Contributions
852 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFlood ResponseI would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the situation and see what more can be done. I reiterate to him and all Members whose constituents have been affected by…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseI can give him that assurance. The DEFRA emergency operating centre has been activating. We are leading cross-government efforts to make sure that everything possible is done to…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseWith your permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement about the significant flooding caused by the heavy rain and severe gale force winds brought by Storm Ciara. First and…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseWe will be doing that. We appreciate the really difficult circumstances that our coastal communities have faced over recent days. We will be doing our best to support them in the…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseIt is crucial that we support rural communities as part of our programme to improve flood defences. We have seen on our television screens in recent days the potentially…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseA huge amount of cross-government and cross-agency work is being done on resilience and flood programmes, but I am sure that more can be done. We will want to learn lessons from…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseI can give my hon. Friend that assurance. Our £2.6 billion programme is designed to protect 300,000 properties and give significant protection to agricultural land and the…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseSupporting our coastal areas is an important element of our plan for improving flood defences, so I can give my hon. Friend those assurances. I should take this opportunity to…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseI am happy to reiterate my support and thanks to those involved in the relief effort in my hon. Friend’s constituency and across the country. On getting ex-offenders involved in…10 Feb 2020HANSARDFlood ResponseThe Environment Agency has a fairly long pipeline of flood defence improvements, but it will be important to consider the representations that my hon. Friend made in future…10 Feb 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe are looking carefully at the issue of rotational burning on blanket bog. We are working closely with land managers to ensure that we see this practice come to an end. We have…06 Feb 2020HANSARDOrganised Waste CrimeWaste crime blights local communities and our environment and this Government are determined to tackle it. Over the past six years, we have invested £60 million in measures to…06 Feb 2020HANSARDOrganised Waste CrimeThat is one reason we are bringing together the relevant agencies in this new joint unit. They include HMRC, which is absolutely determined to crack down on tax fraud and evasion…06 Feb 2020HANSARDOrganised Waste CrimeI fully appreciate how strongly my hon. Friend’s constituents feel about that issue, as do mine in Barnet. We are giving local authorities additional powers through our…06 Feb 2020HANSARDOrganised Waste CrimeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are determined that our new joint unit to tackle this issue will ensure that those who are responsible for waste crime of all sorts,…06 Feb 2020HANSARDOrganised Waste CrimeOf course, training in this area is very important. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that, as far as England is concerned, our new Environment Bill contains an extensive list of…06 Feb 2020HANSARDImported Agricultural GoodsAs we set out in our manifesto, we are committed to upholding our high standards of environmental protection, food safety and animal welfare. Now we have left the EU, our high…06 Feb 2020HANSARDImported Agricultural GoodsI can assure the hon. Member that we will not trade away our high standards of environmental protection, animal welfare or food safety. We will make sure that our trade…06 Feb 2020HANSARDImported Agricultural GoodsI reiterate what we said in a debate last week: our high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards are already in law, including legislating to prevent the…06 Feb 2020HANSARDImported Agricultural GoodsAs I have said, those commitments are already in law, and the Government will defend them in our trade negotiations. There is a cross-party consensus in this House that we value…06 Feb 2020