Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 estimate of the expected reservoir levels for each Lower Thames reservoir for drought events (a) 1:100 years, (b) 1:200 years and (c) 1:500 years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Public water supply reservoirs are the responsibility of the water companies. The Government has not made such estimates; however we are committed to improving water resilience and we are closely monitoring the delivery of their water resources management plans. Their plans set out how they will continue to provide secure water supplies in the long term.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development 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 Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO 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: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 take steps to ensure that Northern Ireland is included in the free tree scheme this year.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Forestry is a devolved matter. Responsibility for tree planting in Northern Ireland is led by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Defra regularly coordinates with DAERA. There are a number of tree planting schemes in Northern Ireland provided by non-governmental organisations.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional factors led to the Foreign Secretary's decision to limit arms supplies to Israel when his predecessor in that office did not take such action.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Previous assessments against the export criteria are a matter for the government in office at the time. As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he tasked officials with a comprehensive review of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law. On 2 September the Foreign Secretary delivered an Oral Statement in the House of Commons updating Members on his assessment regarding international humanitarian law (IHL) and the Government's related decision on arms exports.
He has published a summary of the IHL process, decision, and the factors taken into account [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account#:~:text=The%20government%20has%20conducted%20a%20thorough%20review%20of%20Israel%E2%80%99s%20compliance].
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) Anglian Water and (b) all water companies in England in (i) identifying and (ii) removing barriers that prevent the connectivity of surface waters.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the need for well-connected surface waters, so that water can be moved to where it is most needed. Water companies, including Anglian Water, have focussed their resilience improvements on water grids and transfers, a number of which have been built in recent years. The resilience of our water supply has been strengthened by the action taken by Government, regulators and the private sector, including water companies investing £469 million to investigate additional resources like new reservoir projects and inter-regional water transfers.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue their partnership with the British Standards Institute on creating high-integrity natural capital and carbon offsetting standards.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Subject to the outcome of the Spending Review, Defra intends to continue to partner with the British Standards Institution on the Nature Investment Standards Programme.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many badgers have been killed under the current cull regime in Devon.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The numbers of badgers removed during culling operations are published annually on GOV.UK. The number of badgers removed cannot be broken down by county as licensed cull areas often overlap multiple counties. However, for licences granted which are predominantly in Devon, approximately 41,000 badgers have been removed since 2013 under these licences.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce the cost of the ATA Carnet for cultural goods.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and its operational unit, the UK National ATA Carnet Organisation, is responsible for the issue of ATA Carnets in the UK. Issuing Chambers charge their own fees to cover their administration costs. The cost of an ATA Carnet also reflects the cost of providing a guarantee through an International Guarantee Chain, which covers any customs charges potentially due on goods in the countries to be visited.
The UK is currently participating in a pilot exercise to digitalise ATA Carnets and their processes as part of a World Customs Organisation (WCO) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) initiative. The Digital Pilot was launched in February 2019, initially involving the UK and five other countries. To date, the UK has successfully processed a number of e-ATA Carnets from Heathrow and is looking to collaborate with more ports to make digital Carnets more readily available.
There are other options for temporarily moving goods between the UK and EU which may be more cost-effective than an ATA Carnet, depending on the specific circumstances. The EU’s Temporary Admission procedure can be used in conjunction with the UK’s Returned Goods Relief to claim relief on goods which are temporarily imported into the EU, and subsequently re-exported back into the UK. More information can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 his Department has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in regulating Northumbrian Water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat will not hesitate to hold water companies to account where they fall short of our expectations. For example, Ofwat recently issued a proposed enforcement order against Northumbrian Water for the management of wastewater treatment works which proposes financial penalties of £17 million (5% of their relevant annual turnover). The consultation period closed on 10th September after which Ofwat will make their final decision. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will also give Ofwat further powers to hold water companies to account where they do not deliver for customers and the environment.
The Government will also soon carry out a review to shape further legislation that will fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good, ensuring that the regulatory framework that underpins our water sector delivers long-term stability, with clear, achievable targets.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the policy of (1) the Treasury, and (2) the Government Equalities Office, on the consultations being conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority on new diversity and inclusion reporting requirements for financial services firms; and what assessment they have made of whether those proposals are in line with their policy on increasing economic growth.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are non-governmental bodies which are independent from the Treasury and have broad powers to make rules in order to advance their statutory objectives. The regulators are required by legislation to carry out their general functions, which include rule-making, in a way that advances their competitiveness and growth objectives.
In line with statutory requirements, the FCA and PRA have included in their consultations an explanation of the compatibility of the proposed rules with their duties, including consideration of the competitiveness and growth objectives.