Oral Answers to Questions

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dame Angela Eagle]

My hon. Friend does a great deal of outreach to the farming community and I commend him for it. We have launched the farming road map, which is the first 25-year plan for farming to give certainty and direction in a very long time. We have set up the Farming and Food Partnership Board, which is looking at how we can improve productivity and profitability, and working on horticulture and poultry growth plans. There will be more to come.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Aphra Brandreth (Chester South and Eddisbury) (Con)]

After 18 months of dither and delay, and cuts to the farming budget, Labour’s shambolic SFI scheme closed within hours, leaving farmers unable to access funding to protect and restore nature. We now know, through freedom of information requests, that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs knew the scheme could collapse within hours, yet the Government pressed ahead regardless. Now, environmental charities, including the Rivers Trust, are warning that that will undermine nature recovery. Does the Secretary of State recognise that by failing the custodians of our countryside, she is failing nature too?

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[Emma Hardy]

The hon. Lady raises one of my favourite things, which is talking about pre-pipe solutions: in a nutshell, how we prevent—[Interruption.] They are very exciting. They are about how we prevent water from entering the sewage system and overwhelming it in the first place. They link perfectly with nature-based solutions, help to ensure that our soils are wetter and help against drought. I agree with the hon. Lady that we need more of them, and that includes water companies providing water butts for more of their customers. That will help with the overwhelming of the sewage system and help customers to water their gardens when there is less rain.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

Last year, there were 392,000 sewage spills across our country, 4,000 of which happened in the precious waters of Cumbria’s lakes and dales, and meanwhile companies rewarded their shareholders for that failure with increased dividends of £845 million. Isn’t it time instead to put failing water companies into administration? In the forthcoming water Bill—it would be good if the Minister could tell us when we might expect it—will the Minister bring forward a plan to create a new watchdog, with teeth, and transform our water companies into being mutually owned, so that money stops leaking out of the system and instead funds a clean-up of our waterways and water industry?

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[Stephen Morgan]

My hon. Friend is a real champion of these issues, especially the innovation in that industry. We recognise the importance of access to high-quality genetic material for maintaining healthy breeding populations. Zoo technical arrangements facilitate trade in breeding animals and genetic material, but the details of future arrangements will depend on the outcome of the ongoing UK-EU SPS negotiations.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley and Ilkley) (Con)]

The EU summit is to take place in just 28 days’ time, but the Farming Minister cannot answer key questions, not just from us but from our farming community. We still have no confirmation that the precision breeding Act—widely recognised as a huge success—will be 100% protected. We have no reassurance that our current freedom to innovate in gene editing and bovine TB vaccine development will be a red line, and we have no acknowledgment that the alignment with the EU on plant protection products could slash £810 million from farming incomes in the first year alone. What guarantees can the Farming Minister give our farmers right now that this Labour Government will not sell them out to the EU, just like they sold out our British fishermen last May when they previously negotiated with Brussels?

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[Dame Angela Eagle]

I think my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice (Emma Hardy), the Minister for water and flooding, visited last week, so my hon. Friend is obviously trying to get a brace. The Government are backing farm profitability through £11.8 billion for sustainable farming and food production; investment in productivity and innovation; and action to make supply chains fairer. We are also working to open up new trading opportunities. The farming road map sets out how Government will support farmers in cutting costs, accessing markets and building resilient businesses.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Victoria Atkins (Louth and Horncastle) (Con)]

The Conservative DEFRA team met more than 100 farmers in Berkshire this week, ahead of the Budget, to continue our two-year campaign against the family farm tax and the family business tax. One farmer told us:

“I’m sat with a ticking time bomb and it’s unsurvivable for me. I would have to sell the farm to pay the bill.”

That is despite the Government’s humiliating partial U-turn. With six days to go before the Budget, can the Secretary of State explain why this Labour Government are putting families through that?

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[Emma Hardy]

My hon. Friend is quite right that we need to start thinking about flooding and water management in a more holistic way. We are looking at early roll-out of regional planning systems, which means we will start to address the issues of water quality and of flooding and water scarcity in the same area. My hon. Friend is right to hold water companies to account for delivering on the commitments they have made.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Select Committee.

[Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)]

As the Government start redesigning the sustainable farming incentive, can I draw their attention to an initiative launched today by Aldi and ABP, “Grounded in Goodness”, which is paying a premium to their beef producers? It is only £4.5 million and one supermarket, so it is not a panacea, but it is a good start, rooted in the principles of simplicity, accessibility and food production. As the Secretary of State redesigns the SFI, would that not be a good model to follow?

[Dr Marie Tidball (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab)]

I am deeply frustrated on behalf of my constituent Adele Riddle, whose Townend Farm is currently included in the Sheffield local plan. She wants it taken out, especially because an inspector’s recent report says that the land is of higher quality than the plan rates it. Given that the further main modifications consultation closes next week, does the Minister agree that the quality of agricultural land should always be taken into account when considering local plan site allocations?

[Mr Speaker]

I welcome the Minister.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Jenny Riddell-Carpenter)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The land use framework will help deliver faster, clearer and more co-ordinated decisions on housing and infrastructure, ensuring that our most productive farmland is safeguarded. As part of the implementation of that framework, we will complete a technical review of the agricultural land classification system by 2028.

[Mr Speaker]

Final question—I call Sir Jeremy Hunt.

[Sir Jeremy Hunt (Godalming and Ash) (Con)]

Thank you for squeezing me in, Mr Speaker.

On 7 September, Natural England submitted the legal orders for a 30.5% expansion of the Surrey Hills national landscape, which would transform biodiversity and nature protection in my area. The decision is now on the Secretary of State’s desk. When will she make that decision, and would she like to come to Surrey Hills to announce it and try out some of our fantastic local pubs?

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[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is making a great job of representing her constituency and the churches and church communities in it. The fund, administered by Historic England, prioritises areas of double deprivation, which combine high socioeconomic deprivation with low levels of local community infrastructure or resources in rural and urban places. My hon. Friend and other colleagues may wish to write to the DCMS and Historic England if they have operational questions and feedback. The Church is also gathering experiences of clergy and parishes who have used the scheme, and this user experience is essential to understanding how the scheme may be improved by Historic England.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Bob Blackman—not here.

[Kevin Bonavia (Stevenage) (Lab)]

2. What recent discussions the Commissioners have had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the second round of applications for the places of worship renewal fund.

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[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

4. What steps the Commission is taking to help reduce levels of use of single-use plastics on the parliamentary estate.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Leader of the House. No—I call Nick Smith.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am happy to give my right hon. Friend a whiff, as we say in the valleys.

Parliament is taking action to reduce single-use plastics across our estate. This includes removing plastic bottles of water from sale, eliminating about 120,000 of them each year. We have also replaced plastic straws and cutlery with more sustainable alternatives, and increased the use of reusable and recyclable products. Parliament has also introduced a packaging sustainability policy for our procurement, which incentivises suppliers to reduce single-use plastics. We continue to look at further opportunities to reduce plastic consumption across our estate.