theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_101
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating patients who have contracted tuberculosis in each of the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: This information is not held centrally. NHS England captures and publishes aggregated costs, namely the average unit cost of providing defined services to NHS patients in England, and patient-level costs/PLICS, a cost based on the specific interactions a patient has, and the events related to their healthcare activity, which are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/

This provides cost information about patients who have been admitted to a hospital for treatment with a primary diagnosis of tuberculosis, rather than patients who have contracted tuberculosis in the last five years.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_102
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 46726 on Treasury: Information Officers, what the total annual cost is for the 40.9 full-time equivalent Government Communication Service professionals. \p James Murray: HM Treasury’s communications pay budget for the last financial year was £2,775,204.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_103
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Matt Vickers:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of farmers who will be impacted by changes to (a) Agriculture Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

These reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_104
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Infrastructure Strategy will support infrastructure enhancements in Lincolnshire. \p Darren Jones: The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will reduce uncertainty by bringing together a long-term plan for the social, economic and housing infrastructure across the UK

Alongside considering the UK’s economic and social infrastructure needs, the strategy will set out how we are reforming institutions and changing the way we make decisions and deliver infrastructure, maximising the benefits of our strong fiscal and spending frameworks, breaking down regulatory and planning barriers, and resetting our relationship with the private sector.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_105
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport will meet the hon. Member for Richmond Park to discuss the future of Hammersmith Bridge. \p Simon Lightwood: My officials are working with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London to progress viable options for the future of Hammersmith Bridge. I would be pleased to discuss these with the hon. Member for Richmond Park in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the British Transport Police. \p Simon Lightwood: The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.

The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing levels of funding for the British Transport Police. \p Simon Lightwood: The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.

The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.
wrans/answers2025-04-12 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-12 conversation_1

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the NHS Long Term plan target of increasing clinical trial participation for children and young people with cancer to 50% by 2025. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Department is committed to maximising our potential to lead the world in clinical trials and ensuring clinical trials are more accessible, including for children and young people. The Department does not hold data on the overall percentage of children and young people with cancer that are enrolled in clinical trials nationwide, but does collect data on participation through National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded infrastructure.

The Department funds research and research infrastructure through the NIHR. NIHR-funded infrastructure is enabling clinical trial participation for children and young people with cancer. In particular, the NIHR Clinical Research Network, now the NIHR Research Delivery Network, supported 117 cancer studies which children and young people were eligible for between 2021/22 and 2023/24, and across all these studies, 6904 total participants were recruited during this timeframe.

Through the NIHR, the Department also jointly funds the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Paediatric Cancer Network with Cancer Research UK and the Little Princess Trust, which brings together clinicians and translational scientists to run early phase clinical trials for children and young people with cancer.
wrans/answers2025-04-12 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-12 conversation_2

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) cities, (b) zones and (c) agglomerations in England exceeded the nitrogen dioxide annual mean limit value in 2023. \p Emma Hardy: Defra uses a combination of national-scale modelling and on the ground monitoring to assess nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in England each year. Evidence shows that NO2 concentrations have reduced substantially in recent years, however a reporting zone is still considered to be exceeding the NO2 limit value if a single location remains above the limit value. The cities, agglomeration and non-agglomeration zones exceeding the NO2 limit value in 2023, and the predictions of when they will become compliant with the limit value, are based on data from Defra’s national modelling and monitoring networks, and additional local monitoring data gathered by cities and towns in England and held by the Joint Air Quality Unit.

13 cities in England exceeded the annual mean limit value for NO2 in 2023. These were:

Birmingham

London

Reading

Bradford

Manchester

Sheffield

Bristol

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Stoke-on-Trent

Coventry

Nottingham

Liverpool

Portsmouth

15 out of 31 reporting zones in England were non-compliant with the annual mean NO2 limit value in 2023. This included  2 of the 8 non-agglomeration zones (South East and Eastern) and 13 of the 23 agglomeration zones. The 13 non-compliant agglomeration zones were:

Bristol Urban Area

Nottingham Urban Area

Tyneside

Coventry/Bedworth

Portsmouth Urban Area

West Midlands Urban Area

Greater London Urban Area

Reading/Wokingham Urban Area

West Yorkshire Urban Area

Greater Manchester Urban Area

Sheffield Urban Area

Liverpool Urban Area

The Potteries

Predicting when locations that are currently exceeding will comply with the limit value is inherently uncertain. We don’t hold up-to-date detailed modelled projections to predict the impact of all current policies on future NO2 concentrations, however current indicative estimates suggest the majority of locations will become compliant with the limit value within the next four years. By 2029, we estimate all zones will be compliant except Bristol Urban Area, Sheffield Urban Area, The Potteries, West Midlands Urban Area and Tyneside. These correspond to Bristol, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham, all of which we estimate will become compliant by 2032, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We expect Newcastle-upon-Tyne will be the last city to become compliant due to a localised hotspot. There is considerable uncertainty in current estimates for when this location will become compliant, but we estimate this will be by 2045, at the latest. As the road traffic fleet continues to transition to zero emission vehicles this date is likely to come forward.
wrans/answers2025-04-12 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-12 conversation_3

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when each (a) city, (b)(b) zone and (c) agglomeration in England which exceeded the nitrogen dioxide annual mean limit value in 2023 will comply with that limit. \p Emma Hardy: Defra uses a combination of national-scale modelling and on the ground monitoring to assess nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in England each year. Evidence shows that NO2 concentrations have reduced substantially in recent years, however a reporting zone is still considered to be exceeding the NO2 limit value if a single location remains above the limit value. The cities, agglomeration and non-agglomeration zones exceeding the NO2 limit value in 2023, and the predictions of when they will become compliant with the limit value, are based on data from Defra’s national modelling and monitoring networks, and additional local monitoring data gathered by cities and towns in England and held by the Joint Air Quality Unit.

13 cities in England exceeded the annual mean limit value for NO2 in 2023. These were:

Birmingham

London

Reading

Bradford

Manchester

Sheffield

Bristol

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Stoke-on-Trent

Coventry

Nottingham

Liverpool

Portsmouth

15 out of 31 reporting zones in England were non-compliant with the annual mean NO2 limit value in 2023. This included  2 of the 8 non-agglomeration zones (South East and Eastern) and 13 of the 23 agglomeration zones. The 13 non-compliant agglomeration zones were:

Bristol Urban Area

Nottingham Urban Area

Tyneside

Coventry/Bedworth

Portsmouth Urban Area

West Midlands Urban Area

Greater London Urban Area

Reading/Wokingham Urban Area

West Yorkshire Urban Area

Greater Manchester Urban Area

Sheffield Urban Area

Liverpool Urban Area

The Potteries

Predicting when locations that are currently exceeding will comply with the limit value is inherently uncertain. We don’t hold up-to-date detailed modelled projections to predict the impact of all current policies on future NO2 concentrations, however current indicative estimates suggest the majority of locations will become compliant with the limit value within the next four years. By 2029, we estimate all zones will be compliant except Bristol Urban Area, Sheffield Urban Area, The Potteries, West Midlands Urban Area and Tyneside. These correspond to Bristol, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham, all of which we estimate will become compliant by 2032, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We expect Newcastle-upon-Tyne will be the last city to become compliant due to a localised hotspot. There is considerable uncertainty in current estimates for when this location will become compliant, but we estimate this will be by 2045, at the latest. As the road traffic fleet continues to transition to zero emission vehicles this date is likely to come forward.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_1

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to protect the ecological status chalk streams in legislation. \p Emma Hardy: Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system works.

Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams, namely over abstraction, phosphorous pollution and physical modifications of habitats. Restoring our chalk streams to better ecological health is part of our overall programme of reforms for the water sector.

Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Mike Reader:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mandatory food waste reporting on the economy. \p Mary Creagh: The potential impacts of mandatory food waste reporting were assessed as part of the consultation process in 2022. As with all policies, if the policy were to be taken forward, a further assessment of costs and benefits would be published as part of the legislative process.

This Government has announced plans to publish a Circular Economy Strategy for England and is committed to transitioning to a circular economy – one that stimulates growth, reduces waste, and alleviates pressure on household bills. As this work is developed, evidence from across the economy will be considered as the interventions that may be needed are evaluated. This includes for the potential introduction of a mandatory food waste reporting requirement for large food businesses.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on conservation of red squirrels in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. \p Mary Creagh: We have not held discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the conservation of red squirrels specifically in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

The Government continues to work and engage proactively with the UK Squirrel Accord, which plays an important role in bringing stakeholders and governments across the UK together towards conserving our iconic native red squirrel species.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Natural England on the effectiveness of its guidance entitled Bats: advice for making planning decisions, last updated on 7 April 2025. \p Mary Creagh: In April 2025, Natural England (NE) published updated standing advice on protected species, including bats. This update is aligned with the Government’s radical action plan to cut red tape and kickstart growth.

The revised advice provides Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) with clearer, more accessible guidance. NE simplified the content by removing unnecessary links to lengthy documents that LPAs do not need to review when making planning decisions. The guidance now also recommends that LPAs consult qualified ecologists for specific queries related to surveys and assessments, cutting time and cost for developers.

NE will assess the need for further updates as part of their ongoing commitment to make guidance more proportionate and streamlined for stakeholders as part of its planning and regulatory reforms.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent the sale of illegal glue traps. \p Mary Creagh: The Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 bans glue trap use in England in all but the most exceptional, licensable circumstances. It came into force in 2024. Nothing in the law prevents sale of glue traps in England. However, only pest controllers with a licence can legally use them for rodent control.

Widespread media coverage in 2022 and 2024 alerted businesses to the change in legislation in England and on-going stakeholder engagement has helped ensure pest controllers acting for businesses are cognisant of the situation. The British Independent Retailers Association has also published advice for retailers to prevent glue traps from being sold for illegal use and we know of market-leading suppliers and retailers having withdrawn them from sale.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of ultra-processed foods through the implementation of the Government Food Strategy. \p Daniel Zeichner: The food strategy will identify root causes of key problems such as food poverty and unhealthy diets and articulate the outcomes we want from the food system, enabling Government, civil society, and the food industry work to shared goals and priorities. Health is one of our four priority areas. A key outcome will be more easily accessible and affordable, safe, nutritious, healthy food to tackle diet-related ill health, helping to give children the best start in life and help adults live longer healthier lives, including people on low and middle incomes. Delivering the food strategy means changing the way the food system works for the better and replacing the junk food cycle’ identified by Henry Dimbleby with a ‘good food cycle’.

The food strategy is aligned with and supports the Government programme, Plan for Change and Missions. The food sector has a crucial role to play in supporting our health Mission by tackling diet-related ill health and addressing poor diets. The government respects individual autonomy in making dietary choices and also wants to encourage food manufacturers to provide nutritious, sustainable food options and empower consumers to make informed decisions about their diets, to deliver better health outcomes for consumers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of levels of trifluoroacetic acid in (a) rivers and (b) drinking water supplies on (i) public and (ii) environmental health. \p Emma Hardy: The Drinking Water Inspectorate is undertaking a research programme to better understand the prevalence of TFA in drinking water sources across England and to assess treatment efficacy.

This work is being coordinated with colleagues in the Environment Agency (EA), DEFRA, and the Health and Safety Executive.

The EA continues to review the best available scientific evidence and has developed a methodology for analysis of TFA in environmental water to inform future priorities.

Future recommendations may include the need for further monitoring data and a revised regulatory approach.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on meeting the World Health Organization's 2021 global air quality guidelines. \p Emma Hardy: The Government is committed to cleaning up our air. We consider the World Health Organization's guidelines when reviewing our own targets and are making progress towards meeting them. We publish our progress against our current targets in the Air Pollution in the UK report each September, and last week we published updated statistics on air pollution concentrations in 2024 based on our monitoring data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to launch the digital waste tracking service; and what steps are being taken to ensure industry readiness. \p Mary Creagh: Defra plans to launch the digital waste tracking service from April 2026. Industry working groups are beginning next month and increased engagement is planned through webinars, information published on GitHub (an online platform where information and software code can be shared openly), and through inviting users to begin using the developing service from Autumn as part of our private beta phase of development.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing mandatory food waste reporting on food prices. \p Mary Creagh: There are no plans to assess the potential impact of introducing mandatory food waste reporting on food prices.

This Government has announced plans to publish a Circular Economy Strategy for England and is committed to transitioning to a circular economy – one that stimulates growth, reduces waste, and alleviates pressure on household bills. As this work is developed, evidence from across the economy will be considered as the interventions that may be needed are evaluated. This includes for the potential introduction of a mandatory food waste reporting requirement for large food businesses. As with all policies, if the policy were to be taken forward, a detailed assessment of costs and benefits would be published as part of the legislative process.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of poor air quality on marginalised communities. \p Emma Hardy: This is an issue that Defra takes seriously, which is why we commissioned our independent Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to examine the evidence on air pollution disparities across different communities and regions in the UK.

Their report demonstrates spatial differences in pollution emissions and concentrations, evidencing that low income and deprived communities often live in areas with higher air pollution concentrations and higher local emissions, and highlighting links between lower quality of housing and increased exposure to indoor air pollution.

The report provides a number of recommendations to address this complex challenge, which the department is now considering.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated by his Department to the Joint Unit for Waste Crime in the 2025-26 financial year; and whether he plans to allocate additional funding to support regional enforcement partnerships. \p Mary Creagh: In 2025/26 the Government is providing £12 million to the Environment Agency (EA) to tackle waste crime. It is for the EA to decide how much of this is directed to the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC), but in the current year it is funding 18 posts, an increase of 8 compared to 2024/25.

The EA is not the only contributor to JUWC capability; with permanent or time-limited resources being provided by other bodies.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings, published on 3 June 2025, whether consideration of changes to household water tariffs is within scope of the final report of the Commission. \p Emma Hardy: The Commission will report later in 2025 on how to tackle inherited systemic issues in the water sector to help restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health, meet the challenges of the future and contribute to economic growth.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reopening Bathing Water applications before changes including (a) core reforms and (b) wider reforms are implemented. \p Emma Hardy: The reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations will modernise the system so that it reflects how and where people use bathing waters.

We have taken the decision to reopen applications this year and published interim guidance for applicants wishing to apply for designation in 2026.

To manage this transition to the reformed Regulations we shall enact a triage system for new applications submitted in 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bathing-waters-apply-to-designate-or-de-designate/designate-a-bathing-water-guidance-on-how-to-apply.

For the wider reforms, we have begun policy development and research, including epidemiological studies, to determine how best to implement these reforms in the future, considering any potential environmental, societal and access impacts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the population status of weasels in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. \p Mary Creagh: This is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Scottish Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the annual profits generated by organised criminals who engage in waste crime. \p Mary Creagh: It is estimated that waste crime costs the UK economy around £1 billion per year. However, it is impossible to assess how much of this is “profit” for organised criminals.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that landowners are not held financially responsible for clearing fly‑tipped waste from their private land. \p Mary Creagh: We recognise the burden that clearing fly-tipped waste places on landowners. Local authorities are responsible for tackling fly-tipping in their areas. We want to see an effective enforcement strategy at the centre of their efforts to tackle the problem, and we are taking steps to help councils make good use of their powers. Doing so can help deter criminals from dumping waste in our countryside in the first place.

Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers, including prosecution. Upon conviction, compensation for the landowner’s clearance costs can be secured. While sentencing is a matter for the court, the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on presenting robust court cases. The group also helps share best practice on preventing fly-tipping on private land. These, and other practical tools, are available from their webpage at: https://nftpg.com/.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Mauritian government on the future of the Marine Protected Area surrounding the Chagos Archipelago. \p Emma Hardy: The Secretary of State for the Environment Steve Reed met the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, in the margins of the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France. They discussed the importance of the continued management and protection of the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area - an area of significant importance due to its rich biodiversity and as a refuge for endangered species.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising fixed‑penalty notice levels for fly‑tipping above the £1,000 maximum; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a publicly available league table for local authority fly‑tipping performance. \p Mary Creagh: The Government no longer publishes a league table of local authority fly-tipping performance. Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and actions to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. In assessing the figures local authorities should not be classified as ‘good’ or ‘poor’ performers based purely on numbers of fly-tips and comparisons between local authorities should be made with care.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. We want to see councils make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to help them do this, such as by reviewing their powers to seize and crush vehicles to identify and remove barriers. There are no plans to increase the fixed penalty levels at this time.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase coordination between (a) the Environment Agency, (b) local authorities and (c) police forces to tackle organised waste crime. \p Mary Creagh: The Joint Unit for Waste Crime, hosted by the Environment Agency, is a multi-agency taskforce established specifically to share intelligence and operational capability and capacity to tackle serious and organised criminality in the waste sector. When appropriate, this includes liaison and intelligence sharing with local authorities’

Since its formation in 2020 it has significantly enhanced interoperability and cooperation among criminal justice partners including the police, enabling more effective targeting of Organised Criminal Groups.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for ending the badger cull. \p Daniel Zeichner: Work has begun on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy to reduce disease rates and end the badger cull by the end of this Parliament.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_22

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to allocate funding to enable (a) local police forces and (b) community groups to use (i) ANPR cameras, (ii) roadside CCTV and (iii) drones to (A) investigate and (B) deter fly‑tipping. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has no plans to allocate funding to enable local police forces and community groups to use ANPR cameras, roadside CCTV and drones to investigate and deter fly-tipping.

Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities and countryside with local authorities usually responsible for investigating and taking enforcement action. Their enforcement powers include prosecution, fixed penalty notices of up to £1,000 and seizing vehicles of fly-tippers.

We want to see local authorities take the fight to waste criminals and we are taking steps to help them do so. For example, we have announced a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers to identify how we could help them make better use of this tool, such as by utilising existing technology like drones and mobile CCTV cameras. We are also currently taking steps to develop new guidance on fly-tipping enforcement to help local authorities across the country exercise their powers more consistently.

The procurement and positioning of ANPR cameras are operational decisions for Chief Officers. We want to see local authorities work in partnership with others, including the police, to share intelligence and bolster operational activity.

We will continue to work with the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group to highlight and share best practice with regards to tackling fly-tipping. Various practical tools, including case studies involving CCTV and a guide on establishing partnerships, are available from their website https://nftpg.com/.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_23

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce veterinary costs. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra is supportive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) conducting a full market investigation into the supply of veterinary services (including costs) for household pets in the UK. Defra cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, but we look forward to seeing the outcomes in May 2026 which will assist the work being undertaken to reform the veterinary sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_24

Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support red squirrel conservation. \p Mary Creagh: The Government is committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, including red squirrels, especially through the delivery of our biodiversity targets, which will benefit many of our native species including red squirrels.

We know that red squirrel decline is being driven by the squirrel pox virus, habitat availability and competition from non-native grey squirrels. To address these pressures, we are supporting research into grey squirrel fertility and have put management measures in place to control grey squirrels to aid red squirrel conservation.

We are considering how to go further to reduce the impacts of grey squirrels on our woodlands and red squirrel populations and shall have an update in due course.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_25

Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has (a) evaluated the outcomes of the Invasive Species Management Fund and (b) considered (i) renewing the fund, (ii) establishing a successor scheme and (iii) providing (A) funding and (B) support for National Parks to lead invasive species control activity in their areas. \p Mary Creagh: Over the last two years, Defra has funded twelve Local Action Groups (LAGs) across all regions in England to control invasive species through its Local Invasive Species Management Fund. The funding period has now come to an end and Defra is currently evaluating the outcomes of the fund. Whilst Government is unable to renew the fund or establish a successor scheme at this time, it is continuing to look for ways to support the control of widespread invasive species. For example, funding is available for invasive species control through the Environmental Land Management Countryside Stewardship scheme.

Government is providing £45.2 million of core funding to the 10 National Park Authorities. We have also extended programmes such as Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL), providing £30 million to support projects in our National Landscapes and National Parks, until March 2026.  Funding is not ringfenced for invasive species control as National Park Authorities decide their priorities locally, but since the FiPL programme launched in 2021 it has funded actions to control invasive species on around 15,000ha of land managed in Protected Landscapes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_26

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility regulations on horticultural businesses in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has worked closely with industry throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector or specific constituencies.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_27
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_27

Chris Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many visitors accessed the Environment Agency’s Swimfo bathing water quality information platform in each of the last three years; and what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of public engagement with that service. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) has provided the following figures for use of their Swimfo website in the previous three calendar years.

2022

2023

2024

Views (number of times the website has been accessed)

402,624

830,637

1,635,221

Users (number of people accessing the website)

93,920

193,243

308,567

There has been a significant increase in the public’s engagement with the EA’s Swimfo website over the last three years, totalling almost 2.9 million views over that period. In 2022, there were 402,624 views from 93,920 users. In 2023, the website was viewed 830,637 times by 193,243 users. In 2024 these figures increased to 1,635,221 views with 308,567 users. These figures were collected from users who allow cookies, which indicates that usage is expected to be significantly higher than the numbers suggest. The Environment Agency has begun a programme of work to redevelop the Swimfo website over the next few years to improve the provision of information to the public.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_28

Ms Polly Billington:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to include a strategic nature restoration programme within the Land Use Framework. \p Mary Creagh: The Government is analysing responses to the consultation on Land Use in England. The Consultation focused on the need for a strategic spatial approach to nature restoration, emissions reduction, new homes, and infrastructure.

Responses to the consultation will inform a Land Use Framework for England. The Framework will clarify the Government’s vision for land use change over the next 25 years, including the contribution a strategic spatial approach can make to nature restoration. Work is already underway to implement this strategic spatial approach from the setup of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to the revised Environment Improvement Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_29

Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Northern Ireland Executive to support sustainable agriculture. \p Daniel Zeichner: Agriculture is a devolved policy in the UK. Defra and the other UK nations work closely together through the consensus-based and well-established governance arrangements we have set up and operate under the Agricultural Support Framework. The regular meetings established under this Framework provide an opportunity for Defra and Northern Ireland Government officials to meet regularly and discuss emerging issues, share good practice, and proactively discuss and coordinate policy innovation.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_30

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he has had recent discussions with the Information Commissioner’s Office on the potential risks of using foreign-owned companies to manage cloud-based data systems in the public sector. \p Chris Bryant: The Secretary of State has not specifically discussed foreign-owned cloud-based data systems with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The ICO has discussed the compliance of cloud system rules on international transfers with government officials. The ICO will produce and update guidance during the implementation of the Data (Use and Access) Act, including around the use of processors and sub-processors which may be relevant to cloud based systems.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_32

Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his planned timetable is for implementing the reforms to the Electronic Communications Code through the Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022. \p Chris Bryant: Most reforms to the Electronic Communications Code through the Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 have already been implemented. Government is committed to implementing the remaining provisions as soon as possible.

A technical consultation on provisions from the Act that - when commenced - make changes to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and the Business Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 is open until 2 July. We expect to publish a response to this consultation later this year. The exact timeframe depends on the responses to the consultation and issues raised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_33

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Government Procurement Card spend over £500 - April 2025 (Spending by Business Units no longer part of Cabinet Office), published on 29 May 2025, what the spending at Wolleys was for. \p Feryal Clark: The expenditure at Woolley's, as recorded in the Cabinet Office’s Government Procurement Card data for April 2025, covered catering (tea and coffee) for URCON 25, the cross-government User Researcher Conference held in April 2025. The event brought together approximately 500 user researchers from across the public sector for a full day of in-person learning, collaboration, and professional development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_34

Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impacts of introducing mandatory digital identity systems in the UK on (a) privacy and (b) civil liberties. \p Feryal Clark: The Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory digital identity system.
wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_35
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-02 conversation_35

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months. \p Feryal Clark: Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.