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 consideration they have given to granting additional powers to (1) the police, and (2) local authorities, to reduce fly-tipping.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Local authorities carry out enforcement activity for the vast majority of fly-tipping incidents. In recent years we have bolstered their powers by introducing fixed penalty notices of up to £400 and strengthening their powers to stop, search and seize the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. The Environment Act 2021 will also help authorities better tackle waste crime through better access to evidence and improved powers of entry.
We have committed to raising fly-tipping penalties in our manifesto. We have published notice of our intention to commission a research project that considers the effectiveness of current enforcement practices which will inform policy development in this area.
Local authorities can also prosecute fly-tippers. In collaboration with the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) we have recently produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court to support sentences that properly reflect the severity of fly-tipping.
The Environment Agency responds to the most serious illegal dumping incidents and has enforcement powers of its own.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they plan to issue to farmers to protect themselves from violent crime.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Statistical Digest of Rural England, published in August 2022 by DEFRA, states “average crime rates (police recorded crime) are lower in rural areas than urban areas”. However, we recognise that some crimes are unique and specific to rural areas.
The Home Office routinely publishes information on the number of offences recorded each quarter and the investigative outcomes of crimes including charges recorded by the police in England and Wales by offence category which can be found at Gov.UK. Our manifesto committed us to use our additional police resources to tackle rural crime. As at 30 September 2022, 15,343 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 77% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. The deployment of these officers, and the creation of any local rural crime unit, is an operational decision for Chief Constables. In addition, we are taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
The Government is also committed to reducing serious violence and putting an end to the tragedies afflicting our communities. This financial year (22/23) we are investing £130 million in tackling serious violent crime, including homicide and knife crime. This includes £64m for Violence Reduction Units, and an extra £30 million to support the police in taking targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the conviction rate for rural crime.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Statistical Digest of Rural England, published in August 2022 by DEFRA, states “average crime rates (police recorded crime) are lower in rural areas than urban areas”. However, we recognise that some crimes are unique and specific to rural areas.
The Home Office routinely publishes information on the number of offences recorded each quarter and the investigative outcomes of crimes including charges recorded by the police in England and Wales by offence category which can be found at Gov.UK. Our manifesto committed us to use our additional police resources to tackle rural crime. As at 30 September 2022, 15,343 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 77% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. The deployment of these officers, and the creation of any local rural crime unit, is an operational decision for Chief Constables. In addition, we are taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
The Government is also committed to reducing serious violence and putting an end to the tragedies afflicting our communities. This financial year (22/23) we are investing £130 million in tackling serious violent crime, including homicide and knife crime. This includes £64m for Violence Reduction Units, and an extra £30 million to support the police in taking targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to setting up rural crime units.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Statistical Digest of Rural England, published in August 2022 by DEFRA, states “average crime rates (police recorded crime) are lower in rural areas than urban areas”. However, we recognise that some crimes are unique and specific to rural areas.
The Home Office routinely publishes information on the number of offences recorded each quarter and the investigative outcomes of crimes including charges recorded by the police in England and Wales by offence category which can be found at Gov.UK. Our manifesto committed us to use our additional police resources to tackle rural crime. As at 30 September 2022, 15,343 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 77% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. The deployment of these officers, and the creation of any local rural crime unit, is an operational decision for Chief Constables. In addition, we are taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
The Government is also committed to reducing serious violence and putting an end to the tragedies afflicting our communities. This financial year (22/23) we are investing £130 million in tackling serious violent crime, including homicide and knife crime. This includes £64m for Violence Reduction Units, and an extra £30 million to support the police in taking targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rising levels of crime and low conviction rates in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Statistical Digest of Rural England, published in August 2022 by DEFRA, states “average crime rates (police recorded crime) are lower in rural areas than urban areas”. However, we recognise that some crimes are unique and specific to rural areas.
The Home Office routinely publishes information on the number of offences recorded each quarter and the investigative outcomes of crimes including charges recorded by the police in England and Wales by offence category which can be found at Gov.UK. Our manifesto committed us to use our additional police resources to tackle rural crime. As at 30 September 2022, 15,343 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 77% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. The deployment of these officers, and the creation of any local rural crime unit, is an operational decision for Chief Constables. In addition, we are taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
The Government is also committed to reducing serious violence and putting an end to the tragedies afflicting our communities. This financial year (22/23) we are investing £130 million in tackling serious violent crime, including homicide and knife crime. This includes £64m for Violence Reduction Units, and an extra £30 million to support the police in taking targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence.
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 they are working with supermarkets to ensure that affordable staple foods are available on the shelves this winter given the increasing food cost for (1) consumers, and (2) retailers.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra has well established ways of working with industry. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement with supermarkets and producers in order to tackle the cost-of-living challenge. Through this engagement, Defra will continue to explore the range of measures food retailers can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.
On 14 June, David Buttress was appointed by HM Government as the new Cost of Living Business Tsar. Since his appointment, Mr Buttress has been working in partnership with some of the United Kingdom’s largest supermarkets, including Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys, to reduce costs at the checkout and ensure the access of essential products and services for families across the country.
However, it is not for His Majesty’s Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. Rising food prices are dependent on a combination of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs.
In addition to the energy support package announced by Government in September, we have committed £37 billion to tackle the increased cost of living this year. This includes an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, including food, bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual survey conducted by the Grocery Code Adjudicator which identified a deteriorating relationship between food suppliers and retailers; and what steps they will take to improve that relationship.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has noted the results of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) 2022 Groceries Sector Survey and encourages suppliers to raise concerns about non-compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code), in confidence, with the Adjudicator.
The Government is currently undertaking the third statutory review of the effectiveness of the GCA in enforcing the Code and will consider the results of the GCA’s survey as part of the review alongside responses to the public consultation that ended on 11 October. A report on the findings of the statutory review will be published and laid before Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of visas for seasonal workers given the estimated £60 million losses by the horticultural industry for the first half of this year's growing season.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Seasonal Worker route was extended into this year, with 38,000 visas available, to support our farmers growing fruit and vegetables as they adapt to changes in the UK labour market. The new Government will keep the position on seasonal workers under close review.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Thrive initiative run by Devon County Council, which offers farmers up to three hours of free advice from a farm consultant; and what plans they have to encourage the roll out of this scheme in other areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Thrive initiative is not funded by Defra but where possible we will consider any learning that it, and other similar programmes, can provide to inform our future plans.
We are due to launch the third phase of the Future Farming Resilience Fund (FFRF) which provides free expert advice to farmers and land managers in England during the early years of the agricultural transition.
It does this by awarding grants to organisations who, in turn, help farmers and land managers to:
- understand the changes that are happening;
- identify how, what and when they may need to adapt their business models;
- access tailored support to adapt.
Defra has awarded grants to 17 organisations to provide delivery of the next phase of the FFRF. The support will be available from October 2022 until March 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement of the £55 million contract to regenerate HMS Quorn, a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, what plans they have for further refurbishment of naval vessels to bolster NATO’s maritime capability.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
There are currently no plans for the refurbishment of any former naval vessels.
The Royal Navy routinely sells its surplus units to key allies and partners as new capabilities are brought into service.
HMS Quorn is well suited to the Lithuanian Navy's requirements and will continue to support NATO maritime capability for many years to come.