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 he plans to ensure that the national habitat map for England is (a) accurate and (b) comprehensive.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
My officials are currently planning for how to deliver this new duty. We wish to make the best use of recent advances in satellite imagery, increased computational power and ground survey including using citizen scientists, to deliver a good standard of National Habitat Map (NHM).
We intend to bid for further resources to deliver the NHM as part of an extensive science assessment programme in the planning round for next year.
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 his Department has made of the resourcing needed to ensure that the proposed Local Nature Recovery Strategies are (a) of a high standard and (b) cover the whole of England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government undertook an Impact Assessment of the Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery (LNR) Strategy provisions in the Environment Bill which was published on 15 October 2019. My officials are continuing to work with counterparts in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and to engage stakeholders to refine our estimates and work towards a more comprehensive assessment of resources required to ensure delivery to a high standard. The Environment Bill requires that, collectively, LNR Strategies cover the whole of England.
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 publish a strategy that will set out how a national nature recovery network is to be established.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our 25 Year Environment Plan marked a step-change in ambitions for wildlife and the natural environment. It committed the Government to establishing a nature recovery network in England and developing a new strategy for nature, setting out how we will implement our international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The coronavirus outbreak has impacted on our plans. Key international meetings to develop global biodiversity targets, including the CBD Conference in China (originally planned for the end of 2020), have been postponed. At the same time, many of our stakeholders no longer have the capacity to engage on the strategy at the moment.
This means that we have slowed the process of drafting the strategy so that we have extra time to engage with stakeholders, and properly reflect on the emerging international framework. We expect the main CBD Conference of the Parties to be rescheduled for some time in 2021 and will update our domestic plans once this is finalised.
Although work on the strategy has been delayed, we are bringing forward policies and funding now that will deliver real change for nature and to establish a Nature Recovery Network (NRN).
Our Environment Bill lays the foundation for the NRN. It sets the framework for at least one legally binding biodiversity target. It establishes spatial mapping and planning tools to inform nature recovery. It also creates duties and incentives, such as biodiversity net gain, to drive change on the ground.
These measures will complement our plans for new funding for nature announced in March this year.
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 his Department has to consult on the procedure for (a) preparation, (b) publication and (c) review of local nature recovery strategies.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Clause 96 of the Environment Bill proposes giving power to the Secretary of State to bring forward regulations specifying the procedure to be followed in preparing, publishing, reviewing and republishing Local Nature Recovery Strategies. In developing these regulations we will seek views from stakeholders and partners. We will be considering our approach to this following Royal Assent of the Bill.
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 funding he plans to make available to responsible authorities for local nature recovery strategies.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have worked closely with local authorities and other public bodies to develop the Environment Bill, and are committed to engaging with them to bring forward a sensible implementation plan for the Bill that maximises effective delivery and minimises additional burdens.
We will fully fund all new burdens arising from the Bill to ensure these flagship measures become a reality. We will be bidding through the next spending review to secure necessary funds.
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, whether he plans to conduct pilots for local nature recovery strategies.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are exploring options to pilot Local Nature Recovery Strategies in up to five locations this year and are in the early stages of discussions with local partners. We will issue further information shortly.
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 his timescale is for publication of the first national habitat map for England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
My officials will be working with Natural England and local partners to pilot approaches to the production of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) in up to five areas in England. In these pilots we will explore how national data can best inform the production of LNRSs. We will then bring forward proposals for the national habitat map as soon as possible after Royal Assent of the Environment Bill.
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 his timescale is for launching the Nature for Climate Fund announced in the Budget 2020; what the duration of that fund will be; and how much funding will be available through that fund.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The £640 million Nature for Climate Fund, announced in the Budget, will increase tree planting and peat restoration in England over this Parliament. Plans to deliver this will be set out in the forthcoming England Tree Strategy and Peat Strategy later this year. We are currently consulting on the Tree Strategy and engaging stakeholders further on a future Peat Strategy.
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, when the Government plans to publish its plan to reduce air pollution on the Strategic Road Network to within legal limits; and whether that plan will include Highways England’s recently approved Road Investment Strategy 2.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s UK Plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations was published in July 2017 and detailed the approach that would be taken forward by Highways England in order to deliver compliance on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in the shortest possible time. Since the publication of the 2017 Plan, the Government has been working closely with Highways England (HE) on the delivery of their air quality programme of work. Some measures to tackle illegal roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations have already been implemented on the SRN by HE.
The second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) also refers to HE bringing road links on the SRN into compliance with legal nitrogen dioxide limits in the shortest possible time.
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 of each type of air quality monitors Highways England have put into operation along the Strategic Road Network; whether the pollution concentrations at each monitoring location have been published by Highways England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Highways England (HE) currently has 74 air quality monitoring stations alongside the Strategic Road Network. 57 of these are part of its National Air Quality Monitoring Network. The type and number of stations is set out in the table below.
Type of air quality monitoring station* | Number |
MCERTS nitrogen oxide chemiluminescent analyser | 61 |
MCERTS ozone analyser | 11 |
MCERTS Beta Attenuation Mass Measuring particulate analyser | 2 |
*MCERTS (Monitoring Certification Scheme) is the Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme.
HE annual site monitoring reports have not been published; however, information from the reports has been provided on request. HE has annual monitoring reports for the number of sites set out in the table below.
Year** | Number of sites for which annual monitoring reports are held |
2016 | 15 |
2017 | 31 |
2018 | 43 |
2019 | 57 (in draft) |
**2016 is the first year of data for the first monitoring sites installed.