Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of farmer who will be eligible for the proposed lump sum exit scheme and delinked payments.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We are consulting on our proposed lump sum exit scheme, including the eligibility criteria that will apply. The consultation runs until 11 August 2021. We think our proposed scheme will provide a helpful option for some farmers who wish to exit the industry. We are seeking views on likely uptake via our consultation.
We intend to replace the Basic Payment Scheme with delinked payments in 2024. When payments are delinked, recipients won’t have to farm the land to receive the payments until they have been phased out by the end of 2027. Eligibility for delinked payments will be based on a reference period. Our consultation seeks views on what this reference period should be.
Our consultation can be found here: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/agricultural-policy/lump-sum-and-delinked-payments-england/.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost of the proposed lump sum exit scheme and delinked payments for farmers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We know that some farmers who wish to retire or leave the industry can find it difficult to do so and lack of finance can be one of the barriers to exit. We think that a lump sum exit scheme could help such farmers leave the industry in a planned way. By freeing up land, the scheme will also open up opportunities for new entrants and expanding farmers.
We believe that the proposed lump sum exit scheme will offer good value for the taxpayer. The lump sum will be in place of the Direct Payments farmers could otherwise have received between 2022 to 2027, as we transition to our new farming system outside the Common Agricultural Policy.
This means that the scheme will not increase overall spending on farming. It will not affect the money available for other schemes.
To ensure value for money for the taxpayer, we have proposed a payment cap that will make sure farmers do not receive a lump sum which is higher in value than the amount they could have otherwise received in Direct Payments for 2022 to 2027.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the effect of a (a) variable rate deposit and (b) flat rate deposit on the revenue received from a deposit return scheme.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS), which is currently live, sets out the intention for the scheme to be managed by an organisation called the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We propose that the DMO would have the ability to decide on the type of deposit for the scheme (flat or variable rate) and to set the deposit amount at the level they deem suitable for achieving the objectives of the scheme, subject to parameters set out by Government in legislation. For this reason, we have not conducted specific analysis on all possible scenarios the deposit may be set at, but our current Impact Assessment (published alongside the second consultation) assumes a flat rate 20p deposit is placed on all in-scope drinks containers and offers analysis of how the deposit level can influence return rates.
The operating costs and revenue of a DRS could be impacted by the deposit rate chosen by the DMO, which will be somewhat dependent on the extent to which unredeemed deposits are used to fund the scheme. We are seeking views in the second consultation on how unredeemed deposits should be used to fund the DRS. The department do not foresee significant administrative / operational costs to the scheme as a result of having either a flat or variable rate deposit.
No specific assessment has been made by Government on the potential effect of a variable rate deposit on return rates of in-scope containers, on product wastage, or on portion sizes, but we continue to engage with industry and consider any relevant research which should be factored into our overall design and analysis of the scheme. In any case, we propose to place a 90% collection rate target on the DMO, and the approach to setting the deposit level chosen by the DMO should reflect their obligation to achieve this target.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the planned deposit return scheme, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a variable rate deposit on return rates.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS), which is currently live, sets out the intention for the scheme to be managed by an organisation called the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We propose that the DMO would have the ability to decide on the type of deposit for the scheme (flat or variable rate) and to set the deposit amount at the level they deem suitable for achieving the objectives of the scheme, subject to parameters set out by Government in legislation. For this reason, we have not conducted specific analysis on all possible scenarios the deposit may be set at, but our current Impact Assessment (published alongside the second consultation) assumes a flat rate 20p deposit is placed on all in-scope drinks containers and offers analysis of how the deposit level can influence return rates.
The operating costs and revenue of a DRS could be impacted by the deposit rate chosen by the DMO, which will be somewhat dependent on the extent to which unredeemed deposits are used to fund the scheme. We are seeking views in the second consultation on how unredeemed deposits should be used to fund the DRS. The department do not foresee significant administrative / operational costs to the scheme as a result of having either a flat or variable rate deposit.
No specific assessment has been made by Government on the potential effect of a variable rate deposit on return rates of in-scope containers, on product wastage, or on portion sizes, but we continue to engage with industry and consider any relevant research which should be factored into our overall design and analysis of the scheme. In any case, we propose to place a 90% collection rate target on the DMO, and the approach to setting the deposit level chosen by the DMO should reflect their obligation to achieve this target.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the planned deposit return scheme, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of a flat rate deposit on portion sizes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS), which is currently live, sets out the intention for the scheme to be managed by an organisation called the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We propose that the DMO would have the ability to decide on the type of deposit for the scheme (flat or variable rate) and to set the deposit amount at the level they deem suitable for achieving the objectives of the scheme, subject to parameters set out by Government in legislation. For this reason, we have not conducted specific analysis on all possible scenarios the deposit may be set at, but our current Impact Assessment (published alongside the second consultation) assumes a flat rate 20p deposit is placed on all in-scope drinks containers and offers analysis of how the deposit level can influence return rates.
The operating costs and revenue of a DRS could be impacted by the deposit rate chosen by the DMO, which will be somewhat dependent on the extent to which unredeemed deposits are used to fund the scheme. We are seeking views in the second consultation on how unredeemed deposits should be used to fund the DRS. The department do not foresee significant administrative / operational costs to the scheme as a result of having either a flat or variable rate deposit.
No specific assessment has been made by Government on the potential effect of a variable rate deposit on return rates of in-scope containers, on product wastage, or on portion sizes, but we continue to engage with industry and consider any relevant research which should be factored into our overall design and analysis of the scheme. In any case, we propose to place a 90% collection rate target on the DMO, and the approach to setting the deposit level chosen by the DMO should reflect their obligation to achieve this target.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the planned deposit return scheme, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of a flat rate deposit on the levels of product wastage.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS), which is currently live, sets out the intention for the scheme to be managed by an organisation called the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We propose that the DMO would have the ability to decide on the type of deposit for the scheme (flat or variable rate) and to set the deposit amount at the level they deem suitable for achieving the objectives of the scheme, subject to parameters set out by Government in legislation. For this reason, we have not conducted specific analysis on all possible scenarios the deposit may be set at, but our current Impact Assessment (published alongside the second consultation) assumes a flat rate 20p deposit is placed on all in-scope drinks containers and offers analysis of how the deposit level can influence return rates.
The operating costs and revenue of a DRS could be impacted by the deposit rate chosen by the DMO, which will be somewhat dependent on the extent to which unredeemed deposits are used to fund the scheme. We are seeking views in the second consultation on how unredeemed deposits should be used to fund the DRS. The department do not foresee significant administrative / operational costs to the scheme as a result of having either a flat or variable rate deposit.
No specific assessment has been made by Government on the potential effect of a variable rate deposit on return rates of in-scope containers, on product wastage, or on portion sizes, but we continue to engage with industry and consider any relevant research which should be factored into our overall design and analysis of the scheme. In any case, we propose to place a 90% collection rate target on the DMO, and the approach to setting the deposit level chosen by the DMO should reflect their obligation to achieve this target.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there is a difference in the operating costs of a deposit return scheme depending on whether there is a (a) variable rate deposit and (b) flat rate deposit.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS), which is currently live, sets out the intention for the scheme to be managed by an organisation called the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We propose that the DMO would have the ability to decide on the type of deposit for the scheme (flat or variable rate) and to set the deposit amount at the level they deem suitable for achieving the objectives of the scheme, subject to parameters set out by Government in legislation. For this reason, we have not conducted specific analysis on all possible scenarios the deposit may be set at, but our current Impact Assessment (published alongside the second consultation) assumes a flat rate 20p deposit is placed on all in-scope drinks containers and offers analysis of how the deposit level can influence return rates.
The operating costs and revenue of a DRS could be impacted by the deposit rate chosen by the DMO, which will be somewhat dependent on the extent to which unredeemed deposits are used to fund the scheme. We are seeking views in the second consultation on how unredeemed deposits should be used to fund the DRS. The department do not foresee significant administrative / operational costs to the scheme as a result of having either a flat or variable rate deposit.
No specific assessment has been made by Government on the potential effect of a variable rate deposit on return rates of in-scope containers, on product wastage, or on portion sizes, but we continue to engage with industry and consider any relevant research which should be factored into our overall design and analysis of the scheme. In any case, we propose to place a 90% collection rate target on the DMO, and the approach to setting the deposit level chosen by the DMO should reflect their obligation to achieve this target.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to row one of the Ring-fenced budgets Resource DEL table on page 14 of the her Department's 2019-20 Main Estimate Memorandum, if she will publish a breakdown of budgeted expenditure under CAP disallowance.
Answered by George Eustice
In relation to the Resource Department Expenditure Limits (DEL) table on page 10 of the memorandum, the Capital DEL table on page 11 and Resource AME table on page 13:
A breakdown is provided in the annex under ‘Part II: Subhead detail’.
In relation to ring-fenced budgets on page 14 and 15 of the memorandum:
The breakdown is to be published as a HM Treasury OSCAR data release later in the 2019 calendar year. Defra’s ring-fenced spend on OSCAR is identified by sub segment codes ending with I, J, M and N within the data release. These Official Statistics are released at the following location:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-oscar-publishing-from-the-database
We send our Estimate and Memorandum (including the Annexes) to our Select Committee and this should all be published on the documents page under commons committee for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Our Annex (attached) has not been published but the Scrutiny Unit is following up on this.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to row two of the Ring-fenced budgets Resource DEL table on page 14 of her Department's 2019-20 Main Estimate Memorandum, if she will publish a detailed breakdown of budgeted expenditure under Voluntary exit scheme.
Answered by George Eustice
In relation to the Resource Department Expenditure Limits (DEL) table on page 10 of the memorandum, the Capital DEL table on page 11 and Resource AME table on page 13:
A breakdown is provided in the annex under ‘Part II: Subhead detail’.
In relation to ring-fenced budgets on page 14 and 15 of the memorandum:
The breakdown is to be published as a HM Treasury OSCAR data release later in the 2019 calendar year. Defra’s ring-fenced spend on OSCAR is identified by sub segment codes ending with I, J, M and N within the data release. These Official Statistics are released at the following location:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-oscar-publishing-from-the-database
We send our Estimate and Memorandum (including the Annexes) to our Select Committee and this should all be published on the documents page under commons committee for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Our Annex (attached) has not been published but the Scrutiny Unit is following up on this.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to row three of the Ring-fenced budgets Resource DEL table on page 14 of her Department's 2019-20 Main Estimate Memorandum, if she will publish a breakdown of budgeted expenditure under Official development assistance.
Answered by George Eustice
In relation to the Resource Department Expenditure Limits (DEL) table on page 10 of the memorandum, the Capital DEL table on page 11 and Resource AME table on page 13:
A breakdown is provided in the annex under ‘Part II: Subhead detail’.
In relation to ring-fenced budgets on page 14 and 15 of the memorandum:
The breakdown is to be published as a HM Treasury OSCAR data release later in the 2019 calendar year. Defra’s ring-fenced spend on OSCAR is identified by sub segment codes ending with I, J, M and N within the data release. These Official Statistics are released at the following location:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-oscar-publishing-from-the-database
We send our Estimate and Memorandum (including the Annexes) to our Select Committee and this should all be published on the documents page under commons committee for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Our Annex (attached) has not been published but the Scrutiny Unit is following up on this.