theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 38758 on Cabinet Office: Boston Consulting Group, whether any subsequent (a) call-offs, (b) uplifts, (c) extensions or (d) variations to the arrangement were approved by the investment committee. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office Investment Committee has no role in awarding procurement of contracts to specific organisations or suppliers. The Investment Committee scrutinises and approves spending within the department. The Cabinet Office Commercial team manages the contract award process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 8641 on Cabinet Office: Buildings, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of publishing a percentage figure on security and safety. \p Georgia Gould: It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment, on grounds of both national security and staff safety, on the physical capacity or staffing numbers for individual buildings of the government estate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6083 on Civil Servants: Secondment, whether his Department's HR are informed when an individual is seconded to the Cabinet Office. \p Georgia Gould: Secondments are arranged at a Business Unit level and must follow the processes as set out in the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. There are mechanisms in place for business units to notify the department's HR as necessary.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2025 to Question 41645 on Cabinet Office: Email, whether the same provisions apply to non-Ministerial inboxes in Downing Street. \p Georgia Gould: Mailboxes held by 10 Downing Street are subject to the Cabinet Office departmental information management policy, as detailed in the previous response.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his department is taking with the (a) Office for Equality and Opportunity, (b) Government Property Agency and (c) Government People Group to amend (i) policy or (ii) practice guidance in relation to (A) the Civil Service and (B) government buildings in response to the judgement in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office, including the Office for Equality and Opportunity, the Government Property Agency and the Government People Group, has been engaging across the Civil Service, in order to review and update policy and guidance wherever necessary to ensure they comply with the latest legal requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 on diversity staff networks. \p Georgia Gould: The Civil Service remains an inclusive employer and will continue to comply with its legal obligations to all employees. Departments will review their internal policies wherever necessary.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish individual severance payments made to departing special advisers at pay band Level 4 since July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. The Model Contract for Special Advisers is published online and details the circumstances in which severance is payable. Total severance costs are released in the annual report, which will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 45015 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, if he will publish (a) a list of the specific advertisements that were placed, (b) a summary of the content and (c) the target audience for each placement. \p Georgia Gould: As was the case under the previous administration, this information is not routinely published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44026 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, when the Government Property Agency will pay OCS for the works on 9 Downing Street. \p Georgia Gould: The cost and payment date of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether white British people can apply to the Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Programme. \p Georgia Gould: The Fast Stream Summer Diversity Internship Programme was replaced by the Summer Internship Programme in 2023.

The Summer Internship Programme is open to any penultimate and final year undergraduates who have the right to work in the UK Civil Service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, over what period of time he plans to reduce the size of (a) his Department and (b) the civil service; and what estimate he has made of the net cost saving. \p Georgia Gould: This government is committed to fundamentally reshaping the way the British state delivers and serves working people by becoming more tech-driven, productive, agile and mission-focused. This is a whole of government effort and each department will take its own decision on its individual size and shape. This includes the Cabinet Office which we are reorganising to create a more strategic, specialist, and smaller centre of government, delivering annual savings of £110 million by the financial year 2028/29.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Hundreds of quangos to be examined for potential closure as Government takes back control, published on 7 April 2025, whether this review will consider future Arm's Length Bodies already announced. \p Georgia Gould: The review will cover all arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), including proposals for new ALBs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's publication Setting Up a New Arm’s-Length Body (ALB): Guidance for Departments, published on 9 May 2024, whether he plans to revise this guidance. \p Georgia Gould: As announced on 7 April, the government is conducting a review of all arm’s-length bodies to reassess when arm’s-length delivery of public services is appropriate. As part of this review, consideration will be given on whether to update existing Cabinet Office guidance on new ALBs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42462 on Cabinet Office: Boston Consulting Group, on what date the Cabinet Office Investment Committee approved the commercial arrangement with Boston Consulting Group that gave rise to expenditure recorded in the Cabinet Office spending transparency data under “CDDO Strategy, Analysis and System Reform”. \p Georgia Gould: The Investment Committee approved the Business Case for CDDO Strategy, Analysis and System Reform in November 2022. Subsequently, a competitive procurement was launched and the contract was awarded to Boston Consulting Group.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to undertake further local or national testing of the mobile phone Emergency Alert service. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: In January 2025, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, announced plans for a second national test of the Emergency Alerts system to take place in 2025. This will ensure the system’s effectiveness in providing life-saving alerts to the public during situations where there is a risk to life. As with the first test in April 2023, a test message will be sent to every compatible phone nationwide, preceded by an extensive communications campaign.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2025 to Question 42050 on Registrar of Consultancy Lobbyists, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow the Registrar to regulate foreign-based consultant lobbyist firms which lobby politicians in the United Kingdom. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The government is committed to transparency and has already taken a number of steps to restore trust in politics. There are no current plans to bring forward legislative proposals regarding the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, but this is kept under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to chapter three of the Ministerial Code, published in November 2024, whether any further guidance has been provided by (a) his Department and (b) HMRC on paying tax on (i) gifts and (ii) hospitality. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The Ministerial Code outlines that "if a minister wishes to retain a gift, they will be liable for any tax it may attract." The decision to accept a gift or hospitality is fundamentally a matter of personal judgement for ministers, who must determine how to act and conduct themselves in accordance with the Code. Ministers can seek advice from their Permanent Secretary or HMRC if required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when homeland defence plans were last reviewed. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The United Kingdom has well-developed contingency plans to respond to a wide range of eventualities. The plans and supporting arrangements have been developed, refined and tested over many years. This includes continuous reviews of the risk landscape through specific assessment and updating of NSRA risks. Plans are developed in line with the risk landscape and scalable to these risks.

The Government sets out some of the main risks and emergencies that drive this common consequence planning in the National Risk Register, the latest version of which was published earlier this year: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2025

GOV.UK/prepare, the Government’s website for resilience and emergency planning, is designed to help people plan for potential hazards and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and resources to respond effectively.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to publish guidance to the public on action to take in the days following an armed attack on the UK by another state. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The United Kingdom has well-developed contingency plans to respond to a wide range of risks. The plans and supporting arrangements have been developed, refined and tested over many years.

The scale of these capabilities is driven by classified planning assumptions derived from the United Kingdom’s National Security Risk Assessment. The Government sets out some of the main risks and emergencies that drive this common consequence planning in the National Risk Register, the latest version of which was published earlier this year: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2025

GOV.UK/prepare, the Government’s website for resilience and emergency planning, is designed to help people plan for potential hazards and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and resources to respond effectively.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will make an estimate of the average number of days for each write-round clearance to be approved by 10 Downing Street since 5 July 2024. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: As under previous governments, it is a long-established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees are not shared publicly.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 45018 on Special Advisers: Recruitment, whether the Prime Minister has set a maximum cap on the number of special advisers who can be appointed. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: I refer the Rt Hon Member to PQ 45018. The Prime Minister in his Ministerial Code has set out the approach to appointing special advisers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 44682 on Children: Protection, if he will publish the minutes from the Prime Minister's meeting with the creators of Adolescence, charities and young people on 31 March 2025. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer of 28 April 2025, Official Report, PQ 44682.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41297 on 9 Downing Street: Media, if he will publish the business case for the one-off refresh of the facility undertaken in December 2024. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 21 January 2025, Official Report, PQ 25454.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 45659 on Admiralty House, what use is being made of the two unoccupied flats in Admiralty House; and whether those flats are furnished as dwellings. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: There has been no change to the set up and contents of the two unoccupied flats since June 2024. They remain as they were under the previous government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether she plans to implement a youth mobility scheme deal with the EU. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I am not going to give a running commentary on our talks with the EU. This Government is taking action to reduce net migration, but supports the 13 existent controlled schemes which create opportunities for young people to experience different cultures, travel, and work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) existing and (b) proposed legislation complies with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of biological sex. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Supreme Court’s ruling makes clear that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the term ‘woman’ refers to a biological woman. The ruling has provided clarity for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges and sports clubs. This Government will continue to protect single-sex spaces based on biological sex.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has already committed to supporting service providers with updated guidance; they will consult widely as they develop this. All government departments should follow the clarity the ruling provides.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Regulatory Policy Committee's publication Status of Post Implementation Reviews, published on 24 April 2025, for what reason the post-implementation review of the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 is outstanding. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The post-implementation review of the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 was published on 11th April 2023.

The post implementation review and supporting documents can be accessed here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government has a definition of biological sex for (a) people with Turner Syndrome, (b) people with Klinefelter syndrome, (c) people with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, (d) people with Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, (e) people with Swyer syndrome and (f) people with tetragametic chimerism. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Government understands people with those conditions to have Variations in Sex Characteristics, but we do not hold central definitions of the biological sex of people who have these conditions, nor do we keep any records.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the EHCR's Interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment published on 25 April 2025, what guidance her Department has provided to (a) workplaces and (b) hospitality venues on access to single sex facilities. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. The EHRC has already committed to supporting organisations, including workplaces, with its updated statutory Code of Practice following consultation; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that the specific needs of older women are recognised in policy making. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Government is committed to ensuring that equality and opportunity for all are central to our policymaking and every Mission. This includes actively considering the needs of older women and preventing discrimination against them.

The Equality Act 2010 contains strong protections for older women in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. The Act prohibits discrimination because of age and harassment related to age. In addition, the Employment Rights Bill will introduce robust measures to further safeguard working women, including gender pay gap and menopause action plans.

The Government recognises the challenges some older women can face and is committed to ensuring that support systems are in place. These include improving older people’s participation online through the new Digital Inclusion Action plan, employment support through Jobcentres, and addressing healthcare inequality in the 10 Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate she has made of the regulatory cost of producing Equality Impact Assessments; and whether the Government plans to take steps to reduce the compliance cost of producing them. \p Dame Nia Griffith: Where a public body decides to undertake an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) to fulfill its Public Sector Equality Duty obligations, this would be funded as part of the organisation’s administrative budget. EIAs are well embedded in Government policy making and are not considered an additional cost but part of mainstream administrative functions.

In fact, EIAs are likely overall to reduce costs for public bodies, because the entailed analysis and discussion, by highlighting any equality issues greatly reduces the risk of subsequent litigation for alleged law breaches resulting from the particular policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of the (a) Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 and (b) interim EHRC guidance on that ruling on people who are intersex. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. The EHRC has already committed to supporting service providers with its updated statutory Code of Practice following consultation; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will seek information from the EHRC on which (a) people and (b) organisations were consulted before the issue of the EHRC interim guidance on the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of the government. It is for the EHRC to ensure that any consultation process is appropriate and meaningfully engages with varied stakeholders.

The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. It is a snapshot reflection, rather than full guidance. The EHRC has already committed to supporting service providers with its updated statutory Code of Practice; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will ask the EHRC to publish their full plans for consulting (a) the transgender community and (b) people who are intersex before publishing their full guidance in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. It is for the EHRC to ensure that the consultation process is appropriate and meaningfully engages with varied stakeholders.

The Government expects them to do this widely and broadly, listening to diverse voices.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the press notice entitled Radical action plan to cut red tape and kickstart growth, published on 17 March 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of measures in the Equality law call for evidence, published on 7 April 2025, on the Government's target to reduce the administrative cost of regulation on business by a quarter. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Call for Evidence on Equality Law, published on 7 April 2025, seeks evidence on how we can better remove barriers to ambition and success for everyone, to improve the lives of working people and strengthen our country as part of our Plan for Change.

The purpose of the Call for Evidence is not to put forward detailed policy proposals and it would therefore not be possible or appropriate to produce an impact assessment at this stage. All evidence submitted to the Call for Evidence will be taken into account when developing policy. We will assess the impact of any proposed policy in the normal way, working in partnership with business, trade unions and civil society, to ensure any potential impacts are fully considered.
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Layla Moran:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the (a) rights and (b) needs of older women are taken into account in policy decisions. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal and every Mission. This includes actively considering the needs of older women and ensuring that they are not discriminated against. The Equality Act 2010 contains strong protections for older women in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. The Act prohibits discrimination because of age and harassment related to age. In addition, the Employment Rights Bill will introduce robust measures to further safeguard working women, including gender pay gap and menopause action plans.

The Government recognises the challenges some older women can face and is committed to ensuring that support systems are in place These include improving older people’s participation online through the new Digital Inclusion Action plan, employment support through Jobcentres, and addressing healthcare inequality in the 10 Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what guidance her Department issues to employers on the rights of biological women under the Equality Act 2010. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity and confidence that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the term ‘woman’ refers to a biological woman.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has already committed to support organisations, including workplaces, with updated guidance; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work. All government departments should follow the ruling.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of infrequent collections of household waste on public health. \p Mary Creagh: Through Simpler Recycling, all households will receive a comprehensive and consistent set of waste and recycling services. This will enable households to recycle as much waste as possible and to frequently dispose of bad-smelling food waste, which will be collected from all households at least weekly.

We recognise that as recycling services are expanded and improved, local authorities may want to review residual waste services to ensure they are providing best value for money in line with local need. The government’s priority is ensuring that households’ needs are met that’s why Defra has published guidance to ensure that local authorities meet household’s needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether all (a) glass, (b) steel, (c) aluminium and (d) PET drinks containers are subject to reporting and payment of Extended Producer Responsibility as there is no exemption for Wales under EPR Regulation 11. \p Mary Creagh: Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, Deposit items of a relevant deposit scheme are exempt from reporting, recycling and disposal fee obligations.

Prior to the introduction of a relevant deposit scheme, steel, aluminium, and PET drinks containers are subject to data reporting and recycling obligations but not disposal fees. Provided that a deposit scheme comes into operation in at least one part of the UK by 1 January 2028, steel, aluminium and PET drinks containers will not be subject to disposal fees in any part of the UK. However, if a deposit scheme is not in operation in any part of the United Kingdom by 1 January 2028, liable producers of steel, aluminium, and PET drinks containers will also pay disposal fees for this packaging.

Glass drinks containers are subject to the full range of pEPR obligation and liable producers are obliged to pay disposal fees for this packaging.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of fines for fly-tipping. \p Mary Creagh: We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. We do not intend to carry out any further assessment of the adequacy of levels of fines for fly tipping.

The Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of their 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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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on the development of the Land Use Framework with (a) farmers and (b) landowners in South Cotswolds constituency. \p Mary Creagh: The consultation on land use in England closed on the 25th April. The Government is considering responses to the consultation. These responses will inform a Land Use Framework for England.

The consultation process included events with farmers and other land managers held across England over the twelve-week consultation period. This included an event organised by a partner organised on behalf of Defra in Cirencester.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_379

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national litter awareness course. \p Mary Creagh: This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national litter awareness course.

Local councils have a range of enforcement powers to tackle littering, including civil penalties of up to £500 that can be issued to the keeper of a vehicle from which litter is thrown. Guidance for councils on littering enforcement explains that they are expected to combine enforcement with education in order to change behaviour.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_380

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing penalties for fly-tipping. \p Mary Creagh: We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. There are no plans to increase the fixed penalty levels at this time.

The Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. 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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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_381

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) national debate and (b) action plan on fly-tipping. \p Mary Creagh: This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of a national debate or action plan on fly-tipping.

We are committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing vehicles and prosecution, and we are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support local authorities to consistently and effectively exercise these powers.

We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_382

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a litter and fly-tipping champion in Government. \p Mary Creagh: This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a litter and fly-tipping champion in Government.

Local authorities are usually best placed to respond to litter and fly-tipping problems in a way tailored to the communities in which they occur. Local authorities already they have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution. We encourage and support councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement.
wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_383
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_383

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide funding for agroforestry support to include (a) multi-species planting and (b) increased tree planting densities to enable woodland systems suitable for (i) pigs and (ii) poultry. \p Daniel Zeichner: Our in-field agroforestry offers under the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes allow flexibility for land managers to decide on tree species and densities that suit their objectives, to realise the multiple benefits that trees provide in the farming landscape. Land managers are able to establish and maintain a wide range of eligible woodland and fruit tree species, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eligible-tree-species-elm-agroforestry-action. Land managers can also be paid a species diversity bonus for planting 5 or more species of tree, to help improve the resilience of agroforestry systems.

Our ELM in-field agroforestry offers allow for a range of planting densities. Under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, land managers can establish and maintain in-field agroforestry systems with an average of 30-130 trees per hectare on low sensitivity land. Our Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offers will pay land managers to maintain in-field agroforestry systems up to an average of 400 trees her hectare.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_384

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will extend agroforestry funding to (a) include multiple species and (b) increase tree planting density to help provide an appropriate habitat for (i) pigs and (ii) chickens. \p Daniel Zeichner: Our in-field agroforestry offers under the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes allow flexibility for land managers to decide on tree species and densities that suit their objectives, to realise the multiple benefits that trees provide in the farming landscape. Land managers are able to establish and maintain a wide range of eligible woodland and fruit tree species, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eligible-tree-species-elm-agroforestry-action. Land managers can also be paid a species diversity bonus for planting 5 or more species of tree, to help improve the resilience of agroforestry systems.

Our ELM in-field agroforestry offers allow for a range of planting densities. Under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, land managers can establish and maintain in-field agroforestry systems with an average of 30-130 trees per hectare on low sensitivity land. Our Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offers will pay land managers to maintain in-field agroforestry systems up to an average of 400 trees her hectare.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_385

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessments he has made of the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on (a) littering and (b) reducing littering. \p Mary Creagh: Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_386

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to adapt farming subsidy schemes to incentivise the (a) housing of all farmed animals in woodland and (b) planting of woodland in permanent pasture; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on (i) animal welfare, (ii) climate and (iii) biodiversity. \p Daniel Zeichner: Businesses must notify the competent authorities in advance of a consignment arriving in GB when it contains High risk or Medium A risk plants and plant products as they are subject to phytosanitary controls. Upon completion of the notification an initial risk assessment is provided detailing whether an inspection is required. Drivers and notifiers are informed in one of two ways.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_387

Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase enforcement powers to tackle (a) fly-tipping and (b) littering in (i) Huddersfield and (ii) similar towns. \p Mary Creagh: Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to tackle fly-tipping and littering. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 for fly-tipping and £500 for littering, and prosecution action which can lead to significant fine or even imprisonment and vehicle seizure. We encourage councils to make good use of these powers and we are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support local authorities to consistently and effectively exercise these existing powers.

We have also announced a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

We are also committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Additionally, we will move the regulation of waste carriers, brokers and dealers from light-touch registration into environmental permitting. This will enhance the Envrionment Agency’s ability to take action in this area and make it harder for rogue operators to operate. Penalties set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990, such as prison sentences of up to 5 years, will also become applicable to breaches of the new regulations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_388

Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress he has made in the development of the new Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra will be working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. This future SFI offer will build on what has made SFI effective so far. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced following the spending review in summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_389

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on entering the premises of (a) animal shelters and (b) rescue homes to assess (ii) animal welfare and (ii) conditions. \p Daniel Zeichner: Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities and the police have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare, including powers of entry to premises such as animal shelters and rescue homes. Section 18 of the Act allows animals to be seized where necessary to prevent suffering.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-12 conversation_390

Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) farmers and (b) landowners on the Land Use Framework. \p Mary Creagh: The Government recently closed its consultation on land use in England. The responses to this consultation will inform the development of the Land Use Framework, scheduled to be published later this year.

The consultation process included engagement events such as regional workshops and ministerial roundtables where stakeholders, including farmers and landowners, were invited to give their views on land use.

We intend to continue to engage on land use up to, and beyond, the Framework’s publication.