Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the response to the Stage 3 consultation on managing bottom trawl fishing in 41 English marine protected areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire on 13 November 2025, PQ 88509.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the decline in the numbers of British birds.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets which will support the recovery and conservation of native wild birds.
Nationally, government actions to restore and create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, along with projects funded through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, will support the conservation and recovery of a wide range of bird species. Within the farmland environment, Environment Land Management schemes include actions that provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for a range of bird species.
In addition, to support delivery of our statutory species targets, Defra is developing a detailed Threatened Bird Recovery Plan which aims to improve coordination, and drive the delivery, of actions to recover our most threatened bird species.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support change on ambient air quality across Government.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are determined to improve air quality and protect the public from the harm of pollution. That is why we are taking steps to reform areas like simpler industrial permitting to reduce emissions, and tightening standards for new wood burning appliances to help reduce health impacts.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of whether examples of best practice exist in England to achieve compliance with legislation and regulation to improve local air quality in each of (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra supports local authorities in implementing their statutory air quality duties by providing both resources and practical tools. A key example is the Air Quality Hub, which enables local authorities to collaborate, share best practice, and access guidance, case studies, and training materials. This platform strengthens alignment between local delivery and national objectives by ensuring that evidence, lessons learned, and emerging policy priorities are shared consistently across the local authority network.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the ten most common causes of air pollution in England in (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Data on our largest sources of air pollution emissions can be found at Emissions of air pollutants - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will to outline the governance framework for managing River Thames navigation assets, including the criteria and decision-making process for modifying lock structures and updating or creating base hydrological data.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) maintains a comprehensive network of local and national governance and assurance boards that oversee the safety, operational performance, and investment prioritisation of its navigation assets.
Public safety is the primary factor guiding navigation investment decisions, supported by the need to maintain and improve asset condition. Prioritisation of Government Grant‑in‑Aid funding for non‑tidal Thames navigation assets is informed by statutory requirements, service delivery standards, and customer benefits across varying asset types. Water level management and enhancements to navigation facilities also form core elements of the EA’s investment planning.
Hydrometry stations across the Thames are critical for managing water abstractions, river levels, and navigation operations. The hydrological data they provide helps maintain and update flood forecasting models and informs the design of new flood risk management schemes.
In the 2025/26 financial year, the EA invested £28 million across its navigation waterways, with £18.2 million invested along the Thames.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, whether funding awarded for LED lighting on fishing nets will provide research applicable to fishing in UK waters.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The funding awarded for the ‘Illuminar el Mar’ project in Ecuador through the UK’s OCEAN Grants Programme will support research applicable to fishing in UK waters. In partnership with University College London, the project will use low-cost LED bycatch-reduction technology that operates through visual deterrence. The research is designed to support global replication and will be made open access.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled A New Vision for Water, published on 20 January 2026, what estimate she has made of the number of cattle farms that could be impacted by an extension of the environmental permit regime.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government announced its intention to develop options for consultation on extension of environmental permitting to dairy and intensive beef farms through the Environmental Improvement Plan published in December last year. The Government is looking to develop a proportionate risk-based approach with requirements focussed on the most polluting farms.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the decline of British birds.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets which will support the recovery and conservation of native wild birds.
Nationally, government actions to restore and create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, along with projects funded through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, will support the conservation and recovery of a wide range of bird species. Within the farmland environment, Environment Land Management schemes include actions that provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for a range of bird species.
In addition, to support delivery of our statutory species targets, Defra is developing a detailed Threatened Bird Recovery Plan which aims to improve coordination, and drive the delivery, of actions to recover our most threatened bird species.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that water companies provide low income customers with cheaper social tariffs.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government expects water companies to ensure their customers know what support schemes are available and how to access them if they need help. Companies offer a range of support schemes for customers struggling to afford their bills, including social tariffs, WaterSure, debt support schemes, financial hardship funds, flexible payment plans and payment breaks.
All companies voluntarily offer social tariff schemes for households – each setting their own eligibility criteria and level of support. Defra is working with water companies to ensure social tariffs are more consistent and taken up by those most in need. Defra also expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030.
Additionally, the Government has committed to reforming the WaterSure scheme to extend scope and increase support to low-income households who have higher water usage due to medical needs or three or more children.