theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of snares on animal welfare. \p Mary Creagh: Defra recognises many people in this country have concerns about the use of snares.

Free-running snares are currently legal in England and are regulated by law. They must be checked at least once a day and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch certain non-target animals. Anyone using snares also has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure their activities do not cause wild animals or pets any unnecessary suffering.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. Defra is considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has set any quantitative targets for the reduction in emergency-authorised pesticide applications that risk harming pollinators, following the publication of the revised guidance. \p Emma Hardy: The new guidance makes clear that risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators, will be taken fully into account. No pesticide will be granted an emergency authorisation unless the benefits outweigh those risks.

The legislation governing emergency authorisations for pesticides requires that each application is assessed against strict criteria. As each application is considered on its own merits and on the basis of the relevant evidence, it is not appropriate to set a target for the number of emergency authorisations.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 72871 on Social Tariffs, whether the increase in customers on social tariffs will result in increased bills for other customers. \p Emma Hardy: Statutory guidance requires companies to balance their support for low-income households against the interests of other customers.

In their business plans for the period between 2025–2030, some companies have committed to shareholder contributions to financial support schemes such as social tariffs and matched debt repayments.

The projected number of customers on social tariffs between 2025-2030 has already been factored into price controls; any additional increase will not affect bill levels for other customers.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methodology her Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of the revised emergency authorisation guidance in reducing harm to bee populations. \p Emma Hardy: Defra has developed a Pesticide Load Indicator which combines data on quantities used with data on the properties of each pesticide. The indicator illustrates trends in the potential pressure on the environment arising from the use of pesticides. The metrics for bees indicate a very substantial reduction in load in recent years, due in large part to the end of widespread use of three neonicotinoid pesticides which carry risks to bee populations.

The National Honey Monitoring Scheme supports estimates of honeybee exposure to pesticides. Defra also contributes funding for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which tracks changes in numbers across the UK.

Defra will continue to monitor trends in these metrics and other data to ensure that risks from pesticides to bees, including the risks of any pesticides given emergency authorisation, are being kept to acceptable levels.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of pesticides used under emergency authorisations will be subject to risk assessments under the new guidance. \p Emma Hardy: The new guidance applies to all applications for emergency authorisation of pesticides. All such applications will therefore be subject to assessments of risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators.
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Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the River Thames Scheme. \p Emma Hardy: The River Thames Scheme is a proposed flood risk management project being developed by the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council. It is a landscape-based project designed to reduce flood risk to over 11,000 homes and businesses, while also creating new green open spaces and sustainable travel routes.

The River Thames Scheme is currently in mid project review. This review is to ensure that the scheme remains efficient, cost-effective and aligned with long-term goals; and to ensure the project delivers flood risk benefits in a robust and sustainable manner.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on implementing a ban on the use, sale, and possession of snare traps in England; and whether she has a planned timeline for legislative action. \p Mary Creagh: 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 in England. 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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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding seals to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. \p Emma Hardy: The GB Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (GBCBs) acting through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) have carried out the latest quinquennial review of species afforded legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA). JNCC submitted the resultant advice to the previous government.

We continue to consider the evidence for making legislative change to protect our endangered species. This includes consideration of the proposals submitted by the JNCC in their advice to amend the lists of species afforded protection by the WCA, to include the grey and harbour seal.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. \p Mary Creagh: 48 responsible authorities were appointed by Defra to prepare Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for their area. Under Hertfordshire County Council’s draft LNRS, the hedgehog is designated as a ‘Flagship Species’ which is set to benefit from identified local actions to recover their habitat, thereby aiding their conservation.

Nationally, Natural England is supporting the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy and the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered from these projects will produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge.
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Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the additional costs to breweries arising from alcohol labelling and packaging regulations; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those costs on brewery closures in the next financial year. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

Defra has not made any recent changes to alcohol labelling regulations within its remit.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 73442 on Deposit Return Schemes: Newton Abbot, if she will make it her policy to ensure that remote collection points are available in villages without a (a) supermarket, (b) grocery store, (c) convenience store and (d) newsagent. \p Mary Creagh: The scheme administrator, UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd. (UK DMO), is responsible for ensuring there is a comprehensive network of return points so that consumers can easily return their containers, including in rural areas.

Other types of organisations that sell in-scope drinks containers – including hospitality venues, food-to-go stores, schools, hospitals, gyms, sports centres and community centres – although not mandated to host a return point, can apply to operate one voluntarily. This has been popular in other international DRSs as organisations see the benefit of increased footfall.

UK DMO will undertake regular reviews of the return point network to consider the number, location and accessibility of return points.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how frequently drinking water is tested for compliance with (a) microbiological and (b) chemical safety standards. \p Emma Hardy: The sampling frequency for drinking water is set out in Schedule 3 of The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 including which parameters are sampled at which point in the system, with some variation depending on factors such as treatment chemicals used, population served, etc.

There is also a requirement to monitor for anything else which may present a risk to health. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) ensures that these requirements are met by companies, and may on occasion increase the sampling frequency if a specific risk is under investigation.

The DWI published a report on 26 February 2025 recommending revisions to some parameters listed in the drinking water regulations. The report is the output of work by an advisory group of specialists both UK and internationally. Defra and the DWI will work together to consider potential regulatory updates to England’s drinking water quality legislation based on the recommendations.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of public drinking water supplies met national quality standards in the most recent reporting year. \p Emma Hardy: The Government is committed to ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment. Public drinking water compliance with the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 has been consistently high for a number of years, with a rate of 99.97% in 2024. This compares to compliance rates of between 98-98.5% in the early 1990s.

The DWI’s annual report on the quality of publicly supplied drinking water provides water companies, and also the public, with a picture of overall drinking water quality in England.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67736 on Recycling, whether it remains her Department's plan to publish the Circular Economy Strategy for England in the autumn. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming months.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and his Brazilian counterpart on the Brazilian government's proposal to reclassify the Pernambuco tree from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I. \p Mary Creagh: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs or their Brazilian counterpart. Preparations for the CITES Conference of Parties are led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public (a) health and (b) safety. \p Mary Creagh: The two large gull species frequently seen in urban areas are the lesser black-backed gull and herring gull. There is a long term decline in the breeding population of both, which is most acute in coastal, rural areas. At the same time as this decline, and notwithstanding that populations of these birds in towns and cities are problematic to estimate, urban populations may have increased in recent years.

Defra has not made a recent assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public health and safety. All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The law allows for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of (a) urban littering and (b) waste management on the behaviour of gull populations. \p Mary Creagh: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government has not made a recent national assessment on the potential impact of urban littering and waste management on the behaviour of gull populations. The effective management of litter and waste are matters for local authorities in the areas in which they occur.

All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and only in exceptional cases does the law allow for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount received from water companies in (a) fines and (b) penalties since the Spending Review 2023; and what steps she has taken to ensure that the funds have been allocated to projects to improve water standards. \p Emma Hardy: £109 million in fines and penalties has been applied against water companies since October 2023. This includes the £104.5 million fine issued by Ofwat to Thames Water for breaches of rules relating to the company’s wastewater operations.

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded by these water company fines onwards will be announced in due course.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of schemes where fines levied against water companies (a) have been reinvested to clean up UK waters and (b) are programmed to be reinvested to clean up UK waters, since the spending review in October 2023. \p Emma Hardy: In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies for environmental breaches, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. These could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded will be confirmed in due course.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to issue guidance for homeowners who discover bats in their property. \p Mary Creagh: All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place.

Guidance on what steps to take if you find bats in your home can be found at Bats: protection and licences - GOV.UK. Natural England are currently reviewing their existing guidance around bats to ensure it is up-to-date, accessible and easy to navigate - supporting both homeowners and bats.
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Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle agricultural pollution in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Emma Hardy: In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified.

In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps his Department has taken to raise public awareness of the availability of government grants for the installation of solar panels on homes. \p Michael Shanks: Although domestic rooftop solar remains a key priority for the Government, there are currently no grants on offer to support the installation of solar panels specifically.

However, alongside the £13.2bn we are investing in the Warm Homes Plan, officials will work with the finance sector on the role Government may play in scaling up and mobilising low-cost lending to support households with the up-front costs of energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades.

Additionally, our Solar Roadmap carries several actions for government and industry to facilitate the provision of financial solutions for suitable customers. We will monitor and support delivery of these actions through the Solar Council co-chaired with industry.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date. \p Michael Shanks: The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency in its office locations, and the Agency is responsible for the flying of flags, including when the Union Flag is flown. The Department does not therefore keep a record of this.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the number of rooftop solar panels in use in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not have data for the number of rooftop solar panels in total by parliamentary constituency; however, we do hold figures for domestic solar installations across parliamentary constituencies, and these are available online.

Our latest figures show that Slough has a solar PV capacity of 4.4MW across 1,312 domestic installations.

Across the nine parliamentary constituencies in Berkshire, there is 73.6MW of solar capacity over 19,218 domestic installations. Wokingham leads the charge with 11.9MW over 2,790 installations.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on increasing (a) solar and (b) rooftop solar capacity. \p Michael Shanks: Accelerating solar deployment is a key part of the Government’s clean energy mission. As set out in the recently published Solar Roadmap, solar capacity will need to rise to 45-47GW by 2030.

Since the Government took office, UK solar capacity has increased from 17.8GW (July 2024) to 19.1GW (July 2025).

The Government does not hold precise figures for rooftop solar deployment. However, UK solar capacity from installations smaller than 50kW has risen from 6.3GW (July 2024) to 7.2GW (July 2025).
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the market potential of shared ground loops. \p Martin McCluskey: Shared ground loops deliver highly efficient, low-carbon heating. They can be an effective solution, for example, for buildings with limited space for individual air source heat pumps. That is why shared ground loops are eligible for funding under government schemes including the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to improve passenger railway services in (a) Slough and (b) the South East. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State is committed to improving rail services by working together with train operators, Network Rail, and where appropriate, Transport for London, to continue to improve reliability and punctuality in the South East. Slough already benefits from contactless ticketing, which we have announced will be further expanded to 49 more stations across the South East later this year.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 71270 on Aviation: Fares, what her Department's policy is on airlines using (a) individualized and (b) surveillance pricing when setting air fares. \p Keir Mather: The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. The cost of air fares is therefore determined by airlines, but airlines must always be compliant with competition and consumer protection laws when setting fares.
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to issue guidance to local authorities on the discretionary provision of concessionary bus passes for carers of disabled people. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not have any plans to provide advice on offering a discretionary concession to carers of disabled people, as offering this is a choice for the individual local authority to make.

In the year ending March 2025, 66% of Travel Concession Authorities in England outside London offered a discretionary concession for those travelling with a disabled person. The decision on whether to offer discretionary concessions is for the local authority to make depending on their needs and circumstances.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 25/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, of which Leicester City Council was allocated £9.4 million. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include funding discretionary concessions.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the scale of ride sharing car services. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not hold any data on the scale of ride sharing car services.

However, to help better understand the scale of usage I have commissioned officials to consider how we can support and promote the use of car club and car-sharing schemes, starting with a roundtable of industry stakeholders.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of vehicle licence plate cloning were reported in each of the last five years. \p Simon Lightwood: The table below shows the number of occasions where members of the public have contacted the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about correspondence, fines or penalties that they have received from third parties about the use of vehicles which they do not recognise or accept responsibility for.

It is important to clarify that these figures do not represent confirmed cases of number plate cloning. While some of these reports may relate to cloned number plates, others may result from administrative errors, such as incorrect entry of registration numbers.

Calendar Year

Number of reports

2020

7,377

2021

7,430

2022

7,837

2023

9,848

2024

10,461

The DVLA continues to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned and ghost number plates.

Under UK law, suppliers of number plates must be registered with the DVLA and are required to verify that customers are entitled to the registration number. Suppliers must also maintain records of all plates issued.

The DVLA supports enforcement efforts by investigating reports of illegal trading and sharing intelligence with police and Trading Standards where appropriate.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a cost benefit analysis has been carried out on the South East Strategic Reservoir Option. \p Emma Hardy: Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers, efficiently and economically and set out how they plan to continue to meet this duty to their customers through Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs).

WRMPs are statutory and set out how each company will manage water supply and demand, including reducing leaks, sustainably for at least the next 25 years. Within their plans, water companies must consider all options, including demand management and new water resources including reservoirs and transfers to ensure they meet their duties to customers. Water companies must consult on their WRMPs and these are scrutinised by regulators, including the Environment Agency and Ofwat.

Water Resources South East, the regional water resources group of South East water companies, and Thames Water have published their water resources plans, including the analysis and cost information. The plans are available online:

www.wrse.org.uk/library/?documentTags=Regional+Plan and www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/regulation/water-resources.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2025 to Question 61181 on Coastal Erosion: Flood Control, whether the quantum of the £2.65 billion funding over 2024-25 and 2025-26 has been amended since 4 July 2024. \p Emma Hardy: Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, this government announced in February 2025 that it will spend £2.65 billion over 2024/25 and 2025/26, an average of £1.33 billion per year.

This investment compares to £1.05 billion spent under the previous government in 2023/24 and £950 million in 2022/23.

This Government has also announced the largest flood programme in history – committing a record £7.9 billion capital investment as part of its landmark 10-year Infrastructure Strategy.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57663, on Water Charges: Social Tariffs, how social tariffs will be funded; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of social tariffs on the residential customer bills of people who are not on a social tariff. \p Emma Hardy: Social Tariffs are voluntary schemes designed and administered by water companies to provide a discounted water bill to qualifying customers who are unable to pay their water bill in full.

These schemes are permitted to be funded through cross subsidies from customers under Section 44 Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The Government is working with industry and Ofwat to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported and customer charges are fair and proportionate.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2025 to Question 61181,on Coastal Erosion: Flood Control, how much capital funding for flood defence his Department has allocated for each year of the 10 year infrastructure programme. \p Emma Hardy: Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, this Government is investing record levels in flood protection. We are investing £4.2 billion over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29) to construct new flood schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country.

Recognising the need to invest for the long-term, the Government is providing certainty over the budget for flood defences by committing £7.9 billion of capital (2026-27 to 2035-36) for a new 10-year floods investment programme, benefitting around 840,000 properties by 2035-36. This programme will launch in April 2026. The profile of spend will be determined in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_5

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on water quality in (a) lakes and (b) rivers in Ashfield constituency. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) holds historical and current water quality data for the rivers and lakes (water bodies) in the Ashfield Constituency. The EA monitors different aspects of water quality data to classify the overall health of these water bodies. The Catchment Data Explorer system provides data and information on the lakes, rivers and groundwater waterbodies in England, including the physical, chemical and biological, properties of that water. The water body data relevant to the Ashfield constituency can be accessed via the following links; Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton in Ashfield, Hucknall.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_6

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of seasonal water tariffs on households with gardens. \p Emma Hardy: Several water companies are trialling a range of progressive charging approaches. Ofwat as the regulator requires companies to ensure all trials are consistent with good practice principles. Through these trials the sector will learn how to best support households with their water bills.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_7

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many marine licenses were determined by the Marine Management Organisation for (a) removal of abandoned vessels, (b) firework displays, (c) maintenance of bridges or cantilevered structures, (d) installation of eco moorings and (e) coastal and flood defence works in each of the last five years for which data is available. \p Emma Hardy: Sub-part

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

(a) Removal of abandoned vessels

0

0

0

0

0

0

(b) firework displays

0

0

0

0

0

0

(c) maintenance of bridges or cantilevered structures

14

13

24

22

22

10

(d) installation of eco moorings

0

1

0

1

0

0

(e) coastal and flood defence works in each of the last five years for which data is available

19

23

48

32

31

16
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_8

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of hours the Environment Agency has spent providing advice to the Marine Management Organisation on marine licence applications in each of the last five years. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) uses Oracle Time and Labour (OTL) compliance recording to record against their various workstreams. There are many different OTL codes that record the type of advice provided to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for marine licence advice, from pre-planning advice to advice on significant infrastructure.

The table below shows the number of recorded OTL hours that the EA have spent providing all types of marine licence advice to the MMO from 2020-2025

Year

Hours recorded

2020-21

1359

2021-22

1103

2022-23

1150

2023-24

846

2024-25

1094.5
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_9

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Environment Agency has spent on (a) mitigation and (b) compensation for flood defence projects in each of the last three years. \p Emma Hardy: The table below shows the amount that the Environment Agency has spent on compensation payments in financial years 2023-24 and 2022-23. This data is based on costs incurred that were classified within transactional data as compensation payments, so may not be fully complete. To establish how much of these costs have been incurred through flood defence projects would fall into disproportionate costs. Data for 2024-25 is not available.

Financial year

£

2023-24

947,159.61

2022-23

2,158,643.80
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_10

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hours the Marine Management Organisation has spent determining (a) Band 2 and (b) Band 3 marine licence applications in each of the last five years for which data is available. \p Emma Hardy: Sub-part

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Total

(a) harbour revision order

1,447.75

1,208.75

1,576.00

1,515.75

2,326.50

8,074.75

(b) harbour empowerment order

50.00

59.25

208.50

185.00

4.25

507.00 *

Total

1,497.75

1,268.00

1,784.50

1,700.75

2,330.75

8,074.75

(a) harbour revision order

£24,000.00

£20,000.00

£44,000.00

£74,319.00

£46,737.00

£209,056.00

(b) harbour empowerment order

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0 *

Total

24,000.00

20,000.00

44,000.00

74,319.00

46,737.00

209,056.00

(a) Band 2

4,309.25

4,590.50

5,114.50

4,548.25

5,211.75

23,774.25

(b) Band 3

9,624.50

11,339.00

10,264.00

9,861.25

13,275.50

54,364.25

Total

13,933.75

15,929.50

15,378.50

14,409.50

18,487.25

78,138.50

* hours for the empowerment order, the fee was received in 2019 and was £4000.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_11

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of good quality agricultural land being used for the development of large scale solar farms. \p Mary Creagh: Defra produces statistical estimates of agricultural land areas each year from the annual June Survey of Agriculture:

It is recognised that solar can, when delivered in line with relevant planning policy, have a positive impact on the natural environment, and large-scale solar farms can contribute significant gains for local biodiversity with intelligent design and planning.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_12

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of hours Natural England has spent providing advice to the Marine Management Organisation on marine licence applications in each of the last five years. \p Emma Hardy: The table below shows data from Natural England’s Casework Tracker (CWT) for the number of recorded hours spent providing advice to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) from 2020-2025. Both calendar and financial year splits are included.

These data include some other types of MMO consultations as well as licenses which will require further analysis that has not been possible in the time available.

Marine MMO Consultations closed per year – Total Hours recorded on CWT:

Financial Year

2020 - 21

2021 - 22

2022 - 23

2023 - 24

2024 - 25

Consultations Closed

588

554

495

467

588

Total Hours Recorded

3395

3353

3345

2605

3345

Calendar Year

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025 (first half of year)

Consultations Closed

606

534

525

487

549

282

Total Hours Recorded

3965

3325

3171

3121

3069

1510
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_13

Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total area in square kilometres is of Marine Protected Areas in UK waters on which bottom trawling is allowed. \p Emma Hardy: The management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Marine Management Organisation and the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities individually assess fishing activity in the MPAs they are responsible for and decide what management measures are required for the MPAs to meet their conservation objectives.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_14

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his Department's strategy for (a) the chemicals industry and (b) chemicals management. \p Emma Hardy: The Chemicals industry is noted as a key foundational sector within the Industrial Strategy which helps underpin almost all other manufacturing sectors, including priority sectors such as Advanced Manufacturing.

Delivery of a Chemicals Strategy to establish a regulatory approach and priorities for the sustainable use of chemicals was a commitment included in the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023. Defra’s future approach to chemicals management will be set out in the revised EIP, which will be published later in 2025.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_15

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the consultation on the UK REACH Alternative Transitional Registration model (ATRm) for chemicals. \p Emma Hardy: Defra will set out its approach to chemicals regulation in due course. This will include explaining what approach is being taken towards the UK REACH alternative transitional registration model (ATRm), which was subject to public consultation in 2025.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_16

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the (a) transparency of flood investigation reporting and (b) timeliness of the publication of its flood investigation reports. \p Emma Hardy: On becoming aware of a flood in its area, a lead local flood authority (LLFA) must investigate to the extent it considers it necessary or appropriate. This duty comes under section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. When a LLFA undertakes an investigation, it must publish the results.

The Environment Agency supported Defra to produce their new national guidance for LLFAs on investigating a flood, published in April 2025. This includes guidance on:

· typical criteria for deciding whether to instigate an investigation

· engaging with communities and partner organisations

· understanding the event

· developing suitable recommendations

· timescales for publication

The Environment Agency may be asked to contribute evidence and information to support the investigation, but they are not responsible for instigating it or for its completion.

The Environment Agency is also investigating a flooding event at Ryde that occurred in October 2023, but this is not a Section 19 investigation. This report was sent to stakeholders, including the hon. member for Isle of Wight East, on Tuesday 08 July 2025.

A summary of significant flood events is published in the Environment Agency’s Flood and coastal erosion risk management annual report.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_17

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: The amount of expenditure recorded for translation services in the 2023/24 financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March, is £1,699.13.
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_18

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of future plant passporting arrangements under the SPS framework. \p Daniel Zeichner: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area to make agrifood trade with our biggest market easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers.

Plants for planting, seed potatoes and some wood and seeds require plant passports when moving within the EU and within GB. The detail of this needs to be agreed with the EU in negotiation, but our assumption is that we will move away from Phytosanitary Certificates for movements between GB-EU and instead use plant passports.

With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now need to negotiate the detail of an agreement. Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.