Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received guarantees from the Government of Mauritius on (a) the territorial extent, (b) the level of protection and (c) the means of management of its proposed marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago, under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to conclude a separate agreement with the Government of Mauritius on the support and assistance provided by the UK in the establishment and management of a new marine protected area, under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Mauritius on recognising the UK-established marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago in advance of the transfer of sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance the UK will provide as part of the separate agreement to be made with Mauritius on the new marine protected area, under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago since its establishment in 2010.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration has responsibility for the management and monitoring of its Marine Protected Area, which includes measures to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the monitoring of marine biodiversity.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the revenue that will be raised from fines imposed on water companies for environmental breaches in the next 12 months.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environmental enforcement, including fines, is provided by independent regulators Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA). Enforcement activity and subsequent fines are affected by a wide variety of factors and the Government does not have a predicted figure for the next 12 months. EA fines are imposed by the courts which apply the Sentencing Council’s Environmental Offences Definite Guideline on a case-by-case basis.
On 19 June 2025, the Government announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023 will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters which could include local programmes to address pollution and improve water quality.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farm visits (a) he has and (b) his Ministers have undertaken since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra ministers regularly visit farms in a range of counties and meet with farmers and the wider industry nearly every week.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether funds raised through fines on water companies will be allocated to support (a) water quality and (b) infrastructure improvements in the same areas where breaches occurred.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the Spending Review, the Government has confirmed water company fines will be allocated to local environmental projects and programmes to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Over £100 million in fines has been levied against water companies since October 2023, which will be reinvested into local environment projects and programmes to address pollution and improve water quality.
More information on this announcement can be found on GOV.UK. A further announcement on the details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out in due course.
Water company fines that accumulated between April 2022 and October 2023 will be invested through the Water Restoration Fund. Up to £11 million of funding was made available on a competitive basis to support a range of water restoration projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, and an official announcement will follow in due course.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what options his Department considered for the use of fines collected from water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the Spending Review, the Government has confirmed water company fines will be allocated to local environmental projects and programmes to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Over £100 million in fines has been levied against water companies since October 2023, which will be reinvested into local environment projects and programmes to address pollution and improve water quality.
More information on this announcement can be found on GOV.UK. A further announcement on the details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out in due course.
Water company fines that accumulated between April 2022 and October 2023 will be invested through the Water Restoration Fund. Up to £11 million of funding was made available on a competitive basis to support a range of water restoration projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, and an official announcement will follow in due course.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what options were considered by his Department for the use of water company fines before the decision to direct them towards water projects was taken.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the Spending Review, the Government has confirmed water company fines will be allocated to local environmental projects and programmes to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Over £100 million in fines has been levied against water companies since October 2023, which will be reinvested into local environment projects and programmes to address pollution and improve water quality.
More information on this announcement can be found on GOV.UK. A further announcement on the details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out in due course.
Water company fines that accumulated between April 2022 and October 2023 will be invested through the Water Restoration Fund. Up to £11 million of funding was made available on a competitive basis to support a range of water restoration projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, and an official announcement will follow in due course.