Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the (a) fines and (b) other penalties levied on water companies will be used for projects to clean chalk streams.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund, which launched in April 2024, was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. A total of £11 million, based on fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023, will be invested into local projects to improve our waterways. Over the next two years, the Water Restoration Fund will invest over £795,000 of water company fines and penalties specifically into chalk streams.
Going forwards, this Government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 has taken to ensure adequate funding for Natural England to protect biodiversity on new housing developments.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For the 2025-2026 financial year, Natural England received a total of £248 million funding from Defra to deliver their strategic aim of recovering nature for growth, health and security. In addition to this the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is due to provide up to £325,000 new funding through the New Homes Accelerator scheme, to help Natural England accelerate the processing of planning applications and secure environmental improvements.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on animal sentience.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 already recognises vertebrate animals, decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs as sentient beings. The Act created an accountability mechanism which aims to ensure that UK Ministers have due regard to their welfare needs when formulating and implementing government policy.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 take steps to implement the recommendations in the Chalk Stream Recovery Pack for the (a) Loddon, (b) Whitewater and (c) Lyde rivers in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions.
This funding is going to essential local project, to deliver real improvements to chalk streams. In 2025/26, South East Rivers Trust are receiving £25,000 from the Environment Agency’s Chalk Partnership Fund for the ‘Fish Recovery on the Whitewater’ project. This will enable the development of a fish recovery plan, focusing on improved fish passage and resilience to low flows. At Basingstoke Wastewater Treatment Works on the River Loddon, a reduction in phosphorous discharge to 0.25mg/l is planned for delivery by 2030, with storm overflow improvements following in future AMP cycles to meet government targets.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the annual investment in partnership projects to improve chalk catchments will support the National Chalk Stream Restoration Strategy.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions.
This funding is going to essential local project, to deliver real improvements to chalk streams. In 2025/26, South East Rivers Trust are receiving £25,000 from the Environment Agency’s Chalk Partnership Fund for the ‘Fish Recovery on the Whitewater’ project. This will enable the development of a fish recovery plan, focusing on improved fish passage and resilience to low flows. At Basingstoke Wastewater Treatment Works on the River Loddon, a reduction in phosphorous discharge to 0.25mg/l is planned for delivery by 2030, with storm overflow improvements following in future AMP cycles to meet government targets.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 is taking to (a) support small and medium abattoirs and (b) prevent closures.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the vital role small and medium sized abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient, competitive food supply chain.
Defra works closely with the industry including through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These groups provide a forum for identifying the challenges and opportunities that the sector faces, and for collaborating on practical solutions to support the sustainability of small and medium sized abattoirs.
It is recognised that there are many different and varied reasons why abattoirs close. While the Government does not intervene in individual business decisions, it is committed to working with the sector to help, where possible, mitigate pressures that abattoirs face.