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.

Defra is funding the Biopesticides Innovation Research Network (BIRCH) led by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH).

This network will act as a focal point between researchers, industry, regulators and policy and will work to develop advice to support the registration and risk assessment of biopesticides. The network will engage with EU organisations and at the international level to share knowledge and encourage alignment between relevant groups and projects.

Improving access to low risk biopesticides for farmers, growers and other land managers is a priority for this Government – as set out in the UK Pesticides National Action Plan, published this year.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which regulates the approval, authorisation and use of biopesticides in the UK runs a biopesticide scheme to support companies seeking to market biopesticides in the UK. Support provided through the scheme includes dedicated HSE biopesticide champions, free pre-submission advice, and capped fees for biopesticide active substance approval.

In May this year the government set out its intention to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) area with the EU, by way of an SPS Agreement. Pesticides regulations are in scope of the SPS agreement. As set out in the EU Vision for Agriculture and its recent SPS Omnibus Package Call for Evidence, the EU shares our aim to improve access to biopesticides. We welcome the EU’s review of regulatory barriers to innovation and, look forward to working collaboratively to deliver our shared aims.

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 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).