Contributions
480 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnvironmental Improvement Plan and Office for Environmental Protection Progress ReportsOver the last year we have taken significant action on nature recovery. In December 2025 we launched our revised environmental improvement plan to restore nature, move to a more…16 Jul 2026HANSARDEnvironment, Food and Rural AffairsThe Water Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice (Emma Hardy), is only too happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss bottom trawling. I…16 Jul 2026HANSARDEnvironment, Food and Rural AffairsThe Water Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice (Emma Hardy), is only too happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss bottom trawling. I…16 Jul 2026HANSARDIllegal Tree Felling: Restocking Notice Appeals BacklogI wish to update the House on the action I have taken with the support of the Forestry Commission and DEFRA officials to cut the backlog of restocking notice appeals and to build…15 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI am disappointed by the nature and tone of the hon. Gentleman’s response to our attempts to right some of the wrongs left behind by the previous Government. The hon. Gentleman…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureWith permission, I would like to make a statement about the nature and climate crisis. Nature is the monopoly provider of everything we need to live. We are living through the…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureThrough some of our landscape recovery projects we are seeing farm clusters get behind the new idea of leveraging in private finance to work alongside public investment, but it is…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureThe hon. Member asked about a range of policies. I will talk about natural flood management. We will invest £300 million in natural flood management over the next 10 years—the…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI thank my hon. Friend for her question. It was clear at London climate action week that the energy and climate transition is already well under way. With the British Standards…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI was discussing that very issue with Natural England this morning. Land covering about 32% of England is already likely to, or has the potential to, contribute to the 30 by 30…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureMy hon. Friend is right: we have an army of citizen scientists and naturalists, and we are certainly looking forward to celebrating some of them tomorrow at RHS Garden Wisley for…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureThe hon. Member knows that I am unable to comment on individual licences and that the Energy Secretary will make his decision in due course. What I would say it is that it is…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureBy publishing that incineration capacity strategy, we set out clearly the standards that we are looking for on new incineration permits. We have a problem—an epidemic—with…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI remember when I was Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee doing an inquiry into heatwaves that started during the “beast from the east”, so nobody gave us any evidence, and…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureThe North Sea Transition Authority is equipped to support a fair, managed and prosperous transition, including through a new statutory objective to consider workers, communities…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureMy hon. Friend is right to say that we have seen a big flip-flop from the Conservatives. I am old enough to remember when, back in 2019, they put net zero into law under Theresa…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI mentioned in my statement the solar panels for schools, which have had the benefit of cutting bills and providing a resilient electricity supply for those schools. The DFE is…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI always like to go and see trees being planted, and my hon. Friend is right to talk about the importance of trees, both for shading our streets and as part of the three new…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureThe depleted numbers on the Conservative Benches are beginning to make me wonder whether they need some funding to avoid extinction— [ Laughter. ] I’m here all week! Local nature…13 Jul 2026HANSARD State of Climate and NatureI look after many things, but sadly I do not yet control the broadcast schedules of any national broadcasters. The point of the National Emergency Briefing is to get people…13 Jul 2026