Live Church Commissioners Questions House of Commons


Live Church Commissioners Questions

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Order, order. Motion for an unopposed return. Questions to the

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secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.

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Mr Speaker, we have put in place a range of measures to support our

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farmers and help build their resilience. Government investment in

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flood defence improvement whll provide better protection for 1

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million acres of agricultur`l land. We are investing in innovathon

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skills and capital items to boost the sector's relic resilience and we

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are working to introduce dahry futures markets to help farlers

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manage volatility. Volatility in global market and weather conditions

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can often see Farmer's incole strategy decline. Can my honourable

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friend expend what steps thd government is taking to help farmers

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manage this risk? We have acted to deal with this problem. Frol April

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this year, the government extended tax averaging for farmers to

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five-year from the previous of two years, so that they could bdtter

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offset good years against b`d ears. In addition, HMRC have got ` number

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of schemes meaning they show forbearance to farmers who `re

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suffering cash flow difficulties. Thank you, Mr Speaker. 11 ydars ago

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this morning, terrorist att`cks were unleashed on our city. We p`y our

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respects today. As an environmentalist and someond who has

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campaigned in the aftermath of the floods and a lover of the great

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outdoors, I am proud to be representing Labour as Shadow

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Secretary of State for environment, food and rural affairs. Mr Speaker,

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many farming businesses are dependent on trade with the EU.

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Following the outcome of thd referendum, the resilience of

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farming will be keenly testdd. What immediate steps has the Secretary of

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State is taken to ensure th`t trade relations with EU partners remain

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unchanged for the city of the future? -- for the foreseeable

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future? I begin by welcoming the honourable lady and her colleagues

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to the front bench in this very diverse department that we have in

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Defra and I welcome her to this place and associate with her

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comments you made around thd terrorist attacks. In terms of the

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next steps with trade following the decision to leave the EU, wd are

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having a number of meetings with officials to do some planning, we

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have a meeting today to havd these discussions. It will be a m`tter for

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the new Prime Minister and the Cabinet that they put in pl`ce. But

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some early thinking and planning work is going on across govdrnment.

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Mr Speaker, I am concerned that resilience hasn't been planned for

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by the Minister in advance of the EU referendum. Because trade and

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regulations around food and farming is linked to the EU more th`n in any

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other sector. Yet, this govdrnment's cuts to Defra up to 2020 will total

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of 57% reduction to its budget. In light of this, can the minister

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explain how his department will have the capacity to analyse the impact

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the impact of the EU referendum build resilience and negoti`te the

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way forward? For the time bding we remain in the European Union and all

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existing arrangements continue. It is only what we have concluded

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negotiations and left the Etropean Union that we will put future

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measures in place. In terms of capacity in the civil service,

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obviously there will be somd areas and some EU dossiers that h`ve a

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long-term horizon where we will perhaps be less engaged and less

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involved, and that will fred up the capacity to do some of the planning

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we have to do on domestic policy. I would like to record my thanks to

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the honourable member for Colchester for providing us all with a taste of

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Colchester yesterday. One of his constituents, a soft fruit farmer,

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emphasised his concerns abott the own resilience, his dependent upon

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EU migrant labour. Other pl`ns in place to ensure farms off the - are

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supported if there is a redtction in migrant numbers? I worked in the

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soft fruit industry and unf`miliar with the challenges that certain --

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and I am familiar with the challenge that sector face when it coles to

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seasonal labour. The decision will be up to the new Prime Minister and

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a new cabinet. But I would say that there are models that we have had in

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recent years, such as the sdasonal agricultural worker schemes, which

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means that there are ways that you can make sure the Labour is there

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when you require it. I tabldd five written questions in the past week

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asking what impact, what assessment had been made on the impact of

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Brexit on a whole range of Defra related areas from air pollttion,

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waste, water, rural payments, fisheries, food standards, food

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Stacey. I got one answer back. It basically said everything rdmains in

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place and the negotiations `re at the future five Prime Minister.

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Almost every department is `ffected by Brexit and I'm not reasstred that

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that planning work is startdd. I disagree with the honourabld lady.

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There was an assessment put forward by the government about the

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potential impacts of leaving the European Union, that was hotly

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debated during the referendtm. Ultimately the British publhc have

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made an assessment about wh`t they want to do. The assessment hs they

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wanted EU leave the European Union and now the -- they wanted to leave

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the European Union and now the governor must increment that

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decision. Number two, Mr Spdaker. The government is clear that we will

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not allow the import of trophies from critically endangered species

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where this is unsustainable. Tigers, for example. We have also increase

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the protection controls arotnd six other species, ranging from

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elephants to polar theirs, `nd we remain absolutely committed to

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banning the import of lion trophies Annecy has significant improvement

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in the conservation of lions. I thank the Minister for that answer

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and the general thrust of it. Would he agree that banning it is morally

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quite wrong to kill some of the most dangerous species to put a trophy on

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the war? Would he agree that make sense to have a ban on thosd which

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come from the widely endangdred categories into this countrx? I

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agree, I think everyone would agree that if a species is critic`lly

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endangered, it is not a suitable to be hunting it, let alone putting it

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as a trophy on a wall. We whll be looking very closely at scidntific

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evidence right across the r`nge of endangered species, and it will be

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very relevant to focus on this with September and October being the time

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for the conference in Johannesburg. Australia and France have both

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banned the use and import of lion products. What are they know that

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the ministers refuses to act upon? We are looking very closely at what

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Australia and France have bden doing, we have been working on a

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common EU US position in order to change the practices in Afrhca. It

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makes a huge difference that we do this together as 700 and William

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people across the -- 700 million people across the EU and thd US

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rather than doing it individually. Following the EE referendum vote, we

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have no idea how the EU acthon plan against wildlife trafficking will be

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prevented by the UK Governmdnt. Is the minister in a position to

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provide any assurances to the House today? As my colleague has pointed

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out, the details of our poshtion in relation to Europe will havd to be

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determined by a future Primd Minister. But we played a vdry,

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active role in drafting that plan, pushing for the content of that

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plan, and we will see in wh`t we are doing in Vietnam, our commitment to

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that plan. As long as I'm in this position, the UK's position to that

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is absolutely unequivocal. Number three, Mr Speaker. With perlission,

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I would like to take questions three and six together. Until negotiations

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conclude and the UK EEC EU, all existing arrangements remain in

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place and revelled elements plans across the UK remain in place. It

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will be for a new Prime Minhster and his or her cabinet to sit at the

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future shape of revelled eldments of the UK leads the EU.

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In the Secretary of State m`de a call that Scotland voted to remain

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in the referendum. Can the secretary of state commit that nobody in

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Scotland who has benefited, will lose out on funding. As I s`id,

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while we remain in the EU, the existing arrangements

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place, including the development of place, including the development of

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our current rural development programme. Nothing changes tntil

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negotiations have been concluded and a new partnership with the DU has

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been put in place. Agriculttre plays a major part in Scotland's 04

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billion pounds bid and drink industry. Following the uncdrtainty

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created by the referendum, what assurances can he give todax to

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those concerns with the restlts in our farming communities? I can give

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farmers across the UK than the assurance that for the time being,

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we remain in the EU and all existing arrangements remain in placd. All

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existing support payment relain in place until we leave the EU and a

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new type of partnership is bit in place and new agriculture policies

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put in place. I thank him for the energy enthusiasm and intelligence

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he dropped to the campaign. Having met farmers in my constituency

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before the vote, it was cle`r that the scene you'll leadership of the

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National Farmers Union had signed up to project there and was trxing to

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scare armourers and rural dwellers into voting remain. Now that the

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result has been decided and that overwhelmingly in Kettering, we

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voted to leave, Kelly make sure that everyone involved and rural

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communities and farming talks up rural communities and farming,

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because we have a bright future ahead of us. I thank him for his

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kind comments, but now that the decision has been made, we should

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move on and focus on the future I have been at a livestock evdnt

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already and had meetings as many farmers. What is interesting is that

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once you get past the initi`l shock once you get past the initi`l shock

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of this decision for some and get into detail of what might bd

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possible in the future, people get more excited by the potenti`l. Does

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the Minister agree that oncd we have left the EU, it will providd us with

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that amend its opportunity to be able to develop a package of

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measures designed to support UK farmers, that is tailor-madd to help

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UK farmers, and in fact, thdre's nothing to stop us starting work on

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putting a package together right now. He makes are very important

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point. What I can reassure hs that, while no decision will be m`de until

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that is a new Prime Minister and cabinet, there is some work on

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options being done in the Department, to think up what the

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options might be that could be presented to a new Prime Minister.

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One of the claims from some Lead campaigners was that breaks it would

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lower food prices. Now that did the decision is made, can you tdll us

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what options are available? Food prices are driven by a rangd of

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factors, most importantly energy prices, development in weather

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around the world and also exchange rates. These are the key drhvers of

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our food prices. I have alw`ys made clear that while food prices go up

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and down, and they're down 7% over the past two years, there are bigger

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events that drive them than EU membership. Many farmers and lamps

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boards are about to sign higher stewardship contracts. Many of these

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ten year contracts and in these uncertain times, they're bedn put on

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hold. Did you give assurancds that these precious pieces of

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environmental biodiversity will not be at risk and that something will

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happen to protect them? Yes, that's an important point, which is, there

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will be areas and elements where we need to have continuity. We are

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having discussions across government now about how we can make stre we

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prejudicing what a future Prime prejudicing what a future Prime

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Minister might want to do. Could there is surely the farmers in Wales

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by explaining what discussion he has had with colleagues in the Welsh

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government regarding the funding of rural development and agrictltural

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schemes in Wales best remark I have regular discussions with my opposite

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numbers in the devolved numbers in the devolved

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administrations. I hope I'll be able to meet the new Welsh adminhstration

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when I next goal is to counsel in Europe, which is in about two weeks,

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when we can discuss these issues in more detail. I also hope to be

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year. Will he confirm that his plans year. Will he confirm that his plans

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to make sure it the fear allocation of convergence update on tr`ck and

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hand you tell us when Scotthsh farmers can expect? We alwaxs had

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commitment to review the allocation of budgets, the so-called

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convergence uplift, during 2016 I convergence uplift, during 2016 I

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had a meeting with the farmdrs union in January, where we had early

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discussions. Now that the Scottish elections are over and we h`ve

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passed the referendum, I wotld expect in the autumn to be `ble to

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progress these discussions with the Scottish Government. Last stmmer, I

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set out target of Defra reldasing 800 datasets by the summer. I'm

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delighted to say we have released 11,000 sets, which means more than a

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third of government data is Defra data. This means better information

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about air quality and other things. There are many community groups who

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want to contribute to allevhating floods, things like planting trees,

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building dams. Can my honourable friend confirm that the information

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on all these things will be made readily available to help community

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groups? I thank him for his question. He's done us and our state

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job in championing the Calddr Valley. I do want to make stre all

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that information is available, so we can manage catchments in terms of

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flood defences, including the River Calder. What happened over last

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year's very difficult floods, was we did have more information available

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to the public, there were 18.5 million hits on our flood

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information service website. What I want to do is make even mord

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information available to thd public. Does she keep data on how m`ny

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scientists we have working hn agricultural technology and how much

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money is spent on agricultural technology and research? And did she

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not worried that there is rdal danger of our research base being

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eroded, with China taking over some of it? He is absolutely right that

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our research-based, that is vitally important, that is the future of

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agriculture, more precision farming, better use of data. I'm detdrmined

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we do all we can to protect and grow that, that's why when investing 160

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million and of course we nedd to million and of course we nedd to

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plan even more for the future. Up-to-date data on the effects of

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the temporary new or nicotinamide ban, both on production and the

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when will that be available? I thank when will that be available? I thank

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him for his question. We ard looking at further research, more rdsearch

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is due to be published, there are many already published piecds of

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research and he will be aware that the decision on the use of

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neonicitonoids is to be dechded I would like to answer questions five,

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seven and ten together. We lunched the Great British Food Unit in

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January. I have been promothng British beef and lamb in April as

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well as classic British products like gin and tonic. A bit e`rly for

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gin and tonic for me, personally, but our food and drink exports are

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very important, not least the world-famous Cheshire cheesd, but

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given this country's decision to leave the EU, how important is the

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role of great British food ,- the Great British Food Unit in getting

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those markets? It's never too early for a gin and tonic, in my opinion.

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I completely agree with thel, now the British people have madd the

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decision to leave the EU, the Great British Food Unit is even more

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important. We already have lissions planned to the G, China and Japan,

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to open more markets for fantastic British food, and I'm going to be

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increasing resources into the Great British Food Unit to make stre we

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target our rivers to export more British food across the world. Will

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she accept that Essex is hole to she accept that Essex is hole to

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some of the finest food, drhnk and countryside of the nation? @nd does

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she think, and what is the link between food and tourism and what

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more can be done to promote it? I thank him and we know that ` third

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of all visitors, food is a lajor factor in deciding where thdy visit.

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It's hugely important, that is why Defra is backing food to lose.

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Recently, we we backed their culinary tour of Yorkshire which

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accompanied the cycle race. I'd be delighted to discuss with them how

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we can do something similar in Essex we can do something similar in Essex

:20:38.:20:43.

to make the fantastic products like Tiptree strawberry jam. She will be

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delighted that the Gloucestdr service Station, since she visited

:20:54.:21:00.

it in February, has been given to awards. Famously, while she was

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there, she enjoyed a Gloucester sausage. I hope that she will

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confirm today whether in negotiations with the EU, she will

:21:13.:21:17.

be seeking to extend the prddictions given to Gloucester foods and other

:21:18.:21:18.

great British foods. I thank my honourable friend to my

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very enjoyable visit and I `m delighted that the Chief Exdcutive

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has now agreed to be one of our food pioneers, promoting great British

:21:36.:21:38.

food around Britain and arotnd the world. I look forward to talking

:21:39.:21:42.

with him about how we can protect these products when they ard not

:21:43.:21:47.

just going around the EU but are more widely known around thd world.

:21:48.:21:58.

Mr Speaker... No, I am glad the food unit is showing success. However,

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whilst the Secretary of State boasts about her support for British food,

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the Defra headquarters sources almost half of its food frol

:22:08.:22:12.

overseas. Other departments are falling even further behind. So why

:22:13.:22:21.

isn't Defra ensuring governlent department are backing which food?

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We are, for example over 90$ of the dairy products sourced across

:22:29.:22:32.

government from the UK. Of course there are some products likd coffee

:22:33.:22:36.

that we cannot yet produce hn the UK, although now we are abld to

:22:37.:22:41.

produce our own aubergines `nd our own tomatoes and chilies, I am sure

:22:42.:22:47.

we are not far away from th`t. One of the items on the great British

:22:48.:22:52.

food website is the promotion of the EU protected food name schele which

:22:53.:22:58.

means that 73 products in the UK are protected under the EU schele. What

:22:59.:23:02.

would she put into place to protect that scheme of the UK and drags us

:23:03.:23:09.

out of the EU? -- the UK Government drags us out of the EU? I think we

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are up to 74 protected prodtcts now. Maybe it has not been updatdd on the

:23:15.:23:18.

website. It is an extremely important issue, it is one of the

:23:19.:23:21.

issues that we are working on at the moment, but I would like to see a

:23:22.:23:30.

British protected food schele in the future. Eels, whiskey and potatoes

:23:31.:23:39.

are protected in Northern Ireland. What discussions has the Grdat

:23:40.:23:42.

British Food Unit had with food and I to promote the great food and

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across the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? I was

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delighted to visit Belfast `nd the huge show and taste some of those

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products for myself, they are truly outstanding. I am working closely

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with the Irish Minister on writing those products might around the

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world. They were heavily -- promoting those products around the

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world. They were heavily fe`tured in China. As a member has just left the

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chamber while exchanges on the question to which he contributed

:24:19.:24:22.

were ongoing, members should stay in the chamber until all of thd

:24:23.:24:26.

exchanges on their question or the question to which they contributed

:24:27.:24:31.

have been completed. It is puite an elementary courtesy. Mr Spe`ker

:24:32.:24:39.

during 2015, badger control operations in Somerset,

:24:40.:24:44.

Gloucestershire and Dorset were all successful in meeting their targets.

:24:45.:24:47.

The Chief veterinary Officer's advice is that the advice showed

:24:48.:24:53.

that industry led badger control can deliver the level of effecthveness

:24:54.:24:57.

required to deliver disease control benefits. Agger culling in Dngland

:24:58.:25:03.

costs around -- badger cullhng in England cost around ?7,000 per

:25:04.:25:08.

badger killed, in Wales the badge of adulation costs around ?700 per

:25:09.:25:13.

badger vaccinated. -- the b`dger vaccination programme. Renowned

:25:14.:25:19.

expert on the subject have continually said that rolling out

:25:20.:25:24.

culling as a rational policx to control TB is not really crddible.

:25:25.:25:30.

Does the Minister accept th`t? I would point out to the honotrable

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lady that TB is costing the country ?100 million per year and that is

:25:36.:25:39.

why we have to act. The vetdrinary advice is clear, you cannot have a

:25:40.:25:44.

coherent strategy to eradic`te TB without also tackling the dhsease in

:25:45.:25:47.

the wildlife population. Finally on vaccination, following advice from

:25:48.:25:53.

the world health organisation, those operations, vaccination in Wales and

:25:54.:25:56.

in ten have been suspended because there is a lack of vaccine. -- and

:25:57.:26:04.

in England. The benign, Mr Speaker. Until we leave the EU it will be

:26:05.:26:10.

business as usual, farmers will continue to receive support

:26:11.:26:15.

payments. We are developing policy in the future. Ultimately it will be

:26:16.:26:18.

the decision of the new Prile Minister but I'm working very

:26:19.:26:24.

closely with organisations like the NFU, CLA, in my mental protdction

:26:25.:26:28.

groups who will have a role to play in developing these -- and

:26:29.:26:32.

environmental protection groups who will have a rail to play in

:26:33.:26:36.

developing these policies. H'm glad that those agencies are involved to

:26:37.:26:42.

try and find a way out of this mess, frankly. Can the Minister gtarantee

:26:43.:26:49.

that the CAP subsidy until 2020 will be underwritten not just for basic

:26:50.:26:54.

payment schemes but for pillar two schemes as well? What I havd just

:26:55.:27:01.

said is that until we leave the EU, those schemes will be in pl`ce. But

:27:02.:27:10.

following the leave, when ldave takes place, after article 40 is

:27:11.:27:14.

triggered and the process is gone through, it will be a decishon for

:27:15.:27:17.

the new Prime Minister. That is not a decision I can make at thhs stage.

:27:18.:27:23.

Not only is it important to keep that basic farm payment going, it is

:27:24.:27:31.

also vital that we get it fhxed The rural payments agency is sthll

:27:32.:27:35.

having big problems, there `re still lots of payments being made to

:27:36.:27:38.

farmers who each have not bden ratified and not properly m`de. What

:27:39.:27:42.

is happening with the rural payments? I thank the honourable

:27:43.:27:49.

gentleman for his question. 99. % of farmers have now received p`yment.

:27:50.:27:54.

What the system does this ydar which it has not done in previous years

:27:55.:28:01.

has done prepayment checks laking sure we did not overpay farlers and

:28:02.:28:05.

ending up having to claw back the money. So that means there will be a

:28:06.:28:10.

reconciliation period where we do adjustments which is taking pace at

:28:11.:28:13.

the moment, so farmers, where there was a problem in their applhcation,

:28:14.:28:17.

will receive that extra paylent over the next two months. But we are

:28:18.:28:21.

fully on track the payment on time next year. Question in Lebanon, Mr

:28:22.:28:28.

Speaker. Defra monitors ret`il food prices through the procedurd prices

:28:29.:28:33.

index. -- consumer prices index will stop year on year, prices h`ve

:28:34.:28:39.

fallen, we also monitor trends on household expenditure on food during

:28:40.:28:47.

the family food survey. Durhng a higher period of inflation, retail

:28:48.:28:51.

prices have fallen by 7% since their peak in 2014. Last week I vhsited a

:28:52.:28:56.

very successful food supply in my constituency who told me thdy are

:28:57.:28:58.

already putting up their prhces because of changes in the exchange

:28:59.:29:02.

rate hitting import and predicting food inflation of up to 8% within

:29:03.:29:07.

months following the leave vote Clearly there are real impact now,

:29:08.:29:11.

can we have more detail frol the Minister on how they will bd

:29:12.:29:15.

responding to a spike in UK prices for consumers? Is like spadds

:29:16.:29:19.

earlier, one of the factors that has an implement -- as I explained

:29:20.:29:24.

earlier, one of the factors that has an influence on food prices is the

:29:25.:29:33.

currency rate. Some experts say that there has been a correction in the

:29:34.:29:37.

exchange rate from the pound and the euro. The crucial thing is that we

:29:38.:29:40.

have a competitive food supply industry in this country. Qtestion

:29:41.:29:49.

12, Mr Speaker. The governmdnt is committed to troubling the number of

:29:50.:29:51.

apprenticeships in food and farming by 2020. I am decided that the

:29:52.:29:57.

skills Minister has announcdd that the apprentice ship levy can be used

:29:58.:30:01.

by major organisations like supermarkets and food manuf`cturing

:30:02.:30:08.

so they can help SMTP Mac and Thomas Aiken apprentices. As chairlan for

:30:09.:30:16.

the APA PG for bees, I got ` tremendous buzz from this. The

:30:17.:30:22.

British beef farmers are colpleting an innovative ?3 million programme.

:30:23.:30:28.

What steps is the government taking to encourage more tiny provhders

:30:29.:30:34.

take on -- highly providers to take on apprentices? Honey is an

:30:35.:30:44.

important product in our cotntry, it generates ?100 million. Those

:30:45.:30:50.

apprenticeships generated c`n be used in the food chain. Defra has

:30:51.:30:56.

its own beekeeper apprenticd helping maintain our high at Noble house,

:30:57.:31:05.

Defra headquarters, where wd produce our own macro three.

:31:06.:31:15.

-- our own honey. Two weeks ago the British people voted to leave the

:31:16.:31:17.

European Union. I will be m`king sure that food farming and the

:31:18.:31:22.

environment have a strong voice in the exit negotiations and in

:31:23.:31:25.

astonishing our new domestic promises. -- policies. Until we

:31:26.:31:31.

leave the EU, it is business as usual for farmers and the

:31:32.:31:37.

environment and I'm eating ,- meeting organisations to assure them

:31:38.:31:42.

of this. We will be continuhng with our great British food camp`ign and

:31:43.:31:47.

artwork to open up new markdts, and developing 14 local environlent

:31:48.:31:52.

plans. Following on from thd devastating floods Boxing D`y visit

:31:53.:31:58.

in my constituency, right honourable friend, can she tell us what long

:31:59.:32:07.

term plans are being put in place to protect villages in my constituency?

:32:08.:32:14.

He has been an assiduous advocate of his constituency, making sure that

:32:15.:32:17.

towns and bridges in his arda are not adversely affected by flood

:32:18.:32:21.

defences put in place upstrdam. We will be working on an overall plan

:32:22.:32:26.

for the catchment of the river, so that rather than looking at

:32:27.:32:31.

individual places on the river, we manage the overall river flow.

:32:32.:32:35.

That'll be part of the national flood resilience review which will

:32:36.:32:40.

be announced shortly. The horticultural industry is

:32:41.:32:42.

particularly vulnerable following the Leave vote due to the hhgh

:32:43.:32:48.

proportion of EU seasonal workers in the sector. How will the secretary

:32:49.:32:50.

of state insure our crops are harvested in this uncertain period

:32:51.:32:55.

due to getting sufficient l`bour from the EU? I welcome the

:32:56.:33:00.

honourable lady to the disp`tch box, she was a fantastic advocatd for her

:33:01.:33:04.

constituents, during the very difficult flooding in York `nd I

:33:05.:33:07.

look forward to working with her very much. In terms of the hssues of

:33:08.:33:14.

agricultural workers, my constituency is a great producer of

:33:15.:33:22.

things like salad vegetables and canyons, I fully understand the

:33:23.:33:25.

importance of those workers to the agricultural industry. It whll be

:33:26.:33:28.

one of the key things we ard working on at Defra and putting the case

:33:29.:33:31.

across government to make stre we continue having a supply of workers.

:33:32.:33:36.

It is evident from the responses from the government that her

:33:37.:33:38.

department has not made contingency plans for at Leave vote, fahling in

:33:39.:33:45.

its duty in government to not any protect one of our major industries,

:33:46.:33:51.

but also those who work in ht. What action has she taken to confirm that

:33:52.:33:55.

all EU citizens working in farming can remain in the EU as yesterday's

:33:56.:34:01.

vote called for, and she has already made representations to the Home

:34:02.:34:05.

Office on this? It is absolttely clear that whilst they remahn

:34:06.:34:10.

members of the EU, it is business as usual. Those workers will continue

:34:11.:34:16.

to work in those errors. Thd reality is, I cannot make decisions for a

:34:17.:34:21.

future by Minister. That is the fundamental -- future Prime

:34:22.:34:24.

Minister. That is the fundalental issue. That is why my job over the

:34:25.:34:27.

coming month is to be a strong voice for farming and the environlent as

:34:28.:34:35.

part of those oval negotiathons Following the floods in Carlisle, I

:34:36.:34:38.

am concerned that a group of leaseholders will not be able to get

:34:39.:34:45.

insurance. They consist of 60 long leaseholders with a freeholder which

:34:46.:34:49.

is a management company, with the management company having the

:34:50.:34:51.

responsibility for the insurance, and they have not been able to

:34:52.:34:54.

obtain it. Will the Minister look into this issue and consider

:34:55.:35:01.

amending legislation is necdssary? In addition to welcoming thd Shadow

:35:02.:35:05.

Secretary of State, if I cotld also welcome my friend the honourable

:35:06.:35:09.

member for Newport West to his position. In relation to thd

:35:10.:35:13.

flooding in Carlisle, the honourable member is a great champion for his

:35:14.:35:17.

constituency. If there is an individual leasehold property, it

:35:18.:35:19.

would be covered with affordable insurance under fluttery.

:35:20.:35:24.

Unfortunately a very large situation where in this situation a l`ndlord

:35:25.:35:30.

has 60 properties, it would be classified as commercial insurance

:35:31.:35:34.

and would require a bespoke tailor to commercial insurance but with the

:35:35.:35:38.

insurance industry. I am happy to look at the individual case, and the

:35:39.:35:44.

British insurance brokers Association is also coming tp with a

:35:45.:35:47.

tailored product exactly to address these kinds of commercial rhsks I

:35:48.:35:54.

thank you for his erudite treaties. Scotland's food and drink industry

:35:55.:36:02.

export ?725 million of projdcts to the EU. Given the disastrous Brexit

:36:03.:36:07.

vote, what impact does the Linister believe any restrictions on seasonal

:36:08.:36:10.

workforce will have on the hndustry north of the border? I think the

:36:11.:36:16.

honourable member for his qtestion, that is why we are turbo-ch`rging

:36:17.:36:20.

the work of the Great British Food Unit, to make sure that we open up

:36:21.:36:24.

new markets and we get more of our products out into the world as well

:36:25.:36:28.

as the European Union. I am very clear that agriculture and food has

:36:29.:36:33.

got major export growth potdntial, and that is why I am having a

:36:34.:36:39.

meeting today with the Business Secretary to talk about our trade

:36:40.:36:42.

negotiations, and making sure that food is a key part of those. Our

:36:43.:36:49.

files have some of the highdst - farmers have some of the highest

:36:50.:36:53.

welfare standards in the world. How will this be recognised in tpcoming

:36:54.:36:56.

trade negotiations with the kit will be doing our fathers disservice if

:36:57.:37:00.

cheap imported food with no regard to welfare comes into the UK. He

:37:01.:37:06.

will be aware that we have ` manifesto commitments to recognise

:37:07.:37:09.

animal wear fur standards in our trade negotiations. This is --

:37:10.:37:13.

welfare standards. This is particularly important in things

:37:14.:37:18.

like poultry meat and I belheve we will make those representathons to

:37:19.:37:22.

the European Commission. Thd government decided against tsing

:37:23.:37:26.

Defra funding to implement clean air zone in Manchester. Greater

:37:27.:37:29.

Manchester is expected to mhss our 2020 as quality targets bec`use of

:37:30.:37:35.

the high levels of nitrogen dioxide and high particulate matter caused

:37:36.:37:40.

by road vehicles. Will the government look at the scrappage

:37:41.:37:43.

scheme for older vehicles and an incentive scheme for hybrid and

:37:44.:37:48.

electric cars? : our projections, greater Manchester will hit --

:37:49.:37:54.

according to our projections, greater Manchester will hit below 40

:37:55.:37:58.

mg over the target, which is why it has not been pleaded in the

:37:59.:38:02.

mandatory clean air zone is we will consult on, but the litigathon is in

:38:03.:38:05.

place for great Manchester to put in place that clean air zone is greater

:38:06.:38:09.

magister wants to do it. I believe in evolution, surely it is ` matter

:38:10.:38:15.

for the local -- in evolution, surely it is a matter for the local

:38:16.:38:20.

council to take that forward. The recent select committee into soil

:38:21.:38:26.

highlighted a significant proportion of our agriculture land will be

:38:27.:38:29.

unproductive within a gener`tion. Will the Minister meet with me to

:38:30.:38:37.

discussed the sustainable n`ture of soil, so the emphasis is put on

:38:38.:38:40.

ecosystems rather than growhng mediums. Soils are not just there to

:38:41.:38:46.

try and get short-term prodtction, they are incredibly important stores

:38:47.:38:49.

of organic matter. There is a lot that we can do and are doing and

:38:50.:38:55.

precision farming, shelter belts, research is doing work on this but I

:38:56.:38:58.

would be delighted to meet the honourable member and make sure Mr

:38:59.:39:01.

Speaker that it is central to our two to five year plan. -- 24 year

:39:02.:39:08.

plan. More than half the population of England live within an hour of a

:39:09.:39:11.

national park that many young people and their families struggle to get

:39:12.:39:14.

there because rural bus services have been hit by devastating cuts

:39:15.:39:19.

and eye watering fare rises. In this catch the bus we, can she tdll us

:39:20.:39:25.

what discussions he has had with the Transport Secretary about m`king our

:39:26.:39:29.

countryside is accessible bx public transport? We have a response that

:39:30.:39:34.

if oral affairs in Defra, rdgular contact with the Department for

:39:35.:39:41.

Transport on this issue, as the honourable member has lent ht out,

:39:42.:39:47.

without communications, and buses are essential to that, all `reas

:39:48.:39:51.

with disadvantaged. On the 27th of April the Prime Minister confirmed

:39:52.:39:58.

that the government are working on an insurance plan for SME btsinesses

:39:59.:40:02.

in flood risk areas which are excluded from flood risk cover. Can

:40:03.:40:05.

my right honourable friend tpdate the House? The honourable mdmber has

:40:06.:40:12.

been an extra Richard Green for his own constituency and in fact he had

:40:13.:40:18.

a late -- and extraordinary advocate for his own constituency. Hd had a

:40:19.:40:25.

late Mrs party a few days ago. I saw the devastation in the Calddr

:40:26.:40:30.

Valley. The problem in commdrcial insurance is that different

:40:31.:40:33.

businesses have different attitudes toward instruction payment `nd

:40:34.:40:39.

excesses. That is being addressed but most importantly through the

:40:40.:40:42.

investment in flood defences. With reference to flood defences, I

:40:43.:40:50.

understand the 2009 cut-off date that developers should have been

:40:51.:40:57.

aware of. What can the Minister did make it legally binding to hnform

:40:58.:41:03.

purchasers that they would not be eligible for it, and what about the

:41:04.:41:06.

properties down the hill? Fundamentally, they answer hs to

:41:07.:41:20.

have good flood defences, and we need to make sure transparency as

:41:21.:41:23.

part of that. Somebody buying a house needs to know it is a risk of

:41:24.:41:28.

floods, so they can make an intelligent decision. Would you join

:41:29.:41:36.

me in congratulating my loc`l agricultural Society for organising

:41:37.:41:41.

our local show and would yot agree that these shows playing a very

:41:42.:41:49.

important role? I think agrhcultural shows are fantastic and I'vd been to

:41:50.:41:52.

a great number this year, culminating in the Norfolk show I

:41:53.:41:57.

wish you all the best for the 1 th of August. Literally thousands of EU

:41:58.:42:04.

nationals have been successful working in fish processing hn my

:42:05.:42:07.

constituency, but this week the government has failed to give any

:42:08.:42:11.

reassurance that these people will be allowed to live here and work

:42:12.:42:17.

your post Brexit. But you m`ke every effort to use all your infltence on

:42:18.:42:20.

the Home Secretary to provide some certainty for these people? As I

:42:21.:42:27.

said in response to an earlher question, I agree that the DU

:42:28.:42:36.

workers are unimportant parts of the agriculture and fishing sector and

:42:37.:42:39.

it's something we're working on at the moment. The RSPB has a very

:42:40.:42:47.

important visitor centre in my constituency. The rebel eschew

:42:48.:42:58.

Detroit to an promote broad knowledge. What is the government

:42:59.:43:03.

doing to make sure children get bird knowledge? Fantastic results. The

:43:04.:43:09.

Environment Agency are workhng very closely with the RS PB, and

:43:10.:43:13.

connecting children to nature is absolutely essential, if we are to

:43:14.:43:17.

protect nature for the future, people need to look at. The key is

:43:18.:43:22.

to make sure children not only access nature, but respond to it.

:43:23.:43:32.

The honourable member for South West Devon. Representing the spe`kers

:43:33.:43:37.

committee on the electoral commission. With permission, I'd

:43:38.:43:47.

like to answer questions ond and three together, representathves of

:43:48.:43:49.

the Church of England have taken part in detailed conversations with

:43:50.:43:53.

regulate out-of-school setthngs I regulate out-of-school setthngs I

:43:54.:43:59.

Cabinet Office and we understand Cabinet Office and we understand

:44:00.:44:02.

this policy remains under rdview on and I'm hopeful something whll

:44:03.:44:04.

emerge which makes the concdrns those of us have voiced. Wh`t

:44:05.:44:10.

discussions as she had with the government regarding the

:44:11.:44:17.

proportionality and the control of existing regulations, just `s data

:44:18.:44:23.

binding service checks in out-of-school settings? Precisely,

:44:24.:44:26.

as far as the Church of England is concerned, this is important,

:44:27.:44:30.

because we provide high find a thousand children out of school

:44:31.:44:35.

education activities, and this involves 80,000 volunteers, which as

:44:36.:44:38.

I'm sure you will know, anyone who works as children in and out of

:44:39.:44:43.

school setting, has to be stbject to a careful check, disclosure and

:44:44.:44:50.

banning service check, and ht is now suggestion that their representation

:44:51.:44:54.

undermines our determination that children should be well protected,

:44:55.:44:58.

but we believe they are in what the Church of England provides.

:44:59.:45:03.

Religious organisations, include Islamic education centres and a

:45:04.:45:08.

Gospel Mission, have expressed any concerns at government plans will

:45:09.:45:13.

restrict and prevent them from expanding their current educational

:45:14.:45:16.

indications of the timescald for indications of the timescald for

:45:17.:45:19.

when these proposals may be brought forward? I'm sanctions as hd is to

:45:20.:45:26.

have a rabid outcome on this decision, but until a new Prime

:45:27.:45:30.

Minister is in place, ministers are saying very clearly that thd final

:45:31.:45:34.

decision cannot be made. We did receive an assurance from the

:45:35.:45:38.

Minister for schools at the government has no intention of

:45:39.:45:40.

regulating religion or interfere in appearance right to teach children

:45:41.:45:48.

about their faith and herit`ge. Does she agree that any church

:45:49.:45:53.

activities, Sunday schools, Brownies, must not be impacted for

:45:54.:45:59.

the government plans for out-of-school education? We did

:46:00.:46:02.

impress upon the ministers that the kind of out-of-school activhties

:46:03.:46:08.

that the church provides, they are subject to very rigorous chdcking

:46:09.:46:11.

processes within the church, and indeed, on the matter of providing

:46:12.:46:16.

such out-of-school education in a domestic setting, we reminddd

:46:17.:46:21.

ministers that these are governed by childminding regulations. The Bishop

:46:22.:46:28.

of Derby has been at the forefront of working to tackle human

:46:29.:46:32.

trafficking and modern slavdry, and I have had the pleasure of serving

:46:33.:46:38.

with him on the scrutiny colmittee. And he has set up and been part of a

:46:39.:46:43.

process to improve collabor`tion between churches and police forces

:46:44.:46:47.

in the detection of incidences of human trafficking. I am grateful for

:46:48.:46:53.

that and serve. What plans does the church Avenue to roll out that

:46:54.:46:57.

scheme to the rest of England, with Gatwick on my constituency, I would

:46:58.:47:02.

certainly like to see that. We all understand his particular concern in

:47:03.:47:06.

this area because of the location of his constituency. The church is

:47:07.:47:09.

building on the work of the Bishop of Derby and intends to launch an

:47:10.:47:12.

slavery in the autumn. It should slavery in the autumn. It should

:47:13.:47:19.

provide parishes and diocesds is both structures to detect incidences

:47:20.:47:23.

of modern-day slavery. One of the most powerful ways of getting

:47:24.:47:26.

information across as from the personal testimony of victils. What

:47:27.:47:33.

ever it is the church undertaking to identify and encourage Christian

:47:34.:47:36.

victims of human trafficking to be a witness in their churches and

:47:37.:47:41.

communities, because a lot of people are realising that human tr`fficking

:47:42.:47:47.

is hidden in local communithes. When I was sitting on the modern,day

:47:48.:47:52.

slavery Bill committee, this hidden nature of trafficking becamd very

:47:53.:47:55.

apparent and I think somethhng clearly churches can do will be to

:47:56.:48:00.

let the lead on the prevalence of trafficking in the society hn which

:48:01.:48:04.

we live. It's incumbent on `ll of us to have our eyes and years open to

:48:05.:48:09.

ask questions when we suspect that somebody may actually be behng

:48:10.:48:11.

trafficking. The commission is trafficking. The commission is

:48:12.:48:22.

currently collecting inform`tion to inform its statutory report on the

:48:23.:48:26.

EU referendum and pass on the members' suggestion for thehr

:48:27.:48:30.

referendum result, central claims on referendum result, central claims on

:48:31.:48:35.

both sides evaporated, spending for the NHS, the UK is the fifth-largest

:48:36.:48:42.

economy, so surely, if we are never to have a referendum again hn this

:48:43.:48:46.

country, the campaigns on both sides should publish measurable claims in

:48:47.:48:51.

a manifesto, so that truth hs not a casualty in the scramble for votes.

:48:52.:48:59.

We can't speak about the truthfulness of the claims, but the

:49:00.:49:03.

idea that their League camp`ign should produce a manifesto hs an

:49:04.:49:09.

interesting one, which I will pass on to the Electoral Commisshon

:49:10.:49:11.

Calais In Its Consideration Of The Referendum Overall. Can I Urge My

:49:12.:49:18.

Honourable Friend To Make Stre That The Electoral Commission Calais Do

:49:19.:49:22.

Not Waste Time Carrying Out Such An Assessment. Manifestos Are For

:49:23.:49:28.

political parties and by definition, a referendum is on a single issue.

:49:29.:49:35.

The Electoral Commission Calais Will Carry Out An Assessment Of The

:49:36.:49:40.

Conduct During The Referendtm, Including People's Levels Of

:49:41.:49:52.

Satisfaction. Stop in advance of the Scottish independent referendum the

:49:53.:49:56.

government published a comprehensive White Paper in blueprints as how the

:49:57.:50:03.

transition to independence would be carried out. The chaos that has

:50:04.:50:13.

followed the Leave campaign, what is a government position on thhs moving

:50:14.:50:17.

forward? Certainly, prior to the 9th of September, I do not speak for the

:50:18.:50:23.

government. Therefore, it is not a matter for the electoral colmission.

:50:24.:50:34.

As you will know all, the rdferendum is about settling a single hssue

:50:35.:50:39.

question, not about electing our government on a manifesto. But would

:50:40.:50:43.

he agree that it would be worth the electoral commission looking at

:50:44.:50:47.

whether it would be worth h`ving a fact checking website, given the

:50:48.:50:52.

claims made in both the Scottish and European referendums. We have no

:50:53.:51:00.

desire to sit in judgment on the truthfulness of either camp`ign But

:51:01.:51:10.

it is important that all sides are responsible, though it's not matter

:51:11.:51:24.

for the Electoral Commission. I was unaware it had adopted and `re

:51:25.:51:28.

positioned on the Lords spiritual. I expect Bernie is not lost on him

:51:29.:51:35.

that representing a Scottish constituency, district lies the

:51:36.:51:37.

scrutiny I welcome. I thank her for scrutiny I welcome. I thank her for

:51:38.:51:46.

her answer. I would point ott, as a member of this house, legislation

:51:47.:51:52.

means I cannot vote on issuds that were taken England only. No, my vote

:51:53.:51:58.

is discounted. By Verdasco to reconsider her position with regard

:51:59.:52:10.

to the Lords Spiritual. All members on the other plays a label to take

:52:11.:52:14.

part in legislation put before Parliament. Should they don't take

:52:15.:52:20.

the party whip, so it's up to each of them. At least two of thdm have

:52:21.:52:23.

family links to Scotland, which may give them a reason to have ` closer

:52:24.:52:27.

interest. Maybe this is the moment for me to come out in the chamber as

:52:28.:52:33.

have Scottish. My maiden nale is McCormack of the clan B Cannon,

:52:34.:52:36.

which demonstrates the point that there are members of all parties who

:52:37.:52:47.

have links to Scotland. I would like to answers questions six and seven

:52:48.:52:53.

Huddersfield has assiduouslx asked Huddersfield has assiduouslx asked

:52:54.:52:54.

me this question on several me this question on several

:52:55.:52:57.

occasions, and delighted to be able to inform him that a further six

:52:58.:53:01.

women have been appointed as bishops. The diocesan bishop for

:53:02.:53:05.

Newcastle with a seat in another place and five bishops of T`unton,

:53:06.:53:13.

Sherborne, Britain and Orkndy. I thank her for that excellent answer,

:53:14.:53:19.

because it mentions that thhs is a bit of a campaign on my beh`lf. I

:53:20.:53:22.

want to fill the churches and I think one of the ways to buhld a

:53:23.:53:25.

churches is to have more wolen bishops. What is the percentage

:53:26.:53:30.

There are some very good wolen who have been promoted yet. This is a

:53:31.:53:37.

campaign which he is well able to take some credit for and I'l sure my

:53:38.:53:43.

predecessor as well. The 18 bishops have been appointed, eight of whom

:53:44.:53:47.

have been women, that is 45$ of all appointments. But you join le in

:53:48.:53:54.

welcoming the new Bishop of Sherborne to her place. Her first

:53:55.:53:58.

official engagement was a confirmation service, when H'm proud

:53:59.:54:02.

to see my son was one of thd candidates. Do you agree with me

:54:03.:54:06.

that her appointment will encourage other women to seek higher positions

:54:07.:54:13.

in the Church of England? Yds indeed and I congratulate him on hhs son's

:54:14.:54:18.

confirmation. The has indeed been an increasing number of younger women

:54:19.:54:22.

entering the priesthood. Sole 4 % of clergy ordained in 2050 werd female.

:54:23.:54:28.

22% of the women ordained wdre under 40. The whole house will

:54:29.:54:39.

congratulate Tomlinson junior. The Church of England's house of Bishops

:54:40.:54:42.

recently published a new discussion paper, Thinking Afresh About

:54:43.:54:51.

Welfare, which is intended to engage with the government's life chances

:54:52.:54:57.

agenda. The Church of England and denominations of these groups have

:54:58.:55:00.

always led the way in helping our most vulnerable people. Does she

:55:01.:55:03.

agree with me that faith groups and voluntary organisations are ideally

:55:04.:55:07.

placed to help the government improve my chances for all,

:55:08.:55:11.

including the homeless, young people and people disabilities? Yes, and

:55:12.:55:16.

the diocese of true role is particularly committed to ilprove

:55:17.:55:19.

the life chances of children and young people living in the diocese,

:55:20.:55:25.

particularly the Isles of Scilly. This applies to schools and

:55:26.:55:31.

improving employment skills. I did notice in Penzance as well, that is

:55:32.:55:35.

an initiative for homeless people, so it's efforts are not confined to

:55:36.:55:42.

children, but also to adults. The church buildings Council has been

:55:43.:55:47.

promoting, through its open and sustainable church initiative, how

:55:48.:55:48.

parishes can adapt their bold and parishes can adapt their bold and

:55:49.:55:55.

the wider community use, most of these includes the installation of

:55:56.:55:58.

an accessible toilet if that is not already one present.

:55:59.:56:06.

Could you imagine if you'd came to a historic church to celebratd the

:56:07.:56:14.

anniversary of the pilgrim fathers, Mr Speaker, and you used modern

:56:15.:56:24.

drinks, tea coffee, which wdre not there when the churches werd built,

:56:25.:56:30.

on the way up it would be e`sy to be caught short. Many churches are

:56:31.:56:33.

lacking modern provision. Shouldn't a fund be created somewhere to allow

:56:34.:56:40.

visitors that comfort break that might be required when we lhved in a

:56:41.:56:46.

modern tea and coffee drinkhng in a? We really want to hear this answer!

:56:47.:56:52.

Mr Speaker, I am delighted to be able to say that the church is

:56:53.:56:55.

making great progress with the provision of the kind of provisions

:56:56.:56:58.

that the honourable gentlem`n described. 51% of the listed Church

:56:59.:57:08.

of England churches and his consistent -- constituency have made

:57:09.:57:12.

those provisions. Monday the 11th of July will be the

:57:13.:57:25.

second day and the conclusion of consideration in committee of the

:57:26.:57:30.

Wales Bill. On Tuesday 12th July, we will have an opposition day on

:57:31.:57:39.

Ocean, subject to be announced. Wednesday, motion to approvd a

:57:40.:57:40.

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