Contributions
1,338 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanMy hon. Friend has already lobbied me on this in private, and I pay tribute to her. It is important for us to help farmers on the journey towards improving their environmental…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanAs the hon. Gentleman identifies, these are devolved matters. I am sorry that the scheme does not apply to his constituents, but we have a lot of engagement with the devolved…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentWith permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the independent expert assessment of crustacean mortality in the north-east of England in 2021 and 2022. Last…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentMay I say to my hon. Friend and to Opposition Members that that is how to hold the Government to account? We help the situation by trying to get to the facts in a calm way. He…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentI thank my hon. Friend for his question and, along with my hon. Friends the Members for Darlington (Peter Gibson) and for Redcar (Jacob Young), taking a keen interest in this…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentThat is a slightly different topic. Of course, our scientists consistently monitor water quality throughout the rivers of the UK, and the good news is that water quality is going…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentFirst, the Secretary of State published the report in full as soon as she received it last Friday. She put it into the public domain, so it was available for anyone to read and…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentIt is about taking advice from those scientists and working with them so that they can establish the facts behind what caused this disease. As much as the House and I want to find…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentI am not aware of any investigation into magnetic fields by the independent panel. It is certainly something I can feed back to our friends at CEFAS, who are the experts in this.…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentThe hon. Member is right in identifying that the panel came to the conclusion that it was unlikely that an algal bloom, or a loss of oxygen in the water associated with an algal…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentI thank my right hon. Friend not only for his question but for the work that his Select Committee has done in trying to get to the bottom of the matter and establish the facts.…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentMy hon. Friend is right to identify that. We are blessed in the United Kingdom with some of the best universities in the world. We have the world’s leading experts in a number of…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentThe expert panel acted entirely independently. It took evidence and advice from all sources to try to establish the facts. That was all considered and is repeated in the report.26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentI take at face value the advice of my hon. Friend. I think that DEFRA was and is seeking to have that trust. The way we establish the facts is to ask world-leading experts to look…26 Jan 2023HANSARDAgricultural Transition PlanWe are undertaking the most significant reform of agricultural policy and spending in England in decades as we take England out of the EU’s bureaucratic and damaging common…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentIt should be clear to my hon. Friend that Dr Caldwell was in correspondence with the expert panel, and they exchanged a number of pieces of correspondence. The evidence that was…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Crustacean Mortality in North-east England: Independent Expert AssessmentI can honestly say that, sometimes, I find the response from the Opposition staggering. The hon. Gentleman has just demonstrated a complete and utter misunderstanding of how…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanWith permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, in addition to the written ministerial statement tabled today, I would like to make a statement updating the House on the next steps that we…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanI would be delighted to visit both locations—I have known John Geldard and his son Richard for a number of years. My hon. Friend has drawn attention to co-operation between…26 Jan 2023HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. We have taken a number of things into account. Under the SFI, we have introduced a management payment of an extra £20 per…26 Jan 2023