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 steps she is taking to increase water security for Farmers in Devon during heatwaves.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is taking forward a range of measures to strengthen agricultural water resilience to droughts and heatwaves.
Defra has recently announced that it is opening a round of Water Management Grants, with up to £15m available to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs to improve water security. In addition, Defra is making it easier to build reservoirs, by updating planning guidance.
Defra also reminded farmers that they can apply to the Environment Agency for temporary abstraction flexibility, known as Local Enforcement Positions, where environmental impacts can be appropriately managed.
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 assessment the Environment Agency made of the adequacy of Capita Pension Solutions' performance on other public-sector pension administration contracts before exercising the option to extend its contract for administration of the Environment Agency Pension Fund.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency Pension Funds (EAPF) contract was awarded in accordance with procurement regulations applicable at the time. As part of the decision to exercise the option to extend its administration contract with Capita Pension Solutions (CPS), the EAPF undertook an assessment and due diligence on the performance of other public sector pension contracts.
The EA is a separate contracting authority, and the EAPF contract is separate from other CPS public-sector pension administration contracts. The EAPF has in place an 8-year contract with CPS. During the initial four-year term of the contract, CPS met its contractual service standards with the EAPF in full. Conscious of the experience of other public sector pension contracts, the EAPF considered potential performance risks and put in place mitigations to provide assurance that CPS would continue to meet its contractual service levels throughout the extension period.
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 steps she is taking to reduce the amount of rainwater entering sewer systems during periods when that rainwater may overload the sewer systems.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to tackling the root causes of sewage pollution by reducing the volume of rainwater and pollutants entering the sewerage system. The National Planning Policy Framework requires all new development to incorporate sustainable drainage systems that should be designed and maintained in accordance with the National Standards.
The Environment Agency works with water companies and regulators to reduce sewer overload from rainwater through catchment and nature-based approaches.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impacts that a global ecosystem collapse could have on international relations.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government's Nature Security Assessment on Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security examines how global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation could affect the UK's security, resilience and prosperity.
The Assessment highlights that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation is a risk multiplier, rather than a direct driver of conflict. In fragile and conflict-affected settings it can exacerbate resource scarcity, displacement and social tensions, while conflict simultaneously undermines adaptation and resilience.
The Assessment also identifies potential implications for food systems, water resources, supply chains and economic stability. It is a strategic risk assessment designed to support preparedness and resilience planning, and highlights the importance of international cooperation to address shared climate and nature-related risks. Its findings are helping to inform cross-government policy development and resilience planning in relation to climate and nature security risks.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of ecosystem collapse on net migration.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government's Nature Security Assessment on Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security examines how global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation could affect the UK's security, resilience and prosperity.
The Assessment notes that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation act as risk multipliers rather than direct drivers of instability, which can exacerbate resource scarcity, food insecurity and economic disruption, which may contribute to displacement in some regions.
The Assessment is not a prediction and does not quantify potential impacts on UK net migration. Rather, it identifies credible risks that are sufficiently serious to warrant preparation and inform cross-government resilience planning. Its findings are helping the Government strengthen its understanding of nature-related security risks and inform wider policy development on resilience and preparedness.
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 steps she has taken to help revitalise wildlife populations in the context of the World Wildlife Fund's report entitled Living Planet Report.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are taking steps to help revitalise wildlife populations, but not specifically in the context of the World Wildlife Fund's report entitled Living Planet Report. In England we have four legally binding targets to benefit our wildlife populations: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; to reverse declines by at least 10% by 2042, when compared with 2030; to reduce the risk of national species extinction by 2042; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042.
To deliver against the statutory targets we are taking action at scale to create, restore, manage, and protect wildlife-rich habitats, reduce pressures on biodiversity, and take targeted action for species. Actions include the Species Recovery Programme, which over the 2026-2029 period will fund 130 projects to benefit a wide range of species through recovery actions such as targeted habitat restoration, species reintroductions, and critical research.
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, whether a statutory body is under a duty to monitor concentrations of respirable crystalline silica in ambient air at residential properties in the vicinity of mineral extraction sites.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government's response is being taken forward through the respective departments' responsibilities. Additionally, the Government has established the Taskforce on the National Security and Resilience Risks of a Changing Climate and Nature Loss, bringing together leading security, military and academic experts to help Government identify priority risks, strengthen cross-government coordination and turn evidence into practical action. The Taskforce will provide independent challenge and recommendations to ensure climate and nature risks are considered more systematically across national security and resilience planning.
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 assessment he has made of the implications for her Department's policies of levels of ambient concentrations of respirable crystalline silica near ball clay workings in England.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government's response is being taken forward through the respective departments' responsibilities. Additionally, the Government has established the Taskforce on the National Security and Resilience Risks of a Changing Climate and Nature Loss, bringing together leading security, military and academic experts to help Government identify priority risks, strengthen cross-government coordination and turn evidence into practical action. The Taskforce will provide independent challenge and recommendations to ensure climate and nature risks are considered more systematically across national security and resilience planning.
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 increase funding into research and development of sustainable food technologies to increase food security.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has increased Farming Innovation Programme funding by £53 million this year, bringing total investment to £123 million in 2026/27, including support for sustainable food technologies such as robotics, soil health and water management to help increase food security.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation in Devon on the governance and independence of Dartmoor National Park Authority; and what steps she will take to ensure that the Authority remains independent.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) programme for local government reorganisation will introduce changes to the local authorities responsible for providing board members for multiple National Parks in England, as laid out in legislation.
Defra is engaging closely with MHCLG to assess the impact of these changes and exploring options where changes may alter the local authority composition of the National Park Boards. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) programme for local government reorganisation will introduce changes to the local authorities responsible for providing board members for multiple National Parks in England, as laid out in legislation.