Contributions
1,483 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFood and Farming: Supply IssuesThe noble Baroness is of course right that we should not be concerned just with short-term fixes. However, if she will forgive me, I think that she is a little out of date. We…20 Jan 2022HANSARDPesticides: ThiamethoxamWe provide advice to beekeepers and work with trade bodies and organisations across the country, whether urban or rural. I take this opportunity to applaud the work of the London…20 Jan 2022HANSARDPesticides: ThiamethoxamI have not heard of any logistical problems. If the weather continues to be cold, it is unlikely that the threshold will be reached and that this will be required at all. If there…20 Jan 2022HANSARDPesticides: ThiamethoxamMy Lords, we are not. We are in exceptional circumstances, responding to an exceptional problem. We are imposing very high standards. I repeat that no flowering crop may be…20 Jan 2022HANSARDFood and Farming: Supply IssuesThe noble Lord is absolutely right. We have worked with other departments, including the Department for Transport and the Home Office, in the development of our scheme to…20 Jan 2022HANSARDFood and Farming: Supply IssuesMy noble friend raises an important point. Vegetable producers will always try to produce slightly more than the demand because that is better than being short of supply to the…20 Jan 2022HANSARDPesticides: ThiamethoxamThe noble Lord is absolutely right. A lot of work is being done in organisations across the country—Rothamsted has been mentioned, but also the Roslin Institute and others in…20 Jan 2022HANSARDPesticides: ThiamethoxamI do not take that view, because we have massively increased the condition that we have applied this year. Last year, the derogation was not used because it did not reach of the…20 Jan 2022HANSARDPesticides: ThiamethoxamThe Government have a pollinator strategy and work closely with the bee sector to make sure that our policies reflect the needs of pollinators right across the piece. The…20 Jan 2022HANSARDFood and Farming: Supply IssuesMy Lords, we are. We want to encourage local food chains to operate more effectively; it is of course much healthier for the environment and the quality of the food is better. We…20 Jan 2022HANSARDFood and Farming: Supply IssuesThis is an incredibly important part of our economy, particularly our rural economy. I am delighted that we have managed to get the addition of ornamental and other…20 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionThere are enormous challenges for the water industry, not least in the south and east of England, where there is a real challenge in terms of a shortage of water at certain times.…19 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionMy Lords, the pollution of rivers and waterways is unacceptable. The Government have set new environmental commitments for water companies. Since producing its report, Putting the…19 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionMy Lords, the regulator, Ofwat, produced the report Putting the Sector Back in Balance and the board leadership and principles reports. These require the water companies to…19 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionMy Lords, the “polluter pays” principle was clearly defined in the Environment Act. It is applicable where there is evidence or potential of environmental harm or negative…19 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionThere are a number of sanctions and Ofwat is very clear about them, but one thing we did not have was data. In 2013, we discovered that there was information about only 10% of…19 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionI pay tribute to the noble Duke for his work during the passage of the Environment Act. The Environment Agency has risen to the challenge of innovating to use maximum monitoring…19 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Companies: PollutionI have sympathy with my noble friend’s points. This was a recommendation of the Pitt review, following the floods in 2007. I absolutely concur that we have to link planning with…19 Jan 2022HANSARDEnvironmental Land Management SchemesI thank my noble friend. There are ongoing discussions with the Treasury on a variety of different aspects of agricultural transition and reform, not least our exit scheme. But we…16 Dec 2021HANSARDEnvironmental Land Management SchemesI was disappointed by the response of the Ramblers Association, an organisation for which I have a great regard. As set out in a Written Ministerial Statement of 2 December: “We…16 Dec 2021