Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK contributes financially to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra contributes £3.3 million on an annual basis to the operation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Defra also pays mandatory subscriptions to a range of UN conventions that the UK is signed up to relating to specific environmental issues that UNEP oversees including climate change, biological diversity and ecosystem management, international wildlife trade, organic pollutants, chemicals and waste.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
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 oral contribution by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Treasury Committee on 12 December 2016, in response to Q311, who in her Department is responsible for assessing whether grant applications for Horizon 2020 funding are (a) value for money and (b) in line with Government objectives.
Answered by George Eustice
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my Rt Hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 December 2016 to PQ UIN 57694.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the implications for its remit of the draft Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by George Eustice
The Department for International Trade is the lead department on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and has established a process for regular cross-Whitehall engagement with relevant parts of Government, including Defra, to ensure matters arising from the TTIP discussions have been considered appropriately.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has consulted the Office of Water Services on the implications for its remit of the draft Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by George Eustice
The Department for International Trade is the lead department on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and has established a process for regular cross-Whitehall engagement with relevant parts of Government, including Defra, to ensure matters arising from the TTIP discussions have been considered appropriately.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has consulted the Food Standards Agency on the implications for its remit of the draft Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by George Eustice
The Department for International Trade is the lead department on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and has established a process for regular cross-Whitehall engagement with relevant parts of Government, including Defra, to ensure matters arising from the TTIP discussions have been considered appropriately.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish an estimate of the UK share of EU tariff rate quotas on agricultural products in (a) each of the last three financial years, (b) 2016-17 and (c) each of the next three years.
Answered by George Eustice
There is as yet no single agreed method to estimate the UK's share. The Government is now preparing to negotiate our exit from the EU. Defra is working with the Department for International Trade and the Department for Exiting the EU on the UK’s withdrawal and future trade relationship. As part of this we will have to separate the UK schedules for goods and services at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from those of the EU. One of the tasks ahead is to examine the UK’s use of tariff rate quotas held by the EU. Defra is in close co-operation with other Government Departments and we will pursue this task in consultation with other WTO Members.
Until we leave the EU current arrangements, including agreements relating to tariff rate quotas, are still in place.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
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 ensure that EU agri-environment schemes will be open to UK applicants after current funding guarantees expire in 2019.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government’s announcement of 3 October provided further certainty on funding to rural communities while we develop a new approach to supporting agriculture, protecting the countryside and generating growth in the rural economy.
We will now be working with the industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for food, farming, the environment and rural growth outside the EU.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on retaining access to EU agri-environment schemes for new applicants after the autumn statement; and what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on those schemes.
Answered by George Eustice
As announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, agri-environment agreements signed after the Autumn Statement and which continue after we have left the EU are guaranteed funding if they are good value for money and in line with domestic strategic priorities.
Defra will have responsibility in England for the allocation of funds to agri-environment agreements in line with these conditions and the wider rules on public spending.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the future of agri-environment projects jointly funded by the National Lottery.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government’s announcement of 3 October has provided further certainty on funding to rural communities while we develop a new approach to supporting agriculture, protecting the countryside and generating growth in the rural economy.
Existing agri-environment agreements and new Countryside Stewardship agreements starting on 1 January 2017 will be guaranteed even after the UK leaves the EU. We will confirm arrangements for entering into new agri-environment funding agreements after 2017 in due course.
Leaving the EU means that we will want to take our own decisions about how we deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding, including agri-environment schemes. Over the coming months, the Government will review, in conjunction with stakeholders, all EU funding schemes in the round to ensure that any ongoing funding arrangements best serve the UK‘s national interest. Defra will discuss the interface with lottery funding with DCMS and the lottery distributors as part of this process.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the (a) Soil Association, (b) Rivers Trust and (c) RSPCA on running eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers.
Answered by George Eustice
I have regular meetings with farming and environmental organisations to discuss the options for future policy after we leave the EU. While no formal proposals have been made regarding the running of eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers, the concept of developing UKAS accredited environmental schemes has been discussed with representatives from all three organisations.