Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Expenditure on consultancy is reported each year in the Annual Report and Accounts.
For 2021-22, this is shown on page 111 at
For 2022-23, this is shown on page 108 at
The 2023-24 figures are being audited and are not yet finalised or published.
The Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer.
As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made to meet the commitment to protect 30% of (a) land and (b) seas by 2030.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In July, the Secretary of State confirmed the Government’s intention to launch a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). Our review will make sure that the EIP is fit for purpose to deliver on our ambitious targets, including 30by30, and we will communicate updates in the usual way.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle levels of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in the River Mersey.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are working to assess levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurring in the environment, their sources, and their potential risks to inform policy and regulatory approaches. This includes the Environment Agency’s monitoring of PFAS levels in the River Mersey as part of a national programme of PFAS monitoring. We are committed to protecting human health and the environment.
Following a ban on specific PFAS chemicals more than a decade ago (notably perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)) we have seen a decline in the level of these chemicals in our rivers.
We have welcomed the Health and Safety Executive’s publication of the PFAS Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA). We have accepted the RMOA’s recommendations, which include work under UK REACH to reduce PFAS emissions by considering restrictions. This will begin by considering a restriction on PFAS in fire-fighting foams.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of strengthening the Hunting Act 2004.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
This Government made a manifesto commitment not to change the Hunting Act 2004.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 implement Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Causing an animal fight to take place, or attempting to do so, is an offence under section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which would normally be enforced by the Police or the RSPCA. It is also an offence to be present at an animal fight without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increases the maximum sentence for such offences from six months to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firm approach to cases such as animal fighting.
The Online Safety Act 2023 also requires social media firms to remove online content of animal welfare abuse such as animal fights.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his animal welfare policies of the use of snares.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The management of predators plays an important role in supporting the recovery of some of our most vulnerable species.
An industry-owned code of practice for the use of snares to control foxes in England sets out clear principles for the legal use of snares, using evidence from snare-use research to improve snare deployment and design.
We are looking at how snares are regulated as part of our continued drive to maintain the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and working to ensure the regulated use of the most appropriate trap and cull method which causes the least suffering whilst providing the greatest protection to crops, game birds or endangered species.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 her Department has had with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential environmental impacts of new offshore oil and gas licences on marine protected areas.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) officials work closely together on achieving the dual aims of Net Zero and protection of the marine environment. The environmental impact of all proposed offshore oil and gas developments are considered by the relevant regulator (Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning and/or North Sea Transition Authority) when considering them for consent.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) stop and (b) reverse nature degradation.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In England, we have now set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. By 2030 we have committed to halt the decline in species abundance and by 2042 we aim to reverse species decline; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.
We know that to meet our targets we will need large-scale habitat restoration, creation and improved connectivity; to tackle pressures on species including pollution, unsustainable use of resources and climate change; and targeted action to recover specific species. We have also launched a new £25 million Species Survival Fund, supporting the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the financial stability of the water industry.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board on agricultural workers' wages.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales ended in 2013. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wages rates for all eligible workers, including those in agriculture, are set by the Government, based on the advice of an independent advisory group, the Low Pay Commission.
On 1 April 2023, the Government increased the National Living Wage for workers aged 23 years and over by 9.7% to £10.42. The National Minimum Wage was also increased to £10.42 for workers aged 23 and over, with lower rates for younger workers.
A large portion of the agricultural workforce is seasonal. When the continuation of the Seasonal Worker visa route was announced on 24 December 2021, Defra and the Home Office were clear this would require those using the route to pay a minimum salary to discourage poor working conditions. Seasonal agricultural workers are among the most vulnerable workers in the UK and improving pay and conditions for these workers, along with increasing efforts to protect workers and prevent them from being exploited, are laudable goals.
From 12 April 2023 seasonal workers on the visa route must be paid a minimum rate of £10.42 (equivalent to the national living wage) for each hour worked. There is also a requirement to provide a minimum of 32 hours of work every week. The usual rules prohibiting zero hours contracts, alongside the operators of the Seasonal Worker visa route ensuring workers are supported in the event work is not available, continue to apply.
Recruitment and retention of agricultural workers, of which wages are one element, were considered in the independent review of labour shortages in the food supply chain which the Government commissioned in 2022. The review focused on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. The final report was published on 30 June 2023: Independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and the Government response will follow in autumn 2023.