theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of shifting from centralised stormwater solutions to decentralised approaches such as rainwater harvesting on carbon savings. \p Emma Hardy: In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards, making clear that sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. The standards should be used by local authorities when assessing applications for development which could affect drainage on or around the site, see paragraphs 181 and 182 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

We will continue to work with water companies and developers to support them to deliver water efficiency through both rainwater harvesting and water recycling and learn from their experiences.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to publish a national strategy for rainwater management to promote (a) sustainable and (b) decentralised water use. \p Emma Hardy: In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards, making clear that sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. The standards should be used by local authorities when assessing applications for development which could affect drainage on or around the site, see paragraphs 181 and 182 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Across much of the UK, our drainage and sewerage network is set up as a combined system (rainwater and wastewater), typical of Victorian design. Climate change, urban creep and a growing population have exacerbated the pressures on the system.

The National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England published in December 2024 sets out the flood risk to treatment works and water pumping stations.

The Environment Agency’s National Framework for Water Resources 2025 emphasises the importance of water catchments operating naturally, to be more resilient to challenges such as flooding, drought, and water scarcity. The Framework explains how we expect an integrated approach to be taken forward.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on improving water safety. \p Emma Hardy: Defra works closely with the devolved Governments on a range of shared priorities and will discuss any relevant matters as necessary, including at meetings of the Interministerial Group (EFRA).
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to support the monitoring of environmental lead contamination by conservation bodies in Buckinghamshire. \p Emma Hardy: Under the Environment Improvement Plan, we provide long-term monitoring in England to assess and manage risk from substances known to be harmful, including lead. Trends for exposure of people and wildlife to harmful chemicals are set out in the Outcome Indicator Framework for the Environment Improvement Plan.

Minister Hardy recently announced a decision to restrict the use of lead in certain ammunition through UK REACH. This is now being taken forward, including how the restriction will be enforced and monitored. The Health and Safety executive, alongside the Environment Agency, will be responsible for monitoring this restriction.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to next review the regulations for end-of-life vehicles. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. The forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.  As we develop our strategy, evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy—including for transport—is being considered. This consideration encompasses international best practices and regulations in other jurisdictions, including the EU.
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the separation of clean water from (a) sewage systems and (b) natural surface water drainage ponds in new housing developments. \p Emma Hardy: The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this. Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A final decision on this matter will be made in the coming months.

In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards, making clear that SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to promote property-level rainwater harvesting and sustainable drainage systems as part of the Government’s water infrastructure strategy. \p Emma Hardy: In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), making clear SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits. This includes flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. The standards should be used by local authorities when assessing applications for development which could affect drainage on or around the site, see paragraphs 181 and 182 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

The Government is working towards rainwater harvesting at development scale. This includes supporting Ofwat with environmental incentive payments to developers for including rainwater systems in homes, reviewing the role of rainwater harvesting within water efficiency standards in the Building Regulations 2010 and the regulations relating to the management of dual pipe reuse systems for rainwater to be used in toilet flushing.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Veterinary Surgeons Act. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra acknowledges the calls from industry, stakeholders and the general public to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) and its many potential benefits.

Currently, Defra officials are actively engaging with key stakeholders, including the BVA (British Veterinary Association), the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), BVNA (British Veterinary Nursing Association), and the Vet Schools Council to review opportunities for reform of the sector.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the public health risks associated with PFAS contamination in drinking water; and if he will publish a list of affected catchment areas in England and Wales. \p Emma Hardy: Since August 2024, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) guidance has set a guideline limit of 100 nanograms for the sum of 48 named PFAS. The limit was agreed with the UK Health Security Agency to be a robust level with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is not a danger to human health. There is no evidence of PFAS above 100 nanograms in drinking water supplies. The DWI continues to monitor publications and advice provided by the World Health Organization and the UK’s Committee on Toxicity in relation to PFAS and will continue to act accordingly based on the scientific evidence as it emerges.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to work with devolved Administrations to improve the sharing of data on curlew (a) ecology and (b) population health. \p Mary Creagh: Data on UK-wide curlew ecology and population health is primarily gathered and shared through the British Bird Survey (BBS) and the Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) review.

The BBS is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s common and widespread breeding birds to include the curlew. This publication presents trends for breeding bird populations in the UK and for each UK country, showing change in population between 1994 and 2024. UK and country-level trends are also reported for more recent shorter time periods (1-year, 5-year, and 10-year).

The BoCC review is compiled by a coalition of the UK’s leading bird conservation and monitoring organisations and reviews the status of all regularly occurring birds in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. The bird species that breed or overwinter, to include the curlew, have been assessed against a set of objective criteria and placed on the Green, Amber or Red lists to indicate an increasing level of conservation concern. Curlew is red-listed in the latest BoCC.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the conviction rate was for waste crime offences in each of the last five years. \p Mary Creagh: The conviction rates for the last five years are as follows:

2020 – 82%

2021 – 81%

2022 – 86%

2023 – 83%

2024 – 84%
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is providing funding for UK-wide research into curlew conservation. \p Mary Creagh: The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s breeding birds to include curlew. The BBS is a partnership jointly funded by the British Trust for Ornithology, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

In England, Natural England’s (NE) bird research is primarily funded via its Species Recovery Programme (SRP), with more SRP funding allocated to curlew than to any other single bird species. Through SRP, NE have funded two key projects, both of which are working to increase understanding and implement conservation measures to benefit curlews.

In addition, the Curlew Recovery Partnership aims to provide co-ordination and support to those engaged in curlew conservation in England. The Partnership was set up with financial support from Defra.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the implementation of the Border Target Operating model for thoroughbred horses. \p Daniel Zeichner: Regarding the Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement, as announced at the UK-EU Leaders Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone to reduce delays and paperwork at the border. The movement of live animals is within scope of the agreement and will be considered as part of this. Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.

Regarding the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), we have been clear that compliance with the existing BTOM controls must continue until further notice, because the UK’s biosecurity and public health must continue to be protected. Where areas of the BTOM are yet to be delivered, we are in the process of reviewing our plans in response to the UK-EU Summit Common Understanding. We are aiming to share more detail on our approach soon.

Please note that there are no plans to remove the border checks that currently apply to equines entering the UK from the Rest of the World. These checks remain a vital part of our commitment to safeguarding animal health and maintaining biosecurity.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help sheep farmers from Northern Ireland to participate in UK-funded livestock (a) genomics and (b) breeding research programmes. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Farming Innovation Programme is Defra’s flagship programme for supporting research and innovation to help English farmers and growers increase productivity, sustainability and resilience. To harness expertise across our shared borders, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish companies and research organisations, and UK-wide organisations can collaborate in this programme. This includes innovation in sheep breeding to reduce methane emissions.

Defra has also funded scientific research exploring ways to reduce environmental impacts of livestock production, including research which found positive results relating to breeding sheep for reduced emissions and improved productivity (2023, 2024). Defra is also currently researching the best ways to incorporate environmental impact and productivity traits into sheep breeding across the UK.

Defra and the devolved administrations also work with the UK Genetics for Livestock and Equines Committee (UKGLE) who provide independent advice on livestock genetics including breeding.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for waste crime offences in England and Wales. \p Mary Creagh: Of the additional £5.6 million allocated to the Environment Agency (EA) this year to tackle waste crime, £2 million has allowed the EA to recruit an additional 43 operational staff and achieve focus on enforcement. Prosecution is not always the most effective way of stopping waste crime and the EA will continue to use a variety of approaches to disrupt and prevent waste crime, whilst prosecuting the worst offences and offenders, in line with its strategy for reducing crime in the waste sector.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56471 on foie gras import controls, if he will publish a timeline for the negotiations of the proposed UK-EU common veterinary agreement; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including provisions that would enable the UK to impose trade restrictions on animal products in future on public morality grounds. \p Daniel Zeichner: Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.

It is too soon to comment on the details of the negotiations. However, animal welfare is a priority for this Government. We are committed to upholding our high animal welfare standards as part of wider trade policy and will use the most appropriate tools to do so.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on animal sentience. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 already recognises vertebrate animals, decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs as sentient beings. The Act created an accountability mechanism which aims to ensure that UK Ministers have due regard to their welfare needs when formulating and implementing government policy.
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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65431, what proportion of overall costs the contracts for the construction of the border control posts allocate to payment on completion of the project. \p Daniel Zeichner: As stated in the answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65431, the Government has committed to a maximum funding allocation of £192.3 million for all the facilities at the 4 ports. Of this allocation, Defra has spent £111.3 million up to the 30 June 2025. Contractors invoice on a monthly basis for works completed within the period. Forecasts indicate that spend will be within budget.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund will support farm businesses implementing fire suppression measures on agricultural machinery. \p Daniel Zeichner: Fire suppression equipment for agricultural machinery is not currently in scope of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The Fund provides grants towards the costs of equipment to improve productivity, manage slurry and improve animal health and welfare.

There were 66 items of eligible productivity equipment in the latest round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund which closed for applications on 10 July 2025. Eligible items are assessed on their productivity and environmental benefits, and the highest scoring equipment is included – a selection process carried out with industry stakeholders.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Directive (EU) 2024/1438 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 amending Council Directives 2001/110/EC relating to honey, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK on the regulation of honey production. \p Daniel Zeichner: Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey was transposed in each of the four UK nations through the relevant domestic Honey Regulations.

Directive (EU) 2024/1438 creates additional requirements relating to country of origin labelling for blended honey and ensuring honey authenticity. The UK has a thriving and diverse honey market which gives consumers access to a wide range of products, from mono-floral varieties to single country origins as well as blended honeys, at a wide range of price points.

Directive (EU) 2024/1438 applies in Northern Ireland under Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework. The Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland recently issued a public consultation on the transposition and enforcement of Directive 2024/1438 with respect to honey which closed on 14 May 2025. The responses are currently being assessed.

At the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU agreed work towards an UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (‘SPS Agreement’) to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. The scope of the agreement remains subject to negotiation but is expected to include key marketing and compositional standards, including rules on honey. Common rules on honey would pave the way for easier and smoother trading both across the UK and with the EU.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help tackle the mis-labelling of honey products. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government takes any type of food fraud very seriously, including honey mislabelling. It recognises the importance of protecting food standards and has set minimum quality standards for many foods, including honey. All honey on sale must comply with the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 which set out detailed specifications of its composition, labelling, and quality criteria.

Defra works closely with enforcement authorities and with the National Food Crime Unit to ensure honey sold in the UK is not subject to adulteration or mislabelling, meets our high standards and maintains a level playing field between honey producers.

Defra has an active programme of research dedicated to honey authenticity testing best practice to ensure fitness for purpose and use of standardised approaches to support enforcement of honey labelling rules.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure adequate funding for Natural England to protect biodiversity on new housing developments. \p Mary Creagh: For the 2025-2026 financial year, Natural England received a total of £248 million funding from Defra to deliver their strategic aim of recovering nature for growth, health and security. In addition to this the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is due to provide up to £325,000 new funding through the New Homes Accelerator scheme, to help Natural England accelerate the processing of planning applications and secure environmental improvements.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the (a) fines and (b) other penalties levied on water companies will be used for projects to clean chalk streams. \p Emma Hardy: The Water Restoration Fund, which launched in April 2024, was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. A total of £11 million, based on fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023, will be invested into local projects to improve our waterways. Over the next two years, the Water Restoration Fund will invest over £795,000 of water company fines and penalties specifically into chalk streams.

Going forwards, this Government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the publication for the update Greening Government commitments. \p Mary Creagh: I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 30 April 2025 to Question 45716.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents involving dangerous dogs have been reported in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra does not hold this data. This information may be collected by the NHS, individual police forces or local authorities.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing minimum public safety requirements for beekeepers operating near (a) residential and (b) publicly accessible land. \p Mary Creagh: Defra provides guidance to beekeepers advising that apiaries should be sited away from neighbours, footpaths or public areas to minimise the risk of members of the public being stung. Beekeeping groups also encourage beekeepers to work with their bees in such a way that risks to the general public are kept to a minimum.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the dimensions of cages necessary for the breeding and rearing of game birds that is adequate to avoid stress. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes provides keepers with guidance on how to meet the welfare needs of gamebirds, including providing appropriate space and facilities to ensure the avoidance of stress. The code recommends that barren cages for breeding pheasants and small barren cages for breeding partridges should not be used, and that any system should be appropriately enriched. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 places a duty on keepers to ensure that the needs of an animal are met to the extent required by good practice.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers transitioning to sustainable land management. \p Daniel Zeichner: We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.

In the recent spending review, we allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history.

This means:
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Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the dumping of sewage by Southern Water in Southampton Test constituency. \p Emma Hardy: For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

The Government remains committed to reducing both the frequency and duration of storm overflow spills, in line with the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP). The SODRP will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050.

As part of Price Review 2024 (2025-30), Southern Water is investing £1.1 billion to reduce storm overflow spills by 24% by investing in 246 spill reduction schemes. As part of this cycle, 4 investigations and asset improvements are planned across the City of Southampton and a further 6 at assets that currently overflow to Southampton Water.

The Water (Special Measures) Act is introducing independent monitoring of every sewerage outlet, with water companies required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows. Discharges will have to be reported within an hour of the initial spill. This will match the pre-existing duty for storm overflows and create an unprecedented level of transparency, enabling the public and regulators to see where, and how often, overflows are discharging, and hold water companies to account. This will meet the Government commitment to ensure monitoring of every outlet.

Furthermore, the Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector. The Independent Water Commission: interim report was released on 03 June 2025. Final recommendations will be published this summer and presented to both the UK and Welsh Governments.
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Claire Hughes:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Welsh government on the cessation of the sale of horticultural peat. \p Mary Creagh: The Secretary of State discussed this matter with Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 23 June.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance to beekeepers on the use of (a) temporary signage and (b) other public warnings during hive inspections in areas accessible to the public. \p Mary Creagh: Beekeepers generally keep their bees on their property and away from areas that are accessible to the public. Defra advises beekeepers that apiaries should be sited away from neighbours, footpaths or public areas to minimise the risk of members of the public being stung. Bees can be encouraged to fly above potential hazard areas by having high walls or hedges around an apiary to minimise interaction between bees and neighbours or farm animals. When Inspectors from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit carry out hive inspections, they follow specific procedures and have a Risk Assessment that provides guidance, considerations, and control measures with regards to public health.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives of the beekeeping sector on improving public safety measures during hive management. \p Mary Creagh: Ensuring public safety is of great importance to Defra and beekeeping groups. Defra and representatives of the beekeeping sector work closely to raise awareness of the safety measures that should be in place during hive management.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on trends in the level of avian influenza outbreaks. \p Daniel Zeichner: Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved administrations to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. However, each of the four UK administrators are an integral part of the decision-making process and are represented at the National Disease Control Centre ‘bird table’ meetings. Representatives of each devolved administration also sit on both the Animal Disease Policy Group (a UK wide policy decision making group) and the joint Government – Industry Avian Influenza Core group.

Further information on the avian influenza situation and controls in Northern Ireland can be found on the DAERA-NI website at https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/avian-influenza-ai.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) increase domestic food production. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government’s commitment to farming and food security remains steadfast, which is why the Government is investing £2.7 billion a year into sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, with funding for our Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150%.

Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK Government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK

The food strategy will deliver wide ranging improvements to ensure it is able to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals. The strategy will build the resilience of national food supply to shocks and chronic risks and will be considering levels of domestic food production as part of this.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of safety protocols for beekeeping activity near (a) residential areas and (b) public rights of way. \p Mary Creagh: Defra advises beekeepers that apiaries should be sited away from neighbours, footpaths or public areas to minimise the risk of members of the public being stung. It is possible for experienced beekeepers to safely manage bees in a garden area, although usual practice is to site them well away from neighbours and fence colonies in with a hedge or panelled fencing - this encourages bees to fly higher, above the heads of anyone nearby.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance for local authorities. \p Mary Creagh: The Government is seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance. Following Royal Assent, we will carry out a consultation with relevant stakeholders including local authorities. Once the consultation has concluded and responses taken into account, we will look to publish the guidance as soon as is practical.
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Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve animal welfare in the poultry industry. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway (the Pathway) was launched in 2023 to support continual improvement in farm animal health and welfare beyond the regulatory baseline, this is a critical part of the farming reforms set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan.

Under the Pathway, eligible poultry keepers have had access to capital grants to improve flock welfare. In September 2024, the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare Grant provided funding contributions towards infrastructure projects to deliver excellent animal health and welfare. Additionally, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, which closed its third round on 10 July, offered grants of £1,000 to £25,000 for equipment tackling a range of health and welfare challenges.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve flood defences in high-risk areas. \p Emma Hardy: We inherited flood defences in their worst state on record – the condition of key flood defences in England was at the lowest it had been since the Financial Year 2009/10. Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, we’re investing a record £2.65 billion over two years (2024/25 and 2025/26) to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences.

At the Spending Review on 11 June, the Government announced a further record £4.2 billion investment over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29). This is a 5% increase on the current average. The Government’s Infrastructure Strategy announced £7.9 billion capital commitment into flood defences for the next 10 years, to March 2036.

We launched a consultation on 3 June on proposals to reform the way we fund flood and coastal defences. This will ensure funding for flood defences is distributed more effectively across the country – protecting properties across all communities, including high-risk areas.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the of puffins in the UK; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of puffins on ecology within the UK. \p Emma Hardy: Defra provides funding through JNCC to the UK-wide Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP), and the JNCC-led Seabirds Count census which provide UK-wide monitoring for seabirds, including puffins. The results are publicly available and will inform future conservation actions.

The most recent Seabirds Count census (2023) counted 474,679 pairs of puffins. Where comparable data were available, they indicated declines of 23% since 2000, reinforcing the importance of collaboration on seabird conservation.

The devolved Governments are implementing their respective seabird conservation strategies, so we continue to work together to coordinate action and data sharing.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Government’s approach to climate adaptation. \p Emma Hardy: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. Ministers and officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are working with departments on the issue of climate adaptation.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce methane emissions from agriculture through (a) dietary changes, (b) manure management, (c) innovation in feed additives and (d) other methods. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP), published in 2023, outlines measures to reduce methane in the agricultural sector and meet our Carbon Budget 4-6 commitments.

Defra is actively exploring ways to reduce methane emissions, including through scientific research into livestock management, feed, and breeding. The Government will set Carbon Budget 7 by June 2026 outlining the next phase of the UK’s net zero pathway, including future policies to further mitigate methane from agriculture.

In particular, we are supporting access to nutritious food and healthier diets through our ambitious Food Strategy. The Government respects individual dietary choices for a healthy diet, as set out by the NHS Eatwell Guide. Adherence to the Eatwell Guide has been shown to improve both health and environmental outcomes, with appreciably lower environmental impact than the current UK diet.

To support manure management, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides grants to improve farm productivity, slurry management and animal health and welfare, which contribute to methane reductions.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the deadline is for Thames Water to submit its annual review of its Water Resources Management Plan under section 37A of the Water Industry Act 1991. \p Emma Hardy: Thames Water submitted its latest annual review of its Water Resources Management Plan on 30 June 2025. This review covers the period April 2024 to March 2025. The Environment Agency and Ofwat are currently scrutinising this report.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing a heat strategy. \p Emma Hardy: The National Adaptation Programme, published in 2023, sets out in a single document the programme of actions that government is taking to address climate risk, including on overheating.
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the monitoring of per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances. \p Emma Hardy: The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment from the risks posed by PFAS. We are working across Government to assess levels of PFAS in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform our approach to policy and regulation. This includes a multi-year programme run by the Environment Agency (EA) to better understand sources of PFAS pollution in England. Part of the programme is to identify and assess the most significant sites of PFAS contamination. We are developing strategies for managing risks to the environment, and where appropriate working with partner authorities to assess and manage risk to the public.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of methane reduction measures on (a) air quality and (b) public health. \p Emma Hardy: The Government recognises that methane contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant, and is also a significant greenhouse gas. That is why the Government are taking action to drive down emissions of this pollutant.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to support the development of a public-facing data access tool to allow independent verification of water quality alerts issued by South West Water. \p Emma Hardy: It is important that the public have access to reliable information on storm overflow discharges. The Water (Special Measures) Act introduced a duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This matches the pre-existing duty for storm overflows, which was introduced on 01 January.

To support this, Water UK have launched a central hub that provides discharge data of every storm overflow in England on a single website.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment. This includes South West Water delivering £764 million of investment to reduce storm overflow spills and £55 million to install real-time monitors at high-priority sites.

Ofwat will hold water companies to account for the decisions set at the Price Review. Ofwat's claw back mechanism ensures that funding for schemes not delivered is returned to customers, by reducing bills.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many meetings ministers in his Department have had with secondary ticketing platforms since July 2024. \p Justin Madders: Details of the Department for Business and Trade’s ministerial meetings can be found at Gov.uk.