theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure local authorities have adequate resources to process the anticipated increase in claims following the 2031 cut-off date for recording historic rights of way. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has announced that it will repeal the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way as soon as parliamentary time allows. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025. The majority of this funding is not ringfenced in recognition that local authorities themselves are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of necessary vaccinations to support the government’s commitments regarding biosecurity and animal health. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra is aware that the new government has inherited ongoing issues with the availability of some veterinary vaccines, and concerns regarding potential detrimental impacts on animal health and welfare. In the short term, Defra helps facilitate the use of alternative products via a special imports scheme that enables vets to access vaccines authorised outside of the UK.

Defra held a roundtable with the pharmaceutical industry and stakeholders on 11 February 2025 where it was announced that work with wider stakeholders to develop and publish an action plan will be prioritised and launched this year. This is supported by Baroness Hayman, who is keen that the UK becomes a global leader in veterinary vaccines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of strengthening the provisions of the Hunting 2004. \p Mary Creagh: This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans in a generation to improve animal welfare and that is exactly what we will do. The Government has already committed to a ban on trail hunting which will provide significant protections to wild animals including foxes and hares. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and further announcements will be made in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local food partnerships. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government will be considering the role of place-based initiatives, including Local Food Partnerships, as we develop our plans to support our farmers and food and drink businesses, boost food security, invest in rural communities, deliver growth, manage waste more effectively across the supply chain, improve resilience to climate change and tackle biodiversity loss.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what engagement he has had with the Welsh Government to discuss the upcoming food strategy. \p Daniel Zeichner: The UK’s food system is fully integrated across the four nations, though significant elements of food policy are devolved. Our strategy will therefore consider the food system across the whole of the UK, with the UK Government working closely with the Devolved Governments to ensure a coordinated approach, and where possible seek to ensure it complements devolved policy set at a national level.

Defra has already engaged with the Devolved Governments at both a ministerial and senior official level regarding the food strategy. Defra Secretary of State provided an update on the strategy to the EFRA Interministerial Group in January. There is ongoing engagement between officials.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Question 25350 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Paternity Leave, tabled on 21 January 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: A response to Question 25350 is being prepared and will be provided as soon as possible. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.
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Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility to people who are digitally excluded of the consultation entitled Livestock feed controls review for England and Wales. \p Daniel Zeichner: The joint Defra and Welsh Government consultation on proposed changes to the current Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) related livestock feed controls opened on 4th February and will close on 1st April 2025.

Online engagement is an efficient and transparent means for sharing proposals and gathering feedback from groups and individuals affected by or interested in proposed changes. It is part of a wider engagement process. Defra and the Welsh government have emailed key stakeholders and asked them to share the consultation.

Responding on Citizen Space is encouraged as it facilitates analysis of responses. People who are unable to respond to the consultation online can request a printed copy of the consultation and reply by post. We consider accessibility by ensuring all consultations are compliant with the Disability and Equality Act 2010 and accessible to people with disabilities as defined by the Act.
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Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of standardised access for residents of all local authorities to to Household Waste and Recycling Centres in in Strategic Authorities. \p Mary Creagh: There are no plans to standardise access to Household Waste and Recycling Centres. Household Waste and Recycling Centres play an important role in helping people manage the waste they produce in a convenient and sustainable way.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 section 51 requires waste disposal authorities to provide places at which residents in their areas may deposit their household waste free of charge. Local Authorities are responsible for determining how best to manage and operate sites in their area, taking into consideration their local requirements.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February to Question 28158 on Public Lavatories: Men, whether he will produce guidance for local authorities on he provision of sanitary waste bins in men's bathrooms. \p Mary Creagh: The maintenance of public toilets is a matter for local authorities. The Government has no plans to produce guidance for local authorities on the provision of sanitary waste bins in men's bathrooms.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Will Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of greyhounds that have been killed at racetracks since 2023. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has published data for injuries, retirements and euthanasia of greyhounds from GBGB affiliated tracks and trainers each year since 2018. This data is published online at https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/injury-and-retirement-data/(opens in a new tab).

The long-term trend for the total number of greyhounds that have died at racetracks has shown, with the exception of figures for 2023, a welcome decline. Defra will continue to monitor figures published by GBGB in the coming years to see whether any new trends are identifiable.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the readiness of UK agencies to respond in the event of a Foot and Mouth outbreak. \p Daniel Zeichner: All exotic disease control and prevention measures are kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of exotic disease. The framework for this is set out in the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England, supported by the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain.

Current Government policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency, APHA, leads government action on animal disease control and has outbreak response plans in place. When outbreaks of FMD or other exotic notifiable disease occur Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) stand up their well-established outbreak structures to control and eradicate disease, restore normal trade, and assist local communities’ recovery. These include measures to contract companies to support eradication and provide additional veterinary capacity. Response times are kept under regular review, and APHA is in the planning stages of a national exercise to test and validate our response to an outbreak of FMD, scheduled for 2025/26.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many veterinarians or veterinary experts were employed by Animal and Plant Health Agency in each of the last five years. \p Daniel Zeichner: The following table shows the number of veterinary roles in the Animal and Plant Health Agency in England, Scotland and Wales. These include veterinary roles in science, field and service delivery, and veterinary advice.

Year (January)

Number of veterinary staff in APHA

2025

346

2024

337

2023

326

2022

316

2021

367
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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the importation of ethically-sourced puppies that are under six months old. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of puppies and kittens under six months old.

This prohibition and any appropriate exemptions will be delivered via secondary legislation at a later date. Any such exemptions will need to be finely balanced against the risk of creating loopholes that could be exploited.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make it a criminal offence to (a) intentionally or (b) recklessly (i) disturb or (ii) harass seals. \p Mary Creagh: Defra’s Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England provides advice and guidance to help people visit the coast responsibly and minimise disturbance to marine wildlife, including seals.

We continue to consider the evidence for legislative change. This includes the proposals submitted by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to the previous Government for amending the lists of species afforded protection by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, including seals.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect the highest quality agricultural land from development pressures. \p Mary Creagh: This Government places great importance on the value of our agricultural land. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. The Framework is clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. How this is applied is a matter for local planning authorities in the first instance, through their plans and decisions

England has limited land with growing demands being made of it – building 1.5 million homes, constructing energy infrastructure, growing food and protecting nature. The Government has published a 12-week consultation on land use. The consultation will inform the publication of a Land Use Framework, planned for later in the year.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Question 25193 tabled by the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 21 January 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: A response to Question 25193 is being prepared and will be provided as soon as possible. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of mandating the use of Bovaer in cattle feed on farmers. \p Daniel Zeichner: Bovaer is a methane suppressing feed product which can reduce the methane emissions of cows by an average of 27%. Every sector of the UK economy, including agriculture, must reduce emissions for us to achieve net zero by 2050. Ruminant livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, are a key contributor of emissions in the agricultural sector and Defra considers methane suppressing feed products to be an essential tool to decarbonise the agricultural sector and achieve our Net Zero commitments.

Defra's ambition is to develop a mature market of safe and effective products for widespread use in suitable cattle systems in England as soon as is feasibly possible. However, at present there are no policies in place regarding the use of methane suppressing feed products. Defra will continue to utilise best available evidence, industry and stakeholder knowledge to inform future policy direction.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason his Department is trialling the use of Bovaer feed additive; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using (a) kelp-based additives and (b) other natural solutions. \p Daniel Zeichner: Bovaer is a relatively new product, therefore building on the existing evidence base, particularly on-farm in 'real life' conditions is critical to give farmers and consumers confidence in these products. Defra is not undertaking any trials of Bovaer so trials led by the dairy industry and retailers can help build this evidence base.

The Food Standards Agency has advised milk from cows given Bovaer is safe to drink. Bovaer has undergone a rigorous safety assessment and is approved for use in Great Britain.

Regulation of feed additives and materials, such as Kelp, is the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency. Both synthetic and natural feed products must be demonstrated as safe for use to be added to the GB Register of Feed Materials.
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Johanna Baxter:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to extend the Nature for Climate Fund beyond 2025. \p Mary Creagh: The Nature for Climate Fund was established in 2020 as a five-year programme aimed at tackling climate change and boosting biodiversity and it is due to finish in March 2025.

This Government is committed to protecting and restoring nature, trees and peat, which are important to our plans to reduce emissions. We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current (2024-25) and next (2025-26) financial year. The detail of how this funding is allocated for 2025-26 is now being finalised through internal business planning, and we will be able to share more once this has concluded.
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Johanna Baxter:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the £400 million in capital spend confirmed in the 2024 Autumn Budget for (a) tree planting and (b) peatland restoration is (i) in addition to or (ii) included in the Nature for Climate fund for 2024-255 and 2025-266. \p Mary Creagh: We have pledged up to £400 million in capital spend for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current (2024-25) and next (2025-26) financial year. This includes funding of the Nature for Climate Fund for 2024-25. The detail of how this funding is allocated for 2025-26 is now being finalised through internal business planning, and we will be able to share more once this has concluded.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help the UK meet its 2030 nature recovery target commitments. \p Mary Creagh: The Government is working to achieve our Environment Act targets, including to halt the decline in nature by 2030.

Delivering the UK’s 30by30 target on land in England will require a strategic approach, to address the scale of action needed, and ensure a diverse and well-connected network of 30by30 areas. Over the coming months, we will be developing a delivery strategy for 30by30, to ensure we make good on this important commitment. This will confirm the key levers that will help us to achieve this target and set out a plan to 2030. We hope to finalise and publish this strategy later this year.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of moratoriums on the building of incinerators. \p Mary Creagh: Over the last 14 years, England has seen recycling rates stall, meaning too much waste is dealt with through incineration or thrown in landfill.

Under new plans, published alongside Defra’s Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note, the Government makes clear it will only back new waste infrastructure projects if they meet strict local and environmental conditions. Projects will need to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy.

Defra’s analysis shows that there remain certain areas in England where significant volumes of household waste are sent to landfill and that non-household waste is also sent to landfill. Disposing of waste in landfill has a greater negative environmental impact than recovering the energy through incineration.

Therefore, we have taken this step to support our transition to a circular economy, end the stagnated recycling rates in England and support the waste hierarchy in minimising waste sent to landfill.

Those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) are encouraged to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities, in light of the evidence published in the Capacity Note. And we expect those granting permissions to consider these changes in any decisions they make.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway on level of use of cages for farmed animals. \p Daniel Zeichner: We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway has made grants available to improve the health and welfare of livestock. The grants have been codesigned with farmers, academics, vets and industry representatives. We continue to work with the industry on how the Pathway can encourage cage free systems of farming.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward a ban on the use of snare traps. \p Mary Creagh: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing plastic straws. \p Mary Creagh: The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing plastic straws. However, the Department is currently conducting a post-implementation review of the Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020 to ensure it is fit for purpose.
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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to update the UK Standard Industrial Classification codes to reflect the eligibility of the horticulture sector for energy support schemes. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra recognises certain horticultural growing methods are energy intensive and energy security is critical for these growers. We are working in collaboration across Government departments, including DESNZ, to ensure eligible horticultural businesses are appropriately considered in government energy schemes, funds, and policies.
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Alison Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve recycling services in towns. \p Mary Creagh: The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country.

Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only).

These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and enabling growth in the UK recycling industry.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish the results of the consultation for the Environment Improvement Plan 2023 with specific reference to a national deer management strategy for England. \p Mary Creagh: On the 30th July 2024, we announced a rapid review of the 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan which has now concluded. We published a statement of key findings from the rapid review on 30 January 2025. We will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery information to help meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets. This will be published later this year.

We are considering how to go further to reduce the impacts of deer on our woodlands and shall have an update in due course.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department issues guidance on the management of large wild deer populations. \p Mary Creagh: Native deer are an important part of our natural heritage and their activities can benefit some habitats. However, excessive foraging, bark stripping and trampling can have negative impacts on woodlands. Defra therefore provides a range of support for managing deer impacts.

The Forestry Commission and Natural England contribute to the production and updating of online guidance on all aspects of managing deer impacts. This is done in partnership with stakeholders, through the Deer Initiative Partnership. Guidance is available via its website.

Guidance is additionally available via a team of Deer Officers within the Forestry Commission, who also oversee applications for Countryside Stewardship grants to help with deer impacts management (including by lethal control), at all scales, from local to landscape scale.

Natural England publishes guidance on gov.uk on when to apply for a licence to kill or take deer in the close season or at night.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the provisions of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 forbidding the handling of chickens by their legs on farms and during transportation and loading are followed. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and wants to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. Having reviewed the advice and recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the welfare implications of different methods and systems for the catching, carrying, collecting and loading of poultry, the Government is considering next steps and will announce these in due course.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason 31 councils were granted Transitional Provisions under The Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024. \p Mary Creagh: We have set out that every local authority will be required to collect food waste for recycling by 31 March 2026. In some exceptional circumstances, certain local authorities may need longer to implement separate food waste collections for households due to long-term waste disposal contracts that run beyond 31 March 2026.

We engaged extensively with affected local authorities and required that they provide evidence that their waste disposal contract presents an unavoidable barrier to the introduction of food waste collections by 31 March 2026.

We will continue to work with local authorities to identify whether they can bring forward food waste collections and the associated benefits before the end of their transitional arrangement.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Rural England Prosperity Fund will receive funding for 2025-2026. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Autumn Statement on 30 October confirmed Defra’s budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Funding allocations for individual programmes for the next financial year will be determined through the department’s business planning exercise.

The Department are working closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and will update on the Rural England Prosperity Fund in due course.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential impact of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 on the number of walkers in Scotland. \p Mary Creagh: No, the Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential impact of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 on the number of walkers in Scotland.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to extend the right to roam. \p Mary Creagh: Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride, and which boost public health and wellbeing, but too many across the country are left without access to the great outdoors. That is why the last Labour Government expanded public access by introducing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which provided the public a right of access to large areas of mountain, moor, heath, down, registered common land and coastal margin in England. We will be reviewing the maps of this open access land ahead of the statutory deadline of 1 January 2031, to ensure that the public have clear information which can help them to access this land.

The Government has decided to repeal the cut-off date which will save hundreds of miles of unregistered historic rights of way from the threat of extinguishment in 2031 ensuring that they can continue to be enjoyed by the public for years to come.

We are continuing to increase access to nature for families to enjoy, for example through our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new National River Walks, plant three new National Forests, and empower communities to create new parks and green spaces in their communities with a new Community Right to Buy.

We will announce further details on our plans for improving access to nature in due course.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of the public's right to roam on levels of (a) mental health, (b) obesity and (c) stress. \p Mary Creagh: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. We will be working across Government departments to achieve this, including with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Defra is already working closely with DHSC, alongside other partners, in the delivery of the Green Social Prescribing programme which directly examines the impact of increased use of nature-based interventions and activities on participants’ health and wellbeing. The first phase of the programme ran from October 2020 - March 2023, achieving around 8,500 referrals and demonstrating statistically significant improvements in participants’ mental health.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_117

Tom Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect farmers from competition from countries with lower (a) farming and (b) food production standards. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government has set out its long-term vision to make farming more profitable and put more money back in the pockets of British farmers. We will work in partnership with the food and farming sectors to achieve our vision of a sector with food production at its core, where farm businesses can diversify their income to make a fair profit and remain viable in challenging times.

All agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market.

Our Trade Strategy will set out how we can achieve long-term sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth through trade. It will reflect the Government’s commitment to uphold our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards, areas in which the UK is a world leader.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_118

Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to assess its effectiveness at tackling pollution from contaminated land. \p Emma Hardy: The Government is committed to ensuring that the Environmental Protection Act 1990 continues to be a robust and effective legislative framework for managing and mitigating pollution from contaminated land. The department is always assessing the effectiveness of legislation to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Defra has recently commissioned the Environment Agency to produce a new State of Contaminated Land Report, which involves surveying Local Authorities progress on delivering their statutory responsibilities under Part2A of the Act, including the effectiveness of existing regulations and their remediation efforts.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_119
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_119

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of flooding on (a) football pitches and (b) other local community assets; and if he will ensure that water companies compensate community organisations for damage caused. \p Emma Hardy: Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026.

Lead local flood authorities (unitary and county authorities) are required to manage local flood risks from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. Local flood risks should be identified and managed as part of a local flood risk management strategy. In managing these risks, the lead local flood authority will work closely with other risk management authorities. This includes water companies, which have a duty to maintain their sewers, under Section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, to ensure their areas are effectually drained.

To improve understanding of current and future floor risk from rivers, the sea and surface water in England the Environment Agency has just published its new National Flood Risk Assessment. This data is available to everyone, improving individuals’ understanding of their local flood risk.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_120
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_120

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her proposed changes to the NPPF on (a) Bedford Borough and (b) other councils that have a Local Plan at examination. \p Matthew Pennycook: Transitional arrangements for implementing policies in the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December are set out in Annex 1 of it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_121

Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to (a) increase the availability of emergency housing and (b) build more social rent homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: This government is taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

We have committed £500m to the third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund to enable local authorities to obtain better quality temporary accommodation.

We have allocated an additional £30 million for local authorities in England to provide support in safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse and their children who need to flee their homes, bringing the total to £160 million in 2025/26.

We have made changes to the Right to Buy scheme, allowing local authorities to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales and have consulted on a new five-year social housing rent settlement to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social and affordable housing.

In October 2024, we announced an immediate one-year cash injection of £500 million to the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme and we announced a further £300m boost on 12 February.

We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_122

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Almshouse Association is eligible for support through (a) Section 106 agreements and (b) the Community Infrastructure Levy. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 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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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_123

Will Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the reason that only 7% of Housing, Health and Safety Ratings System (HHSRS) inspections led to an Improvement Notice being served. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is committed to making sure homes are safe, decent and warm.

Local housing authorities have powers to take a proactive approach to enforcement against unacceptable conditions in rented housing.

Improvement notices are just one of the types of enforcement action that can be taken by local authorities in respect of hazards. Local authorities can use informal as well as formal methods to secure compliance following inspections. Through the Renters’ Rights Bill we are strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers, including a new power to issue fines of up to £7,000 where a landlord has not taken reasonably practicable steps to remove category 1 hazards from the property.

A review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) was published in September 2022. The government is considering the outcomes of this review, in line with wider recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry Report to make sure that the guidance is as effective and accessible as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_124

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25704 on Business Rates, what assessment she has made of the number of hereditaments which did not claim (a) any or (b) the full rate of (i) retail (ii) hospitality and (ii) leisure rate relief due to the £110,000 cap when costing the policy for (A) 2024-25 and (B) 2025-26. \p Jim McMahon: The Government does not hold data on the number of hereditaments not claiming retail, hospitality and leisure relief due to the £110,000 relief cap in 2024-25 or 2025-26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_125

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Local government transparency code 2015, last updated 29 January 2025, if she will make edits to the Code to support the consistent publication of local government data in accessible open data formats including via public application programming interfaces. \p Jim McMahon: We are keeping the Code under review in the context of work to fix the foundations of local government and ensuring that it continues to support local accountability. Currently local authorities are expected to provide data in an open and reusable format – the Code states “Public data should be published in a format and under a licence that allows open reuse, including for commercial and research activities, in order to maximise value to the public”.

Our approach to reforming local government is set out in the English Devolution White Paper. This includes fundamentally reforming the local audit system, rebuilding the vital early warning system to recover a key part of our assurance mechanisms, restoring local government standards, and ensuring transparency.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_126

Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support minority-owned construction firms and builders gain equitable access to housing sector (i) opportunities, (ii) funding and (iii) contracts and (b) promote diversity in the industry in (A) Leicester East constituency and (B) England. \p Matthew Pennycook: Small and medium sized housebuilders, including those that are minority owned, are essential to meeting the government’s housing ambitions and supporting local economies. The government recently announced a £700m extension to the Home Building Fund which provides financial support to SMEs who would otherwise struggle to access funding. In addition, small and medium-sized housebuilders can access lower-cost lending through the ENABLE Build scheme which was allocated an additional £1 billion guarantees capacity at the Budget on 30 October 2024.

My Department is working with DfE and the CITB to explore how we might support diversity, including ethnic diversity, in the construction workforce.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_127

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has had discussions with local authorities on the potential implications for their policies of the inheritance tax changes to agricultural land and property made at the Autumn Budget 2024. \p Jim McMahon: Ministers and officials in the department engage regularly with counterparts in local government on a range of issues. Details of ministerial meeting with external organisations are published on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_128

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the services provided to irregular migrants by (a) Thurrock Council and (b) Basildon Council in the last two years. \p Jim McMahon: For Thurrock, the final Settlement represents an increase in Core Spending Power of up to 6.9% - making available a total of up to £178.2 million in 2025-26. For Basildon, Core Spending Power is increasing by up to 1.5%, making available a total of up to £27.9 million in 2025-26. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_129

Steve Barclay:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many full time equivalent equality, diversity and inclusion positions are there in her Department including those unfilled. \p Alex Norris: We can confirm that the department holds this information, but we are withholding it as we cannot provide details where the numbers are five or fewer as the individuals concerned in this group or in other groups could be identifiable.