Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer to Question UIN 118386, answered on 11 March 2026, how many incidents of sewage discharges occurred in Sherwood Forest constituency in 2025; and which rivers and bodies of water were most affected.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Data for 2025 is not yet available. We expect this to be published by April 2026.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will issue guidance to (a) the Environment Agency and (b) local authority officers setting out their respective powers to (i) identify an odour and (ii) take enforcement action against an alleged producer of an odour.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Owners of industrial, trade and business premises are expected to use the best practicable means available to reduce odours, effluvia and other potential sources of statutory nuisance emanating from their place of work in the first place. If this is not happening, then Local Authorities have powers through the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to investigate and issue abatement notices to stop the problem from re-occurring if they determine a statutory nuisance exists.

For certain categories of industrial installations regulated under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPR), the Environment Agency (EA) and Local Authorities regulate odour pollution through conditions in environmental permits. Operators of these sites have to use appropriate measures or best available techniques (BAT or UKBAT where it exists) to develop management controls to prevent, or, where that is not possible, to reduce odour pollution.

The EA uses permitting and enforcement tools to tackle odour pollution from the sites it regulates. These are used on a sliding scale ranging from advice and guidance to criminal prosecutions for serious pollution incidents, principally through powers from the EPRs.

Statutory guidance, which is updated from time to time, is already available for the EA and local authorities on how the EPRs should be implemented.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on incorporating (a) evidence on the maternal and neonatal risks from extreme heat and (b) measures to protect pregnant people and infants during heatwaves into the UK’s National Adaptation Programme.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working across Government to reset the climate adaptation framework and safeguard people, livelihoods, and the natural environment. Defra is setting stronger objectives and improving governance and monitoring, to help the Government turn evidence into action.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)recognise there are risks to pregnant women caused by exposure to extreme high temperatures, set out in the Adverse Weather and Health Plan Equity Review and Impact Assessment 2024. This includes an assessment on stillbirth, pre-term birth and maternal health complications.

UKHSA provides a weather-health alerting system for England, which alerts the public (including specific vulnerable groups such as pregnant women) and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including high temperatures. Risks to health are communicated via heat-health alerts.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether the £6 million payout from Perenco for the oil spill in Poole Harbour is adequate to offset environmental harm.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The £6 million figure covers the pollution cleanup, compensation for verified claims, collaboration with the relevant authorities to develop and implement a remediation plan, and funding for local environmental improvement projects in the Poole Harbour area.

It does not include lost income while the pipeline was out of operation, nor the additional upgrades made on-site to reduce the risk of a similar incident in the future.

An Enforcement Undertaking (EU) undergoes a rigorous review at both local and national levels within the Environment Agency to ensure it complies with policy, is applied consistently across the country, and accurately reflects the seriousness of the pollution and the operator’s level of responsibility.

Here are the Impact Reports published following oil spill by Poole Harbour Commissioners.

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 help protect seabirds from offshore energy infrastructure.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Offshore wind developers must show how they will avoid and mitigate impacts on protected seabirds, and provide compensatory measures where impacts remain. Within this context, the government is delivering the Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package to de-risk and accelerate offshore wind consenting whilst protecting marine habitats and species, including seabirds. The package includes developing environmental standards, establishing a Marine Recovery Fund to deliver compensation at a strategic level and a strategic, ecosystem- based monitoring framework to strengthen understanding of environmental impacts on vulnerable bird species.

We have also established a Seabird Conservation Coordination Group, comprising government, experts, environmental NGOs and industry representation. This group is helping to coordinate, monitor and drive delivery of actions for seabirds across our programmes of work in England. We are working with devolved governments on next steps, as they implement their respective seabird conservation strategies.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to undertake a Special Protection Area review for the Marine Protected Area network for seabirds.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As part of the England Marine Protected Area (MPA) network review we are considering designations and MPA protection for seabirds. The review is mapping hotspots of seabird activity in English seas to understand how these relate to current Special Protection Areas (SPAs). This work will help to inform next steps for our approach to designations for seabirds.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the potential merits of incorporating (a) evidence on the maternal and neonatal risks from extreme heat and (b) measures to protect pregnant people and infants during heatwaves into the UK’s National Adaptation Programme.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working across Government to reset the climate adaptation framework and safeguard people, livelihoods, and our natural environment. Defra is setting stronger objectives and improving governance and monitoring, to help Government turn evidence into action.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recognises that there are risks to pregnant women caused by exposure to extreme high temperatures which are set out in the Adverse Weather and Health Plan Equity Review and Impact Assessment 2024. This includes an assessment on stillbirth, pre-term birth and maternal health complications.

UKHSA provides a weather-health alerting system for England, which alerts the public (including specific vulnerable groups such as pregnant women) and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including high temperatures. Risks to health are communicated via heat-health alerts.

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 the Office for Environmental Protection’s report entitled Investigation Report addressed to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to their compliance with the Water Industry Act 1991 and the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 regarding the regulation of network combined sewer overflows, published in December 2025, whether her Department accepts that report’s findings that there have been failures to comply with environmental law by (a) her Department, (b) Ofwat and (c) the Environment Agency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) concluded its investigation in December 2025 and is taking no further action due to the significant progress that has been made by Defra, Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA). This progress includes:

• Defra replacing outdated guidance with a new policy and guidance document that better reflects the legal duties of sewerage undertakers
• Ofwat revisiting its enforcement guidance and taking enforcement action against several water companies
• The EA updating its Storm Overflow Assessment Framework, whilst progressing with plans to modernise permits and introduce spill limits
• Progress on cross-cutting issues, such as the clarification of roles and responsibilities between the authorities.

The OEP stated that, throughout the investigation, all public authorities engaged constructively, with a focus on the outcome of protecting the environment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on flood defence investment in each year since 2021; what proportion of that annual spending was allocated to (a) Environment Agency capital schemes and (b) Environment Agency grant in aid schemes delivered by (i) local authorities and (ii) other risk management authorities; and how many properties were better protected in each of those years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On March 17^th, Minister Hardy announced that this Government is investing £1.4 billion into flood risk management in England in 2026/27. Flood defence investment allocations for schemes benefitting are published on gov.uk here: Programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) schemes - GOV.UK .

Funding for FCERM in England.

Flood and coastal erosion risk management report.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of producing toxic herbicides that are banned for use in the UK on the export of such products.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK works internationally to manage the export and safe use of pesticides. The UK is party to the Rotterdam Convention, a multilateral treaty that promotes shared responsibilities and information sharing in relation to the international trade of hazardous chemicals. We strongly support science-based listings of hazardous pesticides under the convention.

The Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regime in Great Britain (GB) regulates the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals, including pesticides banned for use in GB. Companies intending to export any of these substances from GB must notify the importing country via the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the explicit consent of the importing country is required before export can take place. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows importing countries to make informed decisions on import, handling and safe use.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the new integrated water regulator for England will be formally established.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has set out its ambition to create a powerful new water regulator, bringing together the relevant functions from the existing regulators (Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and Natural England) into one new body. This will replace the current fragmented system with one regulator capable of integrated management of the water system.

We will legally establish the new regulator as soon as possible following passage of a water reform bill, which we intend to bring forward during this parliament. We will introduce the bill when parliamentary time allows.

Until the single water regulator is fully established the existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions and enforcement responsibilities in full.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her department has set a date by which it aims to have ended operator self-monitoring in the water industry.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We want to move away from Operator Self‑Monitoring because the current system does not provide the transparency or independent assurance the public expects. As set out in the Water White Paper, we are working with regulators on how best to transition to an open, independently verified monitoring model. We will set out further detail once this work is complete.

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 the potential impact of not commencing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 on sewer capacity and storm overflow discharges.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Pre-pipe drainage and wastewater solutions, such as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), alleviate pressure on the sewerage system by reducing the volume of rainwater and pollutants entering the system. This approach has benefits for communities, the environment, flood prevention and urban development.

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of SuDS. In December 2024, we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to support increased delivery of SuDS.

The Government consulted on a revised National Planning Policy Framework – including for flood risk and SuDS – and, separately, on proposals to increase adoption of shared amenities, with planned guidance to ensure lifetime maintenance.

In June 2025, the Government introduced new national standards for SuDS. Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

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 the impact of the statutory right to connect new developments to the public sewer network on storm overflow discharges.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working together with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the right to connect for water supply and to the sewerage system supports the Government’s housing delivery objectives and enables sustainable development.

The Government is committed to taking a systematic approach to tackling the issues with drainage and wastewater. This includes a real focus on tackling the root causes of sewage pollution.

We will enable a step change to allow for more ‘pre-pipe’ solutions to reduce the volume of rainwater and pollutants entering the sewerage system. This includes better rainwater management, including sustainable drainage systems, and tackling sewer misuse.

This approach will have benefits for communities, the environment, flood prevention and urban development, ensuring policies and services work better together to deliver real benefits for people and nature. It will also enable economic growth, creating headroom for new development, and create opportunities to alleviate pressures on water supply.

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 increase accountability in the water sector.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For too long, water companies paid out billions in dividends while pumping sewage into our rivers. This Government is ending that. The Water White Paper creates a single regulator, prevention-focused enforcement, and tougher laws: banning bonuses for failure and ensuring water works for customers, not just shareholders.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers received payments under the Sustainable Farming Incentive for buffer strip actions in the previous scheme year.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In the 2025 scheme year a total of 4,894 farm businesses received at least one payment for buffer strip actions delivered under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to ensure the safe disposal of electric vehicle batteries at the end of their life.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are classed as industrial batteries under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, which requires producers of industrial batteries to offer free take back upon request from end users.

The Office of Product Safety and Standards is the regulator for waste industrial batteries and investigates reported instances of failure by producers to take back end of life EV batteries.

The Government is committed to effective end-of-life management for batteries and is engaging with industry and other stakeholders to inform a review of the UK batteries regulations, including obligations on producer responsibility for end-of-life EV batteries.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will introduce cat breeding regulations which ban the breeding of cats with extreme characteristics which could have a detrimental effect on (a) their (i) health and (ii) welfare and (b) that of their offspring.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out thepriorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.

As set out in the strategy, the Government’s priority is to improve compliance with the existing rules and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector and help to drive up standards. This will inform whether any further action is needed in the future to improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.

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 limit the import and sale of fur produced from unethical practices overseas.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will publish the results of the previous government’s call for evidence on the fur trade and publish and consider carefully the report from our independent expert Animal Welfare Committee on the responsible sourcing of fur.

Building on this evidence, Defra will bring together a working group on fur, with involvement from both industry experts and those who support restrictions on the trade in fur, to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could be addressed.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the working group on fur, announced in the Animal Welfare Strategy, will include virologists and environmental scientists with expertise in the public health and environmental impacts of fur farming.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in the animal welfare strategy, Defra will bring together a working group on fur, with involvement from both industry experts and those who support restrictions on the trade in fur to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could be addressed.

The primary focus of the group will be to explore animal welfare concerns relating to the fur trade. Defra is currently developing arrangements for the working group including its membership. Defra will seek appropriate input from relevant experts as needed as part of this.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding will be available for new applications to the Landscape Recovery Scheme in the next application round.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Defra has set out how it plans to spend this budget on its farming blog here and here.

Landscape Recovery is part of the Environmental Land Management offer. Projects run over multiple years. In December 2025, Defra announced plans to spend £500m on the implementation of the first tranche of Round 1 agreements over the next 25 years. Further details on the timing of future rounds, and their funding, will follow in due course.

In line with its obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, Defra regularly publishes an annual report, setting out commitments in the previous financial year, including Farming and Countryside Programme spend broken down by each scheme. The latest report, covering financial year 2024/25, can be accessed here: Farming and Countryside Programme annual report 2024 to 2025 (HTML version) - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much is the total annual funding allocation for the Landscape Recovery Scheme for the current and next financial year.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Defra has set out how it plans to spend this budget on its farming blog here and here.

Landscape Recovery is part of the Environmental Land Management offer. Projects run over multiple years. In December 2025, Defra announced plans to spend £500m on the implementation of the first tranche of Round 1 agreements over the next 25 years. Further details on the timing of future rounds, and their funding, will follow in due course.

In line with its obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, Defra regularly publishes an annual report, setting out commitments in the previous financial year, including Farming and Countryside Programme spend broken down by each scheme. The latest report, covering financial year 2024/25, can be accessed here: Farming and Countryside Programme annual report 2024 to 2025 (HTML version) - GOV.UK

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 help protect hare populations in (a) West Sussex and (b) Chichester constituency.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The department has supported West Sussex County Council in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is expected to be published shortly. This strategy will set nature‑recovery priorities and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species, such as hares.

Nationally, protection of the brown hare population is provided through hare‑coursing legislation introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Together with improved police tactics, intelligence, and information sharing, it is reasonable to assume that these measures are reducing levels of hare coursing, which will play a part in the recovery of the species.

In addition, the Government’s recently published Animal Welfare Strategy contains a commitment to consider introducing a close season on shooting brown hares.

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 help protect hare populations in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has supported Lincolnshire in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is expected to be published shortly. This strategy will set nature recovery priorities and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species, such as hares.

Nationally, protection of the brown hare population is provided through hare‑coursing legislation introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Together with improved police tactics, intelligence, and information sharing, it is reasonable to assume that these measures are reducing levels of hare coursing, which will play a part in the recovery of the species.

In addition, the Government’s recently published Animal Welfare Strategy contains a commitment to consider introducing a close season on shooting brown hares.

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 help ensure the UK meets commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to achieving the goals and targets adopted under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Domestically, in England, the Environmental Improvement Plan and delivery of the legally binding targets under the Environment Act form a core pillar of meeting the commitments. Internationally, the UK is increasing investment in biodiversity and works extensively through international partnerships to support global capacity development. A comprehensive assessment of our progress towards delivering the 2030 GBF targets can be found in the UK’s 7th National Report to the CBD, which was published on 27 February 2026.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to restrict the use/sale of non-essential single-use plastic products.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the scale and impact of plastic pollution on the environment and is focused on preventing and reducing plastic and other litter entering the environment.

We have a number of restrictions on unnecessary single use plastic products, and we will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many illegal waste sites are located within one kilometre of residential communities.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This data is not held centrally.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many illegal waste sites are located on green belt land.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This data is not held centrally.

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 improve the collection of data on the locations of fly-tipping incidents.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents, including fly-tipping incidents by land type to Defra, which are published annually here.

Defra has published guidance for local authorities to support them to improve the quality of their data collection and reporting. This can be found here.

The Environment Agency investigates fly tipping where the waste is more than 20 tonnes, a specified amount of hazardous waste, or is suspected to be linked to organised crime.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will make an economic and environmental impact assessment on the alternatives to peat-free growing media.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This question has been interpreted as whether Defra will make an economic and environmental impact assessment on peat-free alternatives in growing media.

This Government is committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and to this end, the Government has pledged to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat-containing products when Parliamentary time allows. This commitment is embedded within our Carbon Budget planning and, most recently, reflected in the current version of the Environmental Improvement Plan. Whilst an Impact Assessment (IA) was prepared in support of the previous Government’s consultation on ending the sale of peat and peat containing products, IA procedures have changed and this Government would be required to carry out a new IA as part of any legislative process for a ban to end the sale of peat.

Using the Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media methodology to assess the environmental impact of different types of growing media, it has been shown that whilst all materials have an environmental impact, for the most part, this is lower in peat-alternatives.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer to Question UIN 102267, what progress has been made on the development of the withdrawal scheme for owners wishing to de‑register dogs incorrectly classified as XL Bullies; when her Department expects to publish information on the scheme; and what indicative timeframe has been set for making these details publicly available.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is continuing to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn.

Defra does not have a definitive timeline for when this process will be available. Officials are working diligently to develop the withdrawal scheme as soon as possible and further details will be shared once finalised.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish its Circular Economy Growth Plan.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy.

We intend to publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how the Government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics, as well as: agri-food; built environment; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport.

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 protect cats and kittens from exploitation by regulating cat breeding.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out thepriorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.

As set out in the strategy, the Government’s priority is to improve compliance with the existing rules and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector and help to drive up standards. This will inform whether any further action is needed in the future to improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the development and adoption of new technologies in agriculture to improve animal welfare outcomes.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra announced new opportunities for farmers to apply for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund at the NFU Conference on 24 February, with £50 million of funding allocated for 2026. Applications opened on 17 March; farmers can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 towards the cost of a list of equipment items that deliver improvements in the health and welfare of their animals. The list includes items specifically intended to increase adoption of new technology for health and welfare outcomes including automated welfare monitoring systems using remote devices, lameness and body condition scoring systems, and environmental monitoring and control systems for livestock housing.

The Government also supports the development of new technologies to improve animal welfare outcomes through its research programmes, including through funding directly from Defra and through UK Research and Innovation. Across species, some examples of funded projects include development of new methods for emergency killing of pigs; developing autonomous, non-invasive technologies to support welfare monitoring in aquaculture; and support to develop AI-driven tools to assess animal emotional wellbeing. The Farming Innovation Programme also supports research and development of agri-technology and innovative solutions for farmers and growers with multiple projects aiming to support animal welfare outcomes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing a statutory close season for the brown hare during its breeding period on levels of conservation.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government considers the need for a close season for hares to be justified primarily on the grounds of animal welfare. It committed to consider how to bring forward and introduce a close season for hares in England in its Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. In short, a close season should reduce the number of adult hares being shot in the breeding season, which runs from February to October, meaning that fewer leverets (infant hares) are left motherless and vulnerable to starvation and predation. A close season is also consistent with Natural England's advice on wildlife management that controlling species in their peak breeding season should be avoided unless genuinely essential and unavoidable.

Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a statutory close season for the brown hare during its breeding period on levels of conservation. The department is aware that while some stakeholders have suggested a close season running from February to October may provide capacity for brown hare population growth, others have argued that brown hare conservation would not necessarily be accelerated by a close season.

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 help reduce seabird mortality from fisheries bycatch in UK waters.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises that accidental bycatch in fisheries is one of the greatest threats faced by sensitive marine species such as seabirds.

To tackle this, Defra funds numerous programmes and projects including: Clean Catch, which is carrying out a seabird bycatch monitoring and mitigation trial in the North Sea whitefish fishery; the Bycatch Monitoring Programme (BMP) which provides essential observer data on incidents of sensitive species bycatch; the ongoing Bycatch Risk Prioritisation Framework to assess species vulnerability to bycatch in all fisheries in the UK; a Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for England.

Defra also plays an international leadership role, for example tabling a recent proposal to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) recommending modifications to fishing gear which have been proven to reduce seabird bycatch in longline fisheries. While not yet adopted, this helps lay the pathway for future work on addressing seabird bycatch in international tuna fisheries.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to continue the Blue Planet Fund initiative beyond March 2026 at the current level of financial provision.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK is taking action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas, investing in ocean protection and supporting the transition to more sustainable food and livelihoods globally. Defra has an official development assistance (ODA) allocation of £115 million per year until 2028‑29. Defra will use a significant portion of this to continue to support a marine portfolio which protects coastal and ocean habitats and reduces poverty in coastal communities. The Blue Planet Fund will continue to work alongside coastal communities to sustainably manage their ocean resources, drive action on plastic pollution, and pilot innovative approaches to mobilise more finance for the ocean. For example, in January 2026, we committed £14 million to eight projects in our OCEAN grant scheme to support locally led solutions to protect the ocean and communities most affected by declining ocean health.

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 improve the condition and management of protected sites for nature in England, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department is taking action to improve the condition and long-term management of protected nature sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). We have set an interim target in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 (EIP25) for 50% of SSSI features to have actions on track to achieve favourable condition by December 2030. The EIP25 also reiterated this Government’s ambition to have 75% of protected sites in favourable condition by 2042. The published delivery plan sets out how we will achieve this and can be found online here: Protected sites Environment Act target delivery plan - GOV.UK

Natural England is improving how SSSIs are monitored and ensuring that action on the ground is focused where it is most needed. This covers practical work such as helping farmers adjust land management, supporting catchment-wide efforts to improve water quality, and using proportionate regulatory action to prevent further harm to sensitive sites.

Protected Site Strategies, which are spatially based restoration plans, will deliver targeted action for priority sites to restore and improve their condition by addressing environmental pressures such as pollution. The Nature Restoration Fund will provide a more strategic, long-term approach to managing impacts of new development on protected sites and species by pooling payments from multiple developers in order to deliver conservation measures at scale and maximise environmental outcomes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many horses and dogs would have to be put down as a result of a ban on trail hunting; and what assessment they have made of the impact of a trail hunting ban on the rural economy.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with its manifesto commitment. The Government intends to hold a consultation to seek views on how to deliver an effective, enforceable ban. The responses to that consultation will be used to inform the department’s assessment of any potential impacts of a trail hunting ban, including any on the rural economy.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many bans on animal ownership have been imposed by Courts in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Animal health and welfare is a devolved matter. For England, the information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of combined sewage overflows discharging into the South Winterborne at Martinstown on the environment.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency regularly assess the impact of storm overflows on the environment, including those discharging into the South Winterborne at Martinstown.

Water companies are installing continuous water quality monitors to quantify the impacts of sewerage undertaker assets, including storm overflows, on the quality of receiving watercourses.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her department has made to a) strengthen the Environment Agency and b) support the EAs work to improve the condition of the River Wear.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) works to ensure all sectors, including the water industry, are fulfilling their legal responsibilities to the environment. Where breaches and illegal activity are found, they will not hesitate to hold companies to account.

The Water (Special Measures) Act has provided the most significant increase in enforcement powers to regulators, including EA in a decade, to take tougher action against water companies.

The Environment Agency is regulating Northumbrian Water to ensure it invests in the Wear catchment to reduce sewage discharges and improve water quality through the water industry national environment programme (WINEP). As part of this WINEP cycle, there are approximately 400 investigations and interventions to improve the condition of the River Wear.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of sewage treatment infrastructure capacity when planning authorities consider new housing developments in areas where sewage treatment works have recorded frequent storm overflow discharges.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has recently consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation included policies that will support the development and operation of energy and water infrastructure that meets the needs of existing and future development.

These policies emphasise the need for early engagement between relevant plan-making authorities, utility providers, regulators, and network operators. This will ensure that development plans align with the capacity and future requirements of water infrastructure, and support the delivery of water supply, drainage, and wastewater infrastructure. The consultation seeking views on a revised version of the NPPF closed on 10 March. Following analysis of the responses received, we will publish the final version in summer 2026.

Shifting the focus towards ‘pre-pipe’ solutions such as rainwater management and tackling sewer misuse will be key to reducing sewage discharges from storm overflows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage discharges there have been into the (a) River Thames and (b) River Crane in the last five years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The following water companies have permitted discharges of treated final effluent into the River Thames:

• Thames Water Utilities Ltd into the River Thames – 19
• Southern Water Services – 2
• Anglian Water Services – 4
• Albion Water – 1

35 of the most polluting Combined Sewer Overflows in London have now been intercepted by the London Tideway Tunnels. These have prevented 19 million tonnes of storm sewage polluting the River Thames since they became operational in 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to water companies and planning authorities on determining when sewage treatment works have sufficient capacity to accommodate additional development.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of statutory Water Resources Management Plans, and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). The decision on whether to approve a development lies with the relevant Local Planning Authority, in line with guidance such as the National Planning Policy Framework. Sewerage undertakers must ensure that they have planned infrastructure need to meet both existing demand, and planned levels of household and non-household growth, as informed by local development plans and relevant modelling. In May 2025, Defra published guidance for the next round of DWMPs instructing sewerage undertakers on how they should prepare their statutory plans, setting out how they intend to manage and develop their infrastructure to meet current and future demand.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to help ensure that development is not approved where wastewater infrastructure capacity is insufficient.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of statutory Water Resources Management Plans, and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). The decision on whether to approve a development lies with the relevant Local Planning Authority, in line with guidance such as the National Planning Policy Framework. Sewerage undertakers must ensure that they have planned infrastructure need to meet both existing demand, and planned levels of household and non-household growth, as informed by local development plans and relevant modelling. In May 2025, Defra published guidance for the next round of DWMPs instructing sewerage undertakers on how they should prepare their statutory plans, setting out how they intend to manage and develop their infrastructure to meet current and future demand.

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 the FloodReady Review and its recommendation to mainstream property flood resilience, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Environment Agency flood defence schemes make full use of property flood resilience measures to protect properties from low depth surface water flooding.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The FloodReady report, published in October 2025, sets out recommendations to support the wider uptake of property flood resilience (PFR) measures across the public, private and third sectors. The Government and the Environment Agency (EA) are supporting the delivery of the FloodReady recommendations, alongside existing policies that support the use of PFR as part of the broader flood and coastal erosion risk management approach.

The Government has committed a three-year investment of £4.2 billion to reduce risk from, and increase resilience to, flooding and coastal erosion. The Government’s new flood funding policy will be implemented from 1 April 2026.

EA flood defence schemes are developed using a range of measures to reduce flood risk, including natural flood management, traditional flood defences and PFR where appropriate. Decisions on the use of these measures are made on a case-by-case basis to ensure the most effective and value-for-money approach to protecting communities from flooding.

We have just announced funding for more than 600 flood schemes to help protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses in 2026/27 – from upgraded barriers and embankments to natural flood management projects that slow the flow of water and coastal defences reducing flood risk.

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 plans to take to align with EU REACH regulatory protections from chemical flame retardants.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The revised Environmental Improvement Plan, published 1 December 2025, includes a commitment to reform UK REACH, to enable protections that address chemical pollution to be applied more quickly, efficiently and in a way that is more aligned with our closest trading partners, especially the EU, by December 2028.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recorded sewage discharge incidents into (a) the river Thames and (b) any other waterways in Essex that have occurred in each of the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce such incidents.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) received 635 reports of sewage pollution in Essex and 330 reports for the River Thames originating from water companies and private sewage treatment facilities in the last five years.

The EA has strengthened its regulation of the water industry by recruiting additional specialist officers and has increased inspections of water company wastewater assets. The EA is on track to deliver 10,000 inspections nationally this year. Since April 2025, over 2,400 inspections have been completed across Thames Water and Anglian Water assets.

Any permit breaches identified are assessed and serious permit breaches investigated and enforced against in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will publish the total amount of spending on property flood resilience in each of the last five years; and how many properties have benefited from such measures in each of those years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) delivers PFR Schemes as part of the flood investment programme. Between April 2021 and March 31 2025, over £9m has been invested in Property Flood Resilience measures, delivering 1245 properties better protected.*

*Figures are provided in the table below

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 meet the nature targets set out in the Environment Act 2021.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is clear that nature and development can go hand in hand.

The Land Use Framework shows we have enough land to achieve our priorities if we make better decisions about how we use it.  We can restore nature and meet our housing and clean energy targets.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the banning of snares.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. This was recently reaffirmed in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. Defra is now actively looking to bring a ban on snares into force as swiftly as possible.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Welsh Government on (a) proposals to ban greyhound racing and (b) regulations to improve greyhound welfare.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra officials engage regularly with officials in the Welsh Government on a range of animal welfare issues.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the written answer of 19 September 25 to question 75415 on XL Bully dogs, what progress has been made on developing a withdrawal scheme for dogs previously exempted as XL Bully type.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is continuing to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn.

The Government does not have a definitive timeline for when this process will be available. Officials are working diligently to develop the withdrawal scheme as soon as possible and further details will be shared once finalised.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the scheme for Withdrawal of Certificates of Exemption for Dogs Wrongly Registered as XL Bullies will be (a) finalised and (b) implemented.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is continuing to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn.

The Government does not have a definitive timeline for when this process will be available. Officials are working diligently to develop the withdrawal scheme as soon as possible and further details will be shared once finalised.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has her Department made in reviewing traps aside from snares used to catch wildlife.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In the Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025, the Government committed to ban the use of snares in England and conduct a review of other traps used to catch wildlife in England for which welfare concerns have been raised. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has already been commissioned to conduct a review of the evidence relating to the spring traps listed on the Spring Trap Approval Order as it applies in England and work is underway.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to bring forward legislation to outlaw the use of snare traps.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. This was recently reaffirmed in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. Defra is now actively looking to bring a ban on snares into force as swiftly as possible.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of regulations on greyhound welfare in the racing industry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The welfare of racing greyhounds in England is covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 (the 2010 Regulations). The 2010 Regulations include a number of welfare requirements, such as requiring all greyhound tracks to have a veterinary surgeon in attendance to ensure that every greyhound is fit to run.

In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body – the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) enforces welfare standards (including those in the 2010 Regulations) at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as at GBGB licensed trainers’ kennels. Independent, external oversight of GBGB’s regulatory work at tracks and trainers’ kennels is provided by the UK’s National Accreditation Body - the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

We will continue to monitor animal welfare conditions.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a ban on greyhound racing in England.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare strategy published in December 2025 sets out Government priorities until 2030. The Government currently has no plans to ban greyhound racing. While the Government recognises the concerns some people have about greyhound racing, there is legislation in place to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds in England and a regulatory body – the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) – that has made many improvements to greyhound welfare. We will continue to monitor animal welfare conditions.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of roadside litter due to littering from vehicles; and what consideration her Department has given to (a) the level of fines for littering offences committed from vehicles, (b) the adequacy of funding available to councils and National Highways for addressing roadside litter, and (c) the adequacy of public awareness initiatives relating to the environmental and social impacts of littering.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 March 2026 to PQ UIN 119681.

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 reduce water bills in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This month, the Government announced the biggest reform of WaterSure in nearly 30 years, reducing bills for around 300,000 low‑income households. Eligibility will expand to those on disability benefits, with fairer bill caps and simpler applications. Most existing users will save more, with extra support for single‑person households.

We will continue to take action to ensure the most vulnerable are protected from rising bills, and are working with water companies to ensure social tariffs are more consistent and taken up by those most in need.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether funding will be made available to the Scottish Government under the Barnett Formula from the Poultry Support Grant.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Poultry Biosecurity Review uses funds allocated to farmers in England only. As agriculture is devolved, it will be for the Scottish Government to allocate any funding to farmers in Scotland. Overall, the spending review settlement for the Scottish Government is the largest settlement in real terms since devolution in 1998.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the (a) financial and (b) non-financial costs to the public between the privatised model and public ownership of the water industry over (i) the rest of PR24 and (ii) over the following 30 years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The reality is it would take years to unpick the current ownership model, it would be extremely complex, and we would be in the courts for years.

Billions of pounds of private investment going in to fixing broken pipes would be slashed in the meantime.

Nationalisation would a black hole in the public finances, this money would be better spent on our hospitals and schools.

Nationalisation is not the answer – tougher regulation is – which is why we’re giving the regulators more teeth through things like these swift automatic penalties.

In the Water White Paper, we are clear that where a water company might want to transition to a new ownership model, such as a not-for-profit, the new regulator will assess whether this should go ahead and ensure customer interests are properly reflected in the decision.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what generic design assessments the Environment Agency are currently undertaking; and when they expect each of those assessments to be completed.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency is currently carrying out two Generic Design Assessments (GDA). Holtec’s SMR 300 is currently undergoing a 2 step (Fundamental Assessment) GDA that is planned to be completed in March 2026. Rolls Royce SMR’s design is currently undergoing a full 3 step (Detailed Assessment) GDA. Rolls Royce SMR and the Environment Agency are targeting completing the GDA in 2027. We understand that Rolls-Royce SMR will provide further information to the public around the time of contract award by Great British Energy-Nuclear.

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 ensure electronic waste is safely disposed.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 are founded on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility, which requires the producers of electrical and electronic equipment to take responsibility for the environmental impact of the products they place on the market when they become waste. Under the WEEE Regulations, the cost of the collection, transport and subsequent environmentally sound treatment and recycling of household waste is financed by producers through membership of a Producer Compliance Scheme.

Electrical and electronic equipment is part of our Circular Economy Growth Plan which considers the evidence for action right across the economy and what interventions may be needed. We intend to publish the Circular Economy Growth Plan soon.

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 reduce levels of electronic waste.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is actively exploring how we can support circularity in electrical and electronic equipment; a successful transition to a Circular Economy aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. As part of this, we recognise the importance of continued innovation in methods to reduce levels of waste electricals and electronics.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made about the potential impact of scale of electronic waste on the environment.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has not conducted a formal assessment of the potential impact of scale of electronic waste on the environment.

We recognise that this is an important issue which is why electrical and electronic waste is being considered under the Circular Economy Growth Plan which we intend to publish soon.

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 raise public awareness of the dangers of irresponsible electronic waste disposal.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The WEEE Compliance Fee, paid under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 by electrical producers is used to provide project funding for consumer awareness campaigns in the UK, which are managed by Material Focus and highlight the importance of proper disposal and recycling of electrical waste.

Defra recognises the importance of continued innovation in public awareness campaigns for the collection and treatment of waste electricals and electronics. The Circular Economy Growth Plan will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed. The Circular Economy Growth Plan is due to be published soon.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Office for Environmental Protection Investigation Report, published in December 2025.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In December 2025, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) published the concluding reports of its investigation into the regulation of network Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) in England. I was pleased to see recognition that work undertaken by this Government has built the foundations for much needed change in the water sector.

The OEP stated that, throughout the investigation, all public authorities engaged constructively, with a focus on the outcome of protecting the environment. We agree with the OEP that it is important for Defra, the Environment Agency and Ofwat to be fully transparent when it comes to their roles and responsibilities in the regulation of network CSOs.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who is the Minister responsible for the implementation of the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Baroness Hayman of Ullock was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with responsibility for animal welfare for England.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered amending section 30 of the Countryside Act 1968 to permit equestrians to use rights of way currently designated as footpaths; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such an amendment on access for horse riders to the countryside; and what assessment she has made of the level of the administrative workload associated with upgrading footpaths to bridleways through the existing rights of way modification process.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has no plans to amend section 30 of the Countryside Act 1968 to permit equestrian use of footpaths and as such, has not assessed the potential im-pact of this change.

Defra has not made a specific assessment of the administrative workload associated with upgrading footpaths to bridleways through the definitive map modification order process. Applications are considered by local authorities in the first instance. Where orders are made and objections are received, they may be referred to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) for determination, which can extend the time taken to reach a de-cision. Timescales vary depending on factors such as complexity and the presence of objections, and local authorities and PINS may also have a backlog of applications.

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 make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on pollutant reduction within river improvement programmes of the report by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology entitled Review of the Classification Framework for Ecological Status/Potential under the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) England and Wales Regulations, published in July 2025.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2025, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) published an independent review of the suitability of the Water Framework Directive ecological classification framework for measuring and assessing the health of the water environment. Among its suggestions was to employ a ‘surface waterbody biodiversity audit’ to inform policies on reducing pollution to the water environment.

We committed in the recently published Water White Paper to explore setting new ambitious targets for the water environment and are considering a wide range of inputs as part of these explorations, including the UKCEH report. Meanwhile, we continue to work towards our obligation to secure continuous improvement for the water environment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to WPQ 119491, whether the Department holds a project-level financial breakdown of NO2 Programme expenditure as part of its reporting to the Government Major Projects Portfolio.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Appropriate programme level reporting of spend and forecasts are provided regularly to the Government Major Projects Portfolio in line with agreed reporting requirements.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance has been given to local authorities on removing unauthorised moorings on rivers; and what is the division of responsibilities between (a) councils and (b) Environment Agency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Navigation authorities are responsible for managing operations on their waterways and the Government does not direct that. Boaters are expected to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users, including any restrictions on mooring. In instances of non-compliance, navigation authorities have enforcement powers. Where a boat is occupied, particularly in cases involving potential vulnerability, navigation authorities seek to work with local authority housing and safeguarding teams to assess welfare concerns and avoid disproportionate outcomes.

There is no specific national guidance on the division of responsibilities between councils and the Environment Agency (EA) for removing boats from unauthorised moorings, as such situations typically involve shared and locally determined responsibilities. The EA engages with local authorities on the potential use of its powers to remove unregistered boats from its waterways. Where a boat is moored without permission on land owned by a local authority, the authority leads on arranging its removal with the EA providing support and coordination where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119491, if she will break down the £478 million whole-life cost of the NO2 Programme by (a) funding stream, including the Implementation Fund, Clean Air Fund and administrative costs, (b) local authority scheme and (c) individual project; and how much has been (i) allocated, (ii) committed and (iii) spent.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Transport provides all capital funding and a small amount of resource funding.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119491 on Transport: Nitrogen Dioxide, how the £478 million whole-life cost of the NO2 Programme referenced by the National Audit Office relates to the total programme budget of approximately £880 million; and what proportion of the total programme cost this represents.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Transport provides all capital funding and a small amount of resource funding.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December to Question 97538 on Flood Control: South Suffolk, when her Department plans to publish plans for the additional funding at Long Melford and Glemsford.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) has previously confirmed £50,000 of additional investment for Long Melford and Glemsford in December 2025, which was provided through other environmental funding. That £50,000 has now been fully spent.

The EA works to enhance upstream floodplains and improve wetlands have recently been completed and are expected to perform well.

The EA has also provided separate MP correspondence setting out project allocations elsewhere in the South Suffolk constituency for the coming financial year.

If further details are required the EA Area Director, Graham Verrier, would be happy to discuss this further.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of outlawing the use of (a) Bixlozone, (b) Cinmethylin, (c) Isoflucypram and (d) Pydiflumetofen on farmers.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are aware of concerns about the potential impact of the UK-EU SPS Agreement under negotiation on the availability of certain pesticides, including those containing the four active substances Bixlozone, (b) Cinmethylin, (c) Isoflucypram and (d) Pydiflumetofen which are currently approved in GB but not the EU.

Information from stakeholders, alongside expertise in HSE and Defra, is feeding into our analysis. Negotiations, which began at the end of 2025, are still underway.

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 monitor compliance with the Water Resale Order 2006 in relation to residential park home sites.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ofwat’s guidance on water resale by third parties, such as park home site owners, sets out the maximum price a reseller can charge and the various methods they can use to calculate those charges.

If a park home site owner breaches any of the requirements under the Water Resale Order, a resident can contact the Government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service for free independent advice about their rights.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Adaptation Reporting Power to direct reporting authorities on their measures to adapt to climate change.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP), introduced as part of the Climate Change Act 2008, gives the Government the power to direct certain infrastructure operators and some public bodies to produce reports on how they are addressing their current and future climate risks.

Participation in ARP has continued to grow. In the fourth round (ARP4), which took place between July 2023 and December 2024, there were 101 reports submitted from over 200 organisations. Excluding the Local Authority pilot from ARP4, ARP4 had a response rate of over 80%, with 40% more reports submitted than ARP3.

As we approach the fifth round of reporting, due to begin in December 2026, we will continue to evaluate ways in which to improve the ARP process.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the government is taking to (a) promote the use of recycled water, (b) support water companies to harvest the benefits of recycled water and (c) increase public awareness that recycled water may be a way to reduce demand on the supply of potable water.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the benefits of water reuse, specifically greywater and rainwater recycling play a key role in ensuring our homes and businesses can be water efficient. This was set out in the Water White Paper, which committed to facilitating the adoption of reused water and review the right to connect to water supply for domestic and non-domestic purposes, freeing up potable water supply for growth.

The Government is also exploring how water-efficient technologies, including greywater and rainwater reuse, can be supported through the review of the Building Regulations (2010). The Government will continue to work with Ofwat, water companies and developers to encourage and support their delivery of water and wastewater efficiency and reuse measures.

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 reduce water bills in Gloucester constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government committed to reforming the WaterSure affordability scheme and published its response to the public consultation on 6 March 2026.  Proposed changes will expand eligibility to include disability benefits – meaning a further 53,000 low-income households will see significant savings. The reforms will also alter the way the price cap is determined, with most existing recipients seeing further savings of up to £100. Together the changes will mean around 300,000 households will see substantial help with their bills.

Water companies are also more than doubling social tariff support for vulnerable customers by 2030 and Government is working with industry to keep their schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers receive the support they need. We are considering ways to drive more consistency and increase awareness of the support consumers can access. Defra also expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recorded sewage spills and leaks into (a) rivers, (b) coastal waters and (c) other inland waterways there have been in England in the last 12 months; and what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of such incidents.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Sewage spills can enter water bodies from a number of sources and pathways. One mechanism is via storm overflows, designed to spill into water bodies when the sewer system is under strain from rainfall or snowmelt. Storm overflows are tracked through Event Duration Monitors in near real time.

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government?

Found: And Defra accepts this partial picture, by way of approving the Council’s latest Air Quality Status

Found: For example, there have been previous initiatives within Defra to reduce water pollution from agriculture

Found: AIR0144 - Air Pollution in England Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Department for

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government? b.

Found: Combustion 20.4 Industrial Processes and Product Use 14.6 Waste 13.5 PM2.5 Industrial Combustion 10.2 1 DEFRA

Found: The significant majority of illustrative actions in the EIP sit with Defra.

Found: As COMEAP noted in its 2021 advice to Defra, there is evidence to suggest that there are inequalities

Found: Defra Accepted Implemented Between 2021 and 2024, Defra (with support from UKHSA) completed a review

Found: We submit the information to Defra for inclusion in the UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

Found: DEFRA approved diffusion tubes are widely used to monitor NO₂ including at West Northamptonshire Council

Found: This requires a joined up approach from Defra, BEIS and DHSC.

Found: Zero and the UK’s historic building stock Net zero and the UK's historic building stock - POST 24 Defra

Found: Responsibility for air quality spans multiple departments including Defra, DfT and NHS, yet there is

Found: impacts, despite EIA rules requiring significant effects on population and health to be assessed. 2) Defra

Found: of acknowledgement of wildfires as a source of air pollution is despite a short notice advice to Defra

Found: 2025 for its clean air goals are notable for their identification of government departments beyond Defra

Found: (Defra), where I was responsible for national air quality reporting, monitoring

Found: In 2024, we were notified that we were successful in securing a grant from the Defra air quality grant

Found: Official emissions statistics show domestic combustion is a major contributor to PM2.57. 1 Defra, ENV01

Found: The corresponding published Defra AQI map for the same day is shown in Figure 2 (b), where low AQI

Found: DEFRA helped promote the polluting incinerator, the prototype was in the Isle of Wight and never 'worked

Found: A cross‑government approach is vital, with stronger leadership required across DEFRA, DHSC, DESNZ, DfT

Found: of acknowledgement of wildfires as a source of air pollution is despite a short notice advice to Defra

Found: According to Defra, the majority of this reduction occurred between 1990 and 2008.

Found: 7.1 Fragmented responsibilities Responsibility is split across:  DEFRA (ambient air),  DHSC (health

Found: local actions include the Non-Road Mobile Machinery Project and the Air Aware platform, funded by Defra

Found: As COMEAP noted in its 2021 advice to Defra, there is evidence to suggest that there are inequalities

Found: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and biological particles such as pollen (Seinfeld and Pandis 2016; DEFRA

Found: Attendees included the Chief Medical Officer, Departments of Health, Transport and DEFRA, the Mayor

Found: Organic Pollutants are also emitted from the agricultural sector.3 1 UK Air Quality Policy Context. 2 Defra

Found: The Defra Air Quality Grant Scheme that has provided local authorities with funding to tackle air pollution

Found: Most LAs do not have the time to complete the lengthy tender process to calibrate and maintain DEFRA

Found: agriculture is a major source of nitrogen pollution (70% of nitrous oxide, 87% of ammonia in 2022, DEFRA

Found: Defra mapping for 2019 indicates that ward-mean annual average PM2.5 levels in 72 of the 192 wards within

Found: A systematic review of the public health risks of bioaerosols from intensive farming - PubMed DEFRA

Found: The Defra Air Quality grant scheme, which was a critical part of the overall funding given to local

Found: Defra has in recent periods issued High or Very High air pollution warnings across the North West, North

Found: cost-effective methods to measure these substances using columns linked to air pumps, and local authorities, Defra

Found: In one topical example, Defra failed on 3 March 2026 to mention HIGH air pollution in its published

Found: found that ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) accounts for 20–22% of PM2.5 concentrations at urban sites, but Defra

Found: Report to Defra.

Found: government bodies - Environment Agency (EA), Greater London Authority (GLA), Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: smoke isn't harmful is evident in the number of purchasers and users of wood burners; this includes DEFRA-approved

Found: The lack of joined up working between Defra and other Government departments including the Department

Found: The Defra AQ grant funding ceased; this has had an impact on innovation and the rollout of best practice

Found: In our work for Defra we use the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory, NAEI , as an official source

Found: Evidence of extent of air pollution impacting health is provided by Defra in their background maps across

Found: used in our experiments, is therefore within the range of possible real-world traffic conditions (Defra

Found: funding for monitoring and enforcement; and (4) joined-up policy across local authority departments, Defra

Found: both commitment and resource pressure along with a number of successful bids through the MAQF and DEFRA

Found: Notably, that Defra will refresh the government’s ambition on air quality through a review of the air

Found: In 2017, Defra found that diesel cars were responsible for 35% of road 12 transport related NO2 emissions

Found: SD0505, with Ricardo-AEA Ltd (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2014). 7 See Raffard

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government? No comment / evidence b.

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government?

Found: However, revised UK figures obtained from DEFRA show domestic combustion was an almost equal source

Found: fuel and biomass appliances that go above and beyond current legal limits, and is contracted by Defra

Found: and action...Written submission from London Borough of Sutton (AIR0071) Government is fragmented; Defra

Found: These are well-documented within published reports by Defra and its advisory expert group AQEG.

Found: According to DEFRA (2025) these include sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene and lead.

Found: The evidence base is already large and mature: Defra publishes detailed national emissions statistics

Found: PM2.5 in the UK. o Adopt a coordinated, cross-government approach to air quality, including DHSC, DEFRA

Found: under-resourced to deliver effective air quality improvements ever since central government funding—such as the Defra

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient?

Found: to report on actions taken to support PM₂.₅ reduction in their Annual Status Reports (ASRs), and Defra

Found: Resources, such as the Defra Air Quality Grant, are no longer available for Local Authorities.

Found: Recent Defra data at the UK level suggests mixed progress in tackling PM2.5 and NO2 emissions across

Found: Defra has responsibility for air pollution policy.

Found: Members have worked jointly on Defra Air Quality Grant Written submission from The Sussex Air Quality

Found: emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur (SOx), and particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) (DEFRA

Found: Environmental Research Group-King’s College London, available online at https://uk-air. defra. gov.

Found: Government have done very little to address the issue and are misleading the public by giving stoves ‘Defra

Found: Professionals point to weaknesses within the guidance (see DEFRA, 2022) which fetter the enforcement

Found: The report ‘Differentials in air pollutant exposure across communities and regions in the UK’ (Defra,

Found: Meeting PM2.5 and NO2 goals depends heavily on policies that are not solely the remit Defra, including

Found: Defra should commission social science expertise alongside technical in LAQM guidance - not merely requiring

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government?

Found: DEFRA used to provide air quality grants to LA’s to tackle the AP issues relevant to them.

Found: Adequacy of current targets Current DEFRA limits are significantly weaker than WHO guidelines and inadequate

Found: of awareness, underfunding, outdated legislation, and the cessation central funding such as the Defra

Found: It is relevant for DHSC, DESNZ, MHCLG, DfE, Defra and DfT.

Found: /assets/documents/reports/cat05/2503251005_AQEG_Differentials_clean_280824.pdf. 9 Clear the Air 10 Defra

Found: The Defra Air Quality Grant was open to local authorities to apply to for funding for local air quality

Found: view the information published by local authorities (based on my admittedly limited survey), and by Defra

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government?

Found: Analysis of Public Policy (ES/Z504634/1) and IFS’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (ES/X005283/1) 2 DEFRA

Found: Defra has estimated annual crop losses in England from ozone in the hundreds of millions of pounds,

Found: .  In 2017, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Local Government Association

Found: Citations: Defra statistics & assessments; Scotland’s Environment Web.

Found: - A review of progress from April 2000 to December 2013’ cites a report carried out in 2014 for DEFRA

Found: Comparing 2015/16 to 2023/24, the median number of days per year for which DEFRA AQ sites breached the

Found: Defra reports widespread exceedance of nitrogen critical loads in sensitive habitats.

Found: Hardy MP – who was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: We have had few dealings with Defra to date, we mostly liaise with the Mayor of London’s office, DESNZ

Found: Prof Alastair Lewis is an employee of the University of York and is currently: Chair of the Defra Air

Found: of urban and household air pollution are highly affected in socio-economically deprived societies (DEFRA

Found: require estimates of the cumulative uncertainty of air dispersion modelling predictions, despite Defra

Found: Is Defra leadership sufficient to drive change across government? b.

Found: Modelled background PM2.5 data are published on a 1km x 1km grid square basis by Defra.

Found: and Net Zero; The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: response to our recommendation on the UK’s FTAs with Australia and New Zealand, the Government said: Defra

Found: Negotiations on an EU-UK SPS Agreement and Engagement with Welsh Agriculture Industry As DEFRA -related

Found: • What discussions have Home Office and DEFRA Ministers had with the Welsh Government on the withdrawal

Found: Letter from SoS for Defra on Land Use Framework 18.03.2026 Correspondence

Found: The IUCN UK Peatland Programme is not a ‘Defra funded quango hosted by the Yorkshire Wildlife

Found: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/731-national-strategic-assessment-of-serious-and-organised-crime-2016/file 15 DEFRA

Found: If you are unsure how to classify items for the purposes of items i2ca and i2cb, Defra developed a GIS-based

Found: Purposes (the ‘Animals in Science Committee’); the devolved governments; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Where to access UK information and standards Guidance on importing [Food Standards Agency, APHA and Defra

Found: prices and other details of products and services.52 We welcome the CMA’s publication exploring 51 DEFRA

Found: wholesale sector 50 DBT (March 2026): Potential Economic Impact of Future Smart Data Use Cases 51 DEFRA

Found: Basis of metric: Biodiversity units for habitats and hedgerows delivered in compliance with the Defra

Found: Basis of metric: Biodiversity units for habitats and hedgerows delivered in compliance with the Defra

Found: Basis of metric: Biodiversity units for habitats and hedgerows delivered in compliance with the Defra

Found: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/731-national-strategic-assessment-of-serious-and-organised-crime-2016/file 15 DEFRA

Found: Office’s register of licensed sponsors; and (b) has an endorsement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Sponsors must be: • endorsed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Found: Defra Chief Plant Health Officer Professor Nicola Spence said: “I am delighted that Andrew has been awarded

Found: Framework for interrogation of honey authenticity databases, jointly funded by the Government Chemist and Defra

Found: Contact - Defra Group press office: Communications_SE@environment-agency.gov.uk / 0800 141 2743.

Found: Professor Nicola Spence, Defra Chief Plant Health Officer, said: “The confirmation of sweet chestnut

Found: (DEFRA) Reading Borough Council Local Waste ENGLAND South East In Operation

Found: Library Churches Conservation Trust Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra

Found: Justice, Department for Transport, Food Standards Agency (until 31 March 2015), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: The site supports Defra, Welsh Government and Scottish Government bee health programmes and provides

Found: A separate report has been compiled by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Found: A separate report has been compiled by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Found: The Welsh Government will continue to engage closely with DSIT and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

Found: 24th February 2026 Hayman of Ullock Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Introduction 1.1 This Explanatory Memorandum has been prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: The Welsh Government will continue to engage closely with DSIT and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

Found: We were reassured to hear that NRW is actively advising the Welsh Government and DEFRA, and that it

Found: Members of the Senedd will wish to be aware that I have given consent to the UK Government’s Defra Secretary

Found: This return is compiled from information supplied to APHA by local authorities using Defra

Found: This follows years of work by theZoos Expert Committee, in collaboration with Defra, the Welsh Government

Found: are conducted on goods particularly perishables and plants from non-EU countries which is subject to DEFRA