Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
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 effect of the Common Agricultural Policy on the level of poverty among farmers in Africa.
Answered by George Eustice
In the past, the CAP ‘dumped’ EU surpluses on global markets through export subsidies. These export subsidies lowered prices for producers in the rest of the world and represented unfair competition with farmers, particularly in developing countries.
However, over time the CAP has reformed and negative impacts on producers in the rest of the world have been reduced. In the 1980s, export subsidies accounted for around one-third of the CAP budget, but during the last CAP period they represented only around one per cent of the CAP budget. Furthermore, the EU, along with other developed countries, recently committed to eliminating all export subsidies by 2020 as part of the February World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement in Nairobi.
The EU also grants tariff-free access to its market to Least Developed Countries through the ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) agreement. Many of the countries covered by this agreement are in Africa.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
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 safeguard water supplies in the event of a terrorist attack.
Answered by Rory Stewart
In accordance with the Security and Emergency Measures (Water and Sewerage Undertakers) Direction 1998, issued under the provisions of section 208 of the Water Industry Act 1991, water companies are required to produce plans to deal with all types of emergency situations. This includes ensuring appropriate preventative measures are in place to secure the water supply from deliberate harm, as well as plans to deal with a situation if it were to arise. These plans are regularly tested and updated where necessary and are subject to an independent check every year.
Providing expert security advice is integral to the function of protecting national security against threats. Defra and the water industry work closely with the Centre for the Protection for National Infrastructure on the protection of water supply and on the reduction of its vulnerability to terrorism and other threats.
As I am sure you will understand, details of the specific arrangements or any procedures related to national security are highly sensitive and cannot be disclosed.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which external organisations officials in her Department have met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many meetings such officials have had with each such organisation.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation. We believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Both the Secretary of State and officials regularly meet with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials in her Department are engaged in research into the effects of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation. We believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government’s priorities in Europe.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which external organisations she has met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many times she has met each such organisation.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation. We believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Both the Secretary of State and officials regularly meet with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.