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 7 February 2018 to Question 126415, and with reference to the conclusion published on 28 February 2018 from the European Food Safety Authority on the risk to wild bees and honeybees from the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, if he will set out the Government's policy on the banning of neonicotinoids; by what date the Government is asking for negotiations to restart on the matter of neonicotinoids; if he will take steps to ban neonicotinoids in the UK in the event of undue time being taken at EU level on that matter; and if he will make a statement.

The Government set out its policy on neonicotinoids on 09 November: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-secretary-backs-further-restrictions-on-neonicotinoid-pesticides

The Government supports further restrictions on neonicotinoids, based on the latest evidence.

A number of EU Member States indicated that they wished to see the outputs of the European Food safety Authority (EFSA) work before reaching a position on neonicotinoids. Now the EFSA work is complete, negotiations on this issue should restart in the coming months.