Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there have been any power cuts on their Department's property in each of the last three years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been no power cuts on the Department's property in the last three years.
We have generators at our key sites, and these are maintained and tested regularly to mitigate the risk of power cuts. In addition, we have UPS units (uninterruptible power systems) across the estate to protect our IT networks and users from the effect of short-term power outages.
Defra also participates in business continuity exercises such as Exercise Mighty Oak, which was run earlier this year by the Cabinet Office to test the Government’s response to a national power outage.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data their Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total cost of replacing (i) laptops, (ii) mobile phones, (iii) memory sticks and (iv) external hard drives that have been (A) lost and (B) stolen in the last year.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
(a) The following table includes the number of lost or stolen devices in the last year (October 2022 to October 2023) from core Defra. Defra’s recording system has only recently started to differentiate between lost and stolen devices. Therefore, these numbers for the last full year have been amalgamated.
Items | Number |
Laptops | 37 |
Phones | 93 |
Other assets (memory sticks and other External storages) | 2 |
Total | 132 |
All departmental IT is fully security encrypted. The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries. Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately and remotely deactivated and the contents deleted.
There has been no data loss or compromise as a result of these losses.
(b) Replacement costs are not broken down for core Defra and its Arm’s Length Bodies. As such, the replacement costs for core Defra only are not held centrally and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will set sustainable fishing catch limits that do not exceed those set by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As an independent coastal State, the UK sets total allowable catches (TACs) through negotiations with other coastal States, led by the best scientific advice, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Per our obligations under the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement, we seek to achieve, or contribute to the achievement of the fisheries objectives. In particular, we strive for outcomes that ensure environmental sustainability, including increasing the total number of stocks fished at MSY, as well as bring socio-economic benefits. In early 2024, following the conclusion of the annual fisheries negotiations, the Government will publish an independent assessment of the number of TACs set consistent with ICES advice for 2024.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure fishing takes place at sustainable levels.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As an independent coastal State, the UK sets total allowable catches (TACs) through negotiations with other coastal States, led by the best scientific advice, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Our Fisheries Management Plans will set out how to maintain or recover the stocks and species covered to MSY. Our first five plans, to be published shortly, cover valuable non quota stocks.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's timescale is for publishing proposed byelaws to restrict bottom trawling in some offshore marine protected areas.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We have established a comprehensive network of MPAs covering 40% of our waters and, now that we have left the EU, we have new powers to ensure our offshore MPAs are properly protected. Byelaws to prevent damaging fishing in the first four offshore sites were published in 2022, which ban bottom towed fishing gear over sensitive features. The Marine Management Organisation consulted earlier this year on similar proposals for a further 13 sites and a decision on this will be taken shortly. Further consultations to complete the byelaw programme are planned for 2024 and we are aiming to have all MPAs in English waters protected from damaging fishing activity by the end of that year.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to help protect Marine Protected Areas from bottom trawling.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We have established a comprehensive network of MPAs covering 40% of our waters, and we are now focusing on making sure they are properly protected. Nearly 60% of the 181 English MPAs are already protected from damaging fishing activity. This includes byelaws made last year, which ban bottom towed gear over sensitive features in the first four offshore sites. The Marine Management Organisation consulted earlier this year on similar proposals for a further 13 sites; a decision on this will be taken shortly. We are aiming to have all MPAs in English waters protected from damaging fishing activity by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 publish a response to the call for evidence on introducing method of production labelling for animal products in England.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 9 June to Question 187499 on Horses: Animal Welfare, how many times she has met with the (a) British Horseracing Authority and (b) the Horse Welfare Board since 2018; and what discussions she has held with those organisations on horse welfare.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Ministers and Defra officials have regular meetings with the British Horseracing Authority and others involved in the equine sector to discuss the welfare of horses. Lord Benyon has met a number of bodies representing equine sports on frequent occasions including speaking at the National Equine Forum in March 2023, and having meetings with vets and welfare bodies.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 Government has made of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on (a) inflation, (b) food prices and (c) the price of (i) meat and (ii) fresh produce.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The estimated annual cost to UK businesses, and any associated impact on consumer prices, is being assessed and will be communicated at the time of the publication of the final Target Operating Model.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 Government has made of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on levels of (a) businesses importing (i) food and (ii) agricultural products and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Target Operating Model (TOM) provides certainty for businesses and seeks to minimise friction. It will strike the appropriate balance between supporting businesses moving goods into Great Britain and protecting the UK’s biosecurity and reputation as a responsible trading nation. We have been listening closely to the feedback we have received from businesses on the draft TOM and have designed it to work fairly and proportionately across all business sizes and models.