Contributions
1,387 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Nineteeth sitting)I thank hon. Members for amendments 108, 109, 176, 110 and 111. I understand the desire to protect further provisions of UK REACH in the Environment Bill. However, I do not…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)As the hon. Gentleman knows, this Bill has been in the making for a very long time. It began long before I came along as the Environment Minister. We have spent a whole year…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thought the 10-point plan was brilliant. It put a massive focus on decarbonising and the renewable energy sector, which I know the hon. Member for Southampton, Test is…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)You will be very pleased to hear that I will not speak for as long as I did previously, Mr Howarth. I thank the hon. Gentleman for his amendments. Importantly, the addition of a…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I have been wanting to intervene and give reassurances on that very point that everything in the Bill will also dovetail with the measures in the Agriculture Bill and the…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for the amendment. We intend the biodiversity reports to be proportionate and flexible. Designated public authorities will report every five years on…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I will narrow my comments down because this is a “may” and “must” amendment again. As I have previously explained during discussion of similar amendments from the hon. Member and…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for the amendment, but it will not surprise him to hear that we do not believe it is necessary. The backbone of the local nature recovery strategy…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I have to go back to the last comments from the hon. Member for Cambridge. He said that, “I’d like to think” we might have some environmental improvement. I am thinking about it…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I understand the hon. Member’s intent in tabling the amendment, but I do not think it is necessary. The Government already have ample measures at their disposal to ensure that the…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Cambridge for the amendment and for his constant endeavour to strengthen the Bill, which we want to be a strong one—he is right about that—but I do not…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting that; I could not have put it better myself. That is why we are running the pilots, and it is great that they are already running. The hon.…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester for his lovely comment on my suit. As I explained to the Chair earlier, it is my lucky suit. I wore it for both Second Readings—we…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)I thank hon. Members for their comments. As the hon. Member for Cambridge said, he has raised a large number of points in one go. He has given me a large task, and I will write to…19 Nov 2020HANSARD Moorland BurningThank you for calling me, Mr Pritchard; it is an absolute pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I am not sure whether I should say this, but what a fiery, hot topic this is.…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Moorland BurningYes; sorry. And we have to do something about our carbon storage, our wildlife protection, our clean water and our flood control. I will wind up now. I thank the hon. Member for…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Moorland BurningThank you so much for raising that. I do talk to all those people. I have been out with gamekeepers to look at the land. We have to get this right; we do not want to make enemies.…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Moorland BurningMr Pritchard, do I have time to take an intervention?18 Nov 2020HANSARD Moorland BurningNo, I will plough on. My officials are continuing to work out how and where we might be able to phase out rotational burning, but all these other options must be taken into…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Moorland BurningI am going to plough on. I am very aware that moorland management communities are concerned about the restriction of burning—it has been referred to by my hon. Friend the Member…18 Nov 2020