Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect (1) research and development, and (2) a path to production and sale, of precision bred products.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Precision breeding remains subject to ongoing negotiations between the UK and the EU as part of the SPS agreement. The EU has however accepted there will need to be some areas where we retain our own rules. This includes research and development where we have confirmed that we will continue our regulatory approach to support science and innovation in the UK. Defra has also funded a £12.5 million Farming Innovation Programme competition specifically to support innovation in precision breeding, and Defra’s Genetic Improvement Networks Platform provides £15 million to support precision breeding for priority traits in key crops.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support innovation, entrepreneurship and investment in crop improvement in the United Kingdom and globally following the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Genetic technologies offer huge potential for British and global farmers, enabling development of crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and more environmentally beneficial.
The department is supporting innovation through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, funding a £12.5 million competition specifically for precision breeding, including drought resistant crops. Defra’s Genetic Improvement Networks Platform also provides £15 million to support precision breeding R&D for priority traits in key UK crops.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (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 potential for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/581) to be revoked or reduced in scope during the phytosanitary alignment negotiations with the EU.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government introduced the Precision Breeding Regulations to realise the benefits of precision breeding, and the department remain committed to implementing the Precision Breeding Act 2023. These Regulations are subject to ongoing negotiations between the UK and the EU as part of the SPS agreement. The EU has accepted there will need to be some areas where we retain our own rules.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or intend to have, about the public health benefits associated with trees and green spaces as part of the development of the forthcoming England Trees Action Plan.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government recognises the significant public health and wellbeing benefits that trees and green spaces provide. Evidence shows that green neighbourhoods and access to trees and woodlands can improve health outcomes by encouraging physical activity, increasing mental wellbeing, improving air quality and by helping to create healthier, more attractive places to live and work.
The England Trees Action Plan is currently being developed and will be published later in 2026. We are working closely with industry, researchers and other stakeholders to shape the vision, priorities and content of the plan.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (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 relationship between tree canopy cover in urban areas and measurable outcomes for public health.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognise the link between mental and physical wellbeing and access to nature. Natural England research shows that we could save the NHS more than £2 billion a year if everyone had good access to green space. Urban green spaces alone support 2.1 million people to meet their weekly physical activity guidelines, avoiding health service costs of around £1.4 billion.
Forest Research has estimated that one additional tree per kilometre of street is associated with 1.18 fewer medical prescriptions per thousand population. If this represents a causal relationship it would translate to a value of £16 million of UK urban street trees through avoided antidepressant costs.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support businesses with (1) accessing climate information, (2) adaptation planning, and (3) managing the health of employees during extreme weather.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government supports businesses to adapt to climate change through National Adaptation Programmes under the Climate Change Act 2008. The Third Programme (2023) prioritises better climate information, guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and identifying climate-related economic opportunities for UK growth.
The Met Office Local Authority Climate Service, launched in 2024 with Defra, provides free, localised climate data to help manage risks and reduce disruption. Further SME support comes from the Small Business Plan (2025).
The Climate Change Committee recently published its Well-Adapted UK report, HMG will carefully consider the CCC's recommendations as it develops its Fourth National Adaptation Programme, to be delivered in 2028.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support international nature restoration, following their report National security assessment on global ecosystems, published on 20 January.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The National security assessment on global ecosystems deepens our understanding of how biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation affect national and global stability. This analysis informs our engagement with international partners and supports collective action to address shared biodiversity challenges.
The UK is taking comprehensive action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas. This includes support for conflict prevention, climate adaptation, early warning systems and sustainable livelihoods, alongside targeted investments through International Climate Finance. The Government is investing £11.6 billion including £3 billion for nature, supporting tropical rainforests, marine habitats and indigenous communities. The Government is also backing innovative finance such as the eco.business Fund and the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, which mobilise private sector investment to restore degraded land, enhance biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience globally.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report National security assessment on global ecosystems, published on 20 January, what plans they have to prioritise the protection and restoration of ecosystems, particularly those that support the UK food system.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is taking action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas, investing in forest and ocean protection and supporting the transition to more sustainable food and land use globally.
This includes strengthening supply chain resilience through the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy and supporting sustainable agriculture globally through International Climate Finance (ICF) investments. The UK is on track to deliver £11.6 billion in ICF by the end of FY25/26, of which £3 billion should be Nature finance.
The Government has also recently published the revised Environmental Improvement Plan, which will help us to restore nature, improve environmental quality, and protect environmental security. Furthermore, our Food Strategy calls for action that will reduce the impact of our food system on the natural environment and build sustainability and resilience into our food supply chain. Together with our Farming Roadmap and Land Use Framework, we will enhance UK food security by protecting and stabilising food production and supply; and accelerate the green financial transition to drive economic growth at home and abroad.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for legislation to make it mandatory for insurance companies to provide flood cover at an affordable and fair price, to supersede the temporary Flood Re scheme.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2024/25, Flood Re provided cover for over 346,000 household policies. 650,000 properties have benefitted since the scheme’s launch and 99% of householders at high risk of flooding can now obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers.
Flood Re have a statutory purpose to manage the transition to a risk-reflective market of flood insurance between 2016 and 2039 when the scheme is expected to end. Flood Re publishes a Transition Plan every five years outlining progress and actions to manage this transition. Flood Re's next Transition plan (Transition Plan 4) will be published in 2028.
We recognise that climate change and population growth could further impact on the future costs of home insurance. This is why we have committed to reviewing, by the end of this Parliament, how both government and industry are responding to these new challenges and creating the conditions for this transition.
The review will consider current and future actions to ensure that the insurance market can enable access to affordable flood insurance from 2039, without the need for ongoing government intervention.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include saltmarshes in the UK's greenhouse gas inventory.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is actively exploring the role of marine nature-based solutions, such as seagrass and saltmarsh restoration, to deliver both carbon sequestration and broader benefits.
Defra is working in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Devolved Governments – through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership – to address evidence gaps that currently prevent the inclusion of saltmarsh in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Defra Group have funded five flux towers to provide important carbon emissions data for saltmarsh habitats. Alongside investment to deliver a roadmap setting out the steps needed for potential inclusion of saltmarsh in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Other marine habitats will be kept in consideration as the evidence base around them develops.
Reflecting this ongoing work, saltmarsh was included within Defra’s Net Zero pathway for Carbon Budgets 4–6 as an early-stage policy.