Tim Farron

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), a division of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is the delivery body for the geological disposal facility (GDF). NWS meets with officials from the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man under the auspices of the regular UK-Ireland Contact Group to update them on the siting process for a GDF, including sighting them on potential impacts of activities it undertakes to identify a suitable location. The community consent-based process to identify and select a site in England is at an early stage. Currently, four possible areas are under consideration – three in Cumbria and one in Lincolnshire.

As promised in the Net Zero Strategy, the Government has created a Community Energy Contact Group to discuss policy and delivery issues relevant to community energy, including the contribution that community energy can make, to strengthen engagement with the sector.

Ministers and officials regularly meet with Ofgem to discuss a range of issues relating to the energy market.

The Government encourages community energy groups to work closely with local authorities to support the development of UK-wide growth funding schemes. The Government is working with the sector to deliver a programme which will support local authorities develop community-led energy groups and projects. The Government has provided £10m funding to community energy groups through the Rural Community Energy Fund.

The Government has not made a formal assessment of the role of community energy in reducing household energy bills.

The Government encourages community energy groups to work closely with local authorities to support the development of UK-wide growth funding schemes. The Government is working with the sector to deliver a programme which will support local authorities develop community-led energy groups and projects. The Government has provided £10m funding to community energy groups through the Rural Community Energy Fund.

The Government has not made a formal assessment of the role of community energy in reducing household energy bills.

The Government has carefully considered the introduction of a price cap to help heating oil customers with high fuel prices. However, government analysis indicates that a cap would not be in the long-term interests of consumers.

The existing gas and electricity price cap was designed to protect consumers on default tariffs from the loyalty penalty, which the Competitions and Markets Authority warned was causing customers to be overcharged. The structure of the heating oil market is different and imposing a price cap below wholesale costs would drive companies out of the market, reducing competition and possibly result in supply shortages.

The Government understands that fuel prices are an important component of UK household and business expenditures and is sympathetic to the impact of domestic fuel costs on UK consumers.

The Government recently announced a £15 billion package to support households with the cost of living, in addition to the over £22 billion that had already been committed.

At present there are no plans to decrease the 500-litre minimum required for a delivery of heating oil.

For many years the industry standard for a minimum delivery of oil for efficiency reasons has been 500 litres, using mechanical meters calibrated and sealed by Trading Standards using tamper proof seals.

Whilst legislation allows the minimum delivery to be lower than 500 litres using electronic meters, any equipment must meet statutory requirements in terms of the accuracy of delivery, and type approval for the equipment must be obtained.

The vast majority of heating oil delivery vehicles are fitted with mechanical meters only.

The National Measurement and Regulation Office advise that smaller deliveries than the certified amount should not be made without the tankers meter being approved for smaller deliveries.

However due to the costs involved in making smaller deliveries and the reduction of productivity levels, the price per litre is likely to be proportionately much higher.

The Government believes it is essential that consumers of domestic fuels get a fair deal.  There is an open market for the supply of heating oil in the UK as we believe this provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices. A price cap is not necessary as consumers can shop around and switch supplier more easily than for gas and electricity.

Customers who are not on the gas grid will be protected by the energy price cap if they are on a default tariff with their electricity supplier.

The Government is providing targeted funding to support the installation of heat pumps in off-gas grid buildings. This includes the £1.1bn Home Upgrade Grant, which will improve the worst performing low-income, off gas grid homes through energy efficiency and low carbon heat measures, and the £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which will provide upfront grants to households and small businesses wishing to transition to low carbon heating, including buildings in off gas grid areas.

The Government has also consulted on proposals to end the installation of new fossil fuel heating in off-gas grid buildings, with a ‘heat pump first’ approach to replacement heating systems. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy commits the Government to work with the Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. Hydrogen-based steelmaking, Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), and electrification are some of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.

Published in October, the Net Zero Strategy committed to provide further support for research and innovation to enable the fuel switch to low carbon hydrogen on industrial sites, such as integrated steelworks. This will be delivered through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio and initiatives led by the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre.

The Government recognises the vital role that the sector plays across the UK to benefit our economy. We will continue to work with the sector to support its decarbonisation.

In March 2021, the Government published the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy in which we committed to working with the Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035 and the business environment necessary to support the transition. We will provide further information in due course.

Published in October, the Net Zero Strategy committed to provide further support for research and innovation to enable the fuel switch to low carbon hydrogen on industrial sites, such as integrated steelworks. This will be delivered through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio and initiatives led by the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre.

Planning is a quasi-judicial process, and solely a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Ministers in BEIS have had no discussions with him on the proposed mine at Whitehaven.

The Government has committed to phasing out unabated coal generation in Great Britain by October 2024. Coal’s share of our electricity supply has already declined significantly in recent years – from almost 40% in 2012 to less than 2% in 2020.

To achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, we will need to decarbonise virtually all heat in buildings. Government analysis indicates that heat pumps are likely to play an important role in this transition, which is why my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister announced our ambition to reach 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028. In combination with an increase in electric vehicle deployment, this is likely to increase demand for electricity.

Ensuring the adequacy of the electricity network is the responsibility of electricity network companies, and they are incentivised to do so through the regulatory framework set out by Ofgem, the independent regulator. Electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) submitted their draft business plans for the next price control (RIIO ED2), which will run from 2023-28, on 1 July. Final draft business plans submissions are expected to be made by DNOs in December of this year. As part of this, DNOs, including Electricity North West who are the licensed operator for the distribution network in the North West, will include forecasts for the uptake of renewable heating systems and how they plan to ready the network for these technologies.

A new Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, developed jointly by BEIS and Ofgem, will be published shortly. The plan will set out how deploying low carbon technologies, including heat pumps, in a smart and flexible way can reduce the requirement for large increases in generation capacity and support the balancing of the electricity system. This approach benefits all electricity system users by reducing overall system costs and carbon emissions, while also supporting system stability.

As announced in the Ten-Point Plan, we aim to install 600,000 hydronic heat pumps per year by 2028. We are putting together a comprehensive policy package to support this ambition, including targeted regulatory, market-based and public investment measures.

These measures include the Future Homes Standard that will ensure new homes are built with high levels of energy efficiency and low carbon heating from 2025, the Clean Heat Grant scheme, launching in 2022, and a new market-based policy putting industry at the heart of growing the heat pump market.

Heat pumps have already been proven to work at scale in buildings, delivering effective heating with lower emissions than fossil fuel heating. However, there are a range of potential low carbon heating solutions, including hydrogen, heat networks and biomethane that could help deliver our net zero target. We will set out further details on how we accelerate uptake of heat pumps and our approach to other low carbon heating technologies in our forthcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy

Monthly data on business closures during the 2007-2008 financial crisis are not available.

Data on total annual business closures have been provided in the table below, showing annual numbers of business closures between 2006 and 2010.

Table: Annual number of business closures, 2006 to 2010, all registered businesses

Source: Office for National Statistics ‘Business Demography, UK: 2011’

Monthly data on business closures since April 2020 are not available.

Quarterly data on business closures since April 2020 can be provided.

The table below contains this information, along with numbers of business closures in each quarter of 2019 and quarter 1 2020 for reference.

Table: Quarterly UK business closures, 2019 to 2020, all registered businesses

Source: Office for National Statistics 'Business demography, quarterly experimental statistics, UK'

We are determined to seize the opportunities of the net zero transition, which by one estimate could support up to 2 million green jobs by 2030 across all regions of the UK. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan will create long-term advantage for the UK in low-carbon technologies and services. Investment in the green economy across sectors including offshore wind, nuclear, low carbon heating, CCUS and clean hydrogen will benefit regions across the UK.

We will bring forward the Local Recovery and Devolution White Paper, detailing how the Government will build a sustainable economic recovery across the country. We have also launched the Green Jobs Taskforce to advise what support is needed for people in transitioning industries. The taskforce will conclude its work in spring 2021, with the actions feeding into our Net Zero Strategy to be published later in the year.

The Government’s actions are delivering results in the North West. We have invested in excess of £4m of the Local Growth Fund in Cumbria for developing skills in higher and further education, working alongside employers to support high quality jobs in new and emerging sustainable and green technologies. This includes support for Kendal College on training for future jobs such as electric vehicle maintenance, with over 600 apprentices supporting employers in the green economy in South Lakeland.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution will create long-term advantage for the UK in low-carbon technologies and services. It will support up to 250,000 green jobs, levelling up regions across the UK, and reinvigorate our industrial heartlands. The Plan will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030.

Delivering clean investment at the scale and pace required will mean taking bold steps. That is why we will issue the UK’s first Sovereign Green Bond and we will create a new infrastructure bank for the UK which will co-invest alongside private sector investors in infrastructure projects.

As part of the Plan, we announced £1 billion for the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio to develop the cutting-edge technologies needed to reach our energy ambitions. We are also investing up to £500 million for low carbon hydrogen production across the decade with £240 million confirmed out to 2024/2025 and £1 billion to capture carbon from power stations and industry, helping to support 50,000 jobs.

The Government is committed to improving the building stock as part of reaching our net zero targets. We recognise the importance of providing industry with certainty over demand in future years in order for them to have confidence to invest and grow their businesses.

We are working to provide that certainty and have therefore confirmed that the delivery dates for Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator will extend into 2021/22 to provide assurance that work will be available. Outside of support schemes, we are creating the regulatory environment to drive retrofit and on 30^th September we published a consultation on further improving the energy performance of privately rented homes over the 2020s, which provides a clear signal on how Government is committed to improving the housing stock.

On 1 May 2020 during a call to Local Authorities, the Government announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants as part of the suite of Business Support grants to support businesses and local economies across England.

Businesses that have received Self-employment Income Support are not eligible for funding under the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund.

Whether or not a business is liable for Business Rates, or occupies business premises, is not a consideration under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

To be eligible for a facility under CBILS, a smaller business must:

• Be UK based in its business activity, with turnover of no more than £45m per year.
• Have a borrowing proposal which, were it not for the current pandemic, would be considered viable by the lender
• Self-certify that it has been adversely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Based on current medical advice, the Government has stated that workers can continue to work when they cannot work from home, show no symptoms of Covid-19, and live in a household where no person is self-isolating.

We encourage households to engage with tradespeople on this basis, so urgent health and safety issues within homes can be inspected or remedied. Where such work takes place, Public Health England’s social distancing guidelines should be followed, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/social-distancing-in-the-workplace-during-coronavirus-covid-19-sector-guidance#tradespeople-and-working-in-peoples-homes.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, maintaining the nation’s infrastructure and providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in. The Government has stated that construction and utilities work should continue where it can take place in line with the guidance provided by Public Health England.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, maintaining the nation’s infrastructure and providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in. The Government has stated that construction and utilities work should continue where it can take place in line with the guidance provided by Public Health England.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, as well as in providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in.

Based on current medical advice, utility workers who cannot work from home, who show no symptoms of Covid-19, and who live in households where no person is self-isolating, can continue to go to work. We encourage households to continue to engage with tradespeople on this basis so that essential repairs and maintenance can be carried out. Where such work takes place, Public Health England (PHE) guidelines should be followed, including social distancing measures where possible.

Construction activity can continue in line with PHE guidance. Through the Construction Leadership Council, the construction industry has issued Site Operating Procedures (SOP), which align with PHE guidance. The SOP set out that, where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres, then employers should closely consider whether the activity needs to continue for the site to operate.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, as well as in providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in.

Based on current medical advice, utility workers who cannot work from home, who show no symptoms of Covid-19, and who live in households where no person is self-isolating, can continue to go to work. We encourage households to continue to engage with tradespeople on this basis so that essential repairs and maintenance can be carried out. Where such work takes place, Public Health England (PHE) guidelines should be followed, including social distancing measures where possible.

Construction activity can continue in line with PHE guidance. Through the Construction Leadership Council, the construction industry has issued Site Operating Procedures (SOP), which align with PHE guidance. The SOP set out that, where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres, then employers should closely consider whether the activity needs to continue for the site to operate.

The Government has been clear that employers should carefully consider Public Health England’s social distancing guidance. The guidance sets out that employers should help their staff to find alternative arrangements to support them to work from home, , including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

Where people cannot work from home, they can continue going into their place of work as long as Public Health England’s guidance is closely followed. This is consistent with the Chief Medical Officer’s advice.

Where a worker has a concern about health and safety which cannot be resolved through speaking with their employer or trade union, they can contact the relevant enforcement agency – either their local authority or the Health and Safety Executive. Where the Health and Safety Executive are made aware of an employer not complying with the relevant Public Health England guidance (including enabling social distancing where it is practical to do so), the Health and Safety Executive will consider a range of actions, from providing specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices.

The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.

While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. As such, provision of postal services in Oxenholme and Allithwaite is operational to Post Office Limited. I have asked Nick Read, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member about this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Apprenticeships are a great way for people to receive high quality training and to begin or progress in a career in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sector. There are 40 occupationally specific apprenticeship standards currently available in this sector, including Level 3 veterinary nurse, Level 4 countryside ranger and Level 5 horticulture and landscaping technical manager.

The first employer-designed apprenticeship standards were introduced in 2014 to replace apprenticeship frameworks, as part of reforms to improve the quality of apprenticeships. Since August 2020, all new apprentices have been on apprenticeships designed against these standards. The table below shows the current number of apprenticeship standards on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE) agriculture, environmental and animal care occupational route. Three further standards are currently in development.

Employers decide which apprenticeship places they offer and when, according to the needs of their business. The table below shows the number of apprenticeship starts in the agriculture, horticulture and animal care sector subject area, across both apprenticeship frameworks and standards, since the 2012/13 academic year.

To note:

• Low means fewer than five.
• There has been a small number of starts on frameworks since their withdrawal in 2020. Framework starts are recorded where an apprentice is returning to framework apprenticeship after an extensive break.

Apprenticeships are a great way for people to receive high quality training and to begin or progress in a career in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sector. There are 40 occupationally specific apprenticeship standards currently available in this sector, including Level 3 veterinary nurse, Level 4 countryside ranger and Level 5 horticulture and landscaping technical manager.

The first employer-designed apprenticeship standards were introduced in 2014 to replace apprenticeship frameworks, as part of reforms to improve the quality of apprenticeships. Since August 2020, all new apprentices have been on apprenticeships designed against these standards. The table below shows the current number of apprenticeship standards on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE) agriculture, environmental and animal care occupational route. Three further standards are currently in development.

Employers decide which apprenticeship places they offer and when, according to the needs of their business. The table below shows the number of apprenticeship starts in the agriculture, horticulture and animal care sector subject area, across both apprenticeship frameworks and standards, since the 2012/13 academic year.

To note:

• Low means fewer than five.
• There has been a small number of starts on frameworks since their withdrawal in 2020. Framework starts are recorded where an apprentice is returning to framework apprenticeship after an extensive break.

The attached Excel spreadsheet supplies the allocation values for institutions which are specified as Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges and includes the institution name and UK Provider Reference Number.

Allocations of funding are provided on an academic year basis, August through July, and therefore span multiple years. Whilst the funding is allocated to Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges, these institutions do deliver other study programmes. The data does not include funding for employer led apprenticeships or any funding devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities.

One of the department’s priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract, retain, and develop the highly skilled teachers needed, as set out in our Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy in 2019. In the 2020/21 academic year, the department exceeded the postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target in religious education (129% of target), and in 2021/22 we met 99% of the target.

The department does not prescribe the curriculum content of initial teacher training (ITT) courses. However, courses must be designed so that teacher trainees can demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level. The ITT Core Content Framework sets out a minimum entitlement of knowledge, skills and experiences that trainees need to enter the profession in the best position possible to teach and support all children and young people. The framework is not subject specific but sets out a minimum entitlement to training that accredited ITT providers must incorporate into their primary and/or secondary ITT curricula. It is up to partnerships to make choices around curriculum and sequencing to suit the subject, phase, and age range that trainees will be teaching.

Beyond the first few years of teaching, the department’s priority is to help all teachers and school leaders to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers. We have improved our training support offer to all schools and teachers, to ensure that they receive high quality training and development at every stage of their career, from initial teacher training and the introduction of the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms through to leadership qualifications.

The ECF reforms were introduced to improve support for early career teachers. The ECF itself underpins what all early career teachers should learn about and learn how to do based on expert guidance and the best available research evidence. It is designed to work for all early career teachers of religious education as well as all others regardless of subject, phase and/or school.

One of the department’s priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract, retain, and develop the highly skilled teachers needed, as set out in our Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy in 2019. In the 2020/21 academic year, the department exceeded the postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target in religious education (129% of target), and in 2021/22 we met 99% of the target.

The department does not prescribe the curriculum content of initial teacher training (ITT) courses. However, courses must be designed so that teacher trainees can demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level. The ITT Core Content Framework sets out a minimum entitlement of knowledge, skills and experiences that trainees need to enter the profession in the best position possible to teach and support all children and young people. The framework is not subject specific but sets out a minimum entitlement to training that accredited ITT providers must incorporate into their primary and/or secondary ITT curricula. It is up to partnerships to make choices around curriculum and sequencing to suit the subject, phase, and age range that trainees will be teaching.

Beyond the first few years of teaching, the department’s priority is to help all teachers and school leaders to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers. We have improved our training support offer to all schools and teachers, to ensure that they receive high quality training and development at every stage of their career, from initial teacher training and the introduction of the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms through to leadership qualifications.

The ECF reforms were introduced to improve support for early career teachers. The ECF itself underpins what all early career teachers should learn about and learn how to do based on expert guidance and the best available research evidence. It is designed to work for all early career teachers of religious education as well as all others regardless of subject, phase and/or school.

National professional qualifications (NPQs) are a national, voluntary suite of qualifications, designed to support the professional development of teachers and school leaders.

NPQs are based on the latest evidence of what works and have been developed by teachers, leaders, and education experts, and are designed to allow for practical implementation in their own settings across the country. NPQs provide teachers access to the best possible in-role training and support, both in specialist areas of practice, such as leading the teaching and learning of a subject, key stage, or phase, and in leadership roles, too.

Each NPQ is underpinned by a content framework. The content of the NPQ frameworks build on and complement one another, to deliver a shared understanding of the principles of effective professional development.

While it is not subject-specific, the NPQ in Leading Teaching will enable professionals to develop expert teaching practice within their relevant context through the use of subject-specific, phase-specific, or domain-specific exemplification materials.

NPQs are also designed to allow professionals to develop expert teaching and leadership practice to apply this to their relevant context.

NPQs can and should be supplemented by a variety of subject-specific professional development, including that which is provided by schools, trusts, subject associations, charities, curriculum hubs, Oak National Academy, and other private training organisations.

The government is committed to delivering 500,000 teacher training opportunities over the next 3 years. As part of this, we are investing in training scholarships so that all teachers and school leaders in state-funded schools can access NPQs for free over the next three academic years.

The department encourages all Religious Education leaders to consider enrolling on a fully-funded NPQ. To do so, they should contact their local Teaching School Hub in the first instance. Further information about NPQs and the content frameworks can be accessed on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms.

We recognise that schools face inflationary pressures, and we continue to monitor the impact of rising utility costs on schools.

Cost increases should be seen in the wider context of funding for schools. The government is delivering real terms per pupil increases to school funding with a £4 billion cash increase in the core schools budget next year, taking total funding to £53.8 billion. This includes an additional £1.2 billion for schools in the new schools supplementary grant for the 2022-23 financial year. Overall, this represents a 5% real terms per pupil boost, helping schools meet the pressures we know they are facing.

The department pays close attention to the financial health of the sector. We know that the vast majority of school expenditure is devoted to staff costs, with only about a quarter required for non-staff costs, including those related to utility bills. This means that even while costs are rising, inflation in this area would only have an impact on a small portion of a school’s overall budget.

All schools can access a range of school resource management (SRM) tools to help them get the best value from their resources to help them save on regular purchases and reduce non-teaching costs. This means schools can more effectively invest their resources into areas that improve educational outcomes for all pupils. Our SRM tools include two recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services relating to energy, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-dfe-approved-framework-for-your-school. We have also launched the new ‘get help with buying for schools’ service, a new national service to help schools realise value for money and savings on non-staff spend, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buying-for-schools/get-help-with-buying-for-schools.

We know that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

In common with all other types of provider, funding allocations to agricultural colleges for the 2021/22 academic year for 16-19 students have yet to be finalised. While we have now issued allocations to individual schools and colleges, we are still considering business cases from providers. Until this process is complete, funding allocations are still subject to change.

Providers in receipt of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Adult Education Budget (AEB), including agricultural colleges, will receive an allocation for the 2021/22 academic funding year which is the same as it was in 2020/21, with any necessary adjustments for the impact of devolution and to remove allocations that were for one year only. In areas where the AEB has been devolved, Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority are responsible for making provider allocations.

Allocations beyond the 2021/22 academic year for both 16-19 funding and the AEB are subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.

Allocation values are supplied for institutions specified as Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges and includes the institution name and UK Provider Reference Number as the identifier in the accompanying excel document.

Allocations are on an academic year basis (August to July) and therefore span multiple years. We have provided the values from August 2016 to July 2021, where this is not the case it is caveated in the notes.

The data does not contain information relating to:

• Apprenticeships funded through the employer led apprenticeship service where there is no allocation value.
• European social fund, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esf-2014-to-2020-programme-list-of-contracts.

Each year will have policy changes which are not detailed in the notes.

In line with the Government’s roadmap, the Department advises against domestic residential educational visits until at least step 3, no earlier than 17 May 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#educational-visits.

The Department will update guidance in line with the timetable set out in the roadmap, including advice on educational visits.

We are committed to supporting greater use of apprenticeships in sectors where flexible working practices are commonplace, including short periods of project-based employment.

To support these sectors, we are launching a £7 million fund to support the creation and expansion of apprenticeship training agencies which offer portable apprenticeships, enabling apprentices to move between different host employers as they complete their training.

We continue to work closely with the creative and agricultural industries in increasing the portability of apprenticeships and will set out further details in due course.

We are committed to supporting greater use of apprenticeships in sectors where flexible working practices are commonplace, including short periods of project-based employment.

To support these sectors, we are launching a £7 million fund to support the creation and expansion of apprenticeship training agencies which offer portable apprenticeships, enabling apprentices to move between different host employers as they complete their training.

We continue to work closely with the creative and agricultural industries in increasing the portability of apprenticeships and will set out further details in due course.

Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. The Department will issue advice to schools on the planning and booking of residential trips when it is safe to do so and in line with the Government’s roadmap to recovery, as set out in: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021.

The Government has provided laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in year 10 do not have internet connections, the Government has provided 4G wireless routers.

The Department has delivered laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts based on the Department’s estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify children and young people who need devices and prioritise their needs.

The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers have been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts in total, which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data.

As of the end of June, over 202,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers had been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts. Where local authorities and academy trusts provided evidence of a need for eligible children that is greater than their initial allocation, the Department has been working with them to provide additional devices.

The government remains committed to promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The return to school is a key part of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, as attendance at school allows social interaction with peers, carers and teachers, which benefits wellbeing, and enables staff to directly provide pastoral support.

Throughout the government’s guidance on the wider opening of schools, we have encouraged schools to focus on pastoral support as pupils return. Children in Reception, year 1 and year 6 are now able to return to primary, and year 10 and year 12 pupils are able to receive face-to-face support at secondary. Primary schools with capacity can bring back additional groups, in line with existing protective measures, and we have given schools the flexibility to have face-to-face ‘check-ups’ with all pupils during the summer term to provide pastoral support. Our intention is for all children to return to school from September and guidance will be published soon.

It is important for schools to be calm and disciplined environments, where everyone follows the rules. The Department has published advice that sets out how, as schools start to welcome pupils back, schools should update their behaviour policy to reflect the new protective measures and new rules and routines:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.

Schools will be aware that the current circumstances can affect the mental health of pupils in a way that affects behaviour. Our guidance on mental health and behaviour in schools can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2.

It sets out how mental health issues can bring about changes in a young person’s behaviour or emotional state and how this can be reflected within the approach to behaviour set out in Creating a Culture:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools.

Additionally, some children will return to school having been exposed to a range of adversity including bereavement and anxiety. This may lead to an increase in social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) concerns. We are aware that some children will need additional support and access to services such as Educational Psychologists, social workers, and counsellors, and the guidance below on supporting vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak acknowledges that staff may need to be redeployed:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.

The return to school is a vital factor in both the wellbeing and educational progress of pupils - the two reinforce each other. We have encouraged schools to focus on pastoral support as more pupils return to school this term. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 are now able to return to primary school, and Year 10 and 12 pupils are able to receive face-to-face support at secondary school. Primary schools with capacity can bring back additional groups, in line with existing protective measures. We have also given schools the flexibility to have face-to-face ‘check-ups’ with all pupils during the summer term.

The department has now published detailed plans for all children and young people to return to full-time education from September. The guidance highlights the particular need to focus on pastoral support and mental wellbeing as a central part of what schools provide, in order to re-engage them and rebuild social interaction with their friends and teachers. This will involve curriculum provision as well as extra-curricular and pastoral support, and our recently published relationships, sex and health education training module will support teachers with preparation to deliver content on mental health and wellbeing. The guidance for schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-and-colleges-to-reopen-in-full-in-september.

Since the launch of the free school meals voucher scheme, it has been upgraded and is working well for thousands of schools and families. Our supplier Edenred has indicated that orders are currently processed well within the 4-day period specified within our guidance to schools. Edenred has reported that over £169 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket e-gift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Friday 19 June, and that over 17,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme.

During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are at home and eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible. However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March, we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the department.

The vouchers for free school meals can currently be spent in a variety of supermarkets. Initially, the scheme included supermarkets that already have e-gift card arrangements in place with our supplier, Edenred, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose. On Monday 27 April, we added Aldi to this list and on Wednesday 29 April, we added McColl’s. We have been working with other supermarkets to encourage them to join. Any additional supermarkets would need to have the right infrastructure to deliver e-gift cards across their network of stores.

Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate free school meal arrangements for eligible pupils during this period.

As schools open more widely, and their kitchens reopen, we expect schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.

Where this is not possible, schools can use the national voucher scheme or make alternative voucher arrangements locally. Our guidance for schools sets out that they can be reimbursed for costs incurred where the national voucher scheme is not suitable for their families, and this can include alternative voucher arrangements with supermarkets that are not part of the national voucher scheme.

Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Infant pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals will be eligible to receive vouchers as part of the COVID-19 Summer Food Fund. However, this provision is not available for children who receive universal infant free school meals and who are not eligible for benefits-related free school meals. It is right that we concentrate resources on those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals at this time.

Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year, as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. That will ensure that they are able to continue to pay their staff and meet their other regular financial commitments.

We are also providing additional funding to schools, on top of existing budgets, to cover unavoidable costs incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources. Our latest guidance on this is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-schools.

We want to see all children and young people back in school as soon as the scientific advice indicates they can because that is where they learn best. We are working towards bringing all children and young people back to school in September. We will provide further information and guidance with as much notice as possible.

Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year, as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. That will ensure that they are able to continue to pay their staff and meet their other regular financial commitments.

We are also providing additional funding to schools, on top of existing budgets, to cover unavoidable costs incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources. Our latest guidance on this is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-schools.

We want to see all children and young people back in school as soon as the scientific advice indicates they can because that is where they learn best. We are working towards bringing all children and young people back to school in September. We will provide further information and guidance with as much notice as possible.

The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities (LAs) in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including within children’s social care.

Our latest guidance on children in care is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months to understand pressures and issues as they arise.

We have also committed over £100 million to support access to social care services and remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to children with a social worker who do not have access to the internet. Further, we have committed additional funding worth £26.4 million directly to charities to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children and £1.6 million to expand the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline.

In order to ensure engagement with all children and to support effective risk assessment, through emergency legislation and with Social Work England, we have reinstated the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers so that they can re-join the profession, providing additional resource where it is required.

LAs have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of the children in their care. We are committed to supporting local authorities to increase the sufficiency of care placements, having invested part of our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme in three projects to increase councils’ capacity and improve their commissioning practice. Additional funding for 2 of these projects was confirmed on 24 April as part of the £12.1 million to support vulnerable children who are most at risk. This is in addition to having funded 7 partnerships to test new approaches to commissioning and sufficiency planning in foster care, worth almost £500,000. We have provided temporary flexibility in the fostering regulations which can be found here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/445/contents/made.

This aims to make it easier for LAs to identify potential placements and ensure new foster carers are assessed and approved without delay.

The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities (LAs) in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including within children’s social care.

Our latest guidance on children in care is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months to understand pressures and issues as they arise.

We have also committed over £100 million to support access to social care services and remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to children with a social worker who do not have access to the internet. Further, we have committed additional funding worth £26.4 million directly to charities to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children and £1.6 million to expand the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline.

In order to ensure engagement with all children and to support effective risk assessment, through emergency legislation and with Social Work England, we have reinstated the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers so that they can re-join the profession, providing additional resource where it is required.

LAs have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of the children in their care. We are committed to supporting local authorities to increase the sufficiency of care placements, having invested part of our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme in three projects to increase councils’ capacity and improve their commissioning practice. Additional funding for 2 of these projects was confirmed on 24 April as part of the £12.1 million to support vulnerable children who are most at risk. This is in addition to having funded 7 partnerships to test new approaches to commissioning and sufficiency planning in foster care, worth almost £500,000. We have provided temporary flexibility in the fostering regulations which can be found here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/445/contents/made.

This aims to make it easier for LAs to identify potential placements and ensure new foster carers are assessed and approved without delay.

The information is not available in the form requested. The department is currently in the process of collecting looked after children data from local authorities for the reporting year ending 31 March 2020. Information on the number of children in care in 2019-20 will not be published until later in the year. This data is not collected below local authority area level. The latest annual figures on children in care were published in the statistical release 'Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2018-19':
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019.

Information at local authority and regional level can be located in the underlying data table ‘CLA2019’.

The Department is currently working closely with the sector to determine the best way for schools to open for more pupils when the time is right, in line with the five key tests set out by the Government. There continues to be extensive engagement with teaching unions and other school stakeholder organisations both at a ministerial and official level.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that schools will only reopen when the scientific advice indicates that it is the right time to do so, based on five key tests.

The Department is working with the sector to ensure we have the right guidance and the right support in place once we are ready to reopen schools, based on the latest scientific advice.

Our latest guidance on implementing social distancing in schools and childcare settings in relation to COVID-19 is set out below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

This is a matter for individual examination boards that employ examiners.

As of 12 March 2020, the Government has been advising all schools and other education settings in England against arranging or undertaking any overseas trips for children under 18.

All schools should check with their travel agent and credit card companies regarding securing refunds in the first instance. If unable to recoup their full costs, those academies signed up to the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) for schools should then submit their claims as per the RPA membership pack, and other affected schools should contact their individual insurance company.

Government Covid-19 travel guidance for the education sector can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19/covid-19-travel-guidance-for-the-education-sector.

FCO Covid-19 travel guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

This review is ongoing. In announcing that we are reviewing the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, we acknowledged the challenges that the system faces. We are committed to setting out plans to tackle these challenges.

Our reforms in 2014 gave vital support to more children but we know that there have been problems in delivering the changes that we all want to see. It is right that we take the time to consider how we can ensure that there is consistent and joined-up support in different local areas across health, care and education services and that high-quality health and education support is available across the country.

Defra reports expenditure under agricultural support schemes by financial year rather than calendar year.

The Department, as required by section 5 of chapter 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020, prepared an annual report about the financial assistance given during each financial year, starting with financial year 21-22. The first report was laid before Parliament and published on 31 October 2022 Future Farming and Countryside Programme annual report (publishing.service.gov.uk) and contains details of where funds freed up from reductions applied to Direct Payments have been spent. The second report will be published later this year. The reductions enabled the launch of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in June 2022, an increase of Countryside Stewardship payment rates and respond to the demand for the scheme from farmers, and the continued rollout of other schemes to improve prosperity and reward environmental delivery, including, Farming investment Fund, Farming Innovation Programme and Farming in Protected Landscapes.

Defra reports expenditure under agricultural support schemes by financial year rather than calendar year.

Applying reductions to Direct Payments frees up money to be spent on financial assistance under our other schemes for farmers and land managers. As set out in our Future Farming and Countryside Programme annual report, published in October 2022, we spent £1.654 billion on Direct Payments in financial year 2021 to 2022. That was part of a total spend of £2.294 billion on existing farming schemes and our new financial assistance schemes, as set out in that report.

Information about spend on Direct Payments, and financial assistance under our other schemes, for later financial years will be included in future annual reports.

The reductions that we plan to apply to Direct Payments up to, and including, the 2024 scheme year were set out in our Agricultural Transition Plan in November 2020. The Government intends to continue to make gradual reductions in Direct Payments across the rest of the transition until the last year of Direct Payments in 2027.

We plan to take forward measures from the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament.

The Environment Agency operates the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) on behalf of Defra and the devolved administrations for the purposes of assessing PM2.5 levels across the UK. There are currently 103 sites monitoring PM2.5 on this network and the table below shows how these sites are distributed by local authority (Nb Local Authorities may also undertake their own monitoring but these are not included). The AURN network is in the process of being expanded for the purposes of assessing the new PM2.5 targets in England and more sites will be coming online over the next 2-3 years.

We are working to move the water abstraction licensing regime into the Environmental Permitting Regulations. We consulted on the move in Autumn 2021 and are considering the responses alongside wider actions in our Plan for Water.

Based on the farms which are registered with Defra for either subsidy purposes or for livestock keeping requirements, statistical estimates of the number of farms with significant levels of farming activity* show there were 819 upland farms and 195 lowland farms in the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in 2021.

* Data only covers holdings which are registered with the Rural Payments Agency for payments or livestock purposes and have significant levels of farming activity (as recorded in responses to the Defra June Survey of Agriculture or the Cattle Tracing System). Holdings are only included if they have more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.

We plan to shortly publish the final details of the Target Operating Model. This will set out our new border controls for the importation of animal products with the aim to address public health and biosecurity risks resulting from the illegal import of products of animal origin. Since September 2022, the government has provided funding of approximately £5m to tackle the illegal importation of products of animal origin, in particular to prevent the spread of African Swine fever to the UK.

As of 21 June 2023, there were 42,708 farm businesses participating in Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes across England, constituting the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship schemes.

In addition to these, there are 2,448 approved projects taking part in the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme and a further 22 projects that were selected in the first round of the Landscape Recovery scheme.

Details of participation in the ELM schemes at a constituency and regional level area are provided in the attached annex. We do not hold data at a local authority level.

Total discolouration events for the period 2017-2021 subdivided by company are as follows:

There are two appropriate expenditure elements incurred by the DWI that are not recoverable under The Water Quality and Supply (Fees) Order 2016, and that are funded directly by a contribution from the Department. These are:

a) A proportion of the overall DWI’s Senior Management Team (SMT) time. SMT consists of the Chief Inspector supported by two Deputy Chief Inspectors. The specific proportion of the funding from the Department for SMT activities varies from year to year as the range/detail of work by SMT members will also change from year to year depending on the scope regulatory input required.

b) The DWI Research Programme and the associated staff cost of its manager. The research programme delivers important regulatory research with external partners in appropriate areas that support regulation on behalf of the sector and ultimately consumers.

DWI does not currently implement a financial penalties system. Therefore no water companies were fined under such a mechanism during the period 2017-2021.

The DWI issued a total of 44 legal instruments to companies associated with discolouration events in the period 2017-2021. This is summarised by company in the table below:

Compliance sample numbers that did not meet prescribed compliance value standards for any required parameters are listed as totals for each year 2017-2021 and these figures are sub-dived for each company as attached.

The number of cautions, prosecutions and legal instruments (LIs) applicable for the period 2017 to 2021 to each water company are summarised in the table attached. The Drinking Water Inspectorate uses all the enforcement levers as and when deemed appropriate to the individual issue to facilitate the best outcome.

Defra Group Communications is the first single employer shared service communications team in Whitehall, working for six organisations. We have merged six geographically dispersed communications teams from the core department and Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) and now have a single team operating as an integrated communications function that reduces duplication, improves performance and saved money.

Alongside the core department, the team provides communications support for five of the department’s largest ALBs including the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Forestry Commission and the Rural Payments Agency. The teams work across all communications disciplines in support of the policy and operational priorities within each of these organisations. This includes media, planning, stakeholder engagement, digital communications and internal communications across the six parts of the Defra group.

As Defra Group Communications staff work in an agile way in multiple organisations, it is not possible to provide granular full-time equivalent figures for each part of the group, including the core department.

We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. These measures include three manifesto commitments, which we remain fully committed to delivering. These will be announced in the usual way.

This information is not collected centrally in the format requested. Departmental staff work on multiple policy matters simultaneously.

Defra has made no estimates of crops ruined by extreme heat in the last 3 years. Doing so will be extremely complex as the horticulture and arable sectors cover a broad spectrum of crops harvested at different times of the year. Yield, growth, and quality of crops will continue to vary by region, area, crop, soil type, water availability and fertilizer applications amongst other factors.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges in the past few years.

We have no annual estimate of the number of animals (farmed, companion or zoo animals) that have died in extreme heat events in the last three years, although in July 2022 at least 4 million meat chickens died in the extreme heat in England.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not itself take routine samples. The water companies carry out a statutory sampling programme including randomly selected consumer taps and send all the results to the Inspectorate in a monthly return. The Inspectorate assesses compliance with the sampling programme and breaches of the regulatory standards for parameters. The annual breakdown of this total is as follows:

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Ongoing general expenditure information for pesticide and nitrate removal is not collated or held on an annual basis by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

During the period 2017 to 2021 the DWI was notified of a total of 499 discolouration events by water companies in England and Wales. The annual breakdown of this total is as follows:

The DWI conducts investigations to an appropriate degree for each drinking water quality event notified by water companies. For the period 2017 to 2021 there were a total of 2465 events in England and Wales investigated by the DWI. The annual breakdown of this total is as follows:

The following tables summarise cautions and prosecutions for the period 2017 to 2021.

a) Number of cautions 2017-2021

b) Number of prosecutions 2017-2021*

* Due to the COVID pandemic the Courts were closed and there have been subsequent backlogs. Prosecutions recommenced in 2022 (two companies were prosecuted during the period) and we have ongoing prosecutions in 2023.

There is no ‘minded to enforce notice’ as stated in the question. The Drinking Water Inspectorate issues minded to enforce letters that are communications to companies and they are not notices. They form part of the enforcement process that may or may not result in a legal instrument notice. We have therefore collated the number of legal instruments we have issued to water companies in the period 2017 to 2021.

c) Legal instruments

The number of staff employed in the Drinking Water inspectorate between 2018 and 2023 as at 30 April each year is shown below.

Defra does not hold the information requested. I would advise the hon. Member to contact the relevant water companies directly or Water UK, the independent membership body representing the UK water industry.

Defra does not hold the information requested. I would advise the hon. Member to contact the relevant water companies directly or Water UK, the independent membership body representing the UK water industry.

Then Defra Secretary of State George Eustice and Minister Steve Double met with the CEOs of all water companies on the 10 Aug 2022 to discuss their current water supplies and precautionary measures to safeguard water supplies through summer and autumn. This included discussions on responding to leakage.

Minister Double met separately with the South West Water and Affinity Water. Further information on ministerial meetings can be found here - Defra's ministerial meetings, July to September 2022 - GOV.UK (publishing.service.gov.uk)

In addition, Minister Double attended the National Drought Group (NDG) on 12 and 23 August 2022. This group is made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key representative groups

discuss the response to the dry weather and leakage.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is an autonomous specialist unit within Defra’s Floods and Water Directorate whose purpose is to regulate the quality of public drinking water supplied to consumers in England and Wales. The DWI raises the majority of its operational funding from a levy on water companies in accordance with the Water Quality and Supply (Fees) Order 2016 to deliver its regulatory functions. The amount of income from Defra funding is specifically for activities not accommodated by the Fees Order. The table below summarises the overall operating income of the DWI with a subset of Defra’s contributory funding in each financial year from 2016/17 through to 2021/22.

The Secretary of State is in regular communication with the Drinking Water Inspectorate on a range of matters towards the effective regulation of drinking water quality. Drinking water in England is of an excellent standard and this is demonstrated through a continuing high standard of 99.97% compliance.

The Secretary of State has not met with the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare to discuss competition since her appointment.

The recommendations of the paper published in Nature Sustainability in May 2021 align with our policies to reduce microplastics in the water environment and untreated wastewater releases.

The Plan for Water sets out our commitments to reduce microplastics entering the water system, including our expectation for the industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machines and encourage their effective use.

Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan was published in August 2022. Our strict targets will see the toughest ever crackdown on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. By 2035, water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water, and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites. By 2050, all remaining storm overflows covered by our targets will also have to meet the new requirements on rainfall and environmental impact, regardless of location.  In March this year, Defra and Ofwat announced £1.1 billion of new investment, starting in the next two years, to eliminate 10,000 storm overflow discharges a year across 10 schemes.

We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored with event duration monitors across the network from 7% in 2010 to 91% now, and we will reach 100% cover by end of this year. In April, we launched our consultation on Continuous Water Quality Monitoring and Event Duration Monitoring. This outlines the government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflow and final effluent discharges and to report on this in near-real time. This consultation closes on 23 May.

In May, Ofwat launched a consultation which set out measures which will see companies face penalties for failing to monitor storm overflows. This will help to drive delivery of the UK Government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan by incentivising better coverage and better reporting, and are in addition to the powers that the Environment Agency already have. This consultation closes on 23 May.

Defra does not collect data at a field level, so cannot provide any estimate of the number of arable fields sown. The Rural Payment Agency does have some field level data, but it cannot be used to provide an estimate of the number of arable fields sown.

The Environment Agency has instructed water companies to install flow monitors at 2,000 wastewater treatment works. These provide important data on the volume of treated final effluent discharges to the environment. We have no plans to require water companies to install volume monitors on sewage overflows as they are highly challenging to adapt to use in the field.

We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network from 7% in 2010 to 91% now monitored, and we will reach 100% cover by end of this year. In April, we launched our consultation on Continuous Water Quality Monitoring and Event Duration Monitoring. This outlines the government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflow and final effluent discharges and to report on this in near-real time. This consultation closes on 23 May.

The Climate Change Committee’s Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, published in 2021, offers a detailed and up to date insight into the growing risks and opportunities the UK faces from climate change, including risks to food supply chains. This informed our third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), which was laid in Parliament in January 2022.

Defra is working to develop a third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) that addresses all 61 risks and opportunities identified in CCRA3. This is due for publication in the summer of 2023. For the first time, the NAP3 will include dedicated responses to the 10 climate risks and opportunities facing the UK from climate impacts overseas, including risks to UK food availability, safety, and quality from climate change overseas.

The risks to food production from climate change are particularly high for crops with few varieties, such as arabica coffee. The UK Government has signed the 2022 International Coffee Agreement which champions the global coffee industry, and the UK will help continue its drive for new standards of sustainability for our coffee. This agreement addresses, where appropriate through research, the challenges facing the global coffee sector, including climate change.

The Climate Change Committee’s Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, published in 2021, offers a detailed and up to date insight into the growing risks and opportunities the UK faces from climate change, including risks to food supply chains. This informed our third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), which was laid in Parliament in January 2022.

Defra is working to develop a third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) that addresses all 61 risks and opportunities identified in CCRA3. This is due for publication in the summer of 2023. For the first time, the NAP3 will include dedicated responses to the 10 climate risks and opportunities facing the UK from climate impacts overseas, including risks to UK food availability, safety, and quality from climate change overseas.

The risks to food production from climate change are particularly high for crops with few varieties, such as arabica coffee. The UK Government has signed the 2022 International Coffee Agreement which champions the global coffee industry, and the UK will help continue its drive for new standards of sustainability for our coffee. This agreement addresses, where appropriate through research, the challenges facing the global coffee sector, including climate change.

The Government is committed to preventing and dealing with food waste in the most environmentally beneficial manner according to the Food Surplus Food and Waste Hierarchy. A holistic programme of action is in place across businesses and households from farm to fork to make this happen.

Quality specifications are one of the drivers of food waste in the supply chain and on farm, but there are many other drivers too, e.g. weather, pest and disease, crop management, supply and demand factors. There is no reliable data quantifying the amount of waste driven by any one cause.

Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we’re monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.

Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, as well as Sterling exchange rates.

Defra does not have data on packaging costs, however as packaging is only one component of manufacturing costs it will only represent a fraction of a percent in terms of the impact on inflation.

The table below sets out the proportion of separately identifiable expenditure on food compared with the resource DEL (Departmental Expenditure Limits) budget in the last five financial years available. No record is kept of how much or what proportion of that food was produced by UK farmers.

Water and sewerage companies have published Event and Duration Monitoring (EDM) data of sewage discharges annually since 2020 that can be found here.

The UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass.

We will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, we will not hesitate to hold companies to account. We have boosted funding for the Environment Agency (EA) with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity so that robust action is taken against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits. We are consulting on increasing the scope of penalties and maximum penalty the EA can impose on water companies damaging the environment. This consultation closes on 15 May.

Data from Defra’s June survey shows that the number of farmers in the UK (includes farmers, business partners, directors and spouses) increased by 0.4% from 300,629 to 301,834 between 2021 and 2022. This number has fluctuated year on year but is at the highest level seen in over a decade.

Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates.

Tackling inflation is this Government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we are monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.

On 25 April, we announced a legally binding target to crackdown on sewage spills from storm overflows.

We are monitoring water companies and will take action wherever necessary. We have boosted funding for the Environment Agency with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity so that robust action is taken against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits.

We are currently consulting on plans to reform the civil penalties the Environment Agency (EA) can issue. The consultation covers raising the cap on penalties and making it easier and quicker to issue fines where companies breach regulations but the threshold for criminal prosecution has not been met. This consultation closes on 15 May.

The Secretary of State met with the NFU President, Minette Batters, on 26 April.

In September 2022, the Government published an update to its Agriculture in the UK Evidence Pack. This publication included static analysis showing the profitability of farms in the absence of Direct Payments for the years immediately prior to the start of the agricultural transition. In 2019 the Government published the farming evidence compendium. This publication provided an in-depth assessment of the impacts of removing Direct Payments with analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure. This publication also provided analysis on how farm businesses, across all sectors, can offset the impact of Direct Payments.

Upland farms are experienced in participating and profiting from agri-environment schemes. The payment rates for new environmental land management schemes provide the largest profit margins on the least productive land. This means farms in uplands areas are well placed to benefit from many of the options in our future farming schemes.

The Government is reinvesting the money freed from Direct Payments to our other schemes for farmers and land managers. We are offering ongoing payments and one-off grants to improve farm productivity, benefit the environment and support sustainable food production. Farmers affected by the phasing out of Direct Payments can also receive free business advice and support through the Future Farming Resilience Fund.

The Forestry Commission produces statistics on all new planting of woodland for the UK. These can be found in Forestry Statistics on the Forest Research website. These statistics are reported for each financial year in thousands of hectares. The latest available figures are for 2021-22.

As of 20 April 2023 there are 378 farms in Westmorland and Lonsdale that have Countryside Stewardship agreements.

As of 20 April 2023 there are 25 farms in Westmorland and Lonsdale that have Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements.

Defra does not hold data on the number of farm holdings in every constituency because not all farms are required to register with the department. Based on the farms which are registered with Defra for either subsidy purposes or for livestock keeping requirements, we can produce statistical estimates of the number of farms which have significant levels of farming activity in each constituency.

We will publish the updated National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides in 2023.

For the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, Defra is a separate legal entity to water companies. Any requests made under this regime to the water companies would have been administered by them and therefore Defra does not hold this information.