Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to limiting the size of solar plants in areas of best and most versatile agricultural land.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Planning policy and associated guidance set out that the effective use of land should be prioritised by directing large scale solar projects to locate on previously developed and non-greenfield land.
If a developer proposes to use any land falling under Natural England’s ‘best and most versatile agricultural land’, they are required to justify using such land and design their projects to avoid, mitigate and where necessary, compensate for any impacts.
The planning system also sets out how decision-makers should consider the impact of cumulative impacts, for example where a number of solar projects are deployed in close proximity.
Further detail can be found in the National Policy Statement (EN-3), National Planning Policy Framework, and associated planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (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 effectiveness of dredging rivers and waterways while balancing environmental and habitat considerations; and, in particular, what assessment they have made of how effective this would be for the River Trent.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency undertakes dredging (for more information see the Environment Agency Blog on GOV.UK) to manage flood risk where it is technically effective, does not significantly increase flood risk for others downstream, and is environmentally acceptable. The effectiveness of such work in managing flood risk varies substantially from site to site. The Environment Agency makes a local assessment working in close consultation with local communities.
Historical records and modelling show that in some locations dredging can increase erosion and flood risk for communities downstream and damage wildlife and ecosystems. The Water Environment Regulations 2017 requires Risk Management Authorities to consider the impact of dredging on the ecological health of rivers but does not prevent dredging where it effectively protects people and property.
Along the River Trent, dredging is not cost effective as it would only provide a temporary and minimal increase in capacity as natural processes would cause silt to return and accumulate quickly. Additionally, there is the potential for negative impacts on the ecosystem if dredging is carried out. Many communities along the river Trent are well protected through other means such as flood defenses and other river maintenance activities which are more viable and cost effective in the long term.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to permitting farmers transitioning from Basic Payments to Delinked Payments to discount one or more of the years in the reference period as a result of (1) events outside their control, or (2) a mistake; and whether they intend to review and amend the Agriculture (Delinked Payments and Consequential Provisions) (England) Regulations 2023 in this regard.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Delinked payments will be based on the average Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment made to the farmer during the 2020 to 2022 reference period. The Government considers that using an average over three years is fair as any anomalies will be evened out. This takes account of responses to our 2021 consultation on delinked payments.
In addition, where a farmer suffered exceptional circumstances which affected their ability to meet the BPS rules in the reference period, they were able to apply at the time under the BPS force majeure rules. In such cases, the Rural Payments Agency may not have applied a reduction to the BPS payment for non-compliance with the rules.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 19 December 2023, what consideration they have given to expediting the introduction of a statutory register of children schooled at home and online, given the rise in those numbers, in order to identify children (1) who are at risk, or (2) who have unmet needs.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to a statutory system of registration for children not in school and intends to legislate for that at the next suitable opportunity. My honourable Friend, the Member for Meon Valley introduced a Private Member’s Bill on 11 December with the aim of creating legal duties on local authorities to maintain such registers. The department welcomes her long and ongoing support for those measures, which the department had previously introduced as part of the Schools Bill.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to local authorities (1) to establish new supported lodgings schemes, or (2) to expand existing schemes.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality setting that meets their needs and keeps them safe. That is why the department is investing over £140 million to introduce mandatory national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers of supported accommodation for 16 and 17 year old looked after children and care leavers, including supported lodgings. Ofsted began registering providers on 28 April 2023, and registration will become mandatory from 28 October 2023.
The department has commissioned the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) to deliver a sector awareness and provider preparedness programme, through which they are working directly with local authorities and providers to prepare them for registration and adhering to the new standards. This work will be responsive to the needs of the sector. The department has already identified supported lodgings as a key area of focus, given their uniqueness in comparison to other types of setting. Some of the NCB’s work over the summer will therefore target these providers, who also have representation on the steering group for the national programme.
The department is investing £123 million of the overall funding package to support local authorities with the new burdens costs associated with these reforms. Many local authorities are looking to register their own inhouse supported lodgings services and are working closely with external providers to support them to register. Supported lodgings can provide the high-quality accommodation and support that older children need, and the department encourages more of this type of provision in future.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to recruit more supported lodgings hosts to accommodate 16 and 17 year olds in care.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality setting that meets their needs and keeps them safe. That is why the department is investing over £140 million to introduce mandatory national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers of supported accommodation for 16 and 17 year old looked after children and care leavers, including supported lodgings. Ofsted began registering providers on 28 April 2023, and registration will become mandatory from 28 October 2023.
The department has commissioned the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) to deliver a sector awareness and provider preparedness programme, through which they are working directly with local authorities and providers to prepare them for registration and adhering to the new standards. This work will be responsive to the needs of the sector. The department has already identified supported lodgings as a key area of focus, given their uniqueness in comparison to other types of setting. Some of the NCB’s work over the summer will therefore target these providers, who also have representation on the steering group for the national programme.
The department is investing £123 million of the overall funding package to support local authorities with the new burdens costs associated with these reforms. Many local authorities are looking to register their own inhouse supported lodgings services and are working closely with external providers to support them to register. Supported lodgings can provide the high-quality accommodation and support that older children need, and the department encourages more of this type of provision in future.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to identify bereaved children in official statistics for the purposes of meeting their needs.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
01 June 2023
Dear Lord Bishop,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what plans there are to identify bereaved children in official statistics for the purposes of meeting their needs (HL8022).
Deaths are registered in England and Wales as part of civil registration, a legal requirement. A death registration does not include details of the deceased’s family relationships and as such cannot be used to identify bereaved children.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has no current plans to identify bereaved children in official statistics. However, as part of the forthcoming consultation on population statistics we will consider it as part of our future plans across population statistics. This consultation will officially launch at the end of the month and more details will be available on our website.
You may be interested in our previous published estimates that used the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS) to estimate the proportion of children born between the years 1971-2000, and followed up to the end of 2016, who experienced the death of their mother. Around 1% of children are likely to experience the death of their mother before they reach the age of 16. This equated to around 7,000 children every year in England and Wales who could experience maternal bereavement by the age of 16.
An estimate for those experiencing the death of their father or other relationships was not possible to create using the same methodology.
The data are an estimate within a range and are limited to children born in England and Wales. Stepchildren and adopted children are not captured using this method.
The estimate is described in more detail in ‘How many children experience the death of their mother?’ [1] and the data can be found in our ‘Children aged under 16 years who have experienced the death of their mother’ release [2].
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[1] https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2019/02/22/how-many-children-experience-the-death-of-their-mother/
[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/childrenwhoareunder16wholoseamother
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (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 partnership between the conservation interests of the RSPB and the business Tarmac in the restoration of reedbeds at Langford Lowfields on the banks of the River Trent; and what steps they are taking to help landowners restore land in similar, environmentally-beneficial ways.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HM Government are supportive of environmental partnerships across the public, private and third sectors. With regards to the Langford Lowfields site in particular, Defra group have contributed more directly through Natural England funding. Appetite for new partnerships has been encouraged through regulations driving demand for the ecosystem services that landowners can provide (biodiversity net gain, nutrient neutrality). Partnerships, involving landowners, can receive public funding (such as Environment Land Management schemes and Nature For Climate Funds).
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) will also promote partnership working and collaboration. HM Government is currently working to put in place the national policy framework so that preparation of LNRSs can commence across England.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the Renters Reform Bill; and, given the increase in mortgage costs may lead to tenants spending longer in rented accommodation, what consideration they have given to bringing forward their timetable for seeking to get the Bill passed.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Everyone deserves to live in a safe and secure home, and the Prime Minister is committed to the ban on section 21 no-fault evictions to protect tenants. Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the Government. We will legislate in this parliament.