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 he is taking to tackle the persecution of birds of prey.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife. Where any wild bird of prey is killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime.
Defra supports the work of the national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, the Government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle bird of prey persecution.
Furthermore, Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime (including bird of prey crime) by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £424,000 funding for NWCU in 2024-2025.
Anyone who commits an offence against a bird of prey under existing legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 could face up to a six-month custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine.
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 he is taking to support nature-friendly farming.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is supporting farmers to implement nature-friendly farming practices through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity.
These measures will be delivered through the Government’s environmental land management schemes. This Government’s vision is a sector that recognises restoring nature is not in competition with sustainable food production but is essential to it. In the Budget announced in October 2024, the Government committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes in 2025/26. This is the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history and enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.
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 he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to monitor companies responsibilities and duties to the environment.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government makes full use of the comprehensive and wide ranging environmental regulatory framework in England.
There are many regulators involved in delivering Government environmental objectives, and the Environment Agency (EA) is the largest environmental regulator for England.
The EA regulates a wide range of industries and activities, in diverse fields such as nuclear power, waste and resources, the water industry, climate change, flood protection. Its regulation brings about significant improvements in protection of the environment, adapts to emerging challenges and supports sustainable growth.
The Government also supports voluntary environmental due diligence approaches adopted by UK businesses across their operations and supply chain relationships, in line with the OECD’s Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct. DBT also oversees the UK’s National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct, an independent unit tasked with promoting the OECD Guidelines and managing a non-judicial grievance mechanism to resolve complaints through mediation.
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 he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help the UK meet its commitments on climate change adaptation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is the lead department for domestic adaptation to climate change, responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008. This includes preparing a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme. Defra works closely with the Cabinet Office in delivering this function.
Defra has responsibility for around half of the 61 risks and opportunities identified in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment, with a further eleven government departments having responsibility for the remainder.
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 he will make an assessment of the potential impact of combined sewerage systems in Devon on water quality.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
Storm overflows are safety valves within our combined sewage system to protect properties from flooding. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets stretching targets to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This ambitious plan is guiding future investment in sector.
Water companies are investing around £12 billion between 2025-2030, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, and reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. In Devon, a large spill reduction programme of works will be undertaken by South West Water, in the next 5 years to improve overflows in the Exe river & estuary catchments. This will see improvements to Combined Storm Overflows, pumping stations & sewage treatment works.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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 he will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing combined sewerage systems with segregated sewerage in Devon.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
Storm overflows are safety valves within our combined sewage system to protect properties from flooding. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets stretching targets to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This ambitious plan is guiding future investment in sector.
Water companies are investing around £12 billion between 2025-2030, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, and reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. In Devon, a large spill reduction programme of works will be undertaken by South West Water, in the next 5 years to improve overflows in the Exe river & estuary catchments. This will see improvements to Combined Storm Overflows, pumping stations & sewage treatment works.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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 recent discussions he has had with water companies on replacing combined sewerage systems with segregated sewerage systems in Devon.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
Storm overflows are safety valves within our combined sewage system to protect properties from flooding. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets stretching targets to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This ambitious plan is guiding future investment in sector.
Water companies are investing around £12 billion between 2025-2030, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, and reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. In Devon, a large spill reduction programme of works will be undertaken by South West Water, in the next 5 years to improve overflows in the Exe river & estuary catchments. This will see improvements to Combined Storm Overflows, pumping stations & sewage treatment works.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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 he will make an estimate the cost to the public purse of reconfiguring sewerage systems in Devon.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
Storm overflows are safety valves within our combined sewage system to protect properties from flooding. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets stretching targets to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This ambitious plan is guiding future investment in sector.
Water companies are investing around £12 billion between 2025-2030, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, and reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. In Devon, a large spill reduction programme of works will be undertaken by South West Water, in the next 5 years to improve overflows in the Exe river & estuary catchments. This will see improvements to Combined Storm Overflows, pumping stations & sewage treatment works.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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 he will make an assessment of the time needed to reconfigure sewerage systems in Devon.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
Storm overflows are safety valves within our combined sewage system to protect properties from flooding. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets stretching targets to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This ambitious plan is guiding future investment in sector.
Water companies are investing around £12 billion between 2025-2030, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, and reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. In Devon, a large spill reduction programme of works will be undertaken by South West Water, in the next 5 years to improve overflows in the Exe river & estuary catchments. This will see improvements to Combined Storm Overflows, pumping stations & sewage treatment works.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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 his Department has made of the potential impact of combined sewerage systems on untreated sewage overflow in Devon.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
Storm overflows are safety valves within our combined sewage system to protect properties from flooding. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets stretching targets to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This ambitious plan is guiding future investment in sector.
Water companies are investing around £12 billion between 2025-2030, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, and reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. In Devon, a large spill reduction programme of works will be undertaken by South West Water, in the next 5 years to improve overflows in the Exe river & estuary catchments. This will see improvements to Combined Storm Overflows, pumping stations & sewage treatment works.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.