Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 14 November 2024 to Question 13418 on Countryside: Access, by when he plans to make further announcements on his policy on access to nature.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure that this access is safe and appropriate. We are committed to increasing access to nature and have already set out several ambitious manifesto commitments to expand opportunities for the public to enjoy the outdoors, including the creation of nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England.
We are currently developing policy to improve access to nature, working closely with other government departments and key stakeholders. In addition, we are already delivering key initiatives aimed at increasing access to green spaces and the countryside, including:
In addition, the Government has made the decision to repeal the cut-off date for the registration of historic rights of way, preventing the loss of hundreds of miles of unregistered paths. This will ensure that these paths remain available to the public for future generations. This change will be formally enacted when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 policy paper entitled Technical annex: The combined environmental land management offer, published on 19 March 2024, whether it is his policy to financially incentivise permissive access.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Actions for permissive access are included in the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer where they will benefit from input from Natural England advisers to ensure improvements represent value for money and link into the existing PROW network. Details of the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer were announced in December 2024.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 (a) farmers and (b) landowners wishing to restore wild beavers on their land.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Farmers and landowners who would like to reintroduce wild beavers on their land must first submit an Expression of Interest, which will be assessed by Natural England (NE). Projects likely to meet the licensing criteria will be invited to make a full application.
A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 encourage participation in the wild beaver reintroduction program in (a) areas prone to downstream flooding and (b) England; and whether he plans to provide additional (i) support and (ii) resources to farmers in those regions.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government recognises that beavers can bring many benefits for the environment including reducing downstream flooding.
A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way.
Support for farmers, landowners and local communities will be provided through a rigorous risk assessment in the application process and the existing management framework laid out in our 5-step beaver management approach.
This will be backed up by support through local beaver management groups and Environmental Land Management options.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeline is for the implementation of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme, and in England, legislation is in place to close the scheme to English POs on 31 December 2025.
The Government has committed to championing British farming, whilst protecting the environment, and is currently considering the best way to support our farming sectors in the future, including horticulture.
We will make further announcements in due course.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 his Department's press release entitled Record investment to protect thousands of UK homes and businesses, published on 4 February 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of new flood prevention infrastructure on (a) wildlife and (b) river ecosystems.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency ensures that all its flood projects assess their impact on the environment and biodiversity, with support from the National Environmental Assessment Service. The impact of any new scheme will be undertaken in due course as part of each schemes’ assurance process.
Defra has established protocols to assess the potential environmental impacts of flood prevention infrastructure on wildlife and river ecosystems. These assessments are carried out through Strategic Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments, which are integral to the planning and implementation of flood risk management projects.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 provide clarity on the law on the public rights of navigation on non-tidal waterways; and if he will make a comparative assessment of his policy and Magna Carta.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the Hon Member to the reply previously given on 21 January 2025 to PQ 24394.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 his Department's web page entitled Steve Reed speech at the 2025 Oxford Farming Conference, published on 9 Janaury 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on reforming permitted development rights on farms.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the (a) framework and (b) criteria for beaver releases into the wild.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Defra are continuing to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. This includes the development of a framework and criteria to enable the wild release of beavers in England. Further information on this will be published in due course.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 restructuring Thames Water as a Community Interest Company.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government and Ofwat are carefully monitoring the situation with Thames Water, and the company remains stable. Thames Water is a private company, as such it would be inappropriate to comment any further on their corporate structure.