Contributions
1,483 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022The Government have to be absolutely clear about this because it is hard-wired into legislation, whether it is our net-zero commitments under the Climate Change Act or our…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022Environmental land management schemes are here to stay. They will continue to be rolled out as we taper out area payments, which saw 55% of the money going to just 10% of the…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022Investment zones will happen only where they are wanted by the local authority. The local authority might in some cases be a national park, and national parks do not want them.…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022First, we want to see more of our fruit and vegetables grown in this country and shorten the food miles to get them to the people who need them. We are supporting families as…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022My Lords, this is absolutely vital, as was brought home to me yesterday at the reception organised by TIAH and the noble Lord, Lord Curry. Teaching people the necessary skills is…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsMy Lords, we are committed to halting the decline of nature by 2030 and will not undermine our obligations to the environment in pursuit of growth. A strong environment and a…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsI will not sneer at any environmentalists. I sat on the board of several NGOs before I took on this role, and I mind desperately that we continue to be a leading country in how we…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsSoils are a fundamental part of our environmental land management schemes. The soil standard in the sustainable farming incentive is key to getting those ecological systems…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsThe Environment Act places several duties on government and water companies to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows. The Government have now launched the most ambitious…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsAbsolutely. We had the water framework directive when we were part of the European Union. We have transposed it into UK law. We want to make sure that it is right for the United…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsThe noble Earl is absolutely right. We need to see more houses built. We want them built in the right place. Biodiversity net gain is a welcome addition to ensure that we not only…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsI have a graph in my office of “30x30”. We have to hit this target, otherwise we will have no credibility in international fora when we try to encourage countries right across the…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsOne area that we consulted on as part of the huge consultation on our targets was reducing exposure to PM2.5, thereby benefiting public health through decreasing cases of heart…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsThe noble Lord has a passion that I share, and a passion for restoring the quality of our rivers. I spoke earlier about our commitments under European treaties and the water…25 Oct 2022HANSARDEnvironment Act 2021: TargetsI think that is a very simplistic argument. I think that we can continue to produce the food that we do and do it sustainably. I can tell the noble Baroness that there are areas…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022The noble Lord is absolutely right. There is ever-increasing evidence that poor diet makes individuals, particularly young people, susceptible to diseases not just while they are…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022My Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the register. A strong environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. To deliver our plan for growth, the Government will…25 Oct 2022HANSARDGrowth Plan 2022On food protection, members of the National Farmers’ Union will be pleased that the Government are looking to make farming more productive. Members of the National Trust can also…25 Oct 2022HANSARDFood: Imports and SecurityMy Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the register. The depreciation of the pound should not have a direct impact on household food security; however, it may have…24 Oct 2022HANSARDFood: Imports and SecurityWe operate on the basis of the best scientific evidence. Sometimes the evidence presented to Ministers can be conflicting, and we have to make a value judgment. Scientific advice…24 Oct 2022