Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 1 November 2024 to Question 11126 on National Landscapes: Environment Protection, what steps the Government is taking to make National Landscapes wilder and greener.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to making Protected Landscapes greener, wilder and more accessible. We have just announced our intent to strengthen legislation, when parliamentary time allows, and this will form part of a wider package of tools and resourcing. We look forward to developing this package with our partners. We are also publishing new guidance for relevant authorities to make expectations clear in relation to their duty to seek to further the purposes of Protected Landscapes.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Glis Glis (edible dormouse) on (a) indigenous species and (b) property; and whether he plans to take steps to reduce this impact.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An assessment of the risk of edible dormouse (Glis Glis) published by the Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat identified that there were potential impacts of edible dormouse on native species of hole nesting birds and on trees. It also identified a risk of damage to property. Full details are available here: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/RSS_RA_Glis_glis.pdf
To manage the impacts of this species, Defra plans to introduce a new action and capital item under the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) offer, under the Environmental Land Management Schemes. The addition of these items will support the management of edible dormouse in England. We plan to announce more details on the expanded CSHT offer this month.
Additionally, the species is listed under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Country Act 1981. As such it is an offence to release or to allow the escape of this species into the wild.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of trends in the levels of real terms funding to the Environment Agency between 2010 and 2024.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environment Agency (EA) funding is closely monitored to ensure that the EA can carry out its duties and functions effectively.
Since 2010-11, the EA’s funding has risen from £1.3 billion to £2.1 billion in 2024-25. This is a real terms increase of just over £250 million.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether nutrient pollution will be within the remit of the Independent Water Commission; and how the Commission will interact with the rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
The Terms of Reference for the Independent Commission are available at here.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 15 October 2024 to Question 8075 on Floods: Government Assistance, for what reason her Department's Property Flood Resilience grant scheme was not activated in response to flooding in September.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) coordinates the Government’s Flood Recovery Framework (FRF). Although Defra’s Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant scheme is not part of FRF, it has always been activated alongside the FRF.
The September flooding was not at the scale where MHCLG, the Department for Business and Trade and Defra would expect to activate the FRF or PFR grant schemes. The PFR grant scheme has been previously activated where more than 2,000 properties have been flooded. The Environment Agency identified that around 1,000 properties were flooded across England in September.
Affected householders should ask their insurance provider if they will be eligible for Build Back Better within their claim, which can provide for flood resilient repairs.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 adequacy of the powers of the Environmental Agency to (a) monitor and (b) maintain bathing water (i) status and (ii) quality.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is the appropriate agency for monitoring and managing bathing waters in England. Their operational duties ensure the required testing and monitoring of bathing waters, and pollution risk forecasting during the bathing season. On 12 November, Defra also launched a consultation on reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. This consultation detailed proposals that included moving the fixed dates of the bathing season from Regulations into guidance and considering a sites water quality prior to designation. These proposals would allow the EA greater flexibility when monitoring sites and a more targeted approach to maintaining their status and quality.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 ensure high quality water in bathing water designated areas inland.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Designated bathing waters are monitored by the Environment Agency (EA) throughout the bathing season which enables them to assess what action is needed to improve water quality. Sites which receive classifications of poor standard will be subject to an action and improvement plan between the EA, local stakeholders and water companies. Defra also recently launched a consultation on reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. The three core proposals details in this consultation seek to bring the designation and monitoring process in line with how bathing waters are used today, and ensure it is fit for purpose for inland sites.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 (a) held recent discussions with local stakeholders on (i) when bathing water status applications will reopen and (ii) the consultation of bathing water status and (b) taken recent steps to review the cost of applying to the bathing water scheme.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Both Defra Minsters and officials have been engaging with stakeholders before and following the launch of the public consultation. Following this consultation and analysis of responses, we will consider the most appropriate time to reopen applications for new bathing water designations. Defra will publish new application guidance once the Regulations have been reformed and will ensure that there continues to be a clear and easy-to-understand process for applying for bathing water designation.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 the trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on the potential impact of moving the Kew herbarium to Thames Valley Science Park on the study of (a) biodiversity and (b) extinction.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials are engaged with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on development of the New Herbarium Project proposal.
Kew’s Herbarium collections are some of the largest and most important in the world, holding over seven million vascular plant specimens, collected globally over the last 170 years. The New Herbarium Project aims to deliver a world-leading scientific research and collections facility, both to preserve those collections in appropriately controlled conditions and to ensure the specimens are accessible to Kew’s researchers and the wider international scientific community.
Science is the largest and fastest-growing department at Kew and exploring options for future science research infrastructure is important in anticipation of future changes to global biodiversity.
Defra fully recognise the importance of the Herbarium collections, which Kew maintains both for the nation and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is supporting Kew’s Digitisation initiatives, which will ensure that 8.25 million plant and fungi specimens are digitised and made free for the public to access by 2026.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 meet the UK’s commitment under the Global Biodiversity Framework to reduce excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half by 2030.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Policy in this area is a devolved matter.
The UK Government recognises the need to go further on addressing nutrient pollution and supporting nature to recover.
We have already committed to a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how the Government will deliver our legally binding targets, including for reducing nutrient pollution.
We are taking action to work with partners to tackle the main sources of pollution. For example, we are taking action to tackle agricultural pollution and deliver the Environment Act target through a suite of proportionate and effective regulations, advice and incentives.