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 publish implementing regulations and updated statutory guidance for water-company regulation, governance changes and environmental monitoring under the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Guidance is being developed by Defra and the regulators and will be published in due course, as will any enacting implementing regulations, as needed.
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 commission a National Audit Office evaluation of the implementation, effectiveness and value-for-money of (a) statutory Biodiversity Net Gain and (b) the re-designed Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The National Audit Office (NAO) undertook a review of statutory biodiversity net gain (BNG) in May 2024 and the Government is implementing many of the recommendations. The Government also recently consulted on options for improving BNG for small, medium and brownfield sites and will publish a response in due course.
The NAO also undertook a review of the Farming and Countryside Programme in June 2024, which considered a previous version of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). Ministers are considering how to change the SFI scheme so that it better supports sustainable farming and drives growth. We will introduce improved budgetary controls to help money reach more farmers and focus on the most impactful actions to benefit the environment and which work alongside farm business. Full scheme details including the budget, timing and eligibility will be published well ahead of launch in the first half of 2026.
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 publish further information on a re-designed scheme to replace the Sustainable Farming Incentive, including; a) eligibility, b) payment rates, c) environmental/biodiversity and, d) water-quality requirements, as well as the application windows.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the CLA Conference in November, the Secretary of State set out her ambition to open an improved Sustainable Farming Incentive in the first half of 2026. The Government will publish scheme details, including timings and eligibility criteria, before the scheme opens giving farmers time to plan.
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 her Department will publish a consolidated timetable for forthcoming environmental, biodiversity, water-regulation, land-use and planning-related legislation and statutory instruments for 2025–2028.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department will continue to bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allows. Any public commitments to legislate will follow the procedures set out by the Parliamentary Business and Legislation (PBL) Cabinet Committee.
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.