Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The total value of severance payments is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her department has assessed the impact of noise levels from National Highway project’s on community groups.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways is responsible for assessing noise associated with individual road schemes as part of the planning process, alongside managing noise from the Strategic Road Network more generally. The Department sets out its expectations on what National Highways must do to mitigate noise from the Strategic Road Network as part of its Road Investment Strategies, and will shortly be publishing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3).
In the case of transport noise, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for assessing noise across England and conducts noise mapping as part of implementing the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006. National Highways’s noise mitigation work is focused on those areas defined by Defra as Noise Important Areas, within its Noise Action Plans.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much it is costing the police to house dogs that have been confiscated under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold data on the total cost to policing for housing dogs confiscated under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
I would refer the hon member to the response previously provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UIN: 74382.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action is being taken to help improve the availability of domestic abuse services in rural areas.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, 'Freedom from Violence and Abuse’, we committed to developing a new cross-government statement on the commissioning of VAWG services. This will update the National Statement of Expectation, refresh the VAWG Commissioning Toolkit, and will improve the quality of commissioning. For England, the Safe Accommodation Duty for victims of domestic abuse, and the upcoming Duty to Collaborate for victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and serious violence, will ensure local areas are able to tailor their provision to their local community and duty holders should consider the needs of rural victims as part of this.
This financial year (2025/26) the Home Office has invested £6m into specialist helplines to support victims in their greatest time of need. The VAWG Helplines are established to be accessible wherever you are across England and Wales. They provide advice and support to victims and assist in signposting and referrals to appropriate local services.
Last year, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) commenced a call for evidence across a network of rural stakeholders to inform understanding of the availability of support services and delivery methodologies that might be effective in rural areas. Defra will work to understand the findings of this evidence to help to confront the disparities in the provision of support so that every victim, whether in a city or a rural village, can access the help they need.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support ocean sciences and the growth of the blue economy.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government has a strong track record of supporting marine science, including through the £10 million ‘Biological influence on future ocean storage of carbon’ (BIO-Carbon) programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which aims to better understand the role of ocean life in climate sequestration. NERC also supports and partners with the National Oceanography Centre and other marine delivery partners to underpin the UK’s marine science capabilities.
More widely, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) supports the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, supporting global efforts to tackle the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. DEFRA also works to foster international ocean science co-operation on ocean sustainability issues, and is working closely with our fishing and seafood sectors to ensure they are profitable and sustainable. In addition, the investment provided by the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, which will support the next generation of fishermen and coastal communities over the next 12 years.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who is the Minister responsible for the implementation of the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Baroness Hayman of Ullock was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with responsibility for animal welfare for England.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department submitted to the Office for National Statistics' review of the ethnicity harmonised standard, including in relation to the recording of Sikhs and Jewish people as ethnic groups.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An initial response to the public consultation is due to be published in April, followed by a full report on the consultation in late summer 2026. This report will include all formal responses to the consultation, and the names of the organisations that responded.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Clearer rules to support councils in fight against litter louts, published on 3 March 2026, what additional funding and resources her Department has provided to local authorities to support enforcement of littering offences.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To support local councils to make good use of their fixed penalty powers for littering the Government has laid new Statutory Guidance, “Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them” in Parliament. Local councils will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers. This guidance is available at: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them - GOV.UK
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be issuing a small grant payment to local authorities in England to support them to familiarise themselves with the Litter Enforcement Guidance.
The Government has also laid the ‘Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse statutory guidance in Parliament which outlines the standards expected of local authorities and other duty bodies (e.g. National Highways) with regards to their duty to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. This guidance can be found on: Code of practice on litter and refuse - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue guidance to firearms licensing departments on mandating training for firearms being used for deer management at either grant or renewal.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chief Constables have operational responsibility for firearms licensing. However, as set out in the Deer Impacts Policy Statement published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) on 2 March.
The Home Office will work with the National Police Chief’s Council and Defra to explore whether the existing Guide on Firearms Licensing Law might be amended to encourage police forces to consider requiring those who use their firearms to shoot deer lawfully to first be able to demonstrate a minimum level of competence in doing so.
Any proposed changes to the Guide will be subject to discussions with stakeholders.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All directors with responsibility for human resources hold MCIPD and FCIPD qualifications. The number of directors is not releasable due to privacy protections.