Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 level of damage done by Storm Chandra in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Storm Chandra brought heavy rain to the UK on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 January. This was felt especially by parts of the South and South West previously affected by Storm Ingrid, with the rain falling on already saturated ground, leading to 3 Severe Flood Warnings being issued. Across Somerset, around 50 properties have been reported as flooded, with rivers responding rapidly to recent rainfall and ground conditions remaining saturated. Flood warnings and alerts remain in force, and further rain is expected.
This Government recognises the terrible impact flooding has on householders and businesses, both in terms of physical damage, disruptions to daily activities and impacts on health, including mental health. Those affected should contact their insurance companies as quickly as possible. Affected householders should ask their insurance provider if they will be eligible for Build Back Better within their claim, which can provide for flood resilient repairs over and above the cost for like-for-like reinstatement of actual flood damage that would.
With localised flooding incidents, local authorities have well-established contingency arrangements in place to support their local communities. Local authorities also have discretionary powers to fund grants, loans, or other payments for home improvements. In severe weather events with widespread impacts, local authorities may receive central support to help reopen affected community spaces through the Flood Recovery Framework, however funding is typically deployed where there is large scale and widespread flooding.
Further information can be found here:
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of requiring exporters to claim PRNs only once material has reached its final destination on those exporters.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Recent regulatory changes seek to ensure that exporters provide and maintain accurate, verifiable data to help combat fraud within the system. This includes ensuring that packaging waste that leaves the UK for recycling reaches its intended destination before PERNs can be issued, helping to drive down fraud in the system.
Changes in the regulations mean that PRN evidence can now only be issued once the material has been confirmed as received by the overseas recycling facility. Before this change evidence could be issued at the point of export. This will increase the accuracy of the data.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how will PRN data be accuracy maintained, in the context of lengths of shipping times for exported material.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Recent regulatory changes seek to ensure that exporters provide and maintain accurate, verifiable data to help combat fraud within the system. This includes ensuring that packaging waste that leaves the UK for recycling reaches its intended destination before PERNs can be issued, helping to drive down fraud in the system.
Changes in the regulations mean that PRN evidence can now only be issued once the material has been confirmed as received by the overseas recycling facility. Before this change evidence could be issued at the point of export. This will increase the accuracy of the data.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 review the proposed timelines to implement the safety measures required for the transition to alternative refrigerants with flammability or toxicity characteristics in the consultation entitled Amending the hydrofluorocarbon phasedown schedule, published on 5 November 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information submitted through the consultation, which closed on 17 December 2024, is being used to inform our consideration of next steps. A response and an outline of next steps will be published on GOV.UK in due course.
Other regulatory changes may be considered in the future in relation to fluorinated gases (which include hydrofluorocarbons). The UK Government, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, is committed to further exploring areas for reform considered out of scope of last year’s consultation. This includes assessing the situation regarding training on alternatives to fluorinated gases.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 response to the consultation entitled Amending the hydrofluorocarbon phasedown schedule, published on 5 November 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information submitted through the consultation, which closed on 17 December 2024, is being used to inform our consideration of next steps. A response and an outline of next steps will be published on GOV.UK in due course.
Other regulatory changes may be considered in the future in relation to fluorinated gases (which include hydrofluorocarbons). The UK Government, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, is committed to further exploring areas for reform considered out of scope of last year’s consultation. This includes assessing the situation regarding training on alternatives to fluorinated gases.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
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 publish the governance structure of the distinct technical and Ministerial working groups, in relation to the British Antarctic Territories, named in the UK Overseas Territories biodiversity strategy published on 12 January 2026.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy sets out the UK strategy to conserve, protect, and restore biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. This joint strategy has been developed by Defra in partnership with Overseas Territories Governments and Administrations.
The UK Government will work with the Territories in close partnership to implement this strategy, including through distinct technical and Ministerial working groups.
The governance structure of the working groups is under development.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 reduce reliance on physical paperwork in sanitary and phytosanitary processes for trade with the European Union.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers.
Routine SPS border checks will be eliminated, so fresh produce can hit supermarket shelves more quickly, with less paperwork and fewer costs. GB goods such as dairy, fish, eggs and red meat are currently subject to 100% documentary checks and up to 30% physical checks. An SPS deal will see these removed entirely.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
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 the shortened PRN trading year in 2026 on levels of price volatility in that sector.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is working closely with key trade associations and industry stakeholders to understand the potential impact of delays to the availability of the new PRN digital system, particularly on smaller reprocessors and exporters, and in the plastics and glass recycling sectors. Based on consultation with stakeholders, we have prioritised providing the data that would help them most and support them to continue trading more confidently. The Government committed to keeping affected businesses updated and have issued weekly updates in addition to our helpdesk service. As part of our outreach to businesses, we are encouraging businesses them to share any key feedback and insights on the impact of the delays with us.
The Government will continue to meet with sector bodies and compliance schemes on a weekly basis during February to monitor impacts on businesses and PRN prices.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment protocols are in place to evaluate the cumulative impact of new hydroelectric installations on water flow, flood risk, and ecological balance.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Any building or structure in the floodplain must ensure that it is resilient to flooding and that it does not increase flood risk for anybody else in the floodplain. Hydroelectric power is governed by a strict regulatory framework managed primarily by the Environment Agency (EA) that ensures that hydroelectric installations are safe and that they do not increase flood risk. The core requirements for any new hydropower installation are:
The EA uses flood modelling to understand the risk of flooding at a local and a national level. Its flood models use a range of information to help make them as reliable as possible, including information about the different types of land use and structures which could influence the way water flows.
In line with Government planning policy, the EA provides advice on planning submissions for new hydroelectric installations, considering impacts on water flow, flood risk and ecological balance. This ensures that planning proposals do not result in unacceptable flood risk or environmental harm.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
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 outline the differences between the Border Control Post requirements in place for (a) exports and (b) imports at (i) Grangemouth, (ii) Rosyth, (iii) Burntisland and (iv) Methil ports.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Standards set out for Border Control Post (BCPs) are contained within a legislative framework and are dependent on what the BCP is approved to handle in relation to SPS goods, such as plants and plant products, or products or animal origin. A list of what a BCP is approved to handle can be found on GOV.UK