Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of people recruited to work at the Environment Agency since 31 March 2022 have required the Environment Agency assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship to employ them.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has employed 13 individuals requiring a skilled worker visa since March 2022. An additional six individuals have been allocated a Certificate of Sponsorship but have not yet started employment at the Environment Agency.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total number of staff was employed by the Environment Agency as of 1 March 2023.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The total number of staff employed by the Environment Agency is detailed below. The official data we use is extracted from the Environment Agency’s system for the last working day of each month. Therefore, the data below is as at 28 February 2023.
FTE | Permanent FTE | Fixed Term Contract FTE | Employment Agency Staff FTE | Contractors FTE | Overall Total |
Environment Agency Total | 11,397.6 | 282.0 | 209.5 | 335.2 | 12,224.4 |
EA workforce (Full Time equivalent – FTE). |
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Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff have been recruited to work at the Environment Agency since 31 March 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has grown by 1,300 full-time equivalent (FTE) since March 2022. This is a net growth accounting for 6% turnover. The total recruitment figure over the same period is 2330 FTE (which includes permanent, fixed term, contractors, and employment agency staff).
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FTE | Permanent FTE | Fixed Term Contract FTE | Employment Agency Staff FTE | Contractors FTE | Overall Total | |||||
Mar-22 | 10,098.0 | 279.9 | 285.0 | 261.2 | 10924.0 | |||||
Feb-23 | 11,397.6 | 282.0 | 209.5 | 335.2 | 12224.4 | |||||
Starters since 31st March 2022 (FTE) | 1646.9 | 337.1 | 184.4 | 162.2 | 2330.6 | |||||
Starters since 31st March 2022 (Headcount) | 1744 | 345 | 186 | 185 | 2460 | |||||
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Environment Agency spent on external recruitment consultants (a) between 31 March 2021 and 30 March 2022 and (b) since 31 March 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In relation to temporary staff, the Environment Agency can report on numbers of employment agency staff and contractors. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 April 2023 to PQ 175621.
In terms of support for Environment Agency recruitment, the Environment Agency does not hold this information centrally, as it is managed through local budgets. However, the Environment Agency has a contract with a third-party supplier (PeopleScout) to facilitate its current volume recruitment and this includes advertising costs. This is a notional recharge contract for up to £1.8 million and means the Environment Agency saves money on front line managers undertaking volume recruitment themselves. The Environment Agency’s initial evaluation shows this presents good value for money equating to around £700 per new recruit.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
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 increase awareness of The Countryside Code as covid-19 restrictions are eased and more people visit the countryside.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has a statutory duty to produce and promote the Countryside Code which provides three levels of information: short and long versions for the public plus additional information for land managers and owners for areas of open country.
Natural England has worked with a broad range of stakeholders to refresh the Countryside Code and a relaunch of advice to the public took place over Easter. The launch at Easter marked the beginning of a year-long piece of work with stakeholders and partners to promote the Code more widely and look at how we can best encourage positive behaviours. We want to make the code inclusive and welcoming, to make sure that people are aware that nature is available to all, and that they understand how they can respect and protect the countryside.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the French government's Maitre-Restaurater designation scheme to promote the sale of meals prepared from fresh ingredients; and whether he has plans to introduce that scheme in the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We are delivering our manifesto commitment to promote British food and drink through a range of measures to boost the capability and consumer reach of local producers and SMEs, as well as a refreshed approach to public procurement focusing on local, seasonal and sustainable food.
No assessment has been made of the French government's Maitre-Restaurateur designation scheme to promote the sale of meals prepared from fresh ingredients, and there are currently no plans to introduce the scheme.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
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 ensure all communities have access to a quality park to allow people to exercise in a safe outdoors space.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the crucial importance of having good access to green spaces for people’s health and well-being. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our comprehensive and long-term approach to protecting and enhancing our natural landscapes in England for the next generation, and to helping people improve their health and wellbeing by using green spaces.
There are a wide range of initiatives within Defra which are helping to increase access to green spaces across the whole of England. These include, but are not limited to:
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has responsibility for urban parks and green spaces. MHCLG is aiming to explore how it can best support all urban parks and green spaces, taking into account the Government’s environmental, social, and health priorities.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the Government's £40 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund will be allocated to the funding of parks and green spaces.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Green Recovery Challenge Fund has provided much needed funding to environmental charities and their partners, enabling them to deliver projects across England to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment. So far, funding totalling over £37.5 million has been awarded to 68 projects.
A £40 million second round of funding was launched on 9 March 2021. All applications to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund will be assessed against their ability to deliver at least one of the Fund’s three themes: nature conservation and restoration, nature-based solutions, particularly for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and connecting people with nature. Projects awarded grants will be those that best meet the criteria of the Fund. There is no pre-allocation for specific types of projects.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential for the National Bus Strategy to deliver improved air quality and carbon emissions.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
My department works closely with the Department for Transport through our shared Joint Air Quality Unit. As a result, officials in both departments have regular engagement to ensure evolving bus policy considers the potential impacts on air quality. The Joint Air Quality Unit also engages directly with the bus sector to understand how to reduce emissions from buses in those areas currently exceeding legal NO2 limits, particularly through the ongoing delivery of Government-funded retrofit schemes to fit technologies to buses to reduce their tailpipe emissions.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) materials and (b) containers his Department plans to include in the Deposit Return Scheme announced on 22 August 2019.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since consulting on its introduction in 2019, the Government has been developing proposals for a deposit return scheme (DRS) using further evidence and ongoing engagement with stakeholders. The specific details of a DRS, including the materials and containers to be included in scope, will be presented in a second consultation in early 2021.