Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
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 had made of the performance of the Environment Agency in achieving its objectives set by the EA2025 corporate plan.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency publishes its corporate scorecard on a quarterly basis, assessing its performance against the EA2025 corporate plan. This can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/environment-agency-corporate-scorecard
Defra also regularly assesses the Environment Agency’s performance across key priorities in Quarterly and Ministerial Performance Reviews. These reviews enable joint discussion of progress against priorities and any risks, challenges and opportunities that may emerge during the year.
Defra ministers regularly meet with the Environment Agency leadership to discuss performance and delivery of departmental priorities.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
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 on the future of all three elements of the Environment Land Management Scheme (ELMS) including (a) sustainable farming incentive (SFI), (b) local nature recovery (LNR) and (c) landscape recovery (LR).
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Growth Plan, we are looking at the frameworks for regulation, innovation and investment that impact farmers and land managers, to make sure that our policies are best placed to both boost food production and protect the environment. This includes looking at how best to deliver the Environmental Land Management schemes to see where and how improvements can be made, and we will continue to work closely with the sector to ensure these are designed and delivered in their best interests.
Claims we intend to go back on our commitment to the environment are simply not right. We’re not scrapping the schemes. In light of the pressures farmers are facing as a result of the current global economic situation, including spikes in input costs, it’s only right that we look at how best to deliver the schemes to see where and how improvements can be made.
Boosting food production and strengthening resilience and sustainability come alongside, not instead of, protecting and enhancing our natural environment, and later this year we will set out more details of plans on how we will increase food security while strengthening the resilience and role of farmers as stewards of the British countryside.
More information can be found at: Government reiterates commitment to environmental protections - Defra in the media (blog.gov.uk)
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) his predecessors have had discussions with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on civil contingency planning for drought since January 2022; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Defra and the Cabinet Office maintain regular contact at an official level to discuss a range of risks and issues, including those relating to dry weather and drought. Cabinet Office are also regular attendees of the National Drought Group, which have been taking place on a monthly basis. I do not have details of any meetings taking place specifically between my predecessors and the minister for the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) Ofwat and (b) water companies on civil contingency planning for drought since January 2022; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The National Drought Group, made up of senior decision-makers from HM Government, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, water companies and key representative groups is meeting regularly to agree the actions required to manage the current impacts of the drought and reduce the risks into next year. The EA publishes a summary of the NDG discussions and actions which is available here.
Defra is the Lead Government Department for drought contingency planning with further details available here.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on meeting the 30x30 pledge to protect 30 per cent of the oceans by 2030.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Since 2019, the United Kingdom has been leading the Global Ocean Alliance (GOA) of countries championing ambitious ocean action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the target to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. The United Kingdom also serves as ocean co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People (HAC for N&P), alongside Costa Rica and France, which champions 30by30 for both the land and the ocean. Between these alliances, over 120 countries have pledged to support the global 30by30 ocean target at the upcoming 15th Conference of Parties to the CBD (COP15) in December 2022.
Nearly 8.3% of the global ocean is now protected[1]. Achieving a global 30by30 target will require an international effort, from all countries and sectors. The United Kingdom is leading the way, with 374 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protecting 38% of United Kingdom waters. The United Kingdom’s Blue Belt programme has also resulted in the protection of 4.3 million km2 of ocean around the Overseas Territories. Under the United Kingdoms’s 2021 Presidency, the whole G7 committed to reach or exceed 30% land and sea protection nationally.
The United Kingdom strongly supports the conclusion of negotiations as soon as possible on a new implementing Agreement under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), including a mechanism to establish Marine Protected Areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). This will be crucial to achieving 30by30.
The United Kingdom has also launched the Blue Planet Fund, a commitment of £500million from the United Kingdom Aid budget to support developing countries protect and sustainably manage their marine resources, including through Marine Protected Areas.
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[1] UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2022), Protected Planet, available at: www.protectedplanet.net.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
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 he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on (a) the shortfall of applicants in the 2022 Seasonal Workers Scheme, and (b) ensuring there are sufficient applicants in future years of the Seasonal Workers Scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
My department works closely with a wide range of industry stakeholders and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including for both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the farming workforce. This includes regular meetings with the Home Office to discuss current and future immigration policy and the needs of the farming sector.
Under the Seasonal Workers visa route, as agreed with the Home Office, a total of 40,000 seasonal worker visas were available in 2022, with 38,000 of these going to the horticulture sector and 2,000 to the poultry sector. 2022 has been a challenging year for labour providers, farmers and growers, with war in the Ukraine disrupting the sourcing and supply of workers and extreme weather impacting on harvests. This made it harder to match supply with demand. Visa route operators are working closely with growers to optimise worker transfers between businesses so that workers make the most of their time here and businesses get the support they need.
HM Government recognises the importance of a reliable source of seasonal labour for crop picking and packing, and that it is a key part of bringing in the harvest for the horticultural sector. That is why the Prime Minster committed to look at expanding seasonal workers schemes in the leadership campaign and we are in discussion with the Home Office regarding the visa allocation for 2023 and 2024. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the labour needs of the agriculture sector and the impacts of these additional visas.
To assist medium to longer term workforce planning HM Government has commissioned an independent review which will consider how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages in the food supply chain. The review will focus on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors which are critical for food production and food security. It will report in spring 2023.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 14 March 2022 to Question 137317 on Property Flood Resilience Scheme, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the evaluation of the PFR Repair Grant Scheme.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The evaluation of the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Repair Grant scheme is well underway. The outcomes of this evaluation, in 2023, will inform any PFR repair grant schemes that may be run in the future.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley 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 he is taking to ensure that the school milk subsidy scheme includes milk alternatives in the event that children have dairy allergies.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The school milk subsidy is limited to milk and specific eligible dairy products and there are no plans to change this. The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. While these require milk to be available, we also expect schools to make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements, to reflect for example dietary or cultural needs. Schools are enabled by the guidance to provide a variety of other drinks including plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium and combination and flavoured variations of these drinks. Further information is available on gov.uk at the following link.
A joint Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)/Committee on Toxicity (COT) Working Group was established in Autumn 2021 to conduct a benefit/risk assessment considering both nutritional and toxicological aspects associated with consumption of plant-based drinks by the UK population. The work of the Working Group is ongoing. The outcome of this assessment will provide integrated advice to the Department of Health and Social Care and other government departments on policy in this area. More information is available at the following link.
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley 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 his Department is taking to prevent honey fraud to ensure consumer confidence in honey production.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government considers that it is essential all UK consumers have complete trust in the food they eat, and we recognise the importance of origin labelling for certain foods, including Honey. Food labelling should be accurate and not misleading in any way. In England all honey must comply with the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 which set out detailed specifications which honey must comply with in terms of its composition, labelling and quality criteria. Country of origin labelling is mandatory on all honey but special circumstances apply to blended honey where the composition may change depending on availability. Upon the UK’s Exit from the EU the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 were amended to remove EU centric labelling for blended honey. There is now an option to describe blended honey as a “blend of honeys from more than one country”. We continue to keep the rules under review to ensure they meet the needs of consumers and industry alike.
Local Authorities routinely continue to check and enforce honey rules throughout the UK. As honey is a product of animal origin it is also subject to additional mandatory checks at import.
Defra, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and the Government Chemist have been working together to understand the latest scientific evidence on honey testing to ensure all honey can be fairly and accurately tested for contents and origin.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
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 he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the Property Flood Resilience grant to take account additional costs of (a) surveys and (b) planning permission.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Repair Grant Scheme is part of the Government Flood Recovery Framework and, if activated, reimburses local authorities for awarding grants of up to £5000 towards the cost of repairs to make homes flood resilient.
For successful applications, up to £500 is available (as part of the £5,000 PFR 2020 grant) to fund the cost of an independent pre-installation survey (to develop the project plan) and post completion inspection of the completed work, by a suitably qualified independent surveyor.
Defra last launched the PFR Repair Grant scheme following the flooding in November 2019 and February 2020. Requests for additional support for planning applications in both these schemes have been minimal as most PFR measures do not require planning permission.
Defra is currently carrying out an evaluation of the PFR Repair Grant scheme. The outcomes of this evaluation will inform any PFR repair grant schemes that may be run in the future.