Holly Lynch
Labour - Former Member for Halifax
First elected: 7th May 2015
Left House: 30th May 2024 (Dissolution)
2 APPG memberships (as of 30 May 2024)
British Museum, Fairtrade7 Former APPG memberships
Almshouses, BBC, Fair Trade, Inheritance and Intergenerational Fairness, Population, Development and Reproductive Health, Small and Micro Business, Social IntegrationDivision Voting information
Holly Lynch voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 65 Labour Aye votes vs 153 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 397 Noes - 223
Holly Lynch voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 73 Labour Aye votes vs 91 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 118 Noes - 330
All Debates
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(46 debate interactions)
(43 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(348 debate contributions)
(55 debate contributions)
(52 debate contributions)
(38 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(54,031 words contributed)
(31,404 words contributed)
(23,636 words contributed)
(8,010 words contributed)
Latest EDMs signed by Holly Lynch
Town and Country Planning
Tabled by: Keir Starmer (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)That the Town and Country Planning (Napier Barracks) Special Development Order 2021 (SI, 2021, No. 962), dated 26 August 2021, a copy of which was laid before this House on 27 August 2021, be revoked.
(Most recent: 24 Jan 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 10
Liberal Democrat: 3
Plaid Cymru: 3
Green Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Public Health
Tabled by: Keir Starmer (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)That the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) (Amendment) (No. 7) Regulations 2021 (S.I., 2021, No. 150), dated 12 February 2021, a copy of which was laid before this House on 12 February 2021, be revoked.
(Most recent: 19 Apr 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 9
Green Party: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Holly Lynch, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
1 Urgent Question tabled by Holly Lynch
3 Adjournment Debates led by Holly Lynch
4 Bills introduced by Holly Lynch
A Bill to regulate the renting of high performance road vehicles; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to grant the Environment Agency additional powers to require water companies to manage reservoirs to mitigate flood risk; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to extend the National Living Wage to people aged 18 to 24.
A Bill to make certain offences including malicious wounding, grievous or actual bodily harm and common assault aggravated when perpetrated against a constable, firefighter, doctor, paramedic or nurse in the execution of his or her duty or against a person assisting these persons in the execution of their duty; to make provision to require those suspected of certain assaults that may pose a health risk, including spitting, to be required to undergo blood tests and to make it an offence, without reasonable excuse, to refuse to undergo such tests; to make provision about the sentences for those convicted of the offences; and for connected purposes.
6 Bills co-sponsored by Holly Lynch
Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Kim Leadbeater (Lab)
Victims of Crime and Anti-social Behaviour, Etc (Rights, Entitlements and Related Matters) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Peter Kyle (Lab)
Banking (Consumer and Small Business Protection) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Charlie Elphicke (Ind)
Smoking Prohibition (National Health Service Premises) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Tracy Brabin (LAB)
Representation of the People (Young People's Enfranchisement) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Peter Kyle (Lab)
Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018
Sponsor - Chris Bryant (Lab)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)4 Other Department Questions
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change met the Governor of the Bank of England on 18 September 2015. They discussed: the Bank of England’s work on financial stability and climate change with regard to its report ‘The impact of climate change on the UK insurance sector’ commissioned by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs; and the Financial Stability Board’s work on disclosure of climate risk.
The Cabinet Office regularly publishes lists of Cabinet Committees and their membership on their website - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees.
The business case for the Inspiring Science Capital Fund is currently being developed with science stakeholders, and is expected to go through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Investment Gateway process within the next two months. No funding can be confirmed until the business case is agreed.
Ministers regularly discuss matters of policy that span their responsibilities.
Reasonable mitigation for those worst affected by changes in State Pension age was introduced in 2011. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession was worth £1.1 billion in total.
This Government is committed to better outcomes for pensioners. However, the several billions of pounds that it would cost to make further policy changes in this area, that prolong the gender inequality in State Pension provision, cannot be justified.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the oral questions from the Hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hythe and the Hon. Member for Kingston Upon Hull North on the 14th of April 2016.
Shadow Attorney General
I refer the Hon Member to the correspondence from the then Independent Adviser for Ministerial Interests to the then Prime Minister of 17 December 2021, which can be found on gov.uk.
As has been the case under successive Administrations, the Government does not comment on security matters.
Cabinet Office can only provide the answer for their own sites; each government department holds their own information.
The total number of workstations available for Cabinet Office staff to use across all our offices is 5286.
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Integrated Review, published in March 2021, set a goal to strengthen the UK’s national resilience. The Integrated Review also committed to the development of a new Resilience Strategy to set out a new vision and approach to support improvements to our national resilience. Following a successful Call for Evidence in the summer of last year, the government plans to publish the Strategy in spring 2022.
I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 23 Sept 2021 - the consultation closed on 9 August 2021 and the Terms of Reference for the study have now been published online. I look forward to receiving Sir Robert's recommendations.
The timetable for the Infected Blood Inquiry is a matter for Sir Brian Langstaff, the Chair of the independent statutory Inquiry. Sir Brian has said that the work of the Inquiry will be completed as quickly as reasonable thoroughness permits - recognising that those infected and affected are still suffering today.
The Inquiry is continuing to work at pace, and will hear evidence and presentations between now and December 2021. Further details on progress can be found on the Infected Blood Inquiry website - https://www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk/.
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to legislating to scrap the 15-year rule and will do so in time for the next scheduled parliamentary general election in 2022.
10 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Holly Lynch's BEIS questions)The Department has regular discussions with Royal Mail on a wide range of issues.
The Government has no current plan to change the minimum requirements of the universal postal service that are set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.
Ofcom has been given the powers and tools to protect the universal service and it has in place an effective monitoring regime that is able to identify any threats to it.
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Department has regular discussions with Royal Mail on a wide range of issues.
The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible, and affordable universal postal service. The Government has no current plans to change the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service which are set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The number of workstations estimated to be available for people employed by the Department within its office locations is 3419.
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The number of workstations available for civil servants to use on 11 October 2022 at the Department’s main London building at 1 Victoria Street was 2492.
The Government sets age-related minimum wages in order to protect younger workers, who may otherwise be more vulnerable to being unemployed than older workers. Our aim is to set National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for all workers under 25 at a level that maximises their earnings without damaging employment prospects by setting it too high
The 2017 Low Pay Commission report shows the unemployment rates for young people not in full-time education in the UK is 31.3 per cent for 16-18 year olds, 15.5 per cent for 18-20 year olds and 8.4 per cent for those aged 21 to 24 in the second quarter of 2017. This compares to 4.6 per cent for those aged 25 to 30.
Setting different minimum wage rates according to the age of the worker helps to protect the employment prospects of younger workers.
While this has improved recently, those aged 21 to 24 have a marked difference in labour market dynamics when compared to older workers. This is evident through differences in their median earnings, employment rates and unemployment rates.
The Low Pay Commission (LPC) recommends National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates to Government based on detailed consideration of the evidence on the economy, labour market and pay, as well as wide ranging consultation evidence. Earlier this year the Government accepted all of the LPC’s recommendations for NMW rates for workers aged under 25; this means the 21-24 year old NMW rate will increase by 25p (3.7 per cent) to £6.95 per hour in October. This is the largest single increase in the main rate of the NMW since 2008 in cash terms.
There are no official statistics estimating the productivity of workers by their age. Labour productivity as provided by the Office for National Statistics is only separately estimated by sector.
While labour productivity statistics are estimated by sector, there are no official statistics estimating the productivity of workers by their age.
The Low Pay Commission (LPC) recommends National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates to Government based on detailed consideration of the evidence on the economy (including productivity statistics), labour market and pay, as well as wide ranging consultation evidence. Earlier this year the Government accepted all of the LPC’s recommendations for the NMW rates that should come in to force in October this year for workers aged under 25.
The Government published its Impact Assessment of the National Living Wage (NLW) on 7 December 2015 which included equality analysis of the policy.
The NLW has provided a higher wage floor for those aged 25 and over because of the need to protect the employment prospects of younger workers. The priority for younger workers is to secure work and gain experience so they can compete in the labour market. Additionally, those aged 21 to 24 have a marked difference in labour market dynamics when compared to older workers, evident through their median earnings, employment rates and unemployment rates.
The design of the NLW reflects provisions in the National Minimum Wage Act allowing rates to vary up to the age of 25, under clause 3.
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecoms network and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry, not the government. However, the government and Ofcom are working together to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the upgrade process.
Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, has issued guidance on how telecoms companies can fulfil their regulatory obligation to ensure that their Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers have access to the emergency services during a power outage. This guidance was prepared following consultation with Ofgem and the industry, looking at data on average power outages among other factors.
This guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage in the premises, and that the solution should be suitable for customers’ needs and should be offered free of charge to those who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline. Ofcom’s full guidance is available on its website here.
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Public Switched Telephone Network is a privately-owned telecoms network and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry, not the government. The decision has been taken as the network is increasingly unreliable and prone to failure, and spare parts are becoming harder to source due to a reduction in global production.
However, some Internet Service Providers are planning on migrating customers from PSTN connections only when a full-fibre connection is available at their premises, meaning higher broadband speeds and greater reliability.
More broadly, the government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Today, over 65% of premises can access gigabit-capable networks, up from just one in ten in November 2019. The Government is also investing £5 billion as part of Project Gigabit to ensure the hardest-to-reach areas in the UK receive coverage: up to 2.5 million premises are within the scope of procurements we have already announced.
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has worked closely with providers to put in place social tariffs. These provide low cost landline and broadband services for people on means-tested state benefits. We are encouraging providers who do not currently offer social tariff packages to do so. The telecoms industry has also removed data caps on fixed broadband packages, and provides free or low cost data boosts on mobile services to support vulnerable consumers.
In February DCMS also launched a £2.5 million Digital Lifeline Fund to reduce the digital exclusion of people with learning disabilities.This fund has provided tablets, data and free digital support to over 5,000 people with learning disabilities, enabling them to connect with friends and family, and access services and support groups, promoting overall well being.
The Government has also introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge.
Finally, around 2,900 public libraries in England provide accessible locations offering free Wi-Fi, computers, and other technology. Library staff, often supported by volunteers, can provide library users with digital support.
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Government welcomes the work of the National Children's Museum as an interactive, family-friendly attraction engaging children with science and STEM subjects. Government policy is national permentant collections should be free of charge.
I have received no representations from businesses on this issue.
This Government supports the system of co-regulation and self-regulation, overseen by the independent Advertising Standards Authority and underpinned by consumer protection legislation. This regulatory system is independent of the Government and is ultimately responsible for setting the standards in advertising, ensuring that all adverts, wherever they appear, are legal, decent, honest and truthful.
The Education Act 1996 places a duty on maintained schools and academies to provide free school meals (FSM) to pupils of all ages that meet the criteria for eligibility and who are attending school during term time. The Act makes clear that a child must be registered at a publicly funded school as a condition of claiming FSM. Free meals are not available to those who elect to undertake education from home, nor to pupils of private institutions.
Schools should continue to provide free meals for registered pupils either on the school premises or at any other place where education is being provided.
Schools are legally required to provide free school meals (FSM) to eligible pupils. Pupils must be registered at the school in order to be eligible. For temporary or fixed term exclusions, schools should continue to provide FSM for registered pupils, either on the school premises or at any other place where education is being provided.
In the case of pupils who have been permanently excluded, and are no longer registered with a school, the Local Authority must arrange suitable full time education for the pupil to begin from the sixth school day after the first day the permanent exclusion took place.
The department recognises that schools will be facing cost pressures in the coming months, particularly due to the increase in energy prices. We are looking carefully at how this will impact schools and are considering what additional support we could offer.
The department contacted all schools in England to get basic data on their current and future energy tariffs to better understand how they have been affected by recent energy price increases. The survey closed on 2 June 2022, and the responses will be used to understand the impacts of energy cost increases on schools and inform considerations of additional support the department could offer.
Cost increases should be seen in the wider context of funding for schools. The government is delivering a £4 billion cash increase in the core schools budget next year, taking total funding to £53.8 billion. This includes an additional £1.2 billion for schools in the new schools supplementary grant for the 2022/23 financial year. Overall, this represents a 7% cash terms per pupil boost, which will help schools meet the pressures we know they are facing, particularly around energy costs.
All schools can access a range of school resource management (SRM) tools to help them get the best value from their resources, to help them save on regular purchases and reduce non-teaching costs. Our SRM tools include recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services relating to energy. The department will also update and strengthen guidance on a regular basis to inform schools of the market and commercial position, with practical advice on exiting existing and entering new contracts, available here: https://www.get-help-buying-for-schools.service.gov.uk/procurement-support. The get help buying for schools service will also be able to offer support to schools in switching and entering new contracts.
The department recognises that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
Keeping children and staff safe is the department’s utmost priority and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have listened carefully to the latest scientific and medical advice when developing guidance.
The department has recently reviewed and updated its guidance for childminders with the UK Health Security Agency. This guidance is available here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/03/18/childminders-can-continue-to-operate-from-home-if-someone-in-their-house-has-tested-positive-for-covid/.
Since 17 March 2022, childminders can continue to childmind in their homes if someone who lives with them has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms.
Childminders are advised to follow the steps below to reduce the risk of onward transmission:
- The person who has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms should avoid contact with the children being cared for in the setting.
- Where possible, use separate toilet and handwashing facilities. If this is not possible, maintain extra cleaning and hygiene routines, particularly after the person has used the facilities.
- Notify parents, carers, and any assistants that someone has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms, as soon as reasonably possible and maintain open communication with them throughout.
- Consider the need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 with mitigations, such as ventilation and extra cleaning and hygiene routines. They should be applied where practical and safe to do so. Additional information on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available in the guidance published by the Cabinet Office here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae?utm_source=17%20March%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19.
- Comply with health and safety law by reviewing your risk assessment. The risk assessment must demonstrate that the provision of childcare in your setting is safe, and how you will put into place any additional but proportionate measures.
Childminders can also consider using alternative places to operate, such as other childminders’ houses, where possible.
Data for the number of pupils eligible for free school meals in each school in England are available in the underlying data in the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release.[1]
The number and proportion of pupils, attending primary school in Halifax constituency in Calderdale local authority, who were known to be eligible for free school meals[2] in 2016 is given below.
These figures do not include infant pupils who are not eligible for free school meals based on the standard criteria, but who can receive a meal under the universal infant free school meals programme.
Primary school pupils | Halifax parliamentary constituency |
Number of pupils (headcount) | 10,391 |
Number known to be eligible for and claiming FSM | 1,841 |
Proportion known to be eligible for and claiming FSM | 17.7% |
Source: School Census, January 2016
[1] www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers - click on the relevant year and then ‘underlying data.’ The data are contained in files with ‘Schools_Pupils’ in the title.
[2] Not all children assessed as eligible for free school meals will have taken a lunch on census day.
Our proposals for funding reform will mean that schools and local authority areas will, for the first time, receive a consistent and fair share of the schools budget, so that they can give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential.
For Calderdale, the proposals would mean an increase in schools funding of 1.3%, and an increase of 9.7% for high needs funding.
We are also committed to providing support for schools to improve their financial health and efficiency. We have produced a collection of tools, information and guidance, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency. The collection includes guidance on workforce planning, financial management, benchmarking, and buying for schools.
Our proposals for funding reform will mean that schools and local authority areas will, for the first time, receive a consistent and fair share of the schools budget, so that they can give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential.
For Calderdale, the proposals would mean an increase in schools funding of 1.3%, and an increase of 9.7% for high needs funding.
We are also committed to providing support for schools to improve their financial health and efficiency. We have produced a collection of tools, information and guidance, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency. The collection includes guidance on workforce planning, financial management, benchmarking, and buying for schools.
The Department for Education is intending to make changes to the School Admissions Code to improve the admissions system for parents and schools. This will be subject to a full public consultation to allow anyone with an interest to provide their views. It will also be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Details of the consultation will be announced in due course.
An individual school’s admission authority is responsible for setting and applying its admission arrangements. The local authority is the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools; the school’s governing body is the admission authority for voluntary aided and foundation schools; and for academies, the admission authority is the academy trust.
Anyone who believes a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the Schools Adjudicator. If the Adjudicator finds the admission arrangements do not comply with the Code, the admission authority must amend their arrangements accordingly.
Any parent who believes the admission authority has not properly applied the school’s admission arrangements in the case of their child’s application and the child has, as a result, been refused a place at the school, has the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel. If the appeal panel upholds the appeal, the school must admit the child.
The School Admissions Code can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2
It is for admission authorities to agree with their local authorities what they regard as challenging behaviour, based on the circumstances of each case.
Each local authority is required to have a Fair Access Protocol in place, to ensure that – outside the normal admissions round – unplaced children are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible and that no school is asked to take a disproportionate number of children with challenging behaviour or children excluded from other schools.
Fair access protocols exist to ensure that, outside the normal admissions round, unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible and that no school is asked to take a disproportionate number of children with challenging behaviour or children excluded from other schools.
Fair access protocols do not have a direct impact on pupil referral units.
It is for local authorities, together with the schools in their area, to decide on which children should be eligible for consideration under their fair access protocol, which as a minimum must include children from pupil referral units who need to be integrated back into mainstream education.
Local authorities are responsible for making sure that local travel arrangements enable children to attend school. The responsibility covers transport from home to school at the start and finish of the school day. Local authorities can use their discretionary powers to provide transport to meet local needs. They should engage both with parents and schools in deciding what support can be expected from the local authority.
Each local authority is required to have a Fair Access Protocol in place, to ensure that unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. The protocol also ensures that no school is asked to take a disproportionate number of children with challenging behaviour or who have been excluded from other schools.
All admission authorities, including those of academies and free schools, are required to participate in the Fair Access Protocol for their area.
Local authorities have a duty under The Children Act 1989 regarding the protection of all children, including those for whom they have direct responsibility as looked after children.
All referrals and allegations, whatever their origin, must be taken seriously and investigated. Local authorities have a statutory duty, under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, to make enquiries where they have reasonable cause for concern that a child might need protection. As with all looked-after children, local authorities must assess their needs and decide how best to meet them on an ongoing basis through the statutory care planning process, set out in the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review guidance, which is available at:
There are stringent checks for anyone who wishes to become a foster carer, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Anyone who wants to become a foster carer must undergo a full, rigorous assessment process and be approved by a registered fostering service.
All children’s homes and fostering services are regulated and inspected by Ofsted to national minimum standards, including safeguarding and child protection standards. Each child will be supported by a social worker who will visit them regularly to check they are being properly being looked after.
The statutory guidance for schools on careers guidance and inspiration, published by the Department for Education, underpins the duty on schools to secure independent careers guidance for pupils in years 8-13. Organisations and careers services named throughout the statutory document and the accompanying non-statutory document are provided as examples of good practice and are not specifically endorsed by government. It is for schools to decide how best to fulfil their legal requirements in accordance with the needs of their pupils, and online careers advice services may form part of their independent careers provision.
As stated in the statutory guidance, the National Careers Service offers information and professional advice about education, training and work to adults and young people aged 13 years and over. Pupils and their parents can access support via a website, helpline and web chat. The National Careers Service contractors, website and helpline advisers all hold and adhere to the government’s Matrix Standard, the recognised national quality standard for information, advice and guidance services. Award of the Standard is contingent on the provision of an impartial, professional service.
All care leavers receive support from a personal adviser until age 21; this extends to age 25 if a care leaver remains engaged in education or training. All care leavers also receive a leaving care grant to help with the costs of setting up home; and those attending further and higher education receive financial support to meet the costs associated with engaging in education in the form of further education and higher education bursaries. Each care leaver has a pathway plan setting out the support they will receive from the local authority in order to meet their goals.
The department recognises that the transition into adulthood can often be difficult for care leavers because they may not receive the same level of support as young people who live with their families. This is what prompted us to introduce the ‘staying put’ duty in 2014, which requires local authorities to support young people to continue living with their former foster carers up to age 21, if both they and their foster carer are happy with this arrangement.
Our statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should have a range of semi-independent and independent accommodation options for all those leaving care. The government is also looking at what more can be done to improve support for care leavers, building on the first ever cross-government care leaver strategy which was introduced in October 2013, with the aim of giving all care leavers, whatever their care experience, a good start to adulthood.
2 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Holly Lynch's Defra questions)The UK recognises the importance of promoting sustainable trade and development alongside action to prevent deforestation. We will continue working with producer countries to ensure that their views inform the Government’s delivery of the forthcoming Forest Risk Commodities scheme, including in respect of smallholder farmers of cocoa and other commodities. The UK will also provide support to help countries to adapt to the new requirements, and benefit from the opportunities which this presents to increase trade in legally-produced commodities. This includes funding a new ten-year £500m phase of the UK’s Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use programme, which work with the private sector to mobilise investment into legal and sustainable commodity production; and provide support to smallholder farmers and poor rural communities who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The UK is committed to scaling up this work in future.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, including future flood preparedness, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. Preparing for flooding in England remains a priority for Defra and the Environment Agency to protect communities.