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.

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.

Found: Supported by: Lord Krebs, Lord Bishop of Norwich, Baroness Young of Old Scone RUSSELL57 HOUSE OF LORDS

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many people were sent by the Church of England to the UN Climate Change (a) COP29 and (b) COP30 delegation.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The Church Commissioners were represented at COP29 by Olga Hancock, Managing Director and Head of Responsible Investment. In her role as Co-Lead of the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance Policy Workstream, she engaged, alongside other investors, with senior negotiators on a range of finance-related issues, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and Article 6 carbon market arrangements, to encourage a high level of ambition from COP participants.

The Church Commissioners also contributed to a climate finance roundtable hosted by the UN High-Level Climate Champions and met with ministers and heads of delegation from OECD member countries.

In advance of COP29, Church Commissioners staff convened an online meeting in October 2024 involving investors and officials from the US State Department's COP29 Finance Team. They also held discussions with representatives of His Majesty's Government and the Government of Canada.

The Anglican Communion were represented at COP29 by Archbishop Julio Murray Thompson, Bishop of Panama, former Primate of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America and Martha Jarvis, the Anglican Communion's Permanent Representative to the United Nations; their primary work focused on climate finance, supporting indigenous communities, and, as part of the Faith Pavilion, supporting efforts to tackle global debt.

At COP30, the Anglican Communion delegation was led by Archbishop Marinez of the Amazon, who hosted faith groups in Belém, Brazil. Shortly before COP30, Archbishop Marinez visited London to meet Members of both Houses of Parliament. The visit was organised by the Lord Bishop of Norwich. During the visit, the Church Commissioners and the Bishop of Norwich jointly hosted a meeting with Archbishop Marinez to discuss priorities for COP30, engage with local churches, and encourage prayer and support for the conference.

Found: Armed Forces Bill 18 THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH BARONESS GOLDIE BARONESS BRINTON 47_ After Clause

Found: THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH BARONESS GOLDIE _ After Clause 43, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH BARONESS GOLDIE _ After Clause 43, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH BARONESS GOLDIE _ After Clause 43, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: After Clause 51 THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH BARONESS GOLDIE _ After Clause 51, insert the following

Found: After Clause 51 THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: After Clause 51 THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: After Clause 51 THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: After Clause 50 THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH ★_ After Clause 50, insert the following new Clause— “Protection

Found: THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH THE EARL OF MINTO BARONESS SMITH OF NEWNHAM 59_ After Clause 50, insert