Earl of Caithness

The Guide to Handling Correspondence, sets out the guidance for Government departments and executive agencies to follow in responding to correspondence from members of Parliament. While it is not mandatory for correspondence from members of Parliament to be answered by Chief Executive Officers of non-departmental public bodies, correspondence responses should be high quality and answered within set timeframes.

The cross-Government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group is convening a workshop in August 2025, focused on the environmental impact of pet parasiticides.

This event will bring together representatives from across the companion animal sector to share knowledge and expertise on this issue. The primary objective of the workshop is to collaboratively develop and agree on consistent messaging for pet owners regarding the appropriate use of topical parasiticides for cats and dogs. A key focus will be on how this messaging can be effectively disseminated across different settings - with the aim to minimise potential environmental impacts.

The roadmap to address levels of fipronil or imidacloprid in UK waterways will be published imminently, subject to ministerial clearance and upon receipt of a grid slot.

As our main arm’s length body for nature in England and in line with its statutory purpose, Natural England is keen to keep Parliament and Parliamentarians up to speed with its operations. Natural England makes its wealth of science, evidence and experience of delivery available to Parliament in a number of ways including regular contributions to Parliamentary Select Committee inquiries and Parliamentary groups such as APPGs as well as individual meetings with MPs, Peers and Parliamentary staff where that is appropriate and adds value.

The Government recognises the challenge that bracken presents to land managers, particularly in upland regions. Mechanical control and chemical control using glyphosate can be useful tools in controlling bracken, though the government recognises their limitations. It is for individual land managers to decide how to control bracken within safe and legal means.

The Government encourages industry and other external partners to develop new tools that will help to address the challenge of managing bracken. Any herbicides not currently allowed for bracken control would require authorisation for that purpose by the Health and Safety Executive.

Parasiticides, such as those containing fipronil and imidacloprid, play an essential role in protecting both animal and human health against fleas and ticks and their associated vector-borne diseases, which can lead to parasitic disease in pets and present zoonotic risks to humans, as well as causing distress and discomfort. The concerns regarding the potential contribution of flea and tick treatments to the levels of imidacloprid currently being detected in UK surface waters are recognised. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) is currently gathering evidence on this issue and has initiated the formation of a cross-governmental Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group.

The PiE Group has set out a roadmap of activities to address levels of fipronil and imidacloprid in UK waterways. The immediate priority is to collaborate with key stakeholders to enhance and promote consistent messaging to users on the appropriate use of topical parasiticides for cats and dogs, aiming to reduce potential environmental impacts. Beyond this, actions will focus on developing our evidence base through research and monitoring. The group will use this evidence to improve understanding of the issue and inform future policy activities in the longer term.

At this stage, there are no plans to restrict flea and tick treatments to prescription only. Any future regulatory decisions will be based on robust scientific evidence to ensure both environmental protection and continued access to essential veterinary medicines.

The Government is taking a joined-up approach to enhancing resilience to wildfires. Improvements are being driven in wildfire data collection through the introduction of the new Fire and Rescue Data Platform – a new incident reporting tool used by Fire and Rescue Services. This will introduce a formal definition for ‘wildfire’ for the purpose of fire incident reporting, which will enable Government to collect official data on the number of incidents and publish official statistics. These improvements will allow us to track data trends, the concentration of wildfire events and provide a solid evidence base for future wildfire policy and operational planning.

Prior to the transfer of fire functions to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Home Office convened a number of stakeholder workshops with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), its agencies, and other stakeholders to identify policy options for addressing wildfire risk. This included a workshop, led by Defra, on land management issues. The outcomes of this work are currently being considered.

Officials continue to engage actively with landowners, land managers and wildfire specialists through established forums including the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF).

The Government is taking a joined-up approach to enhancing resilience to wildfires. Improvements are being driven in wildfire data collection through the introduction of the new Fire and Rescue Data Platform – a new incident reporting tool used by Fire and Rescue Services. This will introduce a formal definition for ‘wildfire’ for the purpose of fire incident reporting, which will enable Government to collect official data on the number of incidents and publish official statistics. These improvements will allow us to track data trends, the concentration of wildfire events and provide a solid evidence base for future wildfire policy and operational planning.

Prior to the transfer of fire functions to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Home Office convened a number of stakeholder workshops with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), its agencies, and other stakeholders to identify policy options for addressing wildfire risk. This included a workshop, led by Defra, on land management issues. The outcomes of this work are currently being considered.

Officials continue to engage actively with landowners, land managers and wildfire specialists through established forums including the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF).