Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with farmers in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) south Somerset on the closure of the Sustainable Farming Initiative.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra ministers are engaging with farmers and stakeholders regarding the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). On the SFI, Ministers have met specifically with the NFU, National Beef Association, British Poultry Council, Soil Association, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, National Pig Association, National Sheep Association, British Egg Industry Council, National Federation of Young Farmers, British Free Range Egg Producers Association, LAA, Tenant Farmers Association and Country, Land and Business Association.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will reconvene the Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to work with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. We are currently considering the best way to take forward the Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish public guidance on the process for withdrawing certificates of exemption for dogs wrongly registered as XL Bullies.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are currently working to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully can apply to have their certificate of exemption for their dog withdrawn. Information about this process will be available soon.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution by the hon. Member for Yeovil during the Ministerial Statement on Sustainable Farming Incentive on 12 March 2025, if he will visit farmers in Yeovil constituency to discuss this matter.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State believes in the importance of continued engagement with the sector and has spoken with several farmers since his appointment. He will be happy to speak to those in the Yeovil Constituency.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help improve the (a) coordination and (b) efficiency between (i) Government and (ii) local authority agencies in responding to flash flooding and storms in Somerset.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As discussed when we met earlier this year, protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the devastation the storms this winter have caused to those affected.
The Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum brings together organisations involved in preparing, responding and recovering from civil contingency risks, including flooding and storms. This includes the Local Authorities and the Environment Agency. After major events, Local Resilience Forums typically conduct a review to consider if there are changes required.
Somerset residents also benefit from the Somerset Rivers Authority. This brings together all the flood risk management authorities regularly so that the complex nature of flooding can be managed effectively and efficiently. The Regional Flood and Coastal Committee chair attends these meetings ensuring fully integrated public investment in flood risk management.
After any significant flood event in Somerset, flood risk management authorities work together to deliver flood drop-in engagement events for impacted communities and businesses. These events are an opportunity to better understand what happened, what can be done, and to provide support and advice for affected residents.
If there are nationally significant lessons identified from these discussions, they can be submitted to Defra for consideration, including by the Floods Resilience Taskforce.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Flood Re-Programme to include properties built after 2009.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Flood Re scheme was established to ensure UK households living in properties at high risk of flooding can access affordable home insurance. Homes built after 2009 were not included within the scope of the scheme due to changes to planning policy in 2006 specifying that inappropriate development in floodplains should be avoided.
Where development is necessary in a flood risk area, it should be made flood resistant and resilient and safe for their lifetime, without increasing flood risk elsewhere.
Flood Re’s second Quinquennial Review was published in July 2024. Consideration was given to extending the scope of the Scheme including homes built after 2009. Flood Re determined that the scheme should not currently be extended, citing the lack of substantive evidence of a systemic market failure. There are currently no plans to extend the scope of the scheme, however Defra regularly reviews all policies, including eligibility for Flood Re.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help residents protect their property from frequent flooding in South Somerset.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is investing a record £2.65 billion over two years in building, maintaining and repairing our flood and coastal defences, better protecting 52,000 properties. As part of this investment, £72 million is being reprioritised into maintaining Environment Agency flood defences in 2025/26. This reprioritisation will benefit a further 14,500 properties.
Property flood resilience (PFR) is delivered by multiple risk management authorities. We have a local programme of PFR across Somerset to provide resilience to individual properties where a capital scheme is not viable. The Environment Agency have installed resilience measures to properties to move them out of the highest risk of flooding.
A consultation will be launched in the coming months which will include a review of the existing flood policy funding formula to ensure a wider range of measures (such as property level resilience and nature-based solutions) can be supported to improve flood resilience for businesses and rural and coastal communities.
The consultation will be open to everyone, and we will be inviting all stakeholders, including organisations that play a role in flood resilience, community groups and members of the public, to be part of the consultation.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of preventative measures to tackle recurring flooding in South Somerset.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
£2.65 billion is being invested by the Environment Agency over this year and next to help communities to adapt and build resilience to flooding, this includes building new, repairing and maintaining flood defences. Reoccurring flooding in South Somerset (including Sea and Dowlish Ford) was investigated in 2024 as part of a larger Initial Investigation. The investigation has recently been shared with Ilminster Town Council and the lead local flood authority, Somerset Council.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help farmers reduce the level of agricultural run-off in Somerset.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are focused on working with farmers in Somerset and across England to achieve our long-term goals for farming and the environment.
Nationally, support is in place to enable farmers reduce agricultural run-off. Environmental Land Management schemes are available and pay farmers to deliver environmental benefits, including improved water quality. The Catchment Sensitive Farming programme provides farmers specialised advice to help them reduce pollution to water, soil and air. We also regulate agricultural activities which cause harms and require farmers to take necessary steps to reduce and prevent pollution.
Across Somerset, the Environment Agency (EA) has a programme of farm compliance inspections to tackle both diffuse and point source pollution. Engagement events have provided farmers with a clear understanding of the environmental legislation relevant to their practices and regulatory intervention has been crucial in stopping immediate pollution incidents and ensuring long-term environmental protection. In addition, The EA’s Natural Flood Management Co-ordinator works with partners in Somerset catchments to enable farmers to reduce agricultural run-off and provide guidance and links to funding for interventions.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risks of building on flood-prone land in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.
The Government has committed to ensure we are building more high-quality, well-designed and sustainable homes and creating places that increase climate resilience and promote nature recovery. Flood risk is an important consideration in the planning system.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development is necessary, and where there are no suitable sites available in areas with a lower risk of flooding, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, will not increase flood risk overall and will provide wider sustainability benefits.
The Government published a revised NPPF in December 2024. This clarified how the sequential test should be applied to development in areas of flood risk and encouraged the use of sustainable drainage systems in new development. The Government will consider whether further changes are required to manage flood risk, coastal change and sustainable drainage systems provision through the planning system when we consult on further planning reform, including a set of national policies related to decision making, this spring.