theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support all-weather sports facilities in Lincolnshire. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from high-quality, inclusive sports facilities.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.

We are also supporting more players in getting onto the pitch wherever they live via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which has invested £123 million UK-wide throughout 2024/25. Projects funded through the programme include artificial grass pitches, new changing facilities, and floodlights, helping sites to improve availability and increase participation all year round.

Funding from the Programme continues to be invested in England through our delivery partner, the Football Foundation. This funding is designed so that areas that need it most are prioritised, taking account of deprivation and inactivity rates on a local level.

The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs). These plans have been developed in partnership with local authorities and are in the process of being refreshed to reflect the current landscape. The LFFP for South Holland can be found here, and a full list of LFFPs covering Lincolnshire can be found on the Lincolnshire FA website.

At Autumn Budget, the Government committed to continued support through future investment for elite and grassroots sport. Further details will be confirmed in due course.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) protecting consumers from planned obsolescence in (i) video games and (ii) other digital software and (b) requiring publishers to make game content available for offline use upon server shutdown. \p Chris Bryant: The Government is aware of issues relating to the life-span of digital content, including video games, and we appreciate the concerns of players of some games that have been discontinued. We have no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence, but we will monitor this issue and consider the relevant work of the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) on consumer rights and consumer detriment.

Video games sellers must comply with existing consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). However, there is no requirement in UK law for software companies to support older versions of their products. Decision-making is for those companies, taking account of commercial and regulatory factors and complying with existing consumer law.

There may be occasions where companies make decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older servers for games with declining user bases. If software is offered for sale that is not supported by the provider, then this should be made clear, for example on product webpages and physical packaging.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of the creative sectors in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands to the UK economy. \p Chris Bryant: The creative industries sector is one of eight growth-driving sectors identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy. We will publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to drive growth in the late spring. The creative industries can be found in clusters throughout the UK, with the Creative Policy and Evidence Centre noting 55 clusters making a strong contribution to the sector’s contribution of £124bn to the UK’s GVA.

In 2023, the West Midlands was one of the top three regions in terms of median annual earnings for the creative industries (£40,650). The West Midlands’ Creative Industries contributed £4 billion to the UK economy and there were 138,000 filled jobs in the sector in the region. This includes a strong presence in video games, film and television as well as in the wider culture and creative industries.

Government support for the sector has included £520,000 to the West Midlands region to provide creative industries specific business support and develop regional investor readiness through the Create Growth Programme. This is delivered in combination with the West Midlands Combined Authority, Creative UK, Create Central and Innovate UK with funding from DCMS. A further £425,000 will be provided by DCMS via the Integrated Settlement during the 2025/26 Financial Year.

In November at the Beyond Conference, we announced £6.74m to deliver the CreaTech Futures Creative Industries Cluster with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This will drive research and development, business innovation and skills within the creative industries ecosystem across the West Midlands. This will be led by Birmingham City University with Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Warwick and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Cluster will create a network of four complementary, interconnected R&D labs in immersive audio and video technologies, virtual production, applied AI for createch and gaming, esports, and animation.

At the Creative Industries Growth Moment in January, we announced additional funding, to be agreed as part of the Spending Review to six Mayoral Combined Authorities including the West Midlands Combined Authority to drive business growth.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will consider changing the terms of reference for the UK City of Culture competition to allow towns to participate. \p Chris Bryant: The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.

The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.

Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote (a) youth arts and (b) cultural festivals in Surrey Heath Constituency. \p Chris Bryant: The government promotes and supports the arts predominantly through Arts Council England (ACE).

ACE’s open funding programme, National Lottery Project Grants, is currently accessible to organisations and individuals across the country, including those in Surrey Heath. This programme provides over £100 million of support annually to individuals and organisations. Since 2019, ACE has allocated over £280,000 of funding to individuals and arts organisations based in the Surrey Heath constituency. Last November, Surrey Youth Arts and Culture Festival received £13,311 of funding. The festival, based at Camberley Library and Camberley Theatre was a Surrey County Council partnership led project which aimed to raise aspirations and break down barriers to engagement for young people accessing creative skills development pathways in Surrey.

In addition, Local Authorities remain one of the largest supporters of arts and culture in England, and DCMS will continue to advocate and help local decision-makers understand and recognise the benefits that the arts can bring for young people.
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Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the UK Live Comedy Sector Survey Report 2024, published on 6 February 2025, if her Department will take steps to recognise live comedy as an art form, in the context of eligibility for funding from (a) Arts Council England, (b) the National Lottery and (c) other organisations. \p Chris Bryant: Comedy is a vital performing art and contributes to the mental health and wellbeing of people, not just in the UK, but around the world. It forms part of our cultural landscape, enriching lives, shaping our collective identity.

Arts Council England funds numerous organisations and venues that support comedy. For the purposes of ACE funding, comedy is considered under the broad term of ‘theatre.’ This means that as long as a performer, club or promoter meets the eligibility criteria for specific programmes, then ACE welcomes funding applications. Between the financial years covering 2010/11 to 2024/25 ACE has awarded £12,296,254 in funding where an applicant name, project title or subclassifier contains the word “comedy”.

Venues such as theatres also benefit from tax relief. The government believes tax relief is essential to help incentivise investment in productions, and to contribute to innovation and economic growth, enabling arts organisations to continue to produce new content which is vital in keeping them competitive on an international stage.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public libraries across England and Wales were open in the most recent 10 years for which data is available. \p Chris Bryant: DCMS has policy responsibility for public libraries in England only.

The following table shows the number of open static libraries in England in the most recent 10 years for which data is available. The data is taken from the Arts Council England Basic Dataset for Libraries 2023 which consolidated and validated previous datasets.

1/7/2016

31/12/2019

31/12/2021

31/12/2022

31/12/2023

Number of open static libraries included in the dataset

3,010

2,938

2,914

2,894

2,8771

Number of open static libraries within the statutory provision

2,727

2,585

2,550

2,576

2,5781

1. Figures do not include 10 static libraries for which the operating model is unknown
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value was of (a) exports and (b) imports between the UK and Ireland in (i) 2019 and (ii) 2024. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14113 on Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee, whether the Permanent Secretaries on the Committee can influence their own salaries. \p Georgia Gould: Permanent Secretary members of the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee have no influence on their own salaries. Proposals on the performance and pay of these members are made by the non-civil servant members of the Committee, and agreed by the Prime Minister.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14974 on Procurement: National Security, for what reason the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland Programme evaluation is exempt from publication. \p Georgia Gould: The information related to this programme is exempt from publication, as it meets one or more of the seven reasons for exemption listed in the Freedom of Information Act.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16512 on Government Communication Service, if he will provide a breakdown of the 6,500 communications staff employed by each individual public body. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the Hon. Member to Question 1208, answered on the 31st July 2024.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 26 November 2024 to Question 14115 on House of Lords Appointments Commission ad to Question 14114 on the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, whether he plans to publish a framework document. \p Georgia Gould: The consolidated Framework Document for the Independent Offices (covering the Civil Service Commission, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the Commissioner for Public Appointments) was published on 18 February 2025.

There is not currently a Framework Document between HOLAC and the Cabinet Office. As with all independent advisory bodies, the Government keeps its arrangements with HOLAC under review.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18209 on Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, what progress she has made on her review of eligibility for ministerial severance payments based on time in office. \p Georgia Gould: The review of ministerial severance payments under the terms of the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 is ongoing. An update will be provided in due course.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 24442 on 10 Downing Street: Furniture, if he will publish an itemised list of the furniture and fittings that have been purchased for 10-12 Downing Street since 4 July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: Any associated costs relevant to the Cabinet Office would be detailed in its next Annual Report and Accounts.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister's Office keeps minutes of calls for public affairs professionals. \p Georgia Gould: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of adults resident in the UK unable to (a) read and (b) write in English. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 12th March is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 110.9KB)
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Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Prime Minister's specific duties are in his role as the Minister for the Union. \p Georgia Gould: As Minister for the Union, the Prime Minister works to ensure that all of government is acting on behalf of the entire United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of policies aimed at increasing office attendance on civil service staff, including regional employees. \p Georgia Gould: The Government renewed its commitment to the 60% office attendance expectation on 24 October, emphasising the importance of collaboration through face-to-face interactions. This decision is supported by a variety of studies highlighting the benefits of hybrid working.

By colocating departments and fostering great workplaces tailored to support local communities, Places for Growth is helping improve office attendance in regional areas. This strategic approach not only enhances collaboration among civil service staff but also strengthens ties within the local community, making the office a more attractive and supportive environment for employees.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Sentencing Council's publication entitled Comprehensive new guidance on imposing community and custodial sentences, published on 5 March 2025, if she will provide examples that would constitute a cultural minority. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Sentencing Council has issued new guidance which the last Government was consulted on between November 2023 and February 2024, and then publicly welcomed.

The Lord Chancellor has been clear that these guidelines do not represent the views of this Government, and she has asked the Council to reconsider them.

The Lord Chancellor and the Chairman of the Sentencing Council have since had a constructive discussion. It was agreed that the Lord Chancellor will set out her position more fully in writing, which the Sentencing Council will then consider before the guideline is due to come into effect.
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Luke Myer:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to (a) review the adequacy of juror compensation for loss of earnings, (b) ensure compensation reflects wages, (c) require employers to cover shortfalls and (d) provide additional support for self-employed jurors. \p Sarah Sackman: Jury service is an important civic duty, and we want to help jurors feel supported as they undertake this important job. The Government will keep under review all support provided to jurors throughout their service. People who are not paid by their employer whilst they are on jury service can claim a loss of earnings allowance from the court. Self-employed people who lose earnings whilst doing jury service are also able to claim loss of earnings.
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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of effectiveness of the Legal Ombudsman in processing complaints in a timely manner. \p Sarah Sackman: The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) plays an important role in ensuring consumers of legal services have access to an independent and effective complaints resolution process. It has been on a challenging journey to improve performance over recent years, having reduced the number of cases awaiting assessment by 42% between 2022-2024. Performance over the same period has also improved with the percentage of complaints resolved within 90 days increasing from 11% to 46%.

LeO acknowledges there is further to go to reach an acceptable position in terms of its queue and wait times. In response to these challenges, the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), which oversees LeO, has implemented a modernisation plan. This includes increasing frontline staff capacity, enhancing case management systems, and streamlining complaint-handling processes.
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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in investigating complaints on solicitor conduct. \p Sarah Sackman: The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. More information regarding the conduct solicitors must adhere to can be found here: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/.

As part of its role, the SRA investigates consumers’ complaints when allegations of solicitor misconduct are made and has a number of disciplinary powers, including the power to issue fines and refer an individual to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which can suspend or strike a solicitor off the roll.

Given the sector’s independence, it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to interfere with decisions made by the SRA during these investigations, or its processes.

If individuals remain unhappy with the decisions reached by the SRA, they can contact their complaints team at: xxx@xxx.xx or via https://www.sra.org.uk/home/contact-us/.

Whilst the LSB oversees the regulators (such as the SRA and the BSB) and ensures they fulfil their statutory responsibilities, it does not have jurisdiction to review regulators’ decisions or process on individual cases.
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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with delivery firms on ensuring that delivery drivers are adequately compensated. \p Justin Madders: This Government believes that hard work deserves fair pay and is determined to deliver a genuine living wage for all that takes account the impact on business, competitiveness, the labour market, the wider economy and the cost of living.

Our Ministers value feedback received from businesses across the country, details of the meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade and its predecessor the Department for International trade are available on transparency pages of gov.uk and are released as part of the Government's transparency agenda.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of energy reform policies in Mexico on investment by British companies in the renewable energy sector in that country. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: We are closely following the regulatory reforms in Mexico, including most recently the presentation of new secondary laws on 29 January in respect of the energy sector. We continue to maintain a dialogue with counterparts in the Mexican Government to support UK companies navigating this period of regulatory change.
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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to protect delivery drivers from exploitative working practices. \p Justin Madders: Our Plan to Make Work Pay represents the biggest upgrade of workers' rights in a generation.

The Government does not condone the exploitation of workers in any form and we are committed to strengthening protections for workers. Individuals' entitlement to employment rights is determined by their employment status. Delivery drivers can fall under any one of the three statuses: employee, limb (b) worker, or self-employed.

This Government recognises the complexity of the current employment status framework and we remain committed to reviewing it.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the largest (a) private and (b) public companies to publish a triennial Audit and Assurance Policy mandating them to report (i) internal audit and (ii) other assurance capabilities. \p Justin Madders: The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies.

The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement.

The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the tariffs introduced by the US on 12 March 2025 on steel and aluminium on the steel industry in Wales. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: My Department continues to engage closely with the industries affected by the US’ tariffs on steel and aluminium, and to assess the potential impact on the steel industry in Wales and across the UK.

We are resolute in our support for the UK steel and aluminium industry, which is vital to the UK economy. We have committed up to £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel sector and our upcoming Steel Strategy will be published in the Spring. We will continue to make the case for the UK to be exempted from these tariffs.
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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with the farming sector on a trade deal with the United States. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK-US relationship is already very strong, with trade of around £300 billion, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023. The Prime Minister and President Trump met on 27 February and agreed to deepen this relationship and to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has also been engaging with the US Administration including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to make the case for stronger UK-US trade that benefits both our countries, and will continue to make every effort to support British business.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has allocated a lead negotiator to negotiate a potential UK-US free trade agreement. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Department for Business and Trade’s Trade Policy, Implementation and Negotiations (TPIN) Group operates a flexible resourcing model to maximise efficiency across priorities. The DBT team for UK-US trade includes an allocated lead negotiator.
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Mary Kelly Foy:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to tackle compensation delays for people impacted by the Horizon Post Office scandal; what steps he is taking to (a) close the loophole that allows the Post Office to reset the compensation timeline by requesting information and (b) improve (i) transparency and (ii) accountability in the process. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government is doing all it can to increase the pace of redress across all four Horizon compensation schemes. We are making upfront fixed offers and making interim and partial payments where possible. We continue to seek options to speed up redress in discussion with the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board.

Requests for information are intended to enable the Post Office and Department to increase its offers to claimants, including where there is a reasonable concern about the basis of calculation. We continue to work to ensure that requests are only issued where necessary, with communication of these requests handled sensitively and in the interests of claimants.
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Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that fees under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme are sustainable for businesses using glass packaging. \p Mary Creagh: The 2024 pEPR impact assessment assessed the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole and the transfer of monies from producers to Local Authorities and impacts on other market actors such as Government for tax implications, reprocessors and exporters, and wider business benefits.   The impact assessment estimated the pEPR producer fees would generate over £1 billion annually to support local authority collection and disposal services, including recycling services. We expect Greenhouse Gas Emissions savings of approximately 0.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the 10-year appraisal period.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to education people on the potential impact of (a) littering and (b) fly-tipping on local communities. \p Mary Creagh: Littering and fly-tipping are crimes which blight our communities and harm the environment. Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group which aims to develop and disseminate various practical tools on tackling fly-tipping. These include a guide on how local authorities can raise awareness of the household waste duty of care, which helps to prevent householders from giving their waste to a fly-tipper. The guide provides suggested messaging, including the impact of fly-tipping locally.

Defra is also proud to support and endorse national clean-up initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean, and we will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and businesses as possible to participate in these types of events.
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made on the potential impact of extended producer responsibility for packaging on the glass industry. \p Mary Creagh: Defra officials have engaged extensively with the glass sector in developing these reforms since 2019.

Minister Creagh met with British Glass on 21 October 2024 and attended a glass re-use roundtable hosted by the British Beer & Pub Association on 14 January. Minister Creagh and Minister Jones, Minister of State at the both the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department of Business and Trade, met British Glass on the 11th February to discuss points raised by the glass sector in detail.

Defra has responded to concerns from the glass sector about the inclusion of glass in the Deposit Return Scheme, it has remained out of scope as a result. Although packaging weight is a key driver of waste management costs, estimated packaging volumes, not packaging weight, are used to calculate kerbside dry recycling collections costs in pEPR to reflect practical limitations with collection systems. This is especially important for heavier materials such as glass, which would otherwise see higher base fees.

Defra continues to monitor the potential impact of EPR fees on the glass industry through continued engagement and extensive analysis of the packaging market.
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce a digitalised equine ID and traceability system to prevent illegal export of (a) horses, (b) donkeys (c) and ponies. \p Daniel Zeichner: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification and traceability. We have no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but we remain in close touch with the industry to look at potential improvements.

Defra also regularly engages with officials in the devolved governments to discuss matters of equine identification and traceability. Officials also share data on equines located in the UK with the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Republic of Ireland. The majority of equine movements into and out of GB take place between the island of Ireland and GB.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_272

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the Environment Agency's grant in aid for navigation infrastructure. \p Emma Hardy: Longer term Government funding decisions, including the Environment Agency’s grant in aid for navigation infrastructure, will be made at the next Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_273

Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the criteria of the proposed EPR fee tariff to a units-based metric. \p Mary Creagh: The Government is not considering the adoption of a units-based metric. In accordance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, Extender Producer Responsibility disposal fees for packaging are calculated in £ per tonne of household packaging placed on the market. Producers report the packaging they supply on a weight basis, and the costs for managing different material types, such as glass, are apportioned according to relevant cost drivers for their collection and management, including the volume of the container in bins and collection vehicles. This ensures the fair apportionment of costs between material types in line with the regulations.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_274
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_274

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include (a) educational access payments within the Sustainable Farming Incentive and (b) extend those payments to (i) social prescribing programmes and (ii) other adult educational visits. \p Daniel Zeichner: We are developing educational access as a new 3-year capital item, which we expect to be available later in 2025. This will be a stand-alone capital item, though applicants must have an agri-environment or woodland agreement with management actions. Whilst there aren’t any specific links to social prescribing, we are extending the range of groups that are eligible for payable visits. The current criteria for educational access in CS is school age children and care farming groups only, but in the new educational access capital item, more diverse groups of people can visit, benefitting from an educational experience on farms and woodlands across England.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_275
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_275

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29081 on Waste Disposal: Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of gate fees on local authorities' collection of household residual waste. \p Mary Creagh: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) publishes an annual gate fees report UK Gate Fees report 2023-24 | WRAP.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_276

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29081 on Waste Disposal: Local Government, whether state taxes, charges or levies are placed on municipal incineration of household waste. \p Mary Creagh: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) publishes an annual gate fees report, including those for Energy from Waste (EfW).

No taxes, charges or levies are placed on municipal incineration of household waste.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_277
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_277

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department offers to household waste recovery firms in Fylde constituency. \p Mary Creagh: We take household waste recovery firms to mean private waste collectors. We are working to support private waste collectors in England ahead of the upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms, which will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school. Guidance has been published to assist local authorities, other waste collectors and workplaces in implementing the new requirements:

Defra has launched a Simpler Recycling Communications Toolkit to help local authorities and private waste collectors inform their business and non-domestic customers about the required changes.

We are continuing to engage with stakeholders to support successful delivery of the reforms, in the lead up and following the 31 March 2025 implementation date for workplaces, and 31 March 2026 for households.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_278
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_278

Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the euthanasia of healthy animals without their owners' prior consent. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) provides guidance on obtaining consent before euthanasia. The person presenting the animal is required to sign a consent form attesting to the fact they are the owner or are authorised by the owner.

Defra has worked closely with the veterinary profession to provide greater assurance that alternatives to euthanasia are explored before a healthy dog or cat is put down. Following these discussions, the RVCS agreed to incorporate the principle of microchip scanning before euthanasia into the guidance that underpins their Code of Professional Conduct.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_279

Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Question 25742 tabled by the hon. Member for South Shropshire on 22 January 2025. \p Emma Hardy: An answer to Question 25742 is being prepared and will be provided as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_280

Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will implement an immediate moratorium on import permits for hunting trophies of (a) polar bears and (b) other endangered species. \p Mary Creagh: We committed to a ban on the import of hunting trophies of endangered animals in our manifesto and we will deliver on this. We are currently engaging with a range of stakeholders in order to decide on the most effective approach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_281

Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the transformation of the Animal and Plant Health Agency facility at Weybridge into a National Biosecurity Centre on bio-security measures for farms in Buckinghamshire. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra has committed to transforming the Animal and Plant Health Agency facility at Weybridge into a state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre. This will ensure that the UK continues to prevent, detect and respond to the increasing threats from animal diseases. Outbreaks are costly so this will provide a boost to farmers in Buckinghamshire and across the country, by protecting their livelihoods from the catastrophic and distressing impacts of animal diseases.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_282
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_282

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the release of wild beavers in the River Frome. \p Mary Creagh: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government recently confirmed its position on the wild release of beavers in an announcement on 28 February. A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way.

We want to make sure that support is available to help beavers and people live alongside each other. Our 5-step beaver management approach ensures effective management of beavers and supports people to live alongside them.

Building on the approach that we have already developed for wild release and management, we will collaboratively develop a management plan for the long-term reintroduction and recovery of beaver populations in England.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_283
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_283

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the use of nature-based solutions to help tackle climate change. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is supporting farmers to implement nature-based farming practices through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity.

These measures will be delivered through our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. We now have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our ELM schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history.

Trees and peat are at the forefront of our plans to reduce emissions. We are working towards our Environment Act targets to reach 16.5% tree canopy cover in England by 2050. We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current and next financial year.

We also recognise the potential to scale up private investment for carbon and nature projects. Learning from the success of the established UK Woodland Carbon Code and UK Peatland Code, the government is funding the British Standards Institution to build a more comprehensive framework of UK Nature Investment Standards. This includes a UK Natural Carbon Standard, which will be available to support the development of high integrity investment schemes for nature recovery and sustainable farming projects around the UK. As announced in November 2024 at COP29 in Baku, the government is committed to delivering confidence in the integrity of these growing markets and will consult on further potential measures later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_284

Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to tackle the use of products created through illegal deforestation in supply chains. \p Mary Creagh: We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation, and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.