Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of 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.
Defra’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as of 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025.
Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the extent to which the functions of (a) national parks, (b) Natural England, (c) the Environment Agency and (d) Forestry England are (i) clearly delineated, (ii) complementary and (iii) overlapping; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of these bodies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is conducting a full review of all Arm’s Length Bodies. This review is ongoing, and the outcomes will be published in due course.
However, as National Parks are not classified as Arm’s Length Bodies, they are not included in the review.
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, what measures her Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has a robust set of policies in place to ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes in place, and to ensure continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure. In line with these policies, these arrangements are regularly tested to maintain organisational resilience and ensure readiness to manage significant disruptions effectively.
Defra undergoes Cyber Assessment Framework assessments annually and uses the results of these assessments and lessons learned from exercises/testing to help minimise the likelihood, impact, or time and cost of recovery of critical services.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the next DEFRA stakeholder engagement survey; whether it will cover access to nature and outdoor recreation; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The annual stakeholder engagement survey is now closed, and the results are currently being reviewed. The survey covers issues across the Defra brief, including nature and outdoor recreation.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the allocation of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
I recognise Scotland’s key role in the UK fishing industry. The Scotland Office has engaged with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the allocation of the Fisheries and Coastal Fund. The funds awarded sit in addition to the baseline funding provided to the Scottish Government through their block grant. The Scottish Government has received the biggest funding settlement since devolution, with Scotland generally receiving around 20% more per capita. This funding can be allocated to other priorities, including fisheries.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chief Fire Adviser on the potential impact of the (a) ban on controlled heather burning on and (b) definition of deep peat on the risk of wildfires.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
While the regulation of controlled heather burning and the definition of deep peat fall within the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which addressed a similar question from the Hon. Member on 11 September 2025 (UIN 76603), the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the lead government department for wildfire (from 1 April 2025).
The Chief Fire Adviser post ceased with the introduction of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) in 2017. As did my predecessor, I meet regularly with Phil Garrigan, Chair of the NFCC, to discuss a range of issues in fire and resilience, including wildfire. I also understand that NFCC provided input to Defra’s consultation on the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations in 2025.
In December 2021 the Home Office, as the former lead government department for wildfire, published the Wildfire Framework for England. The framework identifies responsibilities, clarifies relationships, and facilitates coordination at the government level and between key wildfire stakeholders in England. MHCLG continues to work with Defra and other partners to ensure that land management and environmental policies are aligned with effective wildfire resilience.
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, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future
Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition
Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.
People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.
Defra took part in the Autism Exchange Internship Programme in 2025 and previous years. This Cabinet Office led scheme supports young, autistic people aged 18 - 25 to gain work experience and develop employability skills.
Defra also participates in the Fast Stream Summer Internship Scheme, which from 2026 will be targeted at those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
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, what the recruitment process was for her Department's new Permanent Secretary; and whether he plans to publish any declarations of interest.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The new Permanent Secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was recruited under a fair and open competition managed by the Cabinet Office. Any declarations of interest will be made, published and updated in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to (a) (i) develop and (ii) adopt a list of hazardous medicinal products and (b) require safety data sheets for finished medicines; and if he will take steps with the Health and Safety Executive to make such a list publicly available to NHS employers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no current plans to develop or adopt a list of hazardous medicinal products. The GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals Regulations 2009 (GB CLP) is disapplied to medicinal products in their finished state as outlined in Article 1(5)(a) of GB CLP.
Furthermore, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulations 2006 include an exemption from the need to provide a safety data sheet (SDS) for substances and mixtures intended for medicinal products. This occurs to avoid duplication when other more specific legislation exists to regulate those uses. Medicinal products for human and veterinary use, which are within the scope of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 or the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, are partially exempt from REACH for this reason. The responsibility for the REACH legislation lies with the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).