Canal & River Trust Funding Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and
Neston) (Lab) 1. What recent discussions she has had with the Canal
& River Trust on its funding.(906483) The Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Rebecca Pow) We have had many discussions with the Canal &
River Trust over the past three years on the review of its funding,
and we are providing it with more than £400 million of
additional...Request free trial
Canal & River Trust Funding
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
1. What recent discussions she has had with the Canal & River
Trust on its funding.(906483)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
We have had many discussions with the Canal & River Trust
over the past three years on the review of its funding, and we
are providing it with more than £400 million of additional
funding between 2027 and 2037. When the trust was created in
2012, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and
the trust signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing that the
trust would have to move increasingly towards alternative sources
of funding.
In Ellesmere Port, we are proud that the Canal & River Trust
has made its headquarters there, but we are concerned about the
implications of the funding decisions, which amount to a £300
million cut in real terms over the next decade. Clearly that will
cause the trust real problems, so I urge the Minister to think
again about these decisions and to engage with the trust about
how that gap can be bridged.
We all recognise the important work and benefits that the Canal
& River Trust brings, but the £300 million cut in funding
asserted by the trust is not correct, because that includes
adjustments for inflation. Government funding does not provide
for that. We should also remember that an investment portfolio of
over £1 billion was transferred to the trust, and it gets the
benefits of the investments and the funding that accrues from
them.
Mr Speaker
I call the Member of “Rosie and Jim” fame.
(Lichfield) (Con)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. As chairman of the all-party parliamentary
group for the waterways, I share concerns about the future of our
canal network, but I am conscious of the fact that 15 years ago
when the trust was set up, the aim was for it to be
self-financing. Richard Parry, the chief executive, has discussed
with me and Ministers in the past the possibility of receiving a
lump sum, rather than a sum over 10 years. What progress has been
made on that?
I thank my hon. Friend for all the valuable work he does in that
capacity. That subject is still under discussion.
American Bully XL
(Penrith and The Border)
(Con)
2. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on
introducing the proposed ban on American Bully XL
dogs.(906484)
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Dr Thérèse Coffey)
The Prime Minister made a decision about introducing the proposed
ban on American XL Bully dogs, recognising the horrific
consequences of recent dog attacks and the disproportionate
amount of those being undertaken by such dogs. We are working at
pace on the legislation, and importantly on how it will be put
into practice, and I hope to say more on that soon.
Dr Hudson
I thank the Secretary of State for her answer. As a veterinary
surgeon, I strongly agree with the Prime Minister, the Home
Secretary and the Secretary of State that we need to ban the
dangerous American XL Bully dog as soon as possible to keep
people and other animals safe. Does my right hon. Friend agree
that in parallel to this necessary urgent action, we need to
undertake important work with the public on responsible dog
breeding, responsible dog ownership and better training and
socialising of dogs as part of a holistic, long-term solution to
dog attacks?
Dr Coffey
My hon. Friend has great credibility in this field, given his
professional experience as a vet. I understand that many owners
of XL Bully dogs are passionate about their animals—their pets.
That is why we are working at pace, but taking our time to get
right the definitions and the transition period that we
anticipate. It is important that all dog owners work to make sure
that their dogs behave and have appropriate training. That is why
we established a taskforce that includes dog welfare charities.
We expect it to respond to us by the end of the year, and we will
potentially take forward some of its recommendations.
(Strangford) (DUP)
As someone who has had a pet dog all my life and still does, I am
conscious that some of those who own American XL Bully dogs think
that their dogs are integral and safe, but many in the general
public see them as a danger and have fear. Is the Secretary of
State’s intention, as this process goes forward in Westminster,
to engage with the Northern Ireland Assembly and the police, in
particular, to ensure that the law and the recommendations that
come out of this place can be shared with them?
Dr Coffey
The hon. Gentleman is right to recognise owners’ concerns where
they believe that they have very good dogs. That is to some
extent accommodated already in the legislation that has evolved
since 1991. On working with other nations, the law—the primary
legislation—will apply in both England and Wales by default, but
we are working with the Scottish Government and the Northern
Ireland Administration on potential moves to make this a UK-wide
approach.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Newport West) (Lab)
I listened carefully to the answers the Secretary of State gave
to both hon. Members, but I am still not reassured that she has
the planned legislation in place to ban XL Bully dogs
effectively. Is she satisfied that we have the kennel space
across the UK, enough vets to make assessments, and clear rules
and legislation in place to make the ban effective?
Dr Coffey
The hon. Lady asks a fair question. The legislation has evolved
since 1991, with amendments made to the primary legislation in
1997 and in the Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and
Wales) Order 2015. In that, there is a combination of work with
the police in particular and with local councils and, of course,
the judicial system. We have been working closely with my right
hon. Friend the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire to take the
matter forward. I want to ensure that the legislation is right. I
am expecting to present two statutory instruments to make it
effective, with one bringing the ban into effect and the other
providing the transition element and some of the finer details
that still need to be completed.
Resources and Waste Strategy: Extended Producer
Responsibility
(Stockton North) (Lab)
3. Whether she plans to publish a new timeline for key milestones
on (a) extended producer responsibility for packaging and (b)
other measures in the 2018 resources and waste strategy for
England. (906485)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
In July, we announced the deferral of the producer payments under
the extended producer responsibility scheme, moving them to
October 2025. I must say that that was at the request of
industry, which asked for more time so that it could prepare. We
remain fully committed to delivering the programme to the
timeline. The Government continue to deliver obligations set out
in the 2018 resources and waste strategy, and we recently
published “Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste”, which is
England’s waste prevention programme. On 1 October, we also
expanded our ban on certain single-use plastic items.
I am grateful for that comprehensive answer. No one should
underestimate the critical role of recycling, but, as I am told
by the Green Alliance, it is critical that it is economically
viable for the industry, which is worried about the increased
costs of waste separation in the Government’s proposals. I accept
what the Minister said, but will she confirm whether her
Department’s upcoming simpler recycling proposals will retain
commitments for recycling to be separated at home?
Details of the simpler recycling system will be announced
shortly, but I can tell the House that it will mean that all
local authorities will collect the same materials. Of course, as
we have always said, food waste will have to be collected
separately. It will also be flexible. This has all been discussed
with local authorities.
Food System: Health and Sustainability
(Bristol East) (Lab)
4. What steps she is taking to support a healthy and sustainable
food system.(906486)
The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries ()
The Government’s food strategy set out longer-term measures to
support a resilient, healthier and more sustainable food and
farming system. In May, the Prime Minister’s farm to fork summit
built on that with a focus on how we can work together to support
a thriving UK food and farming industry. The summit focused on
innovation, skills and labour, and on rolling out the new farming
schemes to ensure fairness across the supply chain to boost
exports and support energy and water security, as well as to
reduce red tape.
Every year, post-farm gate, 9.5 million tonnes of food that could
have provided more than 15 billion perfectly edible meals is
wasted. That also has a massive carbon footprint. Given that
DEFRA’s impact assessment concluded that mandatory food waste
reporting would result in
“financial benefits to business and significant environmental
benefits”
and is backed by many retailers, including Tesco
why have the Government dropped their plans?
We are working closely with retailers to try to reduce food waste
and will continue to do that. The hon. Member will recognise that
a vast amount of food waste occurs within the domestic home, and
we can do more to help and support consumers to make the most of
the food they purchase. We will continue to work with primary
producers, retailers and consumers to reduce food waste wherever
we can.
(New Forest West) (Con)
Sustainability is top of our agenda in the New Forest, and the
national park authority is keen to discuss opportunities for it
with the Minister. I have sent him an invitation—will he
come?
I am excited to have an opportunity to visit the New Forest. As
soon as my diary allows, I will hot-foot it down there to meet my
right hon. Friend.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Cambridge) (Lab)
To maintain that healthy, sustainable food system, farmers need a
level playing field, so when the right hon. Member for North East
Somerset (Sir ) made his recent comments
about the benefits of importing hormone-injected beef, it sent a
shudder through the industry. This time last year, he was at the
very top of Government, alongside the Secretary of State. Given
the Minister’s long experience in Government, can he tell us how
many others at the top of his Government privately harbour that
view?
The gentleman at the top of Government —the Prime Minister—has
been absolutely clear and explicit that we will not accept
hormone-produced beef at any point in the future, nor will we
accept chlorinated chicken. He has the backing and support of
British farmers, and he will do everything he can to help and
support them.
Water Companies: Water Pollution and Overflows
(Gedling) (Con)
5. What steps her Department is taking to require water companies
to help reduce water pollution and unsatisfactory
overflows.(906487)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
I am pleased that my hon. Friend has asked that question, because
no Government in history have taken a more comprehensive approach
to tackling water pollution. This Conservative Government are
delivering more investment, stronger regulation and tougher
enforcement to tackle every source of water pollution. Under our
storm overflows discharge reduction plan, £60 billion is targeted
at cleaning up storm sewage overflows. Thanks to our monitoring,
we know what is happening and we are able to take action. Let me
remind Members that there was virtually no monitoring under the
Labour Government. This Government are setting the record
straight.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that answer. The Liberal
Democrats pretend that we can fix storm overflows in 48 hours and
Labour has an undeliverable sewage plan, so it is unsurprising
that sewage is discharged more often in socialist-run Wales. Can
my hon. Friend confirm that it is only the Conservatives’ plan
for water that is credible, costed and comprehensive?
As ever, my hon. Friend is right on the button. We are the only
party with a costed, credible plan to tackle this issue, and we
uncovered it. If Labour had a plan, it would be using it in
Wales. We have just heard how serious the illegal sewage
discharges are in Wales. We have discovered that not only has
Natural Resources Wales not carried out any enforcement, but it
has not issued any fines at all on this subject—nothing. And the
Liberals do not have any plans.
Mr Speaker
Order. We will get through these questions. I have to get to a
certain number and I have not yet called the Chair of the Select
Committee, and you are not helping me.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
Like many of my constituents, over the summer I took advantage of
the relatively warm temperatures in the North sea to enjoy
swimming off our coast. Should my constituents and I worry about
the quality of the water due to the practices of water companies?
Is it not time for Labour’s plan for automatic fines for
discharges?
Ninety three per cent of bathing water around our coast is good
or excellent. It is a tremendous record.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Committee.
Sir (Scarborough and Whitby)
(Con)
Scarborough’s South bay is included in the 7% of bathing water
without a blue flag. North Yorkshire Council recently convened a
taskforce of local politicians, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire
Water and others, including academics from Durham University, to
look at the problem. It became clear that it is not as simple as
many people think. Discharges come from further north around the
bay, and pathogens were picked up not only from human effluent
but from sea birds, dogs and ruminants. Will the Minister take a
personal interest in that work, because lessons learned in
Scarborough may well apply around the country?
My right hon. Friend highlights that the issue is not as simple
as people think. That is why our plan for water takes a holistic
approach to tackling all sources of water pollution. It is also
why we launched our £34 million slurry fund to help farmers
reduce the pollution that they may inadvertently put into
watercourses.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
I have never heard such codswallop in all my time in the House. I
was born by the Thames and I love the rivers, and I have to say
to the Minister that I have seen no Government in history who
have put more sewage into our streams, rivers and oceans than
hers since the privatisation of water.
I had a meeting about the Thames tideway tunnel yesterday. That
amazing project has already increased wildlife so extraordinarily
at the end by the Lee tunnel that there are kingfishers, otters
and all kinds of other creatures there. When the tunnel is
finished, it will be the biggest single means of cleaning up the
Thames that has ever been put in place. It is this Government,
through a special tool of private-public funding, who are
enabling that.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Croydon North) (Lab/Co-op)
Last year, this Government oversaw record levels of illegal
sewage discharges into our rivers and waterways after they cut
enforcement, and then they let the water bosses reward themselves
for that failure with nearly £10 million in bonuses while hiking
bills for consumers. Labour believes that the polluter, and not
the consumer, should pay. Will the Government adopt Labour’s plan
and give the regulator the power it needs to block water bosses’
bonuses if they keep illegally pumping toxic filth into our
rivers?
I have already said that Labour has not costed its plan, which
has no credibility whatsoever. We have already changed regulation
and the tools that Ofwat and the EA can use. No dividends or
bonuses can be paid out at all if there is any environmental
damage, and there are more fines than ever before. There were no
fines under the Labour Government; indeed, they were taken to
court by the European Commission for polluting water, and they
did nothing about it. This Government introduced the monitoring,
and that is why we know what is happening and why we have the
biggest criminal investigation in the history of water under
way.
Fishing Communities
(Hastings and Rye)
(Con)
6. What steps she is taking to support fishing
communities.(906489)
The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries ()
The Government are supporting communities by opening new
fisheries for spurdog and bluefin tuna, accelerating action to
protect valuable non-quota stocks through the first fisheries
management plans, and protecting stocks by better controlling
fly-seiners, and we have brought about increased benefit through
reform of the economic link.
Off the coast of beautiful Hastings and Rye, fishermen are
suffering the impact on their fishing of a growing seal colony.
Due to the nature of the fishing—small boats leave their nets in
the water—sound systems to deter seals are not appropriate. What
steps is the Minister taking to ensure that the presence of seals
does not result in the decimation of our fishing communities, let
alone the fish?
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who is a tenacious campaigner
for her fishing community. We are working alongside the Marine
Management Organisation to assess non-lethal seal deterrent
options to keep seals away from fishing catches, and we will
publish an evidenced report on targeted acoustic startle
technology later this year. We are also considering the next
steps, including for net fisheries, under our Clean Catch
programme. The special committee on seals provides formal
scientific advice to the Government on behalf of the Natural
Environment Research Council on the management of seal
populations under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 and the
Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Its reports include seal population
data based on extensive regional surveys and form the foundation
for monitoring our UK marine strategy.
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
I wonder whether the Minister has seen the video footage that is
doing the rounds of the recent incident involving the Spanish
longliner Antonio Maria trying to ram the Shetland whitefish boat
Defiant; in fact, it put out a rope to foul its propeller. The
footage is truly shocking, but the real scandal is that this is
not the first time it has happened; it is at least the third
documented incident in recent times. This will keep happening
unless something is done to stop it, so will the Minister speak
to his colleagues in the Department for Transport and the Foreign
Office to make sure that France, as the flag state with
enforcement powers in this case, takes its responsibility
seriously?
I have seen that footage. It is truly shocking. This was a
deliberate act to try to sabotage a UK fishing boat. It was
outrageous behaviour. As the right hon. Gentleman identifies,
enforcement is difficult, because the incident involved a Spanish
boat under a French flag, but given the seriousness of the event
I will most certainly raise it with my ministerial
colleagues.
Community Farming Projects
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
7. What steps her Department is taking to support community
farming projects. (906490)
The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries ()
We welcome community farms in England, because they give local
communities a chance to become involved in the countryside. Like
any other farm, they may be eligible for a variety of grants
enabling smaller farms to be supported more fairly. We have
introduced a sustainable farming incentive management payment,
and we have also extended the farming in protected landscapes
fund until March 2025. The fund is open to farmers in national
parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, allowing them to
deliver projects to support nature, climate, people and
places.
Figures from a social return on investment study show that every
£1 invested in a community farm is worth £9 of community benefits
through food production, new skills and community resources. In
my constituency, for instance, Lauriston Farm is investing in a
community orchard and gardens, outdoor learning and a community
kitchen to help people pick up new skills and produce affordable
food. Does the Minister agree that in a cost of living crisis it
is critically important for people to have access to such
facilities, and that more needs to be done to help small
community projects to maximise their potential?
I pay tribute to those who are involved in that community
project. As the hon. Lady will know, agriculture is devolved to
the Scottish Government, and I hope they will use some of the
£620 million a year that they are given to support Scottish
farmers. I am sure she will be a tenacious campaigner in holding
the SNP Government to account.
Flood-risk Areas: Rural Communities
(Shrewsbury and Atcham)
(Con)
8. What steps her Department is taking to protect rural
communities in flood-risk areas. (906491)
(Stafford) (Con)
10. What steps her Department is taking to protect rural
communities in flood-risk areas. (906494)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
The Government’s six-year £5.2 billion flood investment programme
benefits both urban and rural communities. Approximately 40% of
schemes and 45% of investments are being directed at rural
communities, which have benefited from our frequently flooded
fund, our natural flood management fund and our flood and coastal
innovation programmes.
The Minister has visited Shrewsbury a number of times at my
invitation, and has heard at first hand from the River Severn
Partnership, which is trying to find a holistic solution to the
problems of managing Britain’s longest river rather than just
creating flood barriers which push the problem downstream. When
can give us more information and an update on the resources being
afforded to the partnership to support landowners and others who
can be part of that solution?
I thank my hon. Friend for the great work that he does with the
partnership. Both the Secretary of State and I have visited his
constituency. There are funds available: the £25 million for
natural flood management schemes may be of interest to farmers,
and the environmental land management schemes include provisions
for temporary storage capacity on farms.
In the autumn, storm overflows are inevitable, and my
constituents are holding their breath as they wonder whether
their homes will be flooded once again. I understand from
speaking to residents that it is very unclear whom they should
call when that occurs, so will the Minister look again at setting
up a national flood line that can be called at any time, and
ensure that it is connected to a local flood centre that will be
accountable for a response from local services?
I have visited my hon. Friend’s constituency, and I know that she
has done a great deal of work on the issue of flooding. The
Environment Agency works in partnership with the Met Office to
provide an online “checking for flooding” service, which is
operating today to deal with Storm Babet. Members of the public
can check the flood risk, find advice and guidance on how to
prepare for flooding, and sign up for warnings on the gov.uk
site.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
I listened carefully to the Minister’s response, and I noted that
she did not mention the National Infrastructure Council’s report,
commissioned by the Government a year ago, which stated that an
extra 190,000 homes were at risk of flooding—not because of
climate change, but because of the Government’s failure to
maintain existing flood defence assets. When the Government
cannot even get the basics right, how can anyone possibly trust
them to have the answers to the ever-increasing flood risk that
our country faces?
That is exactly the Environment Agency’s duty, and it works very
hard on the asset management side of our flood assets, which are
a very large proportion of our £5.2 billion fund.
Sewage Discharges
(Blaydon) (Lab)
9. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the steps
taken by her Department to prevent sewage discharges.
(906493)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
We have gone further and faster than any Government in history to
drive down sewage discharges. Last month we published our £60
billion plan, which sets stringent targets to reduce sewage
discharges. Those targets will prioritise action at target sites.
What did Labour do? It did nothing when it was in power.
Water companies need stable finances to make improvements. In
December 2022, Ofwat outlined concerns about the financial
resilience of several water companies. What has the Minister done
to mitigate the risks, and what will she be doing in future?
The Ofwat report on sewage discharges, published in September,
was extremely disappointing. I have written to all the water
companies that were highlighted as lagging, and I have written to
all the CEOs to say that I want to meet them in person. I have
also written to the CEO and chair of Ofwat to ask how they will
hold these water companies to account.
(Truro and Falmouth)
(Con)
This Government introduced monitoring, so we now know the state
of the problem. The water companies are now engaging and Ofwat
has powers to put financial pressure on them. Given that only 4%
of sewage overflows in Scotland are monitored, does this not show
that we are progressing it in the right way and that the
nationalisation of water companies is not the way to go?
I agree with my hon. Friend.
Food Affordability and Inflation
(Livingston) (SNP)
11. What recent assessment she has made of the impact of
inflation on the affordability of food. (906495)
The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries ()
In September 2023, the consumer price index was at 12.2%, down
from 14.8% in July. Industry analysis expects that food price
inflation will continue to decrease over the remainder of 2023.
The Government are providing an average of £3,300 per household
to support them with the cost of living this year and next.
The West Lothian food bank in my Livingston constituency does an
incredible job, just like food banks across the UK, but the
reality is that it should not even have to exist. Folk are
struggling more than ever, which is why the SNP has called on the
UK Government to control supermarket price gouging, amid record
profiteering, by introducing a price cap on staples such as bread
and milk. Will the Minister help all our constituents by getting
on with doing that?
If the hon. Lady compares the price of a shopping basket around
Europe with the price here in the UK, she will see that the free
market is doing a lot of work to suppress food inflation. We have
a cheaper food basket than they have in France and Germany. She
is, in effect, advocating communism. She should look at how that
works around the world. Controlling those markets does not
work.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Coatbridge, Chryston and
Bellshill) (SNP)
Prior to the Westminster crisis that has been inflicted on us all
by the Tory party, a loaf of wholemeal bread cost £1.01. Even
after a slight drop in food prices, the price is now 20% higher.
We know the farmers are not benefiting from these price
increases. The price of milk in supermarkets today is almost
twice what we pay the farmers for their product. Why will the
Government and the Secretary of State not consider price caps to
stop the supermarkets profiteering and to help ensure that basic
essentials are not beyond the reach of many people?
We have done an enormous amount of work in this area to help to
support primary producers and farmers. We will legislate in the
dairy sector to help to make sure those contracts are fair, and
to make sure we have fairness across the supply chain. The hon.
Gentleman is advocating the control of market prices, which would
have exactly the opposite effect of what he wants to achieve. It
would drive up prices across the country, and we would end up in
a far worse place.
Topical Questions
(Kettering) (Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(906501)
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Dr Thérèse Coffey)
The Met Office has issued various warnings. Indeed, as the
Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (), pointed out, we are preparing
for potentially significant storms, which is why the Environment
Agency has mobilised its emergency operations centre and why
temporary defences are being lined up in different parts of the
country. We continue to encourage households to register for
flood alerts and warnings and to take action, where
appropriate.
Mr Hollobone
Ball Corporation has invested £200 million to create Europe’s
largest and most modern aluminium drinks can manufacturing plant
in Burton Latimer. Will the Secretary of State be kind enough to
meet the company to explore her plans to support drinks can
producers against potentially unfair market distortions as a
result of the decision to exclude glass from the deposit return
scheme?
Dr Coffey
I decided not to proceed with glass in the DRS because of the
complications that would bring to its introduction; I would have
thought his local company would benefit from that. However, I
know that the chief executive recently had a constructive and
useful meeting with the recycling Minister, the Under-Secretary
of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend
the Member for Taunton Deane (), who will take away the
comments from that for further consideration as we finalise our
policy.
(Sheffield, Hallam) (Lab)
T2. I have received a host of emails from constituents, many with
respiratory problems, who are rightly complaining about poor air
quality. The smoke in the air was caused by heather burning on
the moors, which resulted in a spike in poor air quality to
levels that were four times the legal limit. Will the Government
finally do the right thing and bring in an outright ban on these
practices, which are affecting not only my constituents’ health,
but the natural environment and the climate?(906503)
Dr Coffey
The hon. Lady will be aware of the action that has been
taken—that Ministers required Sheffield City Council to take—to
accelerate measures to improve air quality. On the wider measures
that she talks about, we are not seeking to ban important
practices, but of course things continue to evolve. Air quality
is improving and she should be grateful not only to her local
councils but to the Government for making that happen in her
constituency.
(South West Bedfordshire)
(Con)
T4. Dunstable downs rotary club is paying for 4,000 trees to be
planted at Chute wood, on Dunstable downs. Will the Minister
commend this action and commend other organisations to do
likewise, given the crucial importance of tree planting in
combating climate change?(906506)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
That was worth the wait! I will absolutely commend Dunstable
downs rotary club, and the work that this Government are
undertaking, because trees are essential. They are the larder and
the shelter for our wildlife. They are vital for our ecosystem.
They protect us from flooding, prevent us from overheating and
are at the forefront of this Government’s plan for the
environment. That is why we are rolling out local nature recovery
strategies to support more good volunteering in our local
authorities.
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
Will the Minister give an update on work that is taking place to
alleviate the impact of avian influenza?
The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries ()
Work is ongoing on avian influenza. The hon. Gentleman will be
aware that we have suffered two years of catastrophic effects of
that disease. Animal and Plant Health Agency vets are working
round the clock with primary producers to protect their flocks. I
do not want to jinx myself, but at the moment we are making good
progress. We will continue to work hard with the sector to
protect it and ourselves from that terrible disease.
(North West Hampshire) (Con)
As the Secretary of State knows, my constituency is chalk stream
central, with the headwaters of the celebrated River Test, the
Bourne rivulet and the River Anton, which runs through Andover.
What can the Government tell me to reassure my constituents that
the unique ecology of chalk streams is uppermost in their mind as
they work to enhance our rivers across the country?
Dr Coffey
As my right hon. Friend knows, I know that area well. I used to
live in Whitchurch, which has the River Test flowing through it.
We are making progress with our chalk stream action plan, but he
will also be aware of the amendment that the Government agreed to
work with on and which is now part
of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, which I hope will
become an Act very soon.
(Caithness, Sutherland and
Easter Ross) (LD)
Some of the finest seed potatoes are grown in the north of
Scotland. Right now, the seed potato farmers are worried sick,
because a lot of their crop is below water. That also poses a
question mark over the supply of seed for next year. I know that
this matter is devolved, but as the Minister is a farmer will he
put the maximum encouragement in the direction of the Scottish
Government to please help the farmers?
The hon. Gentleman has done that with his question. I do not
diminish the effect that the rain is having on the seed potato
crop; once seed potato is under water for more than a week it
will probably be destroyed. Scottish seed potatoes are some of
the finest seed produced anywhere in the world and I encourage
him to seek contact with the Scottish Government to get them to
help.
(Dewsbury) (Con)
Kirklees Council is looking to invest in its food waste recycling
strategy, in line with the Environment Act 2021, but it is still
waiting for full clarification and details that support that
legislation. Will the Minister advise as to when that will be
sent to councils?
That clarification will be coming very soon and within it the new
simpler recycling approach will include mandatory collection of
food waste.
(Angus) (SNP)
Publicly owned Scottish Water has invested £668 million since
2010 in improvements and committed another half a billion pounds
between 2021 and 2027. That is why Scottish Water has had its
product—the waters around Scotland—classified as being in “good
ecological condition”. Why do English bill payers pay the most
and get the mankiest water?
Dr Coffey
The hon. Gentleman is wrong about that. There is a lot of chatter
about water; we should never undermine the cleanliness of the
drinking water that people enjoy. The interministerial group is
working on different ways of measuring ecological status across
the United Kingdom and we are looking to see what we might do
about that. We made the change in 2016, which other parts of the
United Kingdom did not, and we continue to work together as
responsible Governments. I remind the hon. Gentleman, only 4% of
storm overflows in Scotland are monitored—they would be better
off getting on with that.
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