Contributions
1,730 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023My hon. Friend is clearly a champion of her special part of Kent. The best way I can put it is that a plan was set out and monitoring is taking place. We are not trying to hide…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023It is the first time that anyone has ever accused me of not having heft. Since the hon. Lady’s report came out—I am sorry to say that I am not aware of it—we have passed the…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I would like to update the House on the next steps that the Government are taking to help nature recover through our new environmental improvement plan. It is a delivery plan…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I thank the hon. Lady for that question. We commenced the legal duty on public authorities, at national and local government level, to consider biodiversity from 1 January, so…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I thank my right hon. Friend for that. He is absolutely right to say that a lot of effort has gone into this review. That is quite right, because nature matters so much, not just…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I am conscious of the hon. Gentleman’s passion on this and know that he has a long-standing interest in air quality, as do I. I seem to recall that, when I was first in the…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023My hon. Friend is a very good champion for her constituents and for nature, and so she should be. I recall going to the beautiful Croyde beach and doing litter picking, which…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I recognise what the hon. Lady has said. I was disappointed by the OEP, given that it had put out statements that we were getting cleaner air and making progress on all these…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I congratulate my right hon. Friend, who is right to stand up for his farmers. Kent is the garden of our country and the producer of many fine foods, fruits and, of course, wines.…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023As a former Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend knows how important our Department is in ensuring not only that we are champions for nature but that we deliver for nature. We…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023I am very aware of swift boxes. There has been successful awareness raising in my constituency. Indeed, I think the guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say how important this issue is. It is not just about the coast. Traditionally, bathing water statistics have focused on coastal areas,…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023There is great food in a number of counties, and I do not want to come between Devon and Cornish MPs about who has the right pasty or where cream should go on a scone, but I will…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023My hon. Friend sums it up perfectly. By leaving the European Union, we have removed ourselves from the constraints—the handcuffs—of the common agricultural policy. We have been…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023Indeed, there are a number of funding streams, of which our nature for climate fund is a key element. My hon. Friend will be aware that as we make the transition to environmental…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023Well, what can I say? I am not sure how much that deserves a response, but out of respect for the House I will say that it is important to make sure that these long-term…01 Feb 2023HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan 2023This Government are committed to leaving the environment in a better state than we found it. Five years ago, the 25-year environment plan—25YEP—set out our vision for a quarter of…31 Jan 2023HANSARDGovernment Response to the Deposit Return Scheme ConsultationThe Government are publishing their response to the 2021 consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The consultation confirmed…20 Jan 2023HANSARDIndependent Expert Assessment of Crustacean Mortality in the North-east of England in 2021 and 2022Today I am publishing the independent expert assessment of unusual crustacean mortality in the north-east of England in 2021 and 2022 on gov.uk. The report documents the findings…20 Jan 2023HANSARDFood SecurityI have already replied to the DEFRA Committee about this. The impact on crabs is under investigation, as the hon. Gentleman is aware, and it makes no difference to the adequacy of…12 Jan 2023