Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable, as distinct from the disabled, will be addressed in the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is independent of the Government. The process, procedure and timing of the Inquiry are matters for the Chair, Baroness Hallett.
On 16th January 2023 the Chair designated the group Clinically Vulnerable Families as a Core Participant for Module 3 of the Inquiry which covers healthcare systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for the Inquiry itself to provide any further detail on the important issue of how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable will be addressed.
The Government is committed to learning from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings which will play a key role in informing planning and preparations for the future; it continues to work closely with the Inquiry.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the elm zigzag sawfly in the UK; and what mitigating measures can be taken to slow its spread.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK.
A comprehensive pest risk analysis for Elm zig-zag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) was conducted in 2016, before the pest was first reported in the UK. This is available to view on the published UK Plant Health Risk Register and is attached to this answer, it provides the basis for the inclusion of the pest on that national prioritisation tool.
The assessment concluded that there were no practical options to ensure continued exclusion or eradication from the UK due to its rapid expansion across Europe and the pest being a hitchhiker, which can be introduced on transport such as cars and trains. On that basis, statutory eradication action against findings in the wider environment when the pest was confirmed in the UK in 2017 were not technically justified.
The Forestry Commission conducts ongoing surveillance to monitor the distribution of Elm zig-zag sawfly and have published guidance for landowners to inform its management. Pest spread has also been recorded through citizen science, by the Observatree volunteer network.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of acute oak decline in the UK; and what steps they are taking to minimise its impact.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK.
Acute oak decline is a complex disease of native species of oak (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea) that mostly affects mature trees aged over 50 years. It has been established in the UK for many years and does not meet the criteria for a regulated pest. The Pest Risk Analysis for Acute oak decline is attached to this answer and is available to view on the UK Plant Health Risk Register, together with the risk ratings and current mitigations for this disease. The disease has been prioritised for research, survey to monitor its distribution, and management by industry.
Defra has invested over £1 million in research to understand the causes, distribution and scale of acute oak decline in the UK. Forest Research has used this research to inform published distribution maps and management guidance for landowners. Research on acute oak decline is also supported by Action Oak, a pioneering new partnership launched in 2018, which is part of the Government’s response to concerns about the long-term future of our oak trees.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent Asian and citrus longhorn beetles arriving in the UK.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK.
Asian longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) and citrus longhorn beetle (Anoplophora chinensis) are damaging pests of broadleaved trees including sycamore, maples, willow, birch and elm and are designated as priority, quarantine pests. They are not currently present in the UK. We have contingency plans in place and will take statutory action in the event of a finding.
Risk ratings and current mitigations for both pests are available to view on the UK Plant Health Risk Register. A common pathway for the spread of Asian longhorn beetle is wood packaging material such as pallets, and there are international standards in place for treating such material (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) to mitigate this risk. A common international pathway for the spread of citrus longhorn beetle is the movement of young trees for planting, particularly maples. The UK has general prohibitions in place on imports of all high-risk trees from outside of the EU, and further controls on other known hosts from countries where the pest is known to occur. All imports of trees must be pre-notified to government and are subject to an official inspection and surveillance programme.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by bronze birch beetles to the UK's forests.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses new and emerging threats to plant health and their potential impact on the UK.
Bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is a priority, regulated pest with a surveillance programme and contingency plan in place. A pest risk analysis for this pest was carried out in 2011 for the whole of the Europe and Mediterranean Plant Protection region and is attached to this answer, with UK experts in pest risk analysis and forestry being part of the working group. This is available to view on the EPPO website (https://gd.eppo.int/) and provided the basis for the inclusion of the pest on the UK Plant Health Risk Register.
Bronze birch borer is a specialist wood-boring beetle pest of birch trees. It is native to North America and absent from the UK. Specific import measures on birch material from third countries, including North America, are in place to mitigate against its entry into the UK and such materials are subject to pre-landing notification and inspection by the UK plant health authorities. Statutory action would be taken against any findings of this pest in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage caused by the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle to the UK's forests.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK.
The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a serious pest on spruce in Europe and could cause significant damage to Britain’s forestry and timber industries. The beetle is primarily a secondary pest, preferring stressed or weakened trees. However, under the right environmental conditions, beetle numbers can increase enough to result in attacks on healthy trees.
Ips typographus is a priority, regulated pest with a surveillance programme and contingency plan in place. The pest risk analysis for Ips typographus that provided the basis for the current entry of the pest on the UK Plant Health Risk Register, is being updated and will be issued for consultation shortly.
In 2018 a breeding population of Ips typographus was first confirmed in Kent, as part of routine surveillance by the Forestry Commission. Further findings have been identified in the South-East of England in 2021-23. Evidence demonstrates that outbreaks have resulted from natural dispersal (blow over) of the pest from the continent. There is no evidence of within-UK spread, or of impacts on healthy spruce in the UK.
All outbreak sites are subject to robust eradication action, and a demarcated area is in place restricting the movement and felling of susceptible material. Monitoring of the 2018 outbreak indicates that eradication action on that site has been successful.
We continue to fund research into the impact and spread of Ips typographus. Over the longer term, the Forestry Commission is encouraging landowners to remove susceptible spruce from the South-East and replant with other species. Financial support is available for this through the Tree Health Pilot.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the spread of European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus in the UK; and what mitigating measures can be taken to slow its spread.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK.
A comprehensive Pest Risk Analysis for European mountain ash ring-spot-associated virus (EMARAV) was conducted in 2013. This is available to view on the published UK Plant Health Risk Register (https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/) and is attached to this answer. It provides the basis for the inclusion of the pest on that national prioritisation tool.
EMARAV is a virus of the genus Sorbus, commonly known as Rowan or European mountain ash. Evidence demonstrates the virus has a widespread presence in Scotland and previous findings in other parts of the UK. The virus has a limited impact and is considered to pose a low risk to the UK. Statutory action is not taken against this pathogen.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many acres of agricultural land which were previously being farmed were given over to solar farms in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra has previously published statistics for the amounts of land changing use during individual years from 2013 to 14 through to 2017 to 2018. The Department intends to provisionally publish similar figures for the three year period 2019 to 2022 using a revised methodology during June or July 2023, however, the figures are not detailed enough to provide the information requested.
The Government has made an assessment of the UK’s food security as a whole. In the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security. In general, we produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.
With regards to solar farms specifically, protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality. Solar and farming can be complementary, supporting each other financially, environmentally and through shared use of land. We consider that meeting energy security and climate change goals is urgent and of critical importance to the country, and that these goals can be achieved together with maintaining food security for the UK. We encourage deployment of solar technology that delivers environmental benefits, with consideration for ongoing food production or environmental improvement.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on UK food security of giving over farm land to solar farms.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra has previously published statistics for the amounts of land changing use during individual years from 2013 to 14 through to 2017 to 2018. The Department intends to provisionally publish similar figures for the three year period 2019 to 2022 using a revised methodology during June or July 2023, however, the figures are not detailed enough to provide the information requested.
The Government has made an assessment of the UK’s food security as a whole. In the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security. In general, we produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.
With regards to solar farms specifically, protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality. Solar and farming can be complementary, supporting each other financially, environmentally and through shared use of land. We consider that meeting energy security and climate change goals is urgent and of critical importance to the country, and that these goals can be achieved together with maintaining food security for the UK. We encourage deployment of solar technology that delivers environmental benefits, with consideration for ongoing food production or environmental improvement.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of spread of ash dieback; and what preventative measures are being put in place to minimise the impact.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The fungus responsible for ash dieback disease can spread up to 75km via air borne spores. It is not possible to limit the spread of the disease at a national level, and it is now present in all counties, moving across the country at the expected rate from modelling by Cambridge University. There are an estimated 125 million ash trees in UK woodlands and up to 60 million ash trees outside of woodlands. From observations in Europe and the UK, we expect 1-5% of these trees to be naturally resistant to the disease.
The disease progresses quickly in young trees, trees growing in stressed conditions and ash dominated woodlands with higher levels of leaf litter and spore loads. Removal of leaf litter may be an effective way to limit the spread in certain conditions, for example around high value trees in urban environments.
The Government has published guidance for landowners on managing diseased ash, including a toolkit for Local Authorities, which has been downloaded nearly 20,000 times. Through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, Defra funds treescape restoration with alternative species. Since 2021, over £15 million has been awarded through this fund. Countryside Stewardship tree health woodland grants also provide funds for private landowners to restock after felling due to ash dieback, and we are piloting grants that provide financial support for ecological surveys and road closures.
The Government has invested more than £8 million into ash dieback research, including the world’s largest screening trials for resistant trees. 1000 genotypes drawn from a wide geographic spread and genetic diversity are being tested for resistance to facilitate the possibility of a future breeding programme of resilient ash.