Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
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 17 December 2025 to Question 98120 on DEFRA: Public Appointment, whether any made a declaration of political activity.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Direct Ministerial Appointees are not typically expected to submit declarations of political activity. However, they are expected to comply with the provisions on political activity set out in the code of conduct for board members of public bodies. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-conduct-for-board-members-of-public-bodies.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a public health campaign on air pollution.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government will take action to reduce exposure to harmful emissions, including commitments to increase public understanding of air pollution and to enhance communication of air quality information.
The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with partners across the Government and the health system to ensure that the public has access to clear, evidence-based information. This includes working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to deliver commitments in the Environmental Improvement Plan, helping to ensure that air quality becomes part of everyday public conversations.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to answer Question 105030 on Farm Business Tenancy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A response was published to Question 105030 on Wednesday 28 January here: PQ 105030. I apologise for the delay in doing so.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Physicians' report entitled A breath of fresh air: Responding to the health challenges of modern air pollution, published on 11 June 2025, what steps he is taking to support public awareness of ways to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As the Royal College of Physicians' report outlines, indoor air quality remains an important public health consideration.
Our 10-Year Health plan sets out Government actions to improve the quality of the air we breathe, with commitments to increase understanding of indoor and outdoor air pollution and improve communication of air quality information to the public.
We will continue to work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on commitments in the Government’s the Environmental Improvement Plan to help make air quality part of everyday conversations.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The table below details Defra’s advertising and marketing costs for the 22/23, 23/24 and 24/25 financial years. Defra publishes details on spend on a monthly basis on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements.
| 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
Advertising | £274,456.69 | £827,530.88 | £26,426.58 |
Marketing spend (other) | £192,984.23 | £484,027.95 | £18,322.07 |
The current Government came into power within the 2024/25 financial year and completed a review of all 131 public campaigns with spend of over £100k.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total capital and operational cost of transitioning its vehicle fleet to 100% Zero Tailpipe Emissions by 31 December 2027; and what assessment has been made of the difference in cost compared with retaining and maintaining a petrol and diesel fleet over the same timeframe.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The estimated cost to transition 309 vans from diesel to electric to achieve 100% Zero Tailpipe Emissions (under 3.5 tonnes) by 31 December 2027 is £10.1 million compared with a diesel equivalent of £12.2 million. These costs are based on “whole life costs” of five years and include electric maintenance costs forecast at 60% less than comparable diesel.
Defra also operates a fleet of 4x4s (1,132 vehicles). The department applied to the Department for Transport for an exemption from the requirements of the Government Fleet Commitment, with the productive engagement with Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. This was granted on 28 May 2025.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Paid advertising on X was suspended in April 2023 following a SAFE Framework assessment. X is currently used only for organic (non-paid) content to communicate policies and public services.
One month of X Premium was purchased in August 2024 at a cost of £9.60. This was paid to use the livestreaming functionality available with X Premium at a departmental event.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that enforcement against non-compliant vaping products will be effectively coordinated once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is enacted.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care regularly meet with officials from other departments, including HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, Border Force, and the Home Office, as well as National Trading Standards, to share intelligence and ensure a coordinated approach to the enforcement of our rules on vaping products. This coordinated approach to enforcement will continue once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law.
Furthermore, in 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding in total for enforcement agencies including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes, and to help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 apprentices across England.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 16 December 2025 to Question 94728 on DEFRA: Redundancy Pay, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury approved the exit package of up to £350,000.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Flood Re is a company limited by guarantee. It does not receive any grant funding from the Government. As such, no Government funding has been spent on exit packages at Flood Re.
Under the previous Government, Flood Re was granted an exemption from the civil service pay remit guidance for three years, up to and including the 2026-27 pay year. It has also received pay delegation for a limited number of senior positions over the same period.
Flood Re has confirmed that this payment reflected contractual entitlements. As such, it would not be classed as a special severance payment requiring Chief Secretary to the Treasury approval.