Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 the Number 10 press release entitled UK to deliver on 5% NATO pledge as Government drives greater security for working people, published on 23 June 2025, if he will list his Department's (a) projects and (b) programmes by directorate that will contribute to the resilience and security element of national security spending for each year between 2025-26 and 2034-35 inclusive; and if he will list the amount of spending for each item (a) in real terms (b) as a proportion of concurrent forecast GDP.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will set out detailed plans for meeting this new target at the appropriate time. The government will continue to report to NATO on delivery against the headline investment pledge and the split in line with NATO’s reporting schedule.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 network events took place in his Department in May 2025; and what the names of those events were.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra can confirm that during May, no staff network events were recorded centrally by HR.
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, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The amount of expenditure recorded for translation services in the 2023/24 financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March, is £1,699.13.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Highways England's roadside litter clearing duties.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government sets National Highways performance targets on litter as part of its Road Investment Strategies. These are based on the percentage of the Strategic Road Network where litter conditions are graded at B or above under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Litter Code of Practice. Progress towards the targets is monitored by the Office for Road and Rail, including through annual reports to Parliament. In 2023-24 National Highways' performance improved when compared to the previous year, and 59.2% of its network met the target. The ORR is continuing to challenge NH on the actions it is taking to address litter on the Strategic Road Network. Further details on litter management by National Highways can be found here: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/environment/communities/litter-on-motorways-and-major-a-roads/.
Asked by: Earl of Caithness (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Parliamentary Undersecretary for State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 25 March (HC Deb col 924), what plans they have to raise awareness and improve pet owners' education with regards to using fipronil and imidacloprid.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The cross-Government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group is convening a workshop in August 2025, focused on the environmental impact of pet parasiticides.
This event will bring together representatives from across the companion animal sector to share knowledge and expertise on this issue. The primary objective of the workshop is to collaboratively develop and agree on consistent messaging for pet owners regarding the appropriate use of topical parasiticides for cats and dogs. A key focus will be on how this messaging can be effectively disseminated across different settings - with the aim to minimise potential environmental impacts.
Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Core Defra, as of 30 April 2025, there were 37 employees recording a religious belief of Sikh. 36 of these employees declare to be of an ethnic minority.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating standardised wildfire (a) definitions and (b) recording protocols.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is taking a joined-up approach to enhancing resilience to wildfires. Prior to the transfer of fire functions to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Home Office convened a number of stakeholder workshops with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), its agencies, and other stakeholders to identify policy options for addressing wildfire risk. This included reviewing existing frameworks and governance. The outcomes of this work are currently being considered.
Improvements are being driven in wildfire data collection through the introduction of the new Fire and Rescue Data Platform – a new incident reporting tool used by Fire and Rescue Services. This will introduce a formal definition for ‘wildfire’ for the purpose of fire incident reporting, which will enable Government to collect official data on the number of incidents and publish official statistics. These improvements will allow us to track data trends, the concentration of wildfire events and provide a solid evidence base for future wildfire policy and operational planning.
Officials continue to engage actively with key stakeholders including landowners, land managers and wildfire specialists through established forums including the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF).
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's planned timetable is for reviewing the national wildfire framework.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is taking a joined-up approach to enhancing resilience to wildfires. Prior to the transfer of fire functions to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Home Office convened a number of stakeholder workshops with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), its agencies, and other stakeholders to identify policy options for addressing wildfire risk. This included reviewing existing frameworks and governance. The outcomes of this work are currently being considered.
Improvements are being driven in wildfire data collection through the introduction of the new Fire and Rescue Data Platform – a new incident reporting tool used by Fire and Rescue Services. This will introduce a formal definition for ‘wildfire’ for the purpose of fire incident reporting, which will enable Government to collect official data on the number of incidents and publish official statistics. These improvements will allow us to track data trends, the concentration of wildfire events and provide a solid evidence base for future wildfire policy and operational planning.
Officials continue to engage actively with key stakeholders including landowners, land managers and wildfire specialists through established forums including the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF).
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the potential merits of a UK-wide public health clean air campaign on (a) (i) short-term and (ii) long-term air pollution exposure, (b) sources of (A) indoor and (B) outdoor air pollution and (c) practical advice to reduce personal exposure.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at both an official and ministerial level to tackle air pollution. Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs most recently met on air quality in May 2025.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with support from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a has undertaken an Air Quality Information Systems review, the final report of which was published in March 2025. This was a comprehensive review into the way air quality information is communicated to the public, including short-term and long-term exposure, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and provision of advice for the public on how to reduce their exposure and contribution to air pollution.
Following this report, we will work with the UKHSA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to improve awareness of air pollution and the associated health impacts.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on cross-Government plans to help tackle air pollution.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at both an official and ministerial level to tackle air pollution. Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs most recently met on air quality in May 2025.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with support from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a has undertaken an Air Quality Information Systems review, the final report of which was published in March 2025. This was a comprehensive review into the way air quality information is communicated to the public, including short-term and long-term exposure, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and provision of advice for the public on how to reduce their exposure and contribution to air pollution.
Following this report, we will work with the UKHSA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to improve awareness of air pollution and the associated health impacts.