strong licence fee settlement with S4C - a major Welsh language broadcaster - receiving £88.8 million per annum for the first two years, which will then rise in line with inflation thereafter.
However, the Brecon Beacons National Park has a long-standing international identity that is synonymous with its name. I am concerned that the exclusive use of Bannau Brycheiniog will reduce recognition of the national park on an international stage, and I struggle to understand why the Welsh name cannot be used in conjunction with the English name.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
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 on the impact of light pollution on the environment in areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and surrounding areas.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Our National Parks (NP) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) have some of the best dark skies across Great Britain and attained some of the earliest dark sky designations in Europe. 53% of our darkest skies are in NPs and AONBs, demonstrating the vital role these places play, and seven of our NPs and AONBs have been internationally recognised for their dark skies and are managed in ways that conserve dark skies for the benefit of people and wildlife.
Defra has worked with other government departments to ensure that the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that policies and decisions should limit the impact of light pollution on local amenities, dark landscapes and nature conservation. We continue to work with partners including leading scientists to review the latest studies and ensure we continue to address key threats to biodiversity.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to help prevent the sale of disposable barbecues in order to protect rural landscapes and wildlife.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The public are encouraged to always behave responsibly when using products which have a fire risk.
There are no plans to prohibit the sale of disposable barbeques or sky lanterns at this time, and there are existing powers available that limit the use in certain places.
Current 'Byelaw' legislation allows for local authorities to restrict the use of disposable barbecues in parks and public spaces. These are steps that Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council among others have already taken. The Government encourages all local authorities to use these existing powers to take similar steps if they feel it necessary.
There are also existing powers in legislation which can be used to regulate and prohibit the lighting of fires on access land in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks. The New Forest and Peak District National Park Authorities have already banned the use of disposable barbecues within their boundaries and have successfully collaborated with several retailers to remove disposable barbecues from a great many stores.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of disposable barbecues.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The public are encouraged to always behave responsibly when using products which have a fire risk.
There are no plans to prohibit the sale of disposable barbeques or sky lanterns at this time, and there are existing powers available that limit the use in certain places.
Current 'Byelaw' legislation allows for local authorities to restrict the use of disposable barbecues in parks and public spaces. These are steps that Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council among others have already taken. The Government encourages all local authorities to use these existing powers to take similar steps if they feel it necessary.
There are also existing powers in legislation which can be used to regulate and prohibit the lighting of fires on access land in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks. The New Forest and Peak District National Park Authorities have already banned the use of disposable barbecues within their boundaries and have successfully collaborated with several retailers to remove disposable barbecues from a great many stores.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve access to the countryside and (b) ensure that footpath and green lanes are properly maintained.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and are working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. We committed in our Environmental Improvement Plan published on 31 January to work across government to help ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space.
The Government is delivering a number of policies to increase access to nature including:
Local authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of public rights of way including green lanes. Landowners are responsible for the maintenance of permissive paths. The UK Forestry Standard clearly states that existing rights of access must be respected and not obstructed. In England and Wales, responsible access must be allowed on mapped access land, including woodland dedicated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, unless a Direction is in place to restrict or exclude access. All government supported planting, such as under our England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) and Countryside Stewardship Scheme, must comply with these requirements.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her proposals for tackling anti-social behaviour will address alcohol-related (a) domestic and (b) community violence.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
On 27 March we published the ASB Action Plan. The ASB Action Plan commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: stronger punishment, making communities safer, building local pride, prevention and early intervention, improving data, reporting and accountability for action. Cracking down on anti-social behaviour works in tandem with this government’s priorities to prevent more murders, drive down violent crime, including against women and girls, and burglaries.
This plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales, which will see thousands of additional patrols taking place in places blighted by anti-social behaviour. It will be for the relevant Police and Crime Commissioners to determine the allocation of spending within their areas,.
The areas have been chosen to ensure that those areas with the greatest need when it came to tackling anti-social behaviour were able to benefit from pilot funding while ensuring there was sufficient geographical spread to allow the pilots to provide evidence for its likely impact across all of England and Wales.
There will be up to £5m to boost investment in green spaces in areas most in need, restoring parks and green spaces, giving more people access and improving pride in place.
We are on target to recruit 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March 2023. However, tackling anti-social behaviour is not just a police matter. It requires a strong and effective partnership response from all agencies working together to drive down anti-social behaviour. The measures we have outlined in the plan ensure the police, local authorities and other agencies have a wide range of powers and tools to deal with every situation of anti-social behaviour that may arise.
One of the commitments outlined in the Beating Crime Plan was to establish the principles required for a strong and effective partnership response to anti-social behaviour, working with PCCs, local authorities and other partners to help set expectations for local agencies, so that they work together to address ASB issues, including dealing with persistent offenders. This was published in July 2022.
We provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 including closure orders if there are reasonable grounds that the use of a particular premises has resulted or is likely to result in nuisance to members of the public and the notice is necessary to prevent the nuisance or disorder from continuing, recurring or occurring.
We have an ambitious programme of activity underway to tackle alcohol-related crime and work with police and licensing stakeholders to ensure thriving and safe night-time economies. We are piloting a training programme to help frontline practitioners identify where alcohol misuse and domestic abuse are co-occurring and to facilitate greater join-up with GPs and police.
In March 2022, we published the cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. The Plan will seek to transform the whole of society’s response in order to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals.
The Plan invests over £230 million of cross-Government funding into tackling this heinous crime. This includes over £140 million for supporting victims and over £81 million for tackling perpetrators.
Some of the commitments we have delivered to date includes:
We have published research reports alongside the ASB Action Plan. The findings from the research highlight evidence and best practice examples. We expect local partners to work together to deliver a multi-agency approach to tackling anti-social behaviour and delivering the proposals set out in this plan. We will oversee the implementation and delivery of this action plan with a new Anti-social Behaviour Taskforce.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that local authorities participate in safer neighbourhood partnerships.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
On 27 March we published the ASB Action Plan. The ASB Action Plan commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: stronger punishment, making communities safer, building local pride, prevention and early intervention, improving data, reporting and accountability for action. Cracking down on anti-social behaviour works in tandem with this government’s priorities to prevent more murders, drive down violent crime, including against women and girls, and burglaries.
This plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales, which will see thousands of additional patrols taking place in places blighted by anti-social behaviour. It will be for the relevant Police and Crime Commissioners to determine the allocation of spending within their areas,.
The areas have been chosen to ensure that those areas with the greatest need when it came to tackling anti-social behaviour were able to benefit from pilot funding while ensuring there was sufficient geographical spread to allow the pilots to provide evidence for its likely impact across all of England and Wales.
There will be up to £5m to boost investment in green spaces in areas most in need, restoring parks and green spaces, giving more people access and improving pride in place.
We are on target to recruit 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March 2023. However, tackling anti-social behaviour is not just a police matter. It requires a strong and effective partnership response from all agencies working together to drive down anti-social behaviour. The measures we have outlined in the plan ensure the police, local authorities and other agencies have a wide range of powers and tools to deal with every situation of anti-social behaviour that may arise.
One of the commitments outlined in the Beating Crime Plan was to establish the principles required for a strong and effective partnership response to anti-social behaviour, working with PCCs, local authorities and other partners to help set expectations for local agencies, so that they work together to address ASB issues, including dealing with persistent offenders. This was published in July 2022.
We provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 including closure orders if there are reasonable grounds that the use of a particular premises has resulted or is likely to result in nuisance to members of the public and the notice is necessary to prevent the nuisance or disorder from continuing, recurring or occurring.
We have an ambitious programme of activity underway to tackle alcohol-related crime and work with police and licensing stakeholders to ensure thriving and safe night-time economies. We are piloting a training programme to help frontline practitioners identify where alcohol misuse and domestic abuse are co-occurring and to facilitate greater join-up with GPs and police.
In March 2022, we published the cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. The Plan will seek to transform the whole of society’s response in order to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals.
The Plan invests over £230 million of cross-Government funding into tackling this heinous crime. This includes over £140 million for supporting victims and over £81 million for tackling perpetrators.
Some of the commitments we have delivered to date includes:
We have published research reports alongside the ASB Action Plan. The findings from the research highlight evidence and best practice examples. We expect local partners to work together to deliver a multi-agency approach to tackling anti-social behaviour and delivering the proposals set out in this plan. We will oversee the implementation and delivery of this action plan with a new Anti-social Behaviour Taskforce.