Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to introduce biodiversity offsetting; and whether ancient woodland will be exempt.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is not proposing any policy change regarding biodiversity offsetting at this point. As recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee and others, Defra waited for - and is considering - the report on the six offsetting pilots before making any further decisions.
The Government has always been clear that any policy change regarding offsetting would not alter existing protections in the planning system such as those for ancient woodland.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department allocated to local nature partnerships in 2013-14 and to which projects.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra did not allocate any funding to Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) in 2013/14. In 2011-13 Defra, together with Natural England, provided a one-off £1 million capacity building fund for LNPs. Ongoing funding was not part of the envisaged model for LNPs. In 2013/14 the Environment Agency funded a small number of LNPs, the details of which are listed in the attached table. The Environment Agency has also contributed to other partnership projects where the LNP is a partner but not the direct recipient of its funding. These are not included in the attached table.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he next plans to meet representatives of organisations that have made representations on the environmental effects of the shale gas industry.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Secretary of State has no such planned engagements at present but always welcomes meeting a broad range of organisations to understand their needs and concerns. The UK Government is committed to the development of the shale gas industry in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to meet representatives of Cuadrilla and other members of the shale gas industry.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Secretary of State has no such planned engagements at present but always welcomes meeting a broad range of organisations to understand their needs and concerns. The UK Government is committed to the development of the shale gas industry in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
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 establish shale gas extraction exclusion zones in sensitive areas for wildlife and water resources.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Each application for shale gas exploration and extraction will be assessed on its merits and operators will require planning permission from the local minerals planning authority. The Environment Agency will object to shale gas extraction infrastructure or activity within a Source Protection Zone (SPZ) 1 (i.e. drinking water protected zone). Outside SPZ1, the Agency will also object when the activity would have an unacceptable effect on groundwater based on a site specific assessment.
In England, an environmental impact assessment is required if a particular development is located wholly or partly in a ‘sensitive area'.
Planning authorities assess each application on a case by case basis. There is a general presumption against approving a permit in such areas.