Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 respond to the correspondence of 8 September 2023 from the constituent of the hon. Member for Sefton Central on animal testing.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8 March 2024 advising that the issues raised in his correspondence are a matter for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 3 October 2023 on animal welfare.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 6 March 2024. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 23 May 2023 on the regulator OFWAT.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A response was sent to the Rt. Hon Member on 11 September 2023.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 13 July 2023 to Question 193127 on Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023, whether her Department has discussed the potential merits of positive-only training of dogs with the British Veterinary Association; and if she will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the use of (a) e-collars and (b) positive-only training of dogs on the prevalence of dog attacks on sheep.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The British Veterinary Association submitted a response to my Department’s 2018 consultation on ‘Electronic training collars for cats and dogs in England’ The response supported the use of reward-based training methods. Defra carefully considered this response alongside the other responses received.
We maintain that keeping dogs on leads around livestock and securing dog enclosures offer effective means of preventing dog attacks on livestock, keeping both livestock and dogs safe without the need to use e-collars.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to proceed with the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) Regulations.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We remain committed to introducing a ban on e-collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric shock to cats or dogs. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with her Cabinet colleagues to ensure the service provided by (a) the Environment Agency and (b) Natural England meets the requirements of UK businesses in the context of applications by those businesses for (i) planning permission and (ii) permits.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works regularly with other Departments (such as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities), alongside our own arm's-length bodies, to keep permitting services and their regulations under review to ensure that the service provided best meets the requirements of UK businesses whilst upholding environmental protections. We also work closely with them on the role of our arm's-length bodies in the planning system, including as part of the NSIP Reform Action Plan.
Defra regularly monitors Environment Agency and Natural England performance to ensure there is a high-quality service provided to all applicants of planning and permitting services. The Environment Agency and Natural England both have customer service commitments which are available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help improve the productivity of rural businesses.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is committed to helping rural businesses prosper.
Among other measures, Defra has launched the £110 million Rural England Prosperity Fund to help new and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy as well supporting new and improved community infrastructure. The fund is being delivered by local authorities in eligible areas and we confirmed their allocations in April 2023 so that they can begin implementation.
We also believe there is a huge opportunity for the agriculture and horticulture sectors to improve their competitiveness – developing the next generation of food and farming technology, adopting the latest techniques and investing in skills and equipment.
In November 2021 we opened the Farming Investment Fund which is providing grants to farmers, foresters and growers (including contractors to these sectors) so that they can invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment. Following Round 1 of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund we have already provided funding of more than £33 million to 3,200 farmers.
The Farming Innovation Programme is helping to drive innovations by providing £270 million of funding to support farmers, growers, foresters, and other businesses in England to develop innovative ways to increase productivity and environmental sustainability, as well as helping them to decarbonise by researching and developing new technologies, processes and practices.
Through the Resilience Fund farmers and land managers in England can access free business support and advice. To date over 13,000 farmers have accessed this service.
More widely the Government is taking steps to improve digital connectivity, a vital step to boost rural productivity. The Government is investing £5 billion through the Project Gigabit programme to deliver gigabit-capable connectivity to hard-to-reach premises, in line with our commitment to reach 85% of UK premises with gigabit connectivity no later than the end of 2025 and as close as possible to 100% as soon as possible after that. The £1 billion Shared Rural Network programme is on track to deliver its target to reach 95% of UK landmass by the end of 2025, and further coverage improvements in the more hard-to-reach areas will continue to be delivered until the start of 2027.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support (a) businesses and (b) consumers who support environmental-based initiatives.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Five years ago, the 25 Year Environment Plan set out our vision for a quarter-of-a-century of action as part of the commitment to leaving the environment in a better state than we found it. Now, we are building on that plan.
In January, the Government published the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP23), detailing a delivery plan for each of our goals, matched with stretching interim targets to measure progress. This Plan sets out clear delivery plans for working across government, and with business, local government sectors and the public to achieve our commitments, including long term targets, for environmental improvement.
Our plan will support green jobs and green growth across the country. We can drive UK inward and outward investment, create new jobs, generate export opportunities in fast growing global markets and place UK scientific and technology expertise, green finance opportunities and businesses at the forefront of a global sustainability transition.
The Government also provides extensive support to all types of businesses, including those with activities focused on environmental-based initiatives.
Support is available through the free Business Support Helpline, 38 Growth Hubs across England and newly launched Help to Grow website.
The Government’s goal is to create a society that is greener by design, enabling green action at all levels. We will make green choices easier and more affordable, so that they become the default option.
We will do this in a way that maintains choice and supports fairness, including by ensuring businesses and consumers are supported to take green action. We will empower people and businesses to make informed choices, by providing clear information about the environmental impact of different products, services, and actions.
We must all take action - central Government, local authorities, businesses, communities, families and individual citizens.
Businesses of all sizes can also access Government-backed finance from the British Business Bank, such as via the Start Up Loans programme and Recovery Loan Scheme.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting the regreening of urban areas.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out our commitment for every household to be within a 15-minute walk of a green space or water – and this commitment reflects the ongoing work across government to deliver better access to nature across all sections of society. Cabinet colleagues’ departments helped develop the Green Infrastructure Framework, launched by Natural England in 2023. This will help local planning authorities and developers to create or improve green and blue infrastructure in both urban and rural areas. The Government will support local authorities to improve access to green infrastructure.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis she has reduced the timeframe for tree and plant growers to test peat-free growing media before a ban becomes law.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We formally consulted in December 2021 on ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England, proposing an end date of 2028 for professional use. This consultation built on a voluntary target to end professional peat use by 2030 that was set in 2011. From the consultation process it is evident that many businesses have switched to peat free or have made commitments to be peat free well in advance of 2030. Having considered written responses and wider stakeholder engagement we have confirmed a proposed end date of 2030 alongside limited restrictions after the end of 2026.
The restrictions will be designed to continue to allow continued peat use in those parts of the sector where the switch to peat free is particularly difficult and we will work to ensure that they strike the right balance between protecting our natural environment whilst ensuring that we continue to be able to grow the food we eat and the plants we enjoy.