Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
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 the creation of a UK Garden City scheme to (a) promote horticulture and (b) promote and reinvigorate green spaces that are vital to physical and mental wellbeing during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The merits of such a scheme were considered when responding to a select committee report on Garden Tourism in 2019. Such a scheme risks confusion with the successful City of Culture competition and other extant schemes such as Britain in Bloom. The Government did not accept the committee's recommendation.
We do of course recognise the immense benefits of being able to access green spaces, such as parks and gardens, to mental and physical well-being. Defra is collaborating with the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group on a Growth Strategy for the sector to help ensure the ornamental horticulture sector continues to thrive. This is industry led and underlined by research identifying key areas of opportunity for growth in the sector, including the growing importance of outdoor green spaces to health.
The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan includes commitments to introduce stronger new standards for green infrastructure and to support local authorities to assess provision. Green infrastructure includes greenspace such as parks and woodlands and other environmental features such as street trees, hedgerows and green walls and roofs. Natural England and Public Health England have published a Rapid Scoping Review of Health and Wellbeing Evidence to inform the standards.
Natural England is testing the standards in trials with local authorities and developers, and they are due to be launched in 2022. The aim is to embed the standards in national planning guidance and policy to ensure that good green infrastructure is secured for all communities through the planning system.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the Government's 25-year plan for the natural environment.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We aim to publish a consultation on our ambitions for the 25 year environment plan and the plan itself in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding and resources the Government has made available to cities that have been mandated to establish a clean air zone; and how much such funding she plans to contribute towards health awareness campaigns on those zones.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
In addition to committing £2bn to support greener transport initiatives since 2011, Defra has allocated funding to help five cities in England outside London implement Clean Air Zones and meet new burdens associated with implementing the zones.
On 6 October this year the Government launched its Air Quality Grant for 2016-17, which will be at least £3m - significantly larger than the last three years. This is in recognition of the urgent need to support action on air quality and deliver the Government’s commitment to comply with the legal air pollution standards in the shortest time possible.
Defra also works closely with the Department for Health, Public Health England, and their advisors the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. Health awareness campaigns in the five cities outside London will be for the local authorities to decide on, based on their understanding of local needs.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will recommend that local authorities who are establishing clean air zones should prioritise (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) other areas which vulnerable people frequent.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Local authorities are responsible for designing their Clean Air Zone in a way which will be the most effective for their area. The Zones will provide targeted action in areas where it is most needed, potentially including schools, hospitals, or other areas vulnerable people frequent.
On 13 October we launched a consultation inviting views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework, which will provide a consistent approach to the implementation of the Zones. It sets out potential action under three themes: immediate action to improve air quality and health, supporting local growth and ambition, and accelerating the transition to a low emission economy.
Officials from the Defra/Department for Transport Joint Air Quality Unit have been working in close partnership with the five cities where a Clean Air Zone is being mandated to help deliver an effective and efficient tailored solution for each city. Each of the five cities will conduct a feasibility study to determine a scheme which will achieve the reductions needed in nitrogen dioxide levels within the required timeframe. These schemes will also be agreed by the relevant local authority and the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what amount her Department expects to pay in penalties and disallowances required by the EU Commission in relation to air pollution in 2016-17; and what contingency has been made for that purpose in her Department's budget.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Department does not expect to pay any penalties and disallowances imposed by the EU Commission in relation to air pollution in 2016-2017.
The Commission has started infraction proceedings against the UK for not achieving European limit values for NO2. We want to work in partnership with Local Authorities and the Commission to improve air quality and avoid any prospect of fines levied from infraction. In December 2015, the Government published air quality plans setting out a comprehensive approach for meeting EU legal limits in the shortest possible time through a new programme of Clean Air Zones, alongside national action and continued investment in clean technologies. The UK has never had to pay an infraction fine.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which EU schemes her Department administers; if she will estimate the annual cost of administering each such scheme in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years; if she will estimate the total value of each scheme in each of the (i) last and (ii) next five years; and for which schemes her Department has been subject to infraction proceedings from the EU Commission.
Answered by George Eustice
There are two EU funds under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Defra administers the CAP in England. The Devolved Administrations administer these EU schemes separately. The estimated value of these funds from 2011 to 2020 are set out in the table below, figures are for England.
The current Multiple Financial Framework runs until 2020 so that is the last year where there is an estimate of the total value for both of the schemes.
Year | European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) €m | European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) €m |
2011 | 2,086 | 447 |
2012 | 2,115 | 469 |
2013 | 1,909 | 531 |
2014 | 2,046 | 442 |
2015 | 2,046 | 333 |
2016 | 2,048 | 590 |
2017 | 2,052 | 590 |
2018 | 2,056 | 590 |
2019 | 2,062 | 590 |
2020 | 2,068 | 591 |
Decisions relating to the implementation of the CAP in England are integrated into numerous policy areas within the Department and the delivery of the CAP is carried out primarily by the Rural Payments Agency, Natural England and Forestry Commission, alongside other business. This arrangement allows the various objectives of the CAP to be delivered effectively. However, this integrated approach to delivery also makes it difficult to calculate the total annual cost of the CAP in isolation. This is something that was identified by the NAO in its recent report ‘Early Development of the CAP Delivery Programme’, and the Department is currently considering how to respond to this recommendation.
In relation to these two schemes the Department has not been subject to any infraction proceedings from the EU in the last five years.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers have been subject to penalties for non-compliance with Single Farm Payment Scheme requirements in each of the last five years; and what the total value of those penalties was.
Answered by George Eustice
The volume of penalties, plus their value for Single Payment Scheme claims, for the last five years of the scheme are below.
We have not yet finalised information for the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme.
Scheme Year | Number of Claimants In Breach | Value € |
2014 | 2,703 | 2,489,438 |
2013 | 2,134 | 2,781,039 |
2012 | 1,574 | 1,704,085 |
2011 | 1,722 | 2,594,023 |
2010 | 1,493 | 2,329,495 |