Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what process her Department will use to invite and assess bids for the proposed new national river walks.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government continues to progress plans to deliver nine new National River Walks across England, one in each region, to enhance access to nature. We will identify locations for the next tranche of river walks through a competition that will be launched before the end of 2026. We will give further details relating to the competition, selection and assessment criteria in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department expects to make decisions on the allocation of new national river walk routes following the planned bidding process.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government continues to progress plans to deliver nine new National River Walks across England, one in each region, to enhance access to nature. We will identify locations for the next tranche of river walks through a competition that will be launched before the end of 2026. We will give further details relating to the competition, selection and assessment criteria in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department will use to evaluate proposals for the nine new propossed national river walks.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government continues to progress plans to deliver nine new National River Walks across England, one in each region, to enhance access to nature. We will identify locations for the next tranche of river walks through a competition that will be launched before the end of 2026. We will give further details relating to the competition, selection and assessment criteria in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding to support the installation of sustainable slurry systems on farms.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Slurry Infrastructure Grant first opened in 2022 and has run for two rounds. The grant supports farmers to build 6-month slurry storage and to cover stores with impermeable covers to reduce ammonia emissions. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026 grant supports farmers, growers, foresters and contractors to buy equipment and technology that improves productivity, animal health and welfare, and slurry management.

Through the Environmental Improvement Plan, published last year, the Government has committed to work with stakeholders to reduce water pollution and ammonia emissions from farming through streamlined regulation and develop detailed proposals on the extension of environmental permitting for dairy and intensive beef farms for consultation. Slurry covers are one of the mitigation measures that will be considered as we develop these regulatory proposals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of slurry storage technologies on reducing agricultural methane emissions.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has assessed slurry storage systems and their ability to reduce agricultural methane emissions, including retrofitted permeable and impermeable covers. These are detailed in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (2025). Available scientific evidence found that the methane reduction potential of slurry storage technologies is variable depending on the technique deployed.

Defra is currently reviewing the scientific evidence relating to other slurry storage technologies, including biogas capture.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department expects all eligible retired members of public service pension schemes under its responsibility to receive their McCloud remedy payments; and what steps she is taking to expedite payments to affected pensioners.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud remedy to affected members. I have written to scheme managers to remind them of their responsibilities to implement the remedy as quickly as possible and ensure that scheme members and the Pensions Regulator are kept informed of progress and plans.

NHS funding for mental health services

Sign Language Week

LGBTQ+ veterans

Coniston Hydro

Funding for rural Britain

Conflict in Lebanon

Windermere

Palantir and the NHS

Student finance system reform

State visits to the US

Found: Climate Risk and Resilience Practitioner 07909 530 730 Sent to: Jayne Kirkham MP Perran Moon MP Ben Maguire

Found: The claimant emailed Ben Maguire Boyle of the respondent on 23 November 2021 in response to his email