Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data on the distribution of non-aquatic species will be used for the development of environmental delivery plans, and what steps they will take to ensure those data are robust and complete.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), developed under the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), will be based on the best available scientific evidence to ensure that the overall improvement test is met.
Natural England must also undertake sufficient monitoring once an EDP is in place to assure the effectiveness of conservation measures. Amendments tabled in the name of my Rt Hon friend Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE will require that each EDP must include the anticipated sequencing of conservation actions in relation to development, and back-up measures must be deployed if monitoring shows the plan is underperforming.
The Government recognises that EDPs will not be appropriate or necessary for every protected species, and EDPs will be introduced over time as the evidence permits. We expect it to be faster to develop EDPs in areas with well-established and tested strategic solutions, such as District Level Licensing for Great Crested Newts.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the modelling of species distributions and the impact of changes to habitats and conditions will be validated in the development of environmental delivery plans; and how long they expect the validation of those models for each species to take.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), developed under the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), will be based on the best available scientific evidence to ensure that the overall improvement test is met.
Natural England must also undertake sufficient monitoring once an EDP is in place to assure the effectiveness of conservation measures. Amendments tabled in the name of my Rt Hon friend Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE will require that each EDP must include the anticipated sequencing of conservation actions in relation to development, and back-up measures must be deployed if monitoring shows the plan is underperforming.
The Government recognises that EDPs will not be appropriate or necessary for every protected species, and EDPs will be introduced over time as the evidence permits. We expect it to be faster to develop EDPs in areas with well-established and tested strategic solutions, such as District Level Licensing for Great Crested Newts.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to appoint an expert in biodiversity and nature conservation to the Food Strategy Advisory Board to support the priority of reducing the impact of farming and food production on nature, biodiversity and climate.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The membership of the Food Strategy Advisory Board was published on GOV.UK on 21 March 2025. A range of representatives from the food sector and NGOs were invited to sit on the Food Strategy Advisory Board. We kept it deliberately small, whilst reflecting the scope of the food supply chain.
While the membership of the FSAB has been announced, we are developing a plan for much wider stakeholder engagement over the coming months. That needs to include representatives from the length and breadth of food chain sectors as well as environmental NGOs, civil society organisations, academics and citizen engagement. We’ll be able to say more on this soon.
The food strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives and support the Farming Roadmap to reduce the impact of farming on nature and biodiversity.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to prevent companies from wrongly listing a foreign company as a person of significant control in the Companies House register, and (2) to ensure that those identified as having done so either correct their entry or are prosecuted for not doing so.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
In limited cases, a foreign company can be a relevant legal entity (RLE) and can be legitimately recorded as a UK company's person with significant control ("PSC"). The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 will introduce new requirements which will allow Companies House to collect and display more information about RLEs. If the RLE is a listed company, the UK company must say which market the RLE is listed on. This will give assurance that the RLE meets the conditions as claimed. Where the Registrar identifies or receives complaints about gaps or inaccuracies in a company’s PSC register, she will take the action required to achieve compliance.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to use heat recovery systems in artificial intelligence growth zones, such as Culham, to combine the cooling of data infrastructure with the heating of local homes and amenities.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Data centres produce significant heat, most of which is currently wasted into the environment. The technology exists to capture this heat and reuse it in district heating networks, or for heat intensive industries. We welcome the inclusion of heat recovery systems within applications for AI Growth Zones alongside other sustainable solutions.
We are engaging with developers and operators to determine whether further interventions are necessary and appropriate to encourage adoption of heat recovery. The Greater London Authority is currently developing a pilot to test heating up to 10,000 homes and at least one hospital from London-based data centres.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, what plans they have to ensure sufficient long-term resources for the National Biosurveillance Network to enhance the UK’s early warning systems and improve the biosurveillance evidence available for policy decisions.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Enhancing the UK’s early warning capabilities, including through scoping a National Biosurveillance Network (NBN), was a commitment in the 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy - adopted by this Government in October 2024. The Government will work to ensure that it has the capabilities it needs to protect the public from a spectrum of biological threats. Decisions on funding for future years will be made as part of the ongoing comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the risks to animal health posed by the H5N1 influenza virus, what resources they have committed to teams responsible for delivering the UK Biological Security Strategy, and how they plan to ensure that there is adequate staffing and funding to meet the strategy's objectives.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy (BSS) sets out that biological threats are more likely, diverse and interconnected. The current avian influenza outbreak is an example of the risks we face from zoonotic diseases. The BSS takes a One Health and National Security approach. There are robust structures in place across government to ensure its implementation - including a lead Minister, a central team in the Cabinet Office to drive delivery, and clear departmental accountabilities. DEFRA is the lead government department for avian Influenza.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incorporate requirements for bird-safe designs, such as fritted or UV-reflective glass, into future building design legislation.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Whilst there are no current plans on requirements for fritted or UV glass, our revised National Planning Policy Framework expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs. The National Design Guide, National Model Design Code and Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework set out how development can incorporate a range of nature friendly features including swift bricks.
The Building Regulations are designed to protect human safety by ensuring buildings are structurally sound, fire-resistant, and meet health and accessibility standards. They are not designed to directly address animal welfare.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following Historic England's report Skills Needs Analysis for the Repair, Maintenance and Retrofit of Traditional (Pre-1919) Buildings in England, 2024 published on 13 September 2024, what plans they have for funding specialist tutors to train and mentor construction trainees, including through microbusinesses, to help them gain experience in relevant, regionally specific building techniques.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department supports vocational education and training programs that include repair, maintenance and retrofit skills. This includes funding for courses at further education (FE) colleges and specialist training providers.
A wide range of government-funded programmes are available for construction employers who are considering hiring employees, offering work experience or upskilling existing staff. These include apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, and Higher Technical Qualifications.
Together with employers, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has developed 90 Apprenticeship standards in the Construction and Built Environment Sector. These apprenticeships provide hands-on experience and formal qualifications in retrofit, such as Heritage Construction Specialist. The department will continue to work with employers to support the growth of apprenticeships in these sectors and IfATE have published occupational maps on their website which display the apprenticeship progression opportunities in each occupation, including in heritage conservation, and construction. The occupational maps can be accessed on IfATE‘s website at: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/. These also specify if the occupation is embedded within the green occupational landscape and deliver sustainable outcomes.
Whilst it is a matter for providers to determine course content and the specialist teaching staff they need to deliver in all their provision, the department is supporting FE colleges to recruit and retain more construction FE teachers through the Taking Teacher Further programme, and the targeted retention incentive offer. In addition, we are exploring what more can be done to support dual professionals to work in FE, an approach whereby colleges recruit industry workers as part-time teachers.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following Historic England's report Skills Needs Analysis for the Repair, Maintenance and Retrofit of Traditional (Pre-1919) Buildings in England, 2024 published on 13 September 2024, what plans they have for including energy efficiency adaptations to traditionally built housing stock in construction training and qualifications.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department supports vocational education and training programs that include repair, maintenance and retrofit skills. This includes funding for courses at further education (FE) colleges and specialist training providers.
A wide range of government-funded programmes are available for construction employers who are considering hiring employees, offering work experience or upskilling existing staff. These include apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, and Higher Technical Qualifications.
Together with employers, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has developed 90 Apprenticeship standards in the Construction and Built Environment Sector. These apprenticeships provide hands-on experience and formal qualifications in retrofit, such as Heritage Construction Specialist. The department will continue to work with employers to support the growth of apprenticeships in these sectors and IfATE have published occupational maps on their website which display the apprenticeship progression opportunities in each occupation, including in heritage conservation, and construction. The occupational maps can be accessed on IfATE‘s website at: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/. These also specify if the occupation is embedded within the green occupational landscape and deliver sustainable outcomes.
Whilst it is a matter for providers to determine course content and the specialist teaching staff they need to deliver in all their provision, the department is supporting FE colleges to recruit and retain more construction FE teachers through the Taking Teacher Further programme, and the targeted retention incentive offer. In addition, we are exploring what more can be done to support dual professionals to work in FE, an approach whereby colleges recruit industry workers as part-time teachers.