theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what evidential basis the requirement for four points on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria for Personal Independence Payments was determined. \p Sir Stephen Timms: PIP provides a contribution to extra costs, but over recent years claims have increased significantly, outstripping the growth in disability prevalence. Some people get PIP from scoring 1, 2 or 3 points, low-level functional needs which could individually be managed with small interventions or the addition of an aid or appliance. We believe that focussing PIP on those with a higher level of functional need in at least one activity - people who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them – is the right thing to do to keep the costs of PIP sustainable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant of the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42059 on Social Security Benefits: Reform, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of the measures in the Green Paper: Pathways to Work, published on 18 March 2025 on (a) the health of those people receiving related benefits and (b) societal health inequalities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: A programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper and to monitor and evaluate their impact will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42955 on Employment: Disability, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of measures in the Green Paper: Pathways to Work published on 18 March 2025, on (a) part-time and (b) full-time employment opportunities for (i) disabled people and (ii) people with health conditions by 2029-30. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 7 April 2025 to PQ 42955.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase the take up of means-tested benefits among households with children in poverty. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit including on GOV.UK that supports customers to identify what support may be available. Additionally, we signpost potential customers to external benefit calculators where they can identify what they are likely to be eligible for. We also work closely with Citizens Advice who provide Help to Claim support by phone and on-line for customers to apply for Universal Credit.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government. The Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy looking at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether funding for personalised employment support for individuals with (a) health conditions and (b) disabilities will be made accessible to independent advice agencies to help disabled people into work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding

As the Green Paper notes, we will explore how to make the best use of capabilities at national and at local levels, so that individuals receive seamless support from a coherent system. We want to work with the health system, local government, Mayoral Strategic Authorities, skills providers, employers, private and voluntary sector providers and service users to design our ‘Pathways to Work’ offer. We are committed to making sure the help on offer is appropriate to local needs and local labour markets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to provide additional support to (a) deaf and (b) disabled people’s organisations. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 20 March to PQ 37556

A full suite of accessible versions is now available, and the consultation will close on 30 June 2025, to ensure that everyone has sufficient time to engage with and respond to the consultation. We are also running a programme of accessible virtual and face to face events on the consultation, to hear from members of the public directly, including disabled people and their representatives. More information about these events and registration is available on GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Multiple Sclerosis who receive income-based Employment and Support Allowance do not also receive Personal Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In August 2024 there were 6,480* people in receipt of Income-related ESA whose main condition was multiple sclerosis. 1,490* of those in receipt of Income-related ESA whose main condition was multiple sclerosis were not in receipt of PIP, the remaining 5,000* were.

* Rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Multiple Sclerosis get contributions-based Employment and Support Allowance. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In August 2024 there were 14,620* people in receipt of contributions-based ESA whose main condition was multiple sclerosis.

* Rounded to the nearest ten.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Multiple Sclerosis who receive Universal Credit do not also receive Personal Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis who receive a Personal Independence Payment daily living award do not score more than four points in any of the daily living activities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work Green Paper proposals on people living with (a) Multiple Sclerosis and (b) other progressive neurological conditions; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that people with fluctuating or invisible disabilities do not lose access to Personal Independence Payment or other essential support. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The proposals outlined in our Green Paper, Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working aim to make the system fit to support people who need it now and in the future. Some information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper was published alongside the Spring Statement and can be found at this link: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. More information on the impacts will be published in due course, a further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

With regards to the changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility criteria, it is important to note that the PIP assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. Therefore, the impact of the PIP changes will depend on an individual’s circumstances.

There will be no immediate changes to PIP eligibility. Our intention is that the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply at their next award review. The average award review is about three years. When people are reassessed, they will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on their individual needs and circumstances.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are no longer eligible for PIP and linked entitlements, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

In the Green Paper, we also announced that we are looking at recording assessments as standard to build greater trust in the system. The aim is to create greater transparency, using recordings as a learning opportunity to consider potential improvements to the quality of the assessment process, including improving our assessment of fluctuating conditions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Steve Witherden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the spare room subsidy on homelessness in Wales. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Welsh Government specifically about the Removal Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) and homelessness in Wales. Housing is devolved to the Welsh Government and social security is reserved to the UK Government.

The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex, they interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors.

The RSRS policy applies to claims for housing support where the household living in a social rented property with more bedrooms than their household’s bedroom entitlement.

Easements are available allowing an additional bedroom to support disabled people and carers, the families of disabled children, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel and people who have suffered a bereavement. The deduction does not apply to pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit.

Further, those unable to meet the shortfall in their rent can seek a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) from their local authority. DHPs can be paid to those in receipt of qualifying housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rental housing costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers have had Disability Confident status rescinded in each of the last five years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: To date the Department has not suspended any employer from the scheme. We have worked with several employers who have been the subject of a complaint to improve their compliance with the scheme criteria.

There is a Disability Confident complaints process in place that sets out the steps that should be taken to address and resolve any concerns raised that an employer is failing to comply with Disability Confident criteria. More information is available here: Disability Confident complaints process.

If an employer has failed to take adequate steps to resolve an issue, and there is unambiguous evidence the employer is not adhering to the principles and criteria of the Disability Confident scheme, DWP has the right to suspend the Disability Confident status of the employer until they have taken the necessary action.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) Personal Independence Payment, (b) Universal Credit and (c) Carers’ Allowance on (i) adult social service capacity and (ii) housing demand. \p Sir Stephen Timms: DWP is working across Government, including with DHSC and MHCLG, to consider the impact of the reforms to the welfare system.

We will also consider the impacts on benefits for unpaid carers as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation as we develop our detailed proposals for change.

Through the Green Paper we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like.

We will also work closely with the DHSC and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payment on people above over state pension age. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Our intention is that the new eligibility requirement in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in which people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component, will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. In keeping with existing policy, people of State Pension Age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by the proposed changes.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on granting people with arrest warrants issued against them by the International Criminal Court access to UK airspace. \p Stephen Doughty: Airspace access is not within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's policy responsibilities. The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for airspace management and related policies in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the contribution of the UN Charter to the UK and (b) its future role in the UK; and what steps he is taking with international partners to help prevent the imposition of political settlements that potentially affect sovereignty without consulting the people affected. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK remains deeply committed to the United Nations and its founding principles, purposes and core values, as outlined in the UN Charter. The UN continues to play a critical role in preventing and ending conflicts, delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance, protecting people from pandemics and disease, and supporting countries build stronger economies. Against the backdrop of an increasingly difficult global economic and geopolitical situation, multilateral cooperation is more important now than ever.

The principles of the sovereign equality of States, and the need for parties to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State are clearly enshrined within the UN Charter. The UK works with international partners to call out any violations of these principles, including in the case of Ukraine, where we support a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Kirith Entwistle:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to secure an end to the violence in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to Secretary Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, EU High Representative Kallas and the UN emergency relief co-ordinator, Tom Fletcher.

On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar in London. During the conversation, he pressed Israel to restore humanitarian access, raised serious concerns about the deaths of aid workers, and made clear the urgent need of returning to a ceasefire and a negotiated path forward. The Foreign Secretary plans to speak to Palestinian PM Mustafa shortly. The UK made statements in the UN Security Council on Tuesday 18 March and Friday 21 March and joined a G7 Foreign Ministers' statement the week before. An E3 Foreign Ministers statement issued on Friday 21 March calling on all parties to re-engage with negotiations to ensure the ceasefire is implemented in full and becomes permanent.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Kirith Entwistle:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that aid can reach people in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign Secretary met with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 15 April to press Israel to restore the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and raise concerns about the safety of aid workers in the region. On 21 March, the UK issued a joint statement with France and Germany, making clear that Israel should fully respect international law and allow the flow of aid immediately. We called on Israel to restore humanitarian access, restore water and electricity, and ensure access to medical care and medical evacuations in accordance with international humanitarian law. I also spoke to the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, about the humanitarian situation in Gaza on 14 March. We announced £129 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2024/25 Financial Year and will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Gaza.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Kirith Entwistle:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet Colleagues and (b) his Israeli counterpart on ending hostilities in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign Secretary has raised the Israeli operations in Gaza with his Israeli counterparts. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar in London. During the conversation, he pressed Israel to restore humanitarian access, raised serious concerns about the deaths of aid workers, and made clear the urgent need of returning to a ceasefire and a negotiated path forward.

As he has made clear in Parliament, the UK is seriously concerned by the expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza and the displacement of Palestinians. Palestinians must be allowed home. Civilians must be protected and the destruction of civilian infrastructure minimised. We urge Israel to immediately re-start a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of British citizens participating alongside the Israel Defense Forces during Israel's military offensive in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not hold specific information on British Nationals who have served with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. The FCDO advises against all travel to Gaza. Israel travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Allegations of war crimes should be submitted to the Met Police for investigation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on Israel's denying hon. Members entry into the West Bank. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: As the Foreign Secretary has said, it is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar in London. The Foreign Secretary has made clear to his counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to announce a date for the UK-hosted Berlin Process 2025 summit. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is delighted to host the Berlin Process this year. We will organise meetings of Ministers, government officials and non-government stakeholders to build stronger economic and security ties between the countries of the Western Balkans and deepen cooperation with our European partners, working closely with the new German Government. We will invite leaders from the six Western Balkans countries, European partners, regional organisations, and EU institutions to the Berlin Process Summit in the UK later this year, where we will seek to agree initiatives to enhance regional security, tackle irregular migration, and boost economic growth. We are working to identify a date for the Summit, which we hope to announce as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to formally respond to the International Court of Justice judgment on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of levels of welfare of employees at animal testing facilities. \p Dan Jarvis: Licenced establishments are responsible for the welfare of employees at animal testing facilities.

The Regulator has published extensive guidance for the regulated community on the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The published guidance includes information on the operation of named roles whose responsibilities include ensuring that those dealing with animals are adequately educated, trained and supervised until they are competent and ensuring that those dealing with animals have access to the information they need.

The Home Office holds regular, scheduled, meetings with stakeholders from the regulated community to discuss their concerns.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the terms of reference for the post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government will commence post legislative scrutiny from May 2025, and submit a memorandum to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The memorandum will include aspects such as explanatory notes, impact assessments and legal issues as necessary.

Once the Committee has received the Government’s memorandum on the Public Order Act 2024, the committee can decide to take further steps regarding further post legislative scrutiny if it so wishes.

Details about post-legislative scrutiny, including the contents to be covered in the Government’s memorandum, can be found here: Guide to making legislation - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been detected as not having a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation in Northern Ireland since January 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) were introduced in October 2023 to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. They were more recently expanded to eligible non-European nationals (in November 2024) and European nationals (on 5 March this year). Data on the number of people not holding an ETA in Northern Ireland is unavailable. The Home Office will provide regular updates in the months and years ahead on how the ETA requirement is being implemented and enforced.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many were awaiting decisions from the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme under the Separated Families pathway as of 8 April 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: Available data on the Afghan Resettlement Programme is published on a quarterly basis. The latest release is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2024 to Question 13184 on Homicide: Aiding and Abetting, whether the Crown Prosecution Service has commenced the full national monitoring scheme. \p Lucy Rigby: I refer the Hon Member to my response to UINs 44005-44007 tabled on Friday 11 April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with the European Chemicals Agency to ensure that animal tests are not duplicated in the EU when the test has already been approved to fulfil requirements for the same chemical under UK REACH. \p Emma Hardy: Animal testing of chemical substances is permitted under UK REACH only as a measure of last resort; this principle is reinforced by the Environment Act 2021. The last resort principle underpins the REACH testing proposal procedure. This procedure already requires that HSE, as the UK REACH Agency, must publish all testing proposals to facilitate the submission of relevant information by third parties. Moreover, UK REACH states that test methods should be regularly reviewed with a view to reducing animal testing and it encourages the use of alternative methods. The Environment Act 2021 includes powers to amend UK REACH and consultation is a legal requirement under those powers.

In 2024 the Government consulted on an Alternative Transitional Registration model (ATRm). The aim of the ATRm is to consider the information needs under UK REACH to provide substance hazard data in the registration dossier for UK REACH transitional registrations (for those substances previously registered on EU REACH), including the need to generate new data. The consultation also included proposals to introduce further protections against unnecessary animal testing as part of our ongoing project to improve UK REACH. We are currently considering our approach to chemicals regulation, including UK REACH. We will provide a summary of the responses during 2025.

Both UK REACH and EU REACH recognise studies performed outside the UK or the EU. This means that there is no need to repeat a study because it was previously carried out elsewhere.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints OFWAT has received about the increase in water and sewerage rates since 1 March 2025; and to how many complainants have substantive responses been given. \p Emma Hardy: Ofwat has received 359 customer contacts since 1 March 2025 regarding the increase in water and sewerage rates. 25 of these have received a substantive response. An additional 453 contacts have been received since 21 March 2025 which are being reviewed to determine if they relate to increases in water and sewerage rates.

Due to the current large amount of customer queries there has been significant delays in providing substantive responses to them. Customers are very important to Ofwat, and Ofwat recognises the need to improve its response rate, that is why it continues to work to improve its capacity and processing time and will process outstanding queries as quickly as possible.

Customers are of the utmost importance to this government. The Independent Water Commission, launched by UK and Welsh governments in October 2024, aims to build consensus for a resilient and innovative water sector that ultimately serves both customers and the environment. The Commission will report to the UK and Welsh governments by the end of June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide bespoke protections for (a) the River Itchen and (b) other chalk streams; whether he plans to use planning reforms to support the protection of chalk streams; whether he plans to designate chalk streams and their surrounding habitats as irreplaceable; and what funding his Department plans to provide (i) for sustainable drainage systems in chalk catchments and (ii) to support higher water efficiency standards. \p Emma Hardy: The River Itchen is already designated as a Special Area of Conservation and many of our chalk streams benefit from some form of designation.

Chalk streams can be considered when setting the outcomes for a future system of environmental assessment.

This Government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need and is considering how best to reform environmental assessment processes with this objective in mind. This includes whether to take forward the powers in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act to introduce Environmental Outcomes Reports

Lastly, the National Planning Policy Framework recognises the role that well-designed SuDS schemes have in managing surface water while the National Framework for Water Resources sets out expectations for water efficiency including reducing leakage and long-term water usage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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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 in Wales. \p Mary Creagh: All steel, aluminium and PET plastic drinks containers across the UK are exempt from pEPR disposal fees but remain subject to reporting and recycling (PRN) obligations until Deposit Return Schemes (DRS’s) enter into operation. Should DRS’s not enter into operation by the 1 January 2028 this exemption will cease.

Glass drinks containers across the UK are subject to pEPR data reporting and both disposal fees and recycling obligations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release £16 million boost to improve flood protection for farmers and rural communities, published on 16 March 2025, what the additional funding will be for each internal drainage board. \p Emma Hardy: The Internal Draining Board (IDB) Storm Recovery and Asset Improvement fund was established to help IDBs recover from flooding events over winter 2023/24 and to modernise their infrastructure.

On 31 March, the Government announced an additional £16 million to bolster the fund, bringing the total to £91 million.

The whole fund will provide improved flood protection benefits to over 400,000 hectares of agricultural land and 91,000 homes and businesses.

The additional £16 million will be allocated to previously submitted and assessed bids. The funding will support an additional 20 projects, across 18 different IDBs. Announcements of the specific amounts will be made in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support people affected by fly-tipping required to clear waste on private land at their own expense. \p Mary Creagh: We recognise the burden that clearing fly-tipped waste places on landowners. We want to reduce incidents in the first place so that fewer landowners are affected.

Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to tackle fly-tipping and we want to see these at the centre of their efforts to tackle the problem. These include issuing fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 and prosecution. Upon conviction, compensation for the landowner’s clearance costs can be secured. We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory enforcement guidance to help councils make full and proper use of their powers.

We have also committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created and will provide further details on this in due course.

We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. Various practical tools, including case studies and ‘how to’ guides on key issues such as setting up effective local partnerships, are available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 38457 on Electricity Generation: Infrastructure, what steps he has taken to identify suitable locations since July 2024. \p Mary Creagh: Forestry England have not undertaken a detailed assessment of the potential suitable locations of renewable energy projects across the Public Forest Estate since July 2024. Forestry England will commence detailed assessments following Royal Assent of the Bill, with an aim to integrate proposals into the natural landscape with no net loss of woodland area.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2025 to Question 39475 on the Aarhus Convention, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that convention on the effective operation of the planning system. \p Mary Creagh: The Aarhus Convention sets out obligations on Parties to guarantee certain procedural rights for the public relating to access to environmental information, participation in environmental decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters. The United Kingdom Government remains committed to the effective implementation of its international obligations under the Aarhus Convention, and we consulted on one aspect of this, the cost caps regime last year.

Major infrastructure projects are vital in this Government’s mission to deliver growth across the country, and we want to see them built quicker. Earlier this year we announced part of our response to Lord Banner’s report which set out our reforms to speed up the planning process while making sure people still have the opportunity to bring challenges in court.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a national campaign against littering on levels of littering. \p Mary Creagh: This Government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of a national campaign against littering.

I have been proud to support and endorse campaigns like the Great British Spring Clean. It is encouraging to see that there are a growing number of public-spirited individuals and community groups tackling litter all over the country. We will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and business as possible to take part in such events.

We are targeting some of the most commonly littered items to reduce the presence of these on our streets. 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 which can be redeemed when the empty container is returned. As these drinks containers make up an estimated 60% of all litter, we anticipate a visible reduction in litter upon its introduction.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Mr Toby Perkins:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what engagement he has had with glass manufacturers on the business impact of the forthcoming Extended Producer Responsibility scheme. \p Mary Creagh: The UK’s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) policy has been in development since 2019. This is underpinned by extensive consultation and engagement with industry stakeholders, including the glass manufacturing sector, to provide businesses with a clear indication of the scheme’s design and implementation.

Consultations were held in 2019 and 2021, concluding with a final consultation on reforms to the Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) system in 2022. In 2023, the four nations of the UK jointly consulted on the operability of the draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024. Feedback from stakeholders during this process directly informed a number of amendments made prior to final regulations.

Throughout this period, Defra officials engaged closely with industry experts, including the glass industry. This collaboration has helped to ensure that the modelling of local authority costs used within the scheme reflects the practical realities of waste management operations.

We have made a full assessment of the expected business impacts of the policy, including on the glass sector. This is detailed in the official impact assessment for the Producer Responsibility Obligations (packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which remains publicly available: The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024.

The Government remains committed to ongoing engagement with manufacturers and other stakeholders to support the successful and fair implementation of the scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help restore peatlands. \p Mary Creagh: The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as peatlands. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities.

We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, and going forwards will be primarily funded through Environmental Land Management schemes, such as the Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship schemes.

Private finance will also be vital if we are to meet our peatland restoration ambitions. To support peatland restoration, the Government is implementing a range of policies that will mobilise private investment. These include working with the IUCN to attract investment through the Peatland Code.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect landscapes with literal heritage in Devon. \p Mary Creagh: Much of England's culturally rich landscapes and the literary heritage they represent are found in our National Parks, The Broads and National Landscapes. These Protected Landscapes are already specifically designated and managed to conserve and enhance their natural beauty and important cultural associations, including relevant literature and the sites which inspired it, as key components of the natural beauty of the area.

Protected Landscapes are extensively protected as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework which gives ‘great weight’ to the landscape and scenic beauty of Protected Landscapes. In addition local authorities are able to formally identify areas of local landscape value in local plans and the historic literary importance of a place can already be taken into account in development decisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the biodiversity net gain requirements on housing construction sites being developed by (a) SME builders and (b) other builders. \p Mary Creagh: As is the case with any new policy, we are collecting information and evidence about the implementation of mandatory biodiversity net gain, including for small sites. The Government is committed to working closely with the sector to make Biodiversity Net Gain work effectively and implement solutions to unlock new homes without weakening environmental protections.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Wendy Chamberlain:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he is having with the Scottish Government on support for the hospitality and tourism industry in Scotland. \p Kirsty McNeill: Hospitality and tourism play a huge role in the cultural and economic well-being of Scotland. Indeed, the Secretary of State was a publican himself. The Scotland Office has regular engagement with key stakeholders in the sector, such as the Scottish Tourism Alliance and Scottish Hospitality Group.

I continue to engage with counterparts in the Scottish Government on a range of issues, including support for these vital industries, and we remain committed to working collaboratively to ensure the sector can thrive now and in the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-23)

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Richard Foord:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on support for the farming industry. \p Kirsty McNeill: We have been working hard to positively reset relations. Earlier this month, I joined the Scottish Government’s Employment and Investment Minister, at the opening of a dairy innovation centre. This was the first project to be delivered through the joint Borderlands Growth Deal, providing new collaboration opportunities to progress the dairy sector towards a more sustainable and profitable future.

The Secretary of State meets with the Deputy First Minister on a regular basis, and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs convenes regularly to discuss important issues, including agriculture.

I look forward to meeting with Scottish farming stakeholders alongside Scottish Government and Defra Ministers at the Scotland Office’s upcoming Food and Farming roundtable.