Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many projects his Department has put on hold due to the requirements of planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra has received £410m of funding for 2019/20 to deliver the vital work of the Department to prepare for our departure from the EU, including deal and no deal activity.
Over 80% of Defra’s work is affected by our departure from the EU, so by necessity many existing staff are also working on preparations for leaving the EU.
Reprioritisation is an ongoing process and will continue to be reviewed to take account of evolving circumstances.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which schemes and projects undertaken by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) government bodies not including local authorities had the purpose of reducing children’s exposure to air pollution in (i) 2018-19 (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2016-17 and (iv) 2015-16.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stockton North, Alex Cunningham, on 27 November 2018 to PQ 192868.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department provided to schemes and projects undertaken by local authorities with the purpose of reducing children’s exposure to air pollution in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2016-17 and (d) 2015-16.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stockton North, Alex Cunningham, on 27 November 2018, PQ UIN192868.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of properties at threat of (a) flooding and (b) destruction from an average rise in global temperature of (i) 1.5 degrees and (ii) 2 degrees Celsius.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Environment Agency estimates there are 2.7 million properties at risk of river and coastal flooding, 3 million properties at risk of surface water flooding and some 660,000 properties at risk from all sources: river, coastal and surface water. The report can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-risk-management-national-report
As set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, Defra publishes the Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years which highlights the climate risks requiring further action in the UK over the next five years. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 Evidence Report provides an assessment of future flood and other risks and can be found at https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017/).
Later this year, the Government will publish, with the Met Office, an updated set of UK Climate Projections – UKCP18. This will help the Government, businesses and the public understand the future climate and enable them to make climate-resilient decisions.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
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 that the long-term plans of each Department are able to react to the effects of climate change.
Answered by David Rutley
The Government is committed to addressing the risks and tackling the effects from climate change.
Climate adaptation is integrated throughout policies and programmes across Government.
As set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, Defra publishes the Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years which highlights the climate risks requiring further action in the UK over the next five years. This is followed by the National Adaptation Programme which provides a common framework under which all Departments work together to demonstrate how the Government will address those risks and increase the nation’s resilience to climate change. The most recent National Adaptation Programme was published in July 2018.
Later this year the Government will publish, with the Met Office, an updated set of UK Climate Projections. This will be a key tool to help the Government, businesses and the public understand the future climate and enable them to make climate-resilient decisions.
The UK has been a leader in this area for more than a decade and will continue being one with clear and strong deliverables.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
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 mitigate the effects of climate change on the food and farming sector.
Answered by David Rutley
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Government to produce, every five years, an assessment of the risks to the United Kingdom arising from current and predicted climate change. Government published its second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2017 which endorses six priority risk areas identified by the independent evidence report produced by the Adaptation Sub-Committee in July 2016. This included risks to domestic and international food production and trade and potential opportunities from long-term, climate-related changes in global food production.
The CCRA notes a number of potential risks to UK agricultural production arising from, for example, vulnerability to water shortages, pests and disease, and extreme weather events. The report also observes that warmer weather and longer growing seasons may improve agricultural productivity.
The second National Adaptation Programme, published in July 2018, sets out how we aim to tackle the risks to domestic and international food production and trade that England is facing from a changing climate. For example, Government’s commitment to review and publish the updated UK Food Security Assessment.
The Government is committed to taking action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of future agriculture policy, the new environmental land management system will use public money for the provision of public goods, including supporting farmers and other land managers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990, with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
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 tackle the risk of climate change to the food and farming sector.
Answered by David Rutley
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Government to produce, every five years, an assessment of the risks to the United Kingdom arising from current and predicted climate change. Government published its second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2017 which endorses six priority risk areas identified by the independent evidence report produced by the Adaptation Sub-Committee in July 2016. This included risks to domestic and international food production and trade and potential opportunities from long-term, climate-related changes in global food production.
The CCRA notes a number of potential risks to UK agricultural production arising from, for example, vulnerability to water shortages, pests and disease, and extreme weather events. The report also observes that warmer weather and longer growing seasons may improve agricultural productivity.
The second National Adaptation Programme, published in July 2018, sets out how we aim to tackle the risks to domestic and international food production and trade that England is facing from a changing climate. For example, Government’s commitment to review and publish the updated UK Food Security Assessment.
The Government is committed to taking action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of future agriculture policy, the new environmental land management system will use public money for the provision of public goods, including supporting farmers and other land managers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990, with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of climate change on the capacity for an increase in domestic food production.
Answered by David Rutley
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Government to produce, every five years, an assessment of the risks to the United Kingdom arising from current and predicted climate change. Government published its second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2017 which endorses six priority risk areas identified by the independent evidence report produced by the Adaptation Sub-Committee in July 2016. This included risks to domestic and international food production and trade and potential opportunities from long-term, climate-related changes in global food production.
The CCRA notes a number of potential risks to UK agricultural production arising from, for example, vulnerability to water shortages, pests and disease, and extreme weather events. The report also observes that warmer weather and longer growing seasons may improve agricultural productivity.
The second National Adaptation Programme, published in July 2018, sets out how we aim to tackle the risks to domestic and international food production and trade that England is facing from a changing climate. For example, Government’s commitment to review and publish the updated UK Food Security Assessment.
The Government is committed to taking action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of future agriculture policy, the new environmental land management system will use public money for the provision of public goods, including supporting farmers and other land managers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990, with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy to (a) retain and (b) strengthen existing environmental standards regulations after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Great Repeal Bill will ensure that the whole body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law.
Over time, we have the opportunity to ensure our legislative framework is outcome driven and delivers on our overall commitment to improve the environment within a generation.
Our manifesto commitment is to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
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 15 July 2016 to Question 42314, what the process is for disposal of outdated or damaged maps held by her Department.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has no specific process for disposal of printed maps. A number of out of date maps were included in a sale of old library books in 2014 and the proceeds of £161.60 were donated to charity.