Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage farmers and growers to produce fast-growing willow coppice and miscanthus to be used as an energy source for power stations such as Drax.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
While we anticipate that demand for SRC and miscanthus will grow in the coming decades, it is not Government policy to prescribe which crops farmers should prioritise. British farmers know their own land best - carefully planning their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. We will continue to support farmers, so they can make the right decisions for them and the productivity of their land. Government only provides support for electricity generation from sustainable biomass. The detailed sourcing of sustainable biomass by power stations is a commercial decision for the companies concerned.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of cases of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a family member, and what steps they are taking to ensure such cases are reported and justice is delivered.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We know that most abuse is perpetrated by someone known to the victim. The Office for National Statistics published data from its Crime Survey for England and Wales in relation to child sexual abuse. The survey found that most abuse was perpetrated by someone known to the victim. Just over a third (35%) reported abuse by a family member taken as a: mother, father, step-parent, carer/guardian, or other family member.
Furthermore, 37% of those who had been a victim of contact sexual abuse said it had happened in their own home, and a further 40% in someone else’s home. This broadly aligns with data from IICSA’s Truth Project where 42% of victims and survivors who shared their experience said the abuse happened in the family home.
The Government is taking swift, decisive action to address all form of child sexual abuse and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. As part of this, we recognise the need to improve how safeguarding agencies protect and support children at risk of sexual abuse within the family home.
We have committed to implementing the seven recommendations from the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s review into child sexual abuse in the family environment. In doing so, we will:
Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are introducing a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse. It will require anyone taking part in relevant activity with children in England (such as teachers, healthcare professionals and sports coaches) to report to the authorities if they are made aware that a child is being sexually abused.
The new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection launched in April 2025 will improve the police response to child protection and violence against women and girls.
We have committed further funding to the independent Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to improve the ability of professionals in policing, health, local authorities, and multi-agency partnerships, to identify and respond effectively to all forms of child sexual abuse through the provision of evidence-based training and practice resources.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to (1) farms, (2) livestock, and (3) biodiversity, posed by the Langdale Moor wildfire.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) prevent future major wildfires, and (2) ensure fire and rescue services are adequately equipped to control those that do occur.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As the lead government department for wildfire, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains regular engagement with a range of other government departments, operational partners and key stakeholders to monitor and review sector led improvements and mitigations. This includes The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Cabinet Office, along with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF)
Since 2024, the Government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector. MHCLG also supports fire and rescue authorities in responding to incidents by providing national resilience capabilities, including High Volume Pumps (HVP).
At a local level, each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), and having regard to the views of other key local responders.
The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February, sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £69.1m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.
The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need to protect communities.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when negotiations will commence with the EU on the proposed sanitary and phytosanitary agreement particularly with a view to permitting the export of bull semen from the UK to the EU.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We are aiming to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027, subject to discussion with the EU.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with the government of Greece to discuss (1) immigration policy, and (2) how the UK, Greece and the EU can cooperate to reduce illegal migration from North Africa into Europe.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We engage closely with the Greek Government on migration issues and are committed to supporting Greece's efforts to manage migration effectively. At Ministerial level, this has included meetings between our Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers at the end of 2024, and between the Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, and his Greek counterpart (most recently in New York in July 2025). We continue to work with Greek partners to identify opportunities for further cooperation around irregular migration to and through Greece.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report of the Independent Water Commission published on 21 July; what plans they have to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations; and by when.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has already responded to a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations, as set out in the statement made by the Secretary of State on 21 July.
This set out the Government’s intention to establish a single regulator for water, to include a regional element within the new regulator, to establish a new statutory water ombudsman, to end operator self-monitoring and transition to Open Monitoring, and to issue an interim Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and give Ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements.
The Government will respond to Sir Jon’s recommendations in full via a White Paper, published for consultation this autumn, and a new Water Reform Bill to be introduced early this Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations contained in the Dimbleby Report on the National Food Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK Government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
The food strategy will work to make good, healthy food more accessible and affordable, as part of the Government's Plan for Change. Our strategy builds on existing evidence and analysis, such as The National Food Strategy. We have an opportunity to convert the “junk food cycle”, identified by Henry Dimbleby, into a “good food cycle” that delivers growth, while improving health, climate and environment and food security outcomes from the food system.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to engage with water companies to ensure that farmers have access to water for their crops and livestock.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is engaging with water companies to ensure that water is abstracted in the best way for all users and the environment and that water companies are following their drought plans.
Water companies’ drought plans set out the actions they will take to monitor and manage the impact of drought on their customers (including farmers) and the environment. It is their responsibility to act in line with these plans.
Regional Water Resources Groups are made up of the EA, water companies, the National Farmers Union and Abstractor Groups. The regional groups are considering how they can work together to ensure there is sufficient water in the system to provide availability for all users. This may include, for example, water companies abstracting lower volumes at specific points, so water moves downstream and allows farmers to abstract water.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that surplus energy generated by solar panels on roofs of warehouses and other commercial buildings can be exported back to the grid.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Generation from rooftop solar can be exported to the grid provided there is capacity to accommodate it. This may require investment in distribution and/or transmission networks. Ofgem has raised the threshold for generation connection projects requiring a transmission network impact assessment from 1 Megawatt to below 5 Megawatts in England and Wales. This will reduce connection timescales and costs for rooftop solar schemes previously above the threshold. Reform of the transmission connections process will facilitate connections for projects that remain above the threshold, provided they are progressing and align with the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.