Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to lay before Parliament final regulations and statutory guidance to implement mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Biodiversity net gain will apply to nationally significant infrastructure projects from May 2026. The Government consulted on the implementation detail over the summer and will publish a response and other relevant guidance in due course.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to increase the corresponding recreational bag limit when commercial bass catch limits are increased.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Annual negotiations between the UK and EU to decide fishing opportunities for 2026 have recently concluded. The outcome for both commercial and recreational seabass opportunities will be made public shortly.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 82810 on Water Supply: Standards, what further information her Department holds on the reasons for these improvement notices, and what processes take place once such notices are received by central Government.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate receives, records, and reports on the number of information notices each year. This information is provided in the Chief Inspector’s annual report on Private Water Supplies in England. Acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water can confirm notices issued under Section 80 of the Water Industry Act 1991 if they are appealed, but no action is taken by Defra or the DWI on notices issued.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 82811 on Water Supply: Standards, whether she has assessed the adequacy of issuing non-mandatory guidance for private water supply risk assessments.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) publishes and maintains a suite of risk assessment tools on its website. Risk assessments must meet the requirements of European standard EN 15975-2 entitled "Security of Drinking Water Supply - Guidelines for Risk and Crisis Management – Risk Management" which provides further guidance and if local authorities have any questions on performing risk assessments, they can contact the DWI who provide technical and scientific advice.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 82808 on Water Supply: Newton Abbot, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of Teignbridge District Council to meet its statutory duties for private water supplies, in light of the number of registered supplies and the associated workload for risk assessments and sampling.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities can recover costs incurred from their work on private water supplies from the relevant person for the supply. Defra expects all local authorities to undertake their statutory duties.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 82809 on Water Companies: Risk Assessment, what steps she is taking to help ensure compliance by local authorities with statutory reporting duties on private water supply risk assessments; and if she will provide an update on progress made in responding to the recommendations of the 2024 research project: Impact and future of the regulatory model and legislative framework surrounding private water supplies in England and Wales.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Reporting duties return rates by local authorities will be raised by officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through their regular liaison meetings with the Local Government Association.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what investigations her Department has made into alternative to the culling of healthy flocks of caged birds in areas of wider avian flu outbreak.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Culling is the most effective means of controlling and stamping out an avian influenza outbreak together with movement restrictions, high standards of biosecurity, separation of poultry from wild birds and surveillance.
Preventative vaccination for avian influenza may be an option for the future but will not be viable for the 2025/2026 risk season. Defra has established a cross government and industry taskforce to explore future vaccination options. The taskforce published its initial report on 24 July. The report recommends a series of actions, including a vaccination trial in turkeys, before a final recommendation can be made.
Currently, vaccination of poultry and captive birds against avian influenza, excluding those in licensed zoos in England, is not permitted. Defra continue to invest in avian influenza research, and we continue to monitor vaccine usage both in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of other disease control measures taken.
Any future decisions on disease control measures, including the use of vaccination, will be based upon the latest scientific, ornithological, and veterinary advice.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement on the number of cross-border transfers of livestock since 2020.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area which will slash costs and remove red tape. The removal of the need for Export Health Certification would save trading businesses up to £200 per consignment each time goods are sent.
Later we will start the detailed negotiations on the SPS agreement, as well as the other commitments from our summit in May.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to reduce the number of animal crates used for (a) pigs and (b) chickens in Devon.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 47556.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 6887 on Plastics: Pollution, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the plastic waste export regime in promoting domestic recycling.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is reviewing the role of plastic waste exports as part of the Government’s wider efforts to improve management of this waste. Our focus is on ensuring a level playing field for domestic recyclers whilst realising our environmental objectives, and any future action will aim to help drive investment in UK reprocessing infrastructure and promote domestic recycling.