Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 to ensure biosolids used as fertiliser do not contain (a) per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and (b) microplastics.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the need to ensure the safe and sustainable use of sludge in agriculture to help clean up our waterways and promote healthy soil. We will continue to work constructively with stakeholders on our ongoing review of the regulatory framework to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.
The Government has been working with water companies under their Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP), to improve the evidence base on the behaviour and fate of contaminants during treatment processes. CIP phase 4 will include a Groundwater, Soil and Biosolids investigation. This will explore the fate and behaviour of multiple chemical compounds, including PFAS substances and microplastics, to establish whether detected substances may pose a risk to long-term soil health, groundwater quality and the wider environment.
This work will help inform possible and future measures to mitigate contaminants in the environment. We discuss the progress of this work on a frequent basis.
Earlier this year, we published this Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics, which provides a welcome addition to our sum of knowledge on the options to protect human health and the UK environment from the risks of microplastics. We are considering the results of this study.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 plans to allocate funding for seafish-related (a) skills and (b) other training for the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Seafish were eligible to apply for skills and training-related funding through the recently closed Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS). The Marine Management Organisation is currently reviewing and testing eligibility of applications submitted under the scheme. Outcomes of all FaSS applications will be communicated once the assessment process is complete.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 uses to reallocate unused licences that allow fishing for bass.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bass authorisations are administered by the Marine Management Organisation. They are separate to fishing vessel licences and allocated to the vessel with a track record of landing bass between 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2016. Unless approved by MMO to transfer an authorisation to another vessel under specific circumstances, bass authorisations cannot be transferred between individuals. A review of the current bass authorisation system is underway.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 has considered extending temporary licences to (a) crab and (b) lobster fishers who have been affected by recent trends in the number of octopuses.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No temporary licences are issued. To fish for shellfish, fishers need a shellfish entitlement on their fishing vessel licence from the Marine Manamgent Organisation (MMO) and if fishing in the 0-6 nautical mile zone, a permit from their local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA). In this case, applications may be made to the Devon and Severn IFCA
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on levels of protection for national parks.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government remains committed to safeguarding our National Parks and National Landscapes and enabling Protected Landscapes organisations to make land greener, wilder, and more accessible to all.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with Ofwat on the standardisation of social tariff schemes for water bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All water companies have a range of measures in place for people who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, including social tariffs, WaterSure, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support.
The Government is working with industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the impact of increased water bills on pensioners.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Whilst it is never wanted, bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways. This will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment through a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector.
This Government expects water companies to put robust support in place for customers that are struggling to pay their bills – including for pensioners. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements.
This Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported, including having regard to the interests of individuals of pensionable age. Bills must remain affordable, and customers cannot be expected to pay the price for years of underperformance in the past.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which companies were granted additional quota through the quota application mechanism in 2025; and what (a) environmental, (b) social and (c) economic outcomes are expected from each.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
In 2025, a total of 8,658.8 tonnes of additional quota was awarded to fish producer organisations as part of the quota application mechanism trial (QAM). Applications were based on an environmental, social, and economic scoring criteria. Eastern England Fish Producers Organisation was awarded 3144.3 tonnes, and Humberside Fish Producers’ Organisation was awarded 5225 tonnes. The remaining tonnage was allocated to non-sectoral fishers, across 16 non-sectoral vessels.
Some of the environmental, social and economic benefits being rewarded include:
Across all the successful applicants, 217 commitments were made. Defra will publish an update on the Quota Application Mechanism trial later this year.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 11 April 2025 to Question 44061 on Water Restoration Fund, how environmental (a) fines and (b) penalties collected from (i) water and (ii) sewerage companies since November 2023 will be used.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund, which launched in April last year, is reinvesting funding based on water company environmental fines and penalties into projects to improve the water environment. The Water Restoration Fund funding is based on water company fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023.
Up to £11m of funding was made available on a competitive basis to support a range of water restoration projects.
Following a rigorous assessment process, I am pleased to say that current applicants to the Water Restoration Fund have been contacted regarding the outcome of their application. Further details regarding which projects have been successful will be shared in due course once funding agreements have been finalised.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the reinvestment of environmental (a) fines and (b) penalties collected from (i) water and (ii) sewerage companies since November 2023 through the Water Restoration Fund.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund is reinvesting funding based on water company environmental fines and penalties into projects to improve the water environment. The Water Restoration Fund funding is based on water company fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023.
Up to £11 million of funding was made available on a competitive basis to support a range of water restoration projects.
Following a rigorous assessment process, I am pleased to say that current applicants to the Water Restoration Fund have been contacted regarding the outcome of their application.