theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the rates for Extended Producer Responsibility fees for more recyclable materials. \p Mary Creagh: The RAM has been used by producers to assess packaging recyclability from January 2025.  The RAM is an important aspect of pEPR as it will determine the modulation sub-category, and therefore the level of fees applicable to that material, with higher fees applied to less sustainable packaging.

Fee modulation will begin from year two of the scheme for payments in the 2026/27 financial year, based on 2025 producer data.

We have made a full impact assessment of implementing packaging extended producer responsibility will have which we published when The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 were laid before parliament.

The Government will continue to monitor modulation to ensure fees reward improved recyclability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the waste hierarchy to encourage councils to assign more black bin waste to the production of sustainable aviation fuels. \p Mary Creagh: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Falkirk on 8 May 2025 to Question 49143.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to public authorities on what are reasonable charges under the Environmental Information Regulations regime. \p Mary Creagh: The Department does not have a role in providing guidance to public authorities on reasonable charges under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. This is because the Freedom of Information Act 2000 sets out the general functions of the Information Commissioner in its section 47. These include disseminating information on the operation of the Act, good practice, and other matters within the scope of his functions under the Act. Regulation 16 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 imports the general functions of the Commissioner, with the necessary modifications to references as required for the purposes of comprehension. The Commissioner has therefore published specific guidance on charging for environmental information on his website, including how a public authority can ensure that any charges are reasonable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 61101 on Darwin Plus: Finance, when he plans to announce the amount of future funding for Darwin Plus. \p Mary Creagh: Defra is committed to continuing the support made available to the UK Overseas Territories through Darwin Plus. The department recognises the unique environmental importance of the territories and the positive impact of the programme in protecting biodiversity.

As set out in my earlier answer, the department has secured a multi-year commitment from HM Treasury and will therefore look to provide an update on Darwin Plus following departmental business planning.

Funding commitments for grants awarded through the Darwin Plus programme can cover up to 5 years of activity through schemes such as Darwin Plus Strategic.

Updates regarding Darwin Plus will be made in the usual way, as soon as they are available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 55440 on National Landscapes, for what reason work has stopped on the (a) Cheshire Sandstone Ridge and (b) Chiltern National Landscapes. \p Mary Creagh: Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations.

Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural England have made the decision to keep working on some of the planned programme – including the Chilterns boundary review and the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge assessment. Other elements of the programme, including the Surrey Hills boundary review and potential new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds, are being maintained and progressed as the work was further advanced.

Defra is prioritising supporting our existing Protected Landscapes to ensure they remain a source of national pride. We are committed to empower them to become greener, wilder and more accessible.

The existing boundary for the Chilterns National Landscape is unaffected and remains in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Environment Agency has spent delivering biodiversity net gain (a) above and (b) below mean high water on projects related to flood defence in the latest period for which data is available. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency has committed to delivering natural flood management schemes and meeting statutory requirements on habitat creation and biodiversity net gain (BNG), as part of its Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Programme.

This will leave nature in a measurably better state than before work to deliver flood alleviation schemes commenced, supporting the broader goal of creating more climate-resilient places.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to introduce the due diligence scheme for forest risk commodities enabled by schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021 on the achievement of targets in the global biodiversity framework. \p Mary Creagh: Deforestation linked to UK consumption is estimated to have fallen by 55% since 2005. However, progress has slowed over the last decade and in 2022 UK consumption was still associated with 35.6 thousand hectares of deforestation. The Government recognises the urgent need to address the deforestation impact of UK demand for forest risk commodities, and we will set out our approach in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent on the Chilterns National Landscape Boundary Review project. \p Mary Creagh: The total cost of Natural England’s consultancy contracts on the Chilterns National Landscape Boundary Review project is approximately £430,000.00. This cost includes the production of all the technical reports as well as support for some engagement work with stakeholders. The total cost expensed internally by Natural England is detail we do not hold as many different teams and individuals have been involved in the project since its inception.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing the set-up costs for the Deposit Return Scheme. \p Mary Creagh: The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England is industry-led, funded by producers and delivered by producers and retailers collectively through the Deposit Management Organisation. Most international schemes follow this model.

The appointment of UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) was made by the UK Government in May 2025 as the operator of the Deposit Return Scheme in England.

DRS costs are the responsibility of UK DMO.
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Sir Desmond Swayne:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will add irreplaceable meadows to the list of irreplaceable habitats. \p Mary Creagh: Irreplaceable habitat includes some of England’s most ecologically valuable habitats. The list of irreplaceable habitats in the biodiversity net gain regulations reflects the non-exhaustive list of examples of irreplaceable habitat in the National Planning Policy Framework. Given the breadth of habitats which could be considered irreplaceable the government plans in due course to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats to ensure it is robust and comprehensive to support decision makers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide multi-year environmental funding for the Falkland Islands. \p Mary Creagh: Defra primarily supports the UK Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands, in protecting their unique biodiversity and natural environments through the Darwin Plus programme.

Over the past five years, Darwin Plus has awarded funding to 28 projects benefiting the Falkland Islands, with a total value exceeding £4 million. This includes several multi-year projects.

Defra will shortly be finalising plans to fund new Darwin Plus projects, including multiyear projects, across the UK Overseas Territories. Project applicants have been advised to expect updates over the summer. Updates will also be made available on the Darwin Plus website at: www.darwinplus.org.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the registration dates for industry under UK REACH. \p Emma Hardy: We are aware of stakeholder concerns about the feasibility of these dates and will provide further information in due course.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) the timely availability of pollution data, (b) that water companies are held to account for sewage discharges and (c) that improvements to storm overflow infrastructure are prioritised. \p Mary Creagh: For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

We are putting water companies under special measures through our landmark Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act has introduced new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against law breakers and made it mandatory for water companies to publish plans to reduce pollution incidents.

The Act is also introducing independent monitoring of every sewerage outlet, with water companies required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows. Discharges will have to be reported within an hour of the initial spill. This will match the pre-existing duty for storm overflows and will meet the Government commitment to ensure monitoring of every outlet.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) people and (b) groups have been prosecuted by the Environment Agency for damaging (i) watercourses and (ii) rivers. \p Emma Hardy: Information on prosecutions by the Environment Agency under its regulatory powers is available on gov.uk. Cases completed from January 2000 that resulted in a conviction are included.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 55512 on Flood Control: Owner Occupation, how much funding (a) his Department and (b) the Environment Agency have allocated for promoting awareness of flood risk in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Emma Hardy: Raising awareness of flood and coastal erosion risk is one of the Environment Agency’s (EA) key priorities and supports actions set out in the National FCERM Strategy.

Flood resilience engagement advisors lead the EA’s work with communities at risk of flooding at the local level. Funding for these activities comes from resource allocations. There is no national database tracking the money specifically allocated to these activities as they often form part of a larger project or programme of work.

Flood Action Week is the EA’s annual public action week, raising awareness amongst the public of their flood risk, the actions they should take, and the work the EA does to prepare and respond during a flood. Flood Action Week 2025 is planned for October and will focus on raising awareness amongst communities of our flood warning service and what to do when they receive a warning, and about property flood resilience measures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of food security. \p Daniel Zeichner: The second United Kingdom Food Security Report (UKFSR) was published in December 2024. The UKFSR sets out an analysis of statistical data relating to food security in the UK, fulfilling the duty in the Agriculture Act 2020 to present a report on food security to Parliament at least once every three years.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to local environmental groups undertaking citizen science river testing. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) recognises the value of citizen science data, and the additional insight it can provide to complement its monitoring and assessment work.

With Spending Review funding, the EA is collaborating with citizen science groups in observing and measuring the environment. The data that is captured complements the EA’s own monitoring efforts and further increases understanding of water quality.

This collaboration is already creating strong relationships with citizen science groups, and improving data integration. The recently published Technical Advisory Framework guides best practice in citizen science monitoring which can be found on the Environment Agency Water Hub. To get involved with citizen science including river testing it encourages all interested communities to contact their local catchment partnership - details on how to do this can be found in the Technical Advisory Framework.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether closer co-operation on chemical regulations was discussed at the UK-EU Summit on 18 May 2025. \p Emma Hardy: Co-operation with the EU on chemical regulations is provided for under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the revised Environmental Improvement Plan. \p Mary Creagh: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tamworth on 17 March 2025, UIN 37341.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61897 on Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group, who the members of the taskforce are; which members are leading on each of the four themes; and when he expects the taskforce to report their findings to Government. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce is convened by Defra officials, and the membership is made up of representatives from animal welfare organisations, local authorities, the police and Welsh government. Each of these groups is represented on the four subgroups that lead on the key themes. The taskforce will report their findings in due course.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of local authorities' Local Flood Risk Management Strategies. \p Emma Hardy: We are committed to supporting communities and ensuring flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future.  Local flood risk management is a devolved matter, but we will work to improve resilience and preparation across central government and local authorities to better protect communities across the UK.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. That is why we set up a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season.  This marks a new approach to preparing for flooding and working between national, regional and local Government, including the devolved administrations, and flood risk partners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the farming industry in Eastbourne. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is backing British farming. We are prioritising investment that supports the Government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery.

We are investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery. Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29.

Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme, and up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration.

We do not hold that information at a constituency level.
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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of capital spending on flooding will be allocated to (a) hard infrastructure and (b) nature-based solutions. \p Emma Hardy: At the Spending Review on 11 June the Government announced a record £4.2 billion investment over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29) to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding will be agreed in the usual way, on an annual basis, through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.

Future flood investment schemes will also be subject to our currently open consultation on proposals to reform the way we fund flood and coastal defences. This new approach will make it easier to invest in natural flood management schemes that also boost nature, water resources and fight climate change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the (a) Landscape Recovery and (b) Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship schemes will be re-opened for applications. \p Daniel Zeichner: A) The Government reconfirmed its commitment to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in the recent Spending Review.  Landscape Recovery projects that were awarded funding in rounds one and two are continuing, and we are moving into the delivery phase with the first round of projects. Plans for a third round of Landscape Recovery will be confirmed in due course.

B) Defra is rolling out the improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme this year. We have invited farmers and land managers to begin the pre-application process. There will be opportunities for other farmers and land managers to access CSHT in the future. More details on the timing and approach to widening applications will be published later this year.
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Fred Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the resilience of the water supply in the long term in Plymouth. \p Emma Hardy: The Government and the Environment Agency work with water companies and other stakeholders to monitor and manage water resources in England. Water companies are responsible for ensuring a secure water supply for their customers. Plymouth lies in South West Water's Roadford Water Resource Zone, which is supplied from reservoirs, rivers, and some boreholes.

Every 5 years water companies must prepare and maintain a water resources management plan (WRMP). The WRMP sets out how a company intends to achieve a secure supply of water for customers, resilient to droughts, and with environmental protections and enhancements over the next 25 years. WRMP's are closely assessed by Ofwat and the Environment Agency, who advise on the acceptability of plans before companies are given permission to publish by the government.

South West Water's latest draft WRMP, which includes the measures it will take to ensure the resilience of water supply in the Roadford zone, was scrutinised by regulators and given permission for publication in January 2025, subject to some revisions, which the company is currently making.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include discussions on the future co-operation on chemical regulations in the annual UK-EU summits. \p Emma Hardy: Co-operation with the EU on chemical regulations is provided for under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group. \p Daniel Zeichner: In Core Defra, as of 30 April 2025, there were 37 employees recording a religious belief of Sikh. 36 of these employees declare to be of an ethnic minority.
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Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the readiness of the chemicals sector for the 2026 UK REACH registration deadline for substances over 1,000 metric tonnes; and whether he plans to publish the outcome of the consultation on the proposed alternative model for UK REACH before that deadline. \p Emma Hardy: We are aware of stakeholder concerns about the feasibility of these dates. We will provide further information in due course.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 55512 on Flood Control: Owner Occupation, if he will direct the Environment Agency to hold a community engagement event on flood risk in Mid Bedfordshire constituency. \p Emma Hardy: Since the flooding across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire in Autumn last year, the Environment Agency (EA) has hosted community events alongside other partner agencies. These were well received and strengthened local engagement around flood risk.

In the Mid Bedfordshire constituency, the risk of flooding is predominantly from surface water or watercourses that are the responsibility of Local Authorities or Internal Drainage Boards, who would be better placed to take a lead role on community engagement around these sources of flooding.

The EA is however working closely with all Flood Risk Management Authority partners to ensure communities are prepared and resilient to all sources of flood risk. They will support any community engagement events led by others wherever possible.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process rural payments. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands the importance of cashflow for farmers and rural businesses. It makes payments for schemes and grants against published performance indicators and continues to look at opportunities to issue payments as promptly as possible.

Performance in relation to the financial year (1 April to 31 March) is reported each year within the RPA Annual Report and Accounts and will be published in the summer.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to take to ensure that local authorities use funding from the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to improve recycling provision. \p Mary Creagh: We have instructed PackUK to exercise its existing powers within the pEPR regulations to ensure local authorities in England only receive pEPR funds that are spent on household packaging, waste management, and recycling. When local authority payments are confirmed in July, PackUK will write directly to all English local authority chief executives setting this out. If a local authority does not spend the funds as specified, PackUK will use its regulatory powers to deduct funds accordingly for the following year’s payment.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to work with local authorities to reduce instances of fly-tipping. \p Mary Creagh: Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties, including local authorities, to share good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. The NFTPG has developed various practical tools including guides on how councils and others can present robust cases to court, set up and run effective local partnerships to tackle fly-tipping and raise awareness of the household and business waste duty of care. These are available at: https://nftpg.com/

The Government encourages councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) protect nature-friendly farming practices in North Cornwall constituency. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is backing British farming. We are prioritising investment that supports the government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery.

We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.

In the recent spending review, we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million). We do not hold that information at a constituency level.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support banana-producing countries affected by the UK’s pesticide regulations; and whether his Department will help such countries identify sustainable alternatives to Mancozeb. \p Emma Hardy: The decision to withdraw the use of the fungicide mancozeb in Great Britain does not immediately affect banana-producing countries.

The UK Government recognises the importance that bilateral trade between the UK and banana-producing countries plays, in boosting growth and ensuring regional stability. The UK is open to discussing the concerns of our trade partners.

The UK also supports international efforts to reduce the use of the most hazardous pesticides and promote the use of sustainable alternatives, through mechanisms such as the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC). The GFC is a multistakeholder framework which, amongst other things, encourages the transition to safer alternatives and sustainable approaches.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 50987 on Cheetahs: Hunting, how species of conservation concern will be determined. \p Mary Creagh: Species of conservation concern is determined in the criteria set out under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES lists species in its Appendices according to the level of threat international trade has on their conservation status, with Appendix I being the most threatened species.

A species may be listed in CITES Appendix I and II if it meets certain criteria, such as:

- a small or declining wild population,

- high vulnerability to external factors,

- fragmented population..

This criteria is set out in CITES Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17).

In the UK, CITES is implemented by the Wildlife Trade Regulations (WTRs), with Annexes A and B of the WTRs broadly corresponding to CITES Appendices I and II.
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Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 57090 on Rivers: Flood Control, how much of the £200 million funding for river asset management will be allocated to Suffolk County Council. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) is allocating approximately £200 million for the management of flood and coastal risk management assets in 2025/26.

This funding, which is managed by the EA and not allocated to other risk management authorities, will enhance our ability to manage flood risks and ensure public safety. £4 million of this funding is allocated to asset management activities within Suffolk County Council’s boundaries in 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_157

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase funding for National Parks in England. \p Mary Creagh: Protected Landscapes are our most iconic and inspiring places, underpinning our health, economy and climate. That’s why this government will empower Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessible.

The Government is providing £45.2 million of core funding to the 10 National Park Authorities, with a capital uplift of up to £15 million to support their contribution to protecting 30% of land by 2030. In challenging financial circumstances, this uplift in capital investment is recognition of the vital importance of National Parks to government priorities. We have also extended programmes such as Farming in Protected Landscapes, providing £30 million to support projects in our National Landscapes and National Parks, until March 2026.

We understand resourcing remains a challenge and recognise that the Defra core grant is vital to support England’s Protected Landscapes. Given the pressures on public finances, we are also committed to working with Protected Landscapes organisations to unleash other income sources and foster innovation. For example, are we seeking to accelerate private investment in Protected Landscapes and introducing a general power of competence for National Park Authorities which will remove barriers to a more entrepreneurial approach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_158

Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a replacement to the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme. \p Daniel Zeichner: Legislation was introduced in July 2023 that prevents English Producer Organisations submitting new operational programmes and the extension of existing programmes that would end on or after 1 January 2026. This effectively closed the scheme in England.

Our approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature, and we are going further to develop a 25-year farming roadmap to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.

Horticulture will also be considered within our new food strategy, to develop a food system that unlocks the food sector’s economic potential, strengthens food security, tackles obesity so we can give our children the best start in life, and protects our planet for future generations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_159

Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 57090 on Flood Control and the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57092 on Flood Control: Finances, if he will set out how the £2.65 billion of funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management for 2024 to 2026 (a) has been and (b) will be spent. \p Emma Hardy: We are investing a record £2.65 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The full list of over 700 schemes to benefit from fresh funding this year was announced on 31 March 2024 and can be found here. Information on spend can be found here, and information on plans can be found here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_160

Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs are exempt under the XL bully exemption scheme. \p Daniel Zeichner: As of 17 June 2025, 56,346 XL Bully dogs are registered with a Certificate of Exemption.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_161

Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing an animal welfare expert to the Food Strategy board. \p Daniel Zeichner: Members of the Food Strategy Advisory Board were selected as senior leaders who have a broad range of experience across the food system and reflect the diversity of the sector. Membership has been finalised. We are not looking to expand it at this time.

The Board represents just one aspect of our engagement with stakeholders across the food supply system. The food strategy will articulate the outcomes required to deliver food system change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_162

Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of rehoming banned breeds which have passed behavioural assessments. \p Daniel Zeichner: In England and Wales, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits the ownership of five types of dog; the Pit Bull terrier, the Dogo Argentino, the Fila Brasileiro, the Japanese Tosa, and the XL Bully. It is a criminal offence to sell, abandon, give away or breed any of these breed types. This is an important measure to protect public safety by reducing the number of these dogs in circulation over time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_163

Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to introduce mandatory requirements for AI developers to disclose information about their systems. \p Feryal Clark: Artificial intelligence is the defining opportunity of our generation, and the Government is taking action to harness its economic benefits for UK citizens. As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs. Through well-designed and implemented regulation, we can fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_164

Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will establish mandatory pre-deployment testing requirements for AI companies. \p Feryal Clark: The most advanced AI systems bring huge opportunities but also new and amplified risks. This is why the Government will bring forward AI legislation to safely realise AI’s massive potential and deliver on our manifesto commitment.

This is also why the work of the AI Security Institute (AISI) is so important. AISI is committed to rigorous, scientific research into the most advanced AI models – testing the most advanced AI models from leading AI labs, and equipping government with an empirical understanding of the most serious AI risks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_165

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to establish the AI Security Institute as the primary regulator for artificial intelligence. \p Feryal Clark: Artificial intelligence is the defining opportunity of our generation, and the Government is taking action to harness its economic benefits for UK citizens. As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs. Through well-designed and implemented regulation, we can fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_166

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to guarantee that individuals have a right to opt out of digital ID schemes. \p Chris Bryant: The Government has no plans to introduce legislation on the right to opt out of using digital identities. Nor has the Government taken any steps to make their use mandatory.

The digital verification services provisions in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 are designed to give people choice. They help both people and organisations to realise the benefits of secure digital identities with greater confidence, if they choose to use them.

The Government also plans to introduce digital versions of existing government-issued documents through the GOV.UK Wallet, a secure digital service for storing government-issued credentials on users’ smartphones. However, people will still be able to prove their identity using physical documents if they prefer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_167

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing the (a) data security systems and (b) policies used by (i) ISO Certification and (ii) other public services. \p Feryal Clark: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and its associated certifications are not owned by the UK Government. We therefore cannot comment on the policies and data security systems they recommend.

All cross government security and data policies are published on gov.uk and security.gov.uk . Each government organisation will have its own local policies on how to protect data and systems for realising this goal. This is not information held centrally by DSIT.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_168

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much his Department has spent on equipment to enable civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years. \p Feryal Clark: It is not possible to answer this question without incurring a disproportionate cost to accurately refine contract spend for equipment to enable civil servants to work from home by departmental cost centre.

The Department has a 40-60% minimum office attendance policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_169

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has held meetings with the Northern Ireland Space Office on the level of support for the region’s space sector. \p Chris Bryant: The Secretary of State has not held meetings with the Northern Ireland Space Office on this topic, however regional growth is key to this Government's growth mission. Regional growth programmes, including for Northern Ireland, are therefore a priority for this Government.

The UK Space Agency works closely with the Northern Ireland Space Office to support the development of the region's space sector. Northern Ireland Space Office is a delivery partner of the Ecosystem Development Programme, which promotes regional strengths, attracts investment, and manages the local space cluster.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-08 conversation_170

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has held discussions with the UK Space Agency on helping to support the development of Northern Ireland’s space ecosystem. \p Chris Bryant: The Secretary of State has not held specific discussions with the UK Space Agency on Northern Ireland's space ecosystem, however Ministers receive advice from officials as required on a wide range of topics, including regional growth.

The UK Space Agency supports regional growth, including in Northern Ireland, as a priority. UKSA has supported the Northern Ireland's space ecosystem through the Unlocking Space for Government programme, by funding a Northern Ireland-led project to explore how satellite data can improve public services in health, infrastructure, and the environment. UKSA has also delivered two Small Business Research Initiatives in partnership with Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) focused on detecting harmful algal blooms using satellite technology.