Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To ensure the department was ready as part of the change of Government in July 2024, renovation and improvements worth approximately £2600 (exclusive of VAT) were conducted.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 9617 on DEFRA: Buildings, how many civil servants are assigned to work in his Department's headquarters in London; and how many individual desks are available in that office.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 November to Question 9616.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants are assigned to work in each of his Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Attached is the data for how many Civil Servants are assigned to work in each departments office as of August 2024.
Below is the data for how many desks are available in policy hubs from October 2024. The reason we have only given this data, is that all other buildings are predominantly utilised by the Environment Agency. No Data is given for CEFAS or VMD, as we don’t hold that information
Sites | Desks available per day |
HORIZON HOUSE | 727 |
MARSHAM STREET | 1146 |
NEWCASTLE LANCASTER HOUSE | 479 |
YORK THE KING'S POOL | 776 |
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024, to Question 9617, on DEFRA: Buildings, how many individual desks were occupied in his Department’s HQ office in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the UK Chemicals Strategy.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment. This Government has wasted no time in announcing a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver on our legally binding targets to save nature and this includes how best to manage chemicals. Further details will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of his Department’s offices in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available; and how many staff attended each office in person in the same period.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
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 the National Action Plan for the sustainable use of pesticides.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We intend to publish a National Action Plan in due course that reflects the Government’s priorities and ambitions to minimise the risks and impact of pesticides on human health and the environment, and to facilitate sustainable use.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of solar farms on levels of availability of agricultural land.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Solar power is crucial to achieving net zero, providing an abundant source of cleaner, cheaper energy on the mission towards 2030. The total area used for solar farms is very small, and – even in the most ambitious scenarios – solar farms will occupy less than 1% of the UK’s agricultural land.