Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the spread or recession of common ragwort in the countryside, especially along road-side verges.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An assessment of the spread or recession of common ragwort in the countryside has not been made, although the latest data from the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland indicate that it is still widespread. There is no general legal duty on Government to monitor levels of ragwort across the countryside.
Defra’s code of practice on how to prevent the spread of ragwort [see attached] states that humans may be at risk from ragwort poisoning through direct contact (e.g. hand pulling) however the Food and Environment Research Agency’s 2013 review of evidence concerning ragwort impacts, ecology and control options concluded that there is no evidence of human illness or fatalities resulting from ragwort. Links to further evidence can be found in this FOI release: Risk to humans from ragwort poisoning - GOV.UK [see attached].
Ragwort is classified as an Injurious Weed under the Weeds Act because it can be toxic to livestock when included in dry hay, or where livestock have nothing else to eat. Ragwort is a native plant that is valuable to a wide diversity of generalist pollinators, particularly in parched summer conditions when it can be the main nectar resource in a landscape.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of ingesting or handling common ragwort.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An assessment of the spread or recession of common ragwort in the countryside has not been made, although the latest data from the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland indicate that it is still widespread. There is no general legal duty on Government to monitor levels of ragwort across the countryside.
Defra’s code of practice on how to prevent the spread of ragwort [see attached] states that humans may be at risk from ragwort poisoning through direct contact (e.g. hand pulling) however the Food and Environment Research Agency’s 2013 review of evidence concerning ragwort impacts, ecology and control options concluded that there is no evidence of human illness or fatalities resulting from ragwort. Links to further evidence can be found in this FOI release: Risk to humans from ragwort poisoning - GOV.UK [see attached].
Ragwort is classified as an Injurious Weed under the Weeds Act because it can be toxic to livestock when included in dry hay, or where livestock have nothing else to eat. Ragwort is a native plant that is valuable to a wide diversity of generalist pollinators, particularly in parched summer conditions when it can be the main nectar resource in a landscape.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of international dark sky reserves.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has some of the best, earliest, and largest number of designated Dark Skies Areas in Europe. This includes Exmoor National Park, which was the first designated Dark Sky Reserve in Europe; and Northumberland, which has been awarded the Dark Sky Gold Tier, indicating natural, non-polluted or near-natural night skies. A survey into the designation of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, for example, reported a positive impact on the local economy. There have been no recent assessments of the benefits by Defra.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of the infrastructure of canals and waterways in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The condition of the canal and waterway infrastructure is the responsibility of the navigation authorities that own them. The two largest authorities are the Canal and River Trust with 2,000 miles of waterways, and the Environment Agency (EA) with 630 miles of river navigations. The Government provides an annual grant of £52.6 million to the Trust to support its infrastructure programme, and this financial year is providing grant-in-aid of £25 million to the EA to support its navigations.
As of 31 March 2025 (latest published figures), the Trust had 81.25% of its towpaths in conditions fair to very good (target not less than 50%), 13.77% of principal assets in conditions poor to bad (target not more than 25%), and 0.58% of flood management assets (principal culverts and embankments) in conditions poor to bad (target not more than 7%). These targets form the conditional element of the annual government grant. Trust assets are subject to a regular inspection regime by accredited inspectors. Defra officials meet the Trust’s senior management team formally three times a year to discuss the Trust’s work and use of the grant funding.
EA-owned and maintained navigation assets are also inspected by accredited inspectors as part of a risk based scheduled programme. Where identified, maintenance repairs on assets below the required condition are prioritised and allocated funding according to factors including sustaining navigation, public safety, and flood risk in the event of failure.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution made by canals and waterways to (1) the economy, and (2) the environment and wildlife.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our inland waterways are important for the natural environment by providing green corridors along which biodiversity can flourish. They also directly contribute to the growth of local economies, through domestic tourism and facilitating active transport links. They have a wider positive benefit for our economy and culture through providing many public benefits, including health and wellbeing, leisure and recreation uses, and industrial heritage attractions.
Defra officials meet regularly with the Trust to discuss a range of issues. The Trust publishes its annual Impact Report on its contribution to the economy, environment, and wildlife. The Environment Agency has not undertaken specific quantitative assessments of the contribution its waterways make to the economy, environment, and wildlife; however, its previous navigation plans acknowledge the benefits they bring.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of canal boats and other craft moored in canals and waterways in England and Wales; and of the numbers of boaters who sleep on them.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The responsibility to monitor or record the numbers of boats and boaters on canals and waterways in England and Wales rests with navigation authorities as they manage and administer boat registration and licensing regimes for the use of their waterways. The two largest navigation authorities are the Canal and River Trust and Environment Agency (EA). The Government has regular engagement with both authorities.
The Trust recorded 33,080 registered and unregistered boats on its waterways in its 2025 national boat survey. The Trust’s boat licensing requirements do not include the number of people per boat or whether they sleep on board. The EA records that there are just over 20,000 registered and unregistered boats on its waterways. It also does not collect information on the number of people who use the boats, including as their primary residence for sleeping purposes.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the communications between boaters and The Canal and River Trust.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Communications between boaters and the Trust are a matter for both parties. The Trust recognises the importance of communications with boaters, conducts an annual boater survey, and has published its ‘Better Boating Plan’ that sets out areas of boaters’ concerns and actions being taken to address them. The recommendations in the Independent Commission on Boat Licensing’s report published last November included improved communications with the boating community. The Trust has accepted all the recommendations and is now considering how best to implement them.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of flood defences in York.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since 2016, the Environment Agency has invested £125 million of government funding on a major upgrade of the engineered defences through York, including walls and flood gates and improvements to the Foss Barrier and pumping station. The defences are designed to protect properties from a flood with a 1% probability of happening in any given year, allowing for the effects of climate change until 2039. Further climate change predictions indicate upper catchment flood alleviation measures will be required to offer York the same standard of protection past 2039.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which English counties, if any, do not have native wild otters.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Published evidence shows European otters are present in every county in England.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of homes at risk of surface flooding, broken down by (1) those built, (2) those under construction, and (3) those with planning permission awaiting construction.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has committed £2.65 billion over the next two years to maintain, repair and build flood defences to protect communities across the country.
The Environment Agency’s National Assessment of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk was published in December 2024. The report estimates that 4.6 million properties are in areas at risk of surface water flooding. This report enables 8.4 million people in more than 3.1 million residential properties to access more detailed information on their local surface water flood risk.
The number of properties at risk relate to properties that are already built, not properties that are under construction or those awaiting construction. The Environment Agency does publish a list of initial objections made, on the basis of flood risk, to planning applications. This is available here: Environment Agency objections to planning applications based on flood risk and water quality - GOV.UK.