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 funding farmers are offered for flood management.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is funding environmental land management (ELM) schemes, which include measures to support farmers with managing flood risks or investing in natural flood management. The Government has committed to investing £11.8 billion in the farming budget over the course of this Parliament, with funding for ELM increasing from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29.
Data on the uptake and spend on individual actions in these schemes is regularly published and available at: Agri-environment scheme uptake data - GOV.UK
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress his department has made on the parental leave and pay review.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Parental Leave and Pay Review’s Call for Evidence closed on 25 August 2025 after receiving almost 1500 responses, which are currently being analysed and will go on to inform the review.
We are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including advocacy groups, trade unions and business representatives, including through a series of thematic roundtables to inform our ongoing work. We intend to continue this engagement in 2026.
The Review will be concluded in early 2027 and the Government will outline next steps for taking any reforms forward to implementation.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many applications have been (a) received, (b) awarded and (c) refused under the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme; and in how many refused cases the applicant was in receipt of an occupational injury award, including (i) Civil Service Injury Benefit and (ii) an equivalent injury pension.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme is a devolved matter and is run by the Victims’ Payments Board on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive.
Statistics on applications are publicly available on the Victims’ Payments Board’s website.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with Londonderry and Strabane Council on potential support for programming at the Londonderry North Atlantic (DNA) Maritime Museum.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Responsibility for museums is a devolved matter and support for Northern Ireland’s museums is a matter for the Northern Ireland Communities Minister. I would therefore encourage Derry City and Strabane District Council to discuss support for the programming of the North Atlantic Maritime Museum in Derry/Londonderry with the Minister for Communities.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his policy is on the awarding of Government contracts to China for ready-fabricated steel; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those contracts on the Government's environmental goals; and whether those factors are considered when awarding contracts for fabricated steel to be used in constructing (a) Net Zero Teeside and (b) other carbon capture and storage schemes.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Public procurement policy on steel is set out in Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 022 which encompasses different types of steel. Based on full Departmental returns that provided data to the Department for Business and Trade, including on the origin of steel, the Government's procurement data shows that in financial year 2024/25, only c.£29k worth of publicly procured steel was of Chinese origin, out of a total of c.£372m worth of publicly procured steel.
Steel used in Net Zero Teesside (NZT) and other carbon capture and storage schemes falls outside of public procurement. NZT are using an open and transparent tendering process and will be awarding contracts based on capacity, capability and other factors. I have met with the project developer to express my concern about the reported potential use of Chinese steel in this project and we will continue to engage with the CCUS sector to promote the industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content across the value chain and we have confidence that NZT are on track to achieve more than 50% UK content.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been done to model the impact of climate variability on farm profitability projections.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Results from Defra’s annual Farm Business Survey provide an assessment of how the weather and other factors have influenced farm profitability in the previous year. These are published at: Farm Business Survey - GOV.UK
Last year we published Baroness Batters’ Farming Profitability Review, which offers a clear assessment of the challenges facing farmers alongside 57 recommendations for strengthening farm businesses. We are grateful for this substantial piece of work, which is rooted in years of experience and provides important evidence to guide our approach. We will now carefully consider the findings and recommendations.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her proposed timeline is to enact Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).
In December 2024 we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to use SuDS where they could have drainage impacts.
We are in the process of consulting on a revised version of the NPPF, with new policies on local plans and national decision making, including flood risk and SuDS.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect watercraft operating on the canal network.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Responsibility for the safety of watercraft operating on the canal network rests with the navigation authorities concerned. Requirements for insurance and compliance with the Boat Safety Scheme standards form part of the conditions set by the navigation authorities for licences to operate on their waterways.
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Glastonbury and Somerton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the impact of historic highway drainage systems on downstream flooding and water pollution.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environment Agency (EA) water quality monitoring programmes identify where ‘urban and transport’ inputs are having a potential impact on a waterbody. Water quality monitoring data is publicly available here: Water Data Explorer | Engage Environment Agency. Highways authorities should address outfalls with the potential to pollute.
Water and sewerage companies in England and Wales are currently developing their first statutory Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs), due to be published in 2027/28. These strategic plans identify risks to the companies’ drainage and sewerage networks and set out solutions for how those risks will be mitigated, including environmental risks, which could have implications for highways inputs.
The EA also works with National Highways to assess the impacts of highway drainage on downstream flooding and water quality. They are working together to deliver actions in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy Roadmap. This includes delivering multi-benefit, nature-based solutions that reduce flood risk, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity. The EA supports this through its flood investment programmes, catchment partnerships and use of national flood risk mapping to help target priority locations and future investment.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the source is for the Government's claim that aligning the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will save British businesses £800 million.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK.
These include providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; the removal of regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage; supporting UK renewable rollout; and lowering electricity costs in the long run.
Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms. The £800m estimate is from a Frontier Economics report and refers to cumulative savings between 2026 and 2030.