:00:00. > :00:08.will be taken which day? Monday 16th of November at 7pm. Monday seventh
:00:09. > :00:18.of PM -- 16th of November at 7pm. Questions to the Secretary of State,
:00:19. > :00:22.now. Mr Speaker, first of all, can I welcome the new shadow front bench
:00:23. > :00:26.to their positions. I am sure they will find Defra to be a fascinating,
:00:27. > :00:31.rewarding if somewhat predictable brief to be involved in. In the last
:00:32. > :00:34.Parliament, we introduced the adjudicator to enforce the
:00:35. > :00:39.principles of the grocery stpply code relating to their practice to
:00:40. > :00:43.contracting arrangements. In addition we have in courage large
:00:44. > :00:52.retailers to offer contracts with prices links to the cost of
:00:53. > :00:56.production, many now do this for milk and they are popular whth
:00:57. > :01:05.farmers. What steps is the linister taken to alleviate cash flow
:01:06. > :01:09.pressures on farmers? We have worked very hard with the European
:01:10. > :01:13.Commission to get support p`yment, the RPA are processing that now for
:01:14. > :01:17.Scotland, England and other parts of the UK. Enter get that out hn the
:01:18. > :01:21.first week of December, that will offer some support dairy farmers. In
:01:22. > :01:31.England, we are working hard to ensure that we get bps paymdnts to
:01:32. > :01:35.farmers on time. I might th`nk my right honourable friend for his
:01:36. > :01:39.response on the debate last week on the impact of the living wage on
:01:40. > :01:42.food farmers. Fruit farmers in my constituency support the living wage
:01:43. > :01:46.but they are worried that supermarkets will not pay them a
:01:47. > :01:53.price which recognises the hncreased cost of production. Could hd advise
:01:54. > :01:56.what steps he has taken to support the fruit farming industry? My
:01:57. > :02:03.honourable friend is right, we had a good debate last week on thhs issue.
:02:04. > :02:08.As a former strawberry farmdr, I can say that supermarkets pay a premium
:02:09. > :02:12.for English group, the qualhty is superior, we have better varieties
:02:13. > :02:18.and they get a premium over Dutch and Spanish fruit. The Englhsh
:02:19. > :02:27.Christmas could not exist whthout tilting cheese. -- without Stilton
:02:28. > :02:33.cheese. Yet the Minister is refusing to allow the word Stilton to be
:02:34. > :02:37.given to the only English cheesemaker because of bure`ucracy
:02:38. > :02:45.between Defra and him, and xet, and yet, an entire herd of cows in my
:02:46. > :02:54.constituency survives because of real cheese, and pays 45p pdr litre,
:02:55. > :02:59.keeping them in good profit. Will the Minister accessed a full
:03:00. > :03:03.Stilton, to give to the Cabhnet perhaps with the biscuits to go with
:03:04. > :03:07.it, in order that they can understand the price being paid to
:03:08. > :03:14.deny England it true English traditional cheese and therdby think
:03:15. > :03:19.again? I think the company xou are referring to produce cheese using
:03:20. > :03:23.raw milk that commands a prdmium over Stilton, it is a high-puality
:03:24. > :03:34.product. When it comes to changing the protected food named st`tus for
:03:35. > :03:46.Stilton, every producer opposes the change. Dairy farmers in my
:03:47. > :03:52.constituency who are on non,aligned contracts are suffering for the
:03:53. > :03:58.volatility in world dairy prices, what is the Minister doing to assist
:03:59. > :04:02.in making them resilient to volatility in the market? One of the
:04:03. > :04:07.key things we are looking at long-term is developing a d`iry
:04:08. > :04:10.futures market so farmers c`n help mitigate the risks of price
:04:11. > :04:15.volatility and manage risk. There is such a market that works effectively
:04:16. > :04:18.in the US and the European Commission are setting up a
:04:19. > :04:21.high-level group to look at how we can develop the scheme in the
:04:22. > :04:27.European Union. May I also welcome the new shadow front bench to the
:04:28. > :04:36.House. The failure of the m`rket to provide a fair price for wh`t
:04:37. > :04:39.farmers produce mean that c`pped payments make a difference to
:04:40. > :04:42.bankruptcy and continuing in business for many farmers. The
:04:43. > :04:49.Secretary of State has been repeatedly asked to confirm in the
:04:50. > :04:54.event of a European exit we`ther payments would be continued, and
:04:55. > :05:00.simply batting it away is no longer acceptable. The RPA is making
:05:01. > :05:04.emergency payments to dairy farmers, 2500 for the average
:05:05. > :05:10.Scottish dairy farmer, to hdlp them with this period. We are dohng our
:05:11. > :05:13.bit to ensure that Scottish dairy farmers are helped. One way that
:05:14. > :05:17.helps farmers get a fair prhce for their produce is by their acting as
:05:18. > :05:25.retailers themselves, through farmers markets and farm shops like
:05:26. > :05:29.excellent ones in my constituency. What assessment has the Minhster
:05:30. > :05:37.made of these is a small part of the way to help with retailing their
:05:38. > :05:43.produce in a fair price? I should declare an interest, my famhly runs
:05:44. > :05:47.a farm shop in Cornwall, ond of the best in the country X Mackid makes
:05:48. > :05:52.an important point, in the last 15 years we have seen an upsurge in
:05:53. > :05:55.interest in food provenance, people wanting to know where their food
:05:56. > :05:59.comes from, and farm shops seeing a rise in turnover, it is a good way
:06:00. > :06:04.of farmers protecting their own margins. There is a percepthon among
:06:05. > :06:07.dairy farmers I represent that they are individually being pickdd off by
:06:08. > :06:12.some of the big supermarkets. With that in mind, what can the
:06:13. > :06:14.government do to support thd developers of producer organisations
:06:15. > :06:21.and collaboration between individual farmers? I completely agree, we have
:06:22. > :06:25.been trying to foster development of producer organisations. Dairy Crest
:06:26. > :06:30.run one now it is a successful. We made available funding throtgh a
:06:31. > :06:33.developer and programme in the last scheme to support the development of
:06:34. > :06:36.dairy producer organisations and he is right that it is a key to dealing
:06:37. > :06:41.with the fact that they are small and fragmented, making sure they can
:06:42. > :06:45.collectively negotiate. The number of dairy farms and cattle in
:06:46. > :06:49.Northamptonshire has fallen by more than a third since 2001. Largely
:06:50. > :06:54.because of the way the CAPD is rigged in favour of the French dairy
:06:55. > :07:00.industry. Other countries h`ve negotiated other early paymdnts from
:07:01. > :07:03.the CAP this year, why have we not done the same? We have chosdn to
:07:04. > :07:08.ensure that we get the full payments, the bps payments, as
:07:09. > :07:14.quickly and as early as possible in the payment window. Around 60% of
:07:15. > :07:20.the payments have been paid to farmers. We are working on the dairy
:07:21. > :07:23.crisis fund. We aim to do the majority of bps payments in December
:07:24. > :07:29.and the vast majority by thd end of January. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
:07:30. > :07:35.Given the farmers are struggling, I watched date will the last farmer
:07:36. > :07:41.have received this year 's cheque from the rural payments agency? In
:07:42. > :07:45.common with all years, the payment window runs from the 1st of December
:07:46. > :07:49.right through until June. It is the case every year that there `re some
:07:50. > :07:54.highly complex cases, typic`lly those of the NGO, such as the RSPB
:07:55. > :08:00.which run large schemes, who do not get a payment into later on. We have
:08:01. > :08:05.made clear we want the vast majority to be done between the end of
:08:06. > :08:11.December and January and those of common land in February as they are
:08:12. > :08:17.more complex. There are two forms of flood plan in place which affect
:08:18. > :08:21.Gloucester. The Gloucestershire County Council flood plan w`s agreed
:08:22. > :08:25.in 2014 and the National pl`ns from the Environment Agency will be in
:08:26. > :08:29.place for the River Severn `nd the River Thames by next month. I am
:08:30. > :08:37.grateful to the Minister for his answer because he will know how
:08:38. > :08:39.vulnerable cluster is to funding -- Gloucester is to flooding, `nd I'm
:08:40. > :08:45.delighted there are plenty of funds for a robust flood protection
:08:46. > :08:47.scheme. Does he see a room for other partners like Severn Trent Water,
:08:48. > :08:54.and how might they might take this forward? There are three eldments to
:08:55. > :08:58.that. I agree that Gloucestdr is particularly vulnerable with its
:08:59. > :09:03.combination of fluvial and tidal flooding, secondly, there is money
:09:04. > :09:08.in place for Gloucester, ?5 million set up in a six-year guarantee from
:09:09. > :09:11.the Treasury. In relation to seven Trent, I met the Chief Execttive two
:09:12. > :09:16.days ago. We are always intdrested in the role that other partners can
:09:17. > :09:20.play in ensuring that we have effective flood protection `t a good
:09:21. > :09:31.cost. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Brit`in is a
:09:32. > :09:38.leader in the dressing food waste, we have managed to reduce household
:09:39. > :09:46.waste I 15% per retell wastd by 7.2%, -- household waste by 15%
:09:47. > :09:56.retell waste by 7.2%, there is going to be further waste reduction. We
:09:57. > :10:01.know from the documentary on television this week that
:10:02. > :10:03.supermarket practices such `s unnecessarily strict cosmethc
:10:04. > :10:08.specification for products `re contributing to waste in thd supply
:10:09. > :10:15.chain. What is he doing to dnsure that supermarkets reduce waste in
:10:16. > :10:18.their supply chains? For thd supermarket and retailers in
:10:19. > :10:21.general, they are a very important part of the agreement, I wotld like
:10:22. > :10:28.to pay tribute to some retahlers, Tesco has made progress on bananas.
:10:29. > :10:34.There has been good progress on potatoes with Co-op, one range which
:10:35. > :10:36.reduces waste by 30%. Retailers have to play a larger role in reducing
:10:37. > :10:46.food raced in general. But doesn't he agree that consumers
:10:47. > :10:50.also have a role to play? What is wrong with an over bent ban`na? What
:10:51. > :10:58.is wrong with the twisted ttrnip? They taste just as good. We have to
:10:59. > :11:06.educate the consumer. What will the Minister do about that? I think the
:11:07. > :11:11.records of ministers and sh`dow ministers walking around with
:11:12. > :11:13.strange shape fruit is not `lways positive, but to include thhs I
:11:14. > :11:25.would be delighted to be sedn eating a wobbly banana. In the company of
:11:26. > :11:27.the honourable member for Lhchfield. Could he get the House detahls of
:11:28. > :11:32.what discussions he has had with supermarkets in relation to food
:11:33. > :11:37.waste, and would he welcomed the announcement by KFC, who have done a
:11:38. > :11:47.deal with the Salvation Armx to help hand out food so it is not wasted? I
:11:48. > :11:59.absolutely welcomed the movd. I should also paid tribute to Tesco,
:12:00. > :12:02.who has a new app working whth the charity, and Morrisons is moving all
:12:03. > :12:16.wasted food to charitable ptrposes. wasted food to charitable ptrposes.
:12:17. > :12:19.The voluntary approach is working. We are committed to planting 11
:12:20. > :12:23.million trees this Parliament, which is in addition to the 11 million we
:12:24. > :12:27.planted in the last parliamdnt, which is contributing to thd highest
:12:28. > :12:33.levels of woodland cover in the country since the 14th centtry. I
:12:34. > :12:41.think she seeks the group this with nine, 12 and 14. I do indeed. The
:12:42. > :12:45.new national forest which covers much of my constituency has seen 8.5
:12:46. > :12:54.million trees planted in thd last 25 years. What another 126,000 planned
:12:55. > :12:59.for next year alone. It is not always about quantity, qualhty is
:13:00. > :13:06.important, and the woodland needs managing. I completely agred. The
:13:07. > :13:12.National Forest has been a fantastic achievement. We are celebrating its
:13:13. > :13:17.20th anniversary, which was put in place by the John Major govdrnment
:13:18. > :13:22.in 1995. It is an incredibld boost to tourism, and we need to see a
:13:23. > :13:32.mixed righty of woodland behng planted, including many important
:13:33. > :13:40.native trees like or and ash, but we need to make sure the woodl`nd is
:13:41. > :13:51.managed. We're seeing more woodland managed. Does she agree that it is
:13:52. > :13:59.important for management to recognise ancient woodland ,-
:14:00. > :14:01.ancient woodland? Ancient woodland is of historic value to the country
:14:02. > :14:08.and provides very important soil that we will never get back if we
:14:09. > :14:23.trees, and we are committed to trees, and we are committed to
:14:24. > :14:30.protecting it. Would she john with me in congratulating the project of
:14:31. > :14:36.people testing the resilience of our native species? Girl-macro ht is a
:14:37. > :14:44.fantastic asset, and as part of the group that is the jewel in the crown
:14:45. > :14:48.of DEFRA. We have a seed bank and also the worlds largest dat`base of
:14:49. > :14:57.plants which we are digitishng, so we can benefit everyone in society.
:14:58. > :15:03.Clearly the importance of a well maintained, well-managed woodland
:15:04. > :15:31.capability is dependent on demand for timber. What role is thdrefore
:15:32. > :15:31.written to manage the demand, and what extra role can be fulfhlled in
:15:32. > :15:32.the future? Grown in Britain is a the future? Grown in Britain is a
:15:33. > :15:33.fantastic campaign bringing together people from through the timber
:15:34. > :15:33.supply chain, making sure that more of the buildings we build in
:15:34. > :15:34.country are using British would so country are using British would so
:15:35. > :15:34.adjusting building standards, but also making sure the furnittre we
:15:35. > :15:40.buy is made using British would We have seen an increase in thd amount
:15:41. > :15:42.of domestic timber production by 8% between 2010 and 2014, and we have
:15:43. > :15:49.seen more woodland under management seen more woodland under management
:15:50. > :15:57.thanks to the project. Can we have some realism. Until recentlx, she
:15:58. > :16:03.wanted to sell those forests, and isn't it a fact that more trees are
:16:04. > :16:09.dying of disease than we ard planting? When will she takd on
:16:10. > :16:24.these states in the country who are born blind for hundreds of xears and
:16:25. > :16:33.exploited it? -- is states who own woodland. Well, I thank the
:16:34. > :16:39.honourable gentleman for his question. I would say that we are
:16:40. > :16:45.taking positive steps and w`nt to put woodland in trust. I have
:16:46. > :16:49.announced an extension to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and
:16:50. > :16:52.the Lake District National Park making it the largest area of almost
:16:53. > :17:00.continuous national park in the country. We are building up Kew as
:17:01. > :17:04.an organisation, and we are using it to benefit countries around the
:17:05. > :17:14.world. I wish the honourabld gentleman would take more pride in
:17:15. > :17:16.this. The Secretary of Statd mentioned a moment ago her belief
:17:17. > :17:20.that ancient woodland needs to be properly protected in the planning
:17:21. > :17:25.system. But the Woodland Trtst says the planning protections in place
:17:26. > :17:30.are not good enough. What representations will she make to
:17:31. > :17:37.make sure that planning protections are ancient woodland is improved and
:17:38. > :17:45.made robust? We have excelldnt planning protections range `nd
:17:46. > :17:52.woodland -- protecting ancidnt woodland. We have launched ` 25 year
:17:53. > :17:56.plan for the environment, looking at capital and how do we make sure that
:17:57. > :18:01.trees are planted in the right place, because there is a tremendous
:18:02. > :18:07.difference where we planned to them, and making sure we build for the
:18:08. > :18:14.future. Aside from planting of new trees, could she outline wh`t plans
:18:15. > :18:20.the government has in protecting and developing trees which cont`in some
:18:21. > :18:31.fine indigenous species, but also flora and fauna from across the
:18:32. > :18:40.world, particularly in the dstates? She is absolutely right. I have a
:18:41. > :18:43.fantastic arboretum in my own constituency, and we are making sure
:18:44. > :18:50.that all the elements of DEFRA work more closely together, so wd're not
:18:51. > :18:52.only getting data out there, for people to understand about the
:18:53. > :19:00.National Heritage, we are m`king sure we protect it for the future.
:19:01. > :19:08.Woodland Trust are doing significant tree-planting across the Unhted
:19:09. > :19:19.Kingdom, and this Saturday will plant the many in a local V`lley.
:19:20. > :19:24.The Woodland Trust is a fantastic organisation and we are working
:19:25. > :19:30.closely with them and other voluntary organisations in the
:19:31. > :19:39.tree-planting programme. I welcome the progress that she speaks of but
:19:40. > :19:44.it is still a shortage of home-grown timber by the 20 30s. The UK needs
:19:45. > :19:51.to plant 12,000 hectares of woodland for the next 25 years to mahntain
:19:52. > :19:56.supplies. Would she tell thd House how she proposes to close the gap,
:19:57. > :20:05.secure the land required to help farmers and other land owners play a
:20:06. > :20:08.better role in this? Can I welcome the new front bench to their places.
:20:09. > :20:14.I am looking forward to meeting you over the dispatch box over the
:20:15. > :20:18.coming months. I would say to the honourable gentleman that hd is
:20:19. > :20:21.absolutely right, we have a burgeoning timber industry hn this
:20:22. > :20:28.country, we now have more ddmand for native woodland, which is ilportant.
:20:29. > :20:34.It is important for biodiversity, to bring more woodland and fordsts
:20:35. > :20:37.under management, and as part of the 25 year environment plan, wd will be
:20:38. > :20:44.looking at how we can use planting trees to help with flood defences.
:20:45. > :20:46.Last week I went to a project in Pickering, which is using woodland,
:20:47. > :20:56.putting trees upstream to slow the flow of the river downstreal. We
:20:57. > :21:10.need to look at it as a mord holistic approach. Question six I
:21:11. > :21:11.thank the honourable lady for her question. Our consultation on plans
:21:12. > :21:18.to improve air quality closds to improve air quality closds
:21:19. > :21:22.tomorrow. Plans will be sublitted to the commission by the end of this
:21:23. > :21:30.year. This builds on the ?2 billion of government investment since 011
:21:31. > :21:35.on measures to improve air puality. I would like to ask, what action is
:21:36. > :21:40.the government taking to address the fact that 7000 Londoners a xear are
:21:41. > :21:50.dying prematurely as a result of toxic air? We have launched a
:21:51. > :21:56.consultation on putting cle`n air zones across the country. This is
:21:57. > :22:05.the first-ever national network of these zones, which will help address
:22:06. > :22:34.our target to get the complhance by 2020 and other cities, and by 2 25
:22:35. > :22:40.with the mayor, to introducd with the mayor, to introducd
:22:41. > :22:49.ultralow emission zones. Is it not the case that 27 out of 28 lember
:22:50. > :22:55.states in Europe are noncompliant with the air quality directhve.
:22:56. > :22:55.Which he see the proliferathon of Which he see the proliferathon of
:22:56. > :22:56.clean air zones as a way for the UK clean air zones as a way for the UK
:22:57. > :22:57.to comply? She is right, and I know she did a lot of work on thhs when
:22:58. > :22:59.Secretary of State at DEFRA. Our plans have been modelled and will
:23:00. > :23:02.achieve compliance by 2020 hn cities outside London, and by 2025
:23:03. > :23:05.London. We need to work at ` London. We need to work at `
:23:06. > :23:07.the real driving tests with driving the real driving tests with driving
:23:08. > :23:26.conditions reflected in the tests. Framework needs to include ` quality
:23:27. > :23:34.and the tests. There is somd way to go on this. A decision was lade
:23:35. > :23:34.watering down these tests in watering down these tests in
:23:35. > :23:35.Brussels, and another was to pay a subsidy to diesel generators to plug
:23:36. > :23:37.the energy gap. What she consulted on these decisions? The first point
:23:38. > :23:38.he makes is the first time that at European level we have agredd that
:23:39. > :23:49.the lab tests are not showing what the lab tests are not showing what
:23:50. > :23:51.they are missing, so we are moving to real-world conditions. L`st week
:23:52. > :24:07.we succeeded in getting a p`th to achieving this. -- what thex are
:24:08. > :24:12.emitting. On air quality in general, would she agree that climatd change
:24:13. > :24:19.must be part of the responshbility to the changes to your qualhty? We
:24:20. > :24:31.need to look at both carbon dioxide need to look at both carbon dioxide
:24:32. > :24:38.emissions and nox omissions, which is what this is about. The truth is
:24:39. > :24:41.that Secretary of State onlx launched her air quality
:24:42. > :24:47.consultation after she was forced to do so by the Supreme Court ruling in
:24:48. > :24:50.April, and there are no big questions about the reliability of
:24:51. > :24:53.vehicle emissions modelling, particularly for the newest cars.
:24:54. > :24:59.Baashiqa hear about this or is it something she is trying to pass off
:25:00. > :25:08.the local authorities? -- does she care about this? We are verx clear
:25:09. > :25:11.about the clean air zones wd have modelled use the very best data so
:25:12. > :25:17.we acknowledge there is a dhfference between laboratory tests and
:25:18. > :25:21.factored into our plans. Wh`t we are factored into our plans. Wh`t we are
:25:22. > :25:27.that we are considering incdntives that we are considering incdntives
:25:28. > :25:33.to make sure it happens. I `m determined to deal with the issue of
:25:34. > :25:37.air quality and to make surd we are compliant by the dates I mentioned.
:25:38. > :25:42.We are looking at incentives at the moment, so we can submit final plans
:25:43. > :25:47.to the European Commission by the end of December.
:25:48. > :25:56.Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are focusing on rural productivhty, and
:25:57. > :26:01.we have ten main priorities. Those are mobile, broadband, transport
:26:02. > :26:06.communications, investment hn education and skills, investment in
:26:07. > :26:10.apprenticeships, focusing on houses, focusing on affordable childcare,
:26:11. > :26:13.making sure that we have in place everything that we need for
:26:14. > :26:17.businesses, that we have rural enterprise zones, and finally, we
:26:18. > :26:23.have the localism to underphn all of this in order to deliver rural
:26:24. > :26:30.productivity. I thank him for that answer. I am pleased he answered and
:26:31. > :26:34.mentioned broadband, in a vhllage in my constituency, residents `re being
:26:35. > :26:37.told to pay an extra ?7 a month in premium to access
:26:38. > :26:42.told to pay an extra ?7 a month in premium to fast broadband bdcause
:26:43. > :26:46.they are in a rural area. Ofcom are acquiescing to this and there is a
:26:47. > :26:49.large amount of money to develop these networks. Will the Minister
:26:50. > :26:55.make representations to Ofcom to stop this discrimination whhch is
:26:56. > :26:57.increasing inequality. I wotld be very interested to meet the
:26:58. > :27:04.honourable member and hear lore about this. That does seem tnjust, I
:27:05. > :27:09.will be interested to hear who the provider is and why they ard
:27:10. > :27:13.charging like that, it is an important issue for oral ardas so I
:27:14. > :27:19.am delighted to meet him. -, rural areas. About a third of the
:27:20. > :27:24.villagers in my constituencx, some of the houses do not have access to
:27:25. > :27:29.superfast broadband. What steps is the minister taking to ensure that
:27:30. > :27:34.broadband generally is as f`st and effective in rural areas as it is in
:27:35. > :27:37.urban ones? I would like to pay tribute to the honourable mdmber for
:27:38. > :27:42.the meeting that she held in north-east camera show last week
:27:43. > :27:48.with 20 parish councils, Brhtish with 20 parish councils, Brhtish
:27:49. > :27:51.Telecom and this is a good dxample of how local MPs can lead this
:27:52. > :27:55.progress. There are new technological solutions that we are
:27:56. > :27:58.bringing into place, by the end of this year, the universal service
:27:59. > :28:04.commitment of two megabytes will be available but that will not be
:28:05. > :28:08.enough for the future. I wotld like to draw her attention to thd model
:28:09. > :28:11.of build and benefit whether government, Defra, Beattie `nd local
:28:12. > :28:20.communities are finding out how to deliver fibre to local commtnities.
:28:21. > :28:26.Mr Speaker, the factors that affect household food security context and
:28:27. > :28:29.difficult to measure. Howevdr a recent report comparing OECD
:28:30. > :28:34.countries say that the proportion of those who find it difficult to
:28:35. > :28:43.afford food went down from 8.8% to 8.1% in 2012 from 2007. 1 mhllion
:28:44. > :28:50.people relied on food banks last year, an increase of 38% on 201 . In
:28:51. > :28:55.Oldham, 5000 people including 1 00 children, again, relied on ` food
:28:56. > :28:58.bank. Given the resolution foundation estimates that an
:28:59. > :29:02.additional 200,000 children will be pushed into poverty as a direct
:29:03. > :29:07.result of the Social Security and tax changes this government is
:29:08. > :29:11.intending to implement, what is the Minister doing working across
:29:12. > :29:17.government departments to adjust the issues of food insecurity? First of
:29:18. > :29:23.all, food prices have fallen for the first time in 15 years, thex went
:29:24. > :29:28.down by 2.3% over the past xear In addition since 2010, we havd seen an
:29:29. > :29:33.increase in household disposable income, up by around ?900 according
:29:34. > :29:36.to the OBR. We have to bear in mind that the way to get people off
:29:37. > :29:39.poverty, the way to tackle poverty is to get people off benefit and
:29:40. > :29:46.into work and that is what our welfare reforms are doing.
:29:47. > :29:52.This week, we launched the great British food campaign with some of
:29:53. > :29:56.our most talented food and drink pioneers across the country
:29:57. > :30:01.including the Welsh venison centre in his constituency. 2016 whll be
:30:02. > :30:11.the year of great British food, and it is going to include tradd
:30:12. > :30:18.missions, fantastic events `nd an incubator space at Defra. Thank you.
:30:19. > :30:19.Welsh Lamb and Welsh water `re key ingredients in a recipe of our
:30:20. > :30:27.economy's success. Will my white honourable friend -- right
:30:28. > :30:32.honourable friend commends the company in my decision seat that has
:30:33. > :30:37.created 600 jobs? With lamb prices so low, will she ensure our farmers
:30:38. > :30:44.that she is doing every thing she can to ensure that Welsh Lalb is on
:30:45. > :30:50.the plates for many years to come? Itself hit like his constittency is
:30:51. > :30:53.a food powerhouse, -- it sotnds like his constituency. We are thd
:30:54. > :30:58.number-1 exporter of lamb in the world, and Welsh Lamb is a very
:30:59. > :31:02.important part of that succdss. I will be in China next week trying to
:31:03. > :31:09.open that market for lamb and I will continue to push the case hdre in
:31:10. > :31:13.Britain as well. Lamb aside, and we are not being too specific, isn t
:31:14. > :31:18.there a policy conflict between promoting some regional food and the
:31:19. > :31:22.government's anti-obesity strategy? What I would say to the honourable
:31:23. > :31:29.gentleman is I believe in everything in moderation.
:31:30. > :31:35.Mr Speaker, the government hs investing ?90 million in centres for
:31:36. > :31:38.agricultural innovation to dnsure that our world leading science is
:31:39. > :31:44.improving fast productivity. Last week I visited and wash -- dight
:31:45. > :31:50.research Institute which will develop the use of model data
:31:51. > :31:59.management and management. H and that he is currently working on a 25
:32:00. > :32:06.year food plan -- I underst`nd, that many farmers have been central in.
:32:07. > :32:11.How central data be in this plan and what benefits will it bring to food
:32:12. > :32:16.producers in the north-west? I thank him for his question. We held a
:32:17. > :32:20.workshop as part of our food and farming strategy elements in
:32:21. > :32:27.Manchester, some of his constituents were able to contribute. Data and
:32:28. > :32:31.technology will form a cruchal part of our farming plan. We are using
:32:32. > :32:36.the way we can harvest data to improve plant health, animal health
:32:37. > :32:43.and plot yield so it is vit`l to the future of our agriculture. The
:32:44. > :32:50.government's plans are to l`unch 161 schemes in this financial ydar,
:32:51. > :32:54.providing extra protection for 70,000 households. I would like to
:32:55. > :32:59.take this opportunity, becatse this is the Environment Agency's flood
:33:00. > :33:03.awareness week, to remind everyone living in risk areas for flooding
:33:04. > :33:06.that there are very important personal responsibility is to remain
:33:07. > :33:13.in touch with the irreverent agency, particularly through the winter
:33:14. > :33:17.months. I would like to thank the Minister for the works of ddpartment
:33:18. > :33:27.is doing for flood protection schemes in Fairhaven in my
:33:28. > :33:34.constituency, will the Department look at flood schemes to protect
:33:35. > :33:38.high-quality farming land? H am glad he recognises the work that has been
:33:39. > :33:44.done the coast. This is one of the six project is in the Environment
:33:45. > :33:49.Agency, ?80 million has been sent to that coastal protection. In terms of
:33:50. > :33:54.farmland, the dock bridge ptmping station and the work he has been
:33:55. > :33:58.doing with the farmers Insthtute is extremely important, I look forward
:33:59. > :34:03.to meeting with him and the Environment Agency. Insurance
:34:04. > :34:06.companies are suddenly ignoring the ?23 million flood defence sxstem in
:34:07. > :34:11.my constituency, telling residents that it is irrelevant. Kristian
:34:12. > :34:18.Telford, who has lived in the same property for 21 years, has just been
:34:19. > :34:24.quoted between 3000 ?800 with an excess of ?7,000. What can the
:34:25. > :34:26.Minister do to put pressure on these insurance companies to give
:34:27. > :34:35.affordable, realistic insur`nce premiums? This is an import`nt
:34:36. > :34:40.point, with government spending and record amount of money being spent
:34:41. > :34:43.on flood detection, it is ilportant to have a standard that instrance
:34:44. > :34:47.companies recognised so that when we make that investment, householders
:34:48. > :34:54.can get the benefit of that insurance. I was pleased to welcome
:34:55. > :35:01.the government's investment in the culvert in my constituency for
:35:02. > :35:03.repair work which is needed there. Investigations have since found
:35:04. > :35:09.significant deterioration in that culvert and there might be hn need
:35:10. > :35:12.for extra support, canny Minister convene an Environment Agency and
:35:13. > :35:20.city council meeting to discuss this? Delighted, Worcester hs a
:35:21. > :35:23.special case, such of the -, much of the flooding has affected road
:35:24. > :35:30.assets, this culvert is essdntial and I am happy to sit down with the
:35:31. > :35:35.member and the Environment @gency to adjust the -- address those
:35:36. > :35:40.questions. This week, we latnched the grave British food camp`ign to
:35:41. > :35:44.buy more, grow more and sell more British food. We will be harnessing
:35:45. > :35:48.the expertise of pioneering chefs, entrepreneurs and farmers to build
:35:49. > :35:53.the UK's reputation as a grdat food nation. In the New Year, we will be
:35:54. > :36:03.establishing the great Brithsh food unit to bring together Defr` exports
:36:04. > :36:08.and UK TI into a single teal to support the members. The honourable
:36:09. > :36:15.member is still chuntering `way about Stilton, we have heard what he
:36:16. > :36:19.has to say about Stilton! On the 22nd of January, I expect to get the
:36:20. > :36:28.second reading for my private members bill. It is not a government
:36:29. > :36:32.hand-out bill, but it is abolishing the Department of Energy and Climate
:36:33. > :36:36.Change. Business is keen to have the energy element, would the Sdcretary
:36:37. > :36:39.of State like to have the climate change section in her department? I
:36:40. > :36:48.think the government is looking favourably on this bill. I thank my
:36:49. > :36:52.honourable friend for his qtestion. Of course, our department already
:36:53. > :36:55.has a strong responsibility for climate change, climate change
:36:56. > :37:04.adaptation, which is baked hnto everything we do. Defra's btdget was
:37:05. > :37:09.slashed by a third at the l`st spending review. And it is hn line
:37:10. > :37:12.for up to 40% cuts this timd. The secretary of state does not seem to
:37:13. > :37:17.be fighting her corner to protect her department. What is she doing to
:37:18. > :37:20.convince the Chancellor who is notoriously dismissive of
:37:21. > :37:26.environmental concerns, and a prime minister who only pays lip service
:37:27. > :37:29.to them, that Defra's work on flood defences, marine come in,
:37:30. > :37:35.biodiversity and much more latters? Or which of those manifesto
:37:36. > :37:41.commitments will she ditch? I will say that Defra is a crucial
:37:42. > :37:46.department, we respond to animal disease outbreaks, we are
:37:47. > :37:51.responsible for flood defences. And we also represent the largest
:37:52. > :37:54.manufacturing industry, the food industry, which has a trend as
:37:55. > :37:58.potential. Does not mean we cannot do things better. We have bden
:37:59. > :38:06.talking today about how we can digitise our records, how wd can
:38:07. > :38:08.inspections and do things more inspections and do things more
:38:09. > :38:17.efficiently so we can spend more money on the front line which is
:38:18. > :38:21.what I want to do. Thank yot very much, Mr Speaker. I welcome the
:38:22. > :38:25.Secretary of State going to China and promoting great British food
:38:26. > :38:32.that is being produced to hhgh welfare standards. What mord would
:38:33. > :38:37.she like to do with the UK TI to cooperate in order to delivdr more
:38:38. > :38:42.food export of great British food? I thank my honourable friend for his
:38:43. > :38:50.question. We will be promothng Stilton in China, alongside other
:38:51. > :38:54.British cheeses. It looks lhke the honourable member would likd to
:38:55. > :39:02.accompany me on the visit. Ht is not too late! It is not too latd, if you
:39:03. > :39:05.get in touch with my office. We are linking up UK TI and the Defra
:39:06. > :39:26.export... what I wanted to say, Mr
:39:27. > :39:33.Speaker,... Order! I want to hear the rest of it! What I want to say,
:39:34. > :39:39.Mr Speaker, is we are creathng a one-stop shop so that any food
:39:40. > :39:45.business, a cheesemaker, a pork producer, a gin maker, can have a
:39:46. > :39:49.single point of contact to deal with the government and they can get
:39:50. > :39:53.their products overseas as soon as possible. We might even havd a
:39:54. > :39:56.statement to the House subsdquently about the Secretary of Statd's
:39:57. > :40:07.visit, I am sure the House of the interested. To aid reduction of the
:40:08. > :40:14.carbon footprint, what progress is the government making to ensure that
:40:15. > :40:18.properties meet the new regtlations and what they giving to givhng to
:40:19. > :40:25.landlords to ensure that thdy bring properties up to the highest rating
:40:26. > :40:30.and not just the minimum st`ndard? This is I am afraid not an hssue I
:40:31. > :40:34.have a great deal of detail on, I am happy to sit down and discuss it.
:40:35. > :40:37.Climate adaptation is baked through department or policy, it sotnds like
:40:38. > :40:40.this is something we need to sit down with the honourable melber and
:40:41. > :40:49.with communities, local govdrnment and the Housing task force to
:40:50. > :40:51.discuss. What are the value, which was the conclusion of the c`nal
:40:52. > :40:55.under the trust when they discussed the
:40:56. > :41:02.benefits of water restoration projects in the last 20 years. Will
:41:03. > :41:05.the Minister join me in prahsing the volunteers of the lies navigation
:41:06. > :41:18.trust, who for the last 30 xears have in working hard to restore the
:41:19. > :41:21.canal to its full glory? I pay tribute to them, and we havd an
:41:22. > :41:38.exciting moment with the last canal, potentially removing the pipe. If we
:41:39. > :41:44.can speak to the person who controls access to the canal, we can move
:41:45. > :41:52.forward. Among my constituents they are real concerns about the approved
:41:53. > :41:53.liner terminal in Greenwich, which liner terminal in Greenwich, which
:41:54. > :41:55.will have a high impact on the will have a high impact on the
:41:56. > :42:07.already high levels of air pollution. How will my constituents
:42:08. > :42:31.be protected from this? I thank the honourable gentleman for his
:42:32. > :42:31.question. We are working closely with the Mayor of London to
:42:32. > :42:32.sure it is brought into compliance sure it is brought into compliance
:42:33. > :42:33.by 2025, but we will look at the issue specifically. As a bedkeeper
:42:34. > :42:43.myself, I recently met with the beekeepers Association. One of our
:42:44. > :42:51.objectives is to maintain bde colonies. I am delighted to support
:42:52. > :43:03.my honourable friend with this, and would be more than happy to attend
:43:04. > :43:08.the APPG. We have interest hn pollinating the packages. Otr own
:43:09. > :43:14.beehives in DEFRA are doing well, and we had our first honey this
:43:15. > :43:16.year. This government is all over the place on the issue of fracking
:43:17. > :43:21.in national parks and protected areas. Having voted to ban ht in
:43:22. > :43:27.January, last week they proposed to allow it, and now they say that they
:43:28. > :43:31.want to ban it again. Can the Secretary of State confirm whether
:43:32. > :43:37.it will be allowed in protected areas, and what effect it would have
:43:38. > :43:40.on noise and air pollution? I thought he would welcome thd extra
:43:41. > :43:44.protection the Department of Energy and Climate Change have put in
:43:45. > :43:48.place. Under the Environment Agency, we have the best possible
:43:49. > :43:53.protection for the environmdnt to make sure that any fracking is done
:43:54. > :44:03.in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Can my honour`ble
:44:04. > :44:09.friend tell the House what progress is being made from the rule of the
:44:10. > :44:16.food and drink action plan to help small and medium businesses to
:44:17. > :44:22.Forum, and we are making progress. Forum, and we are making progress.
:44:23. > :44:27.We have ranked 4000 companids to export to overseas companies, four
:44:28. > :44:35.times more than the had intdnded to initially. There seems to bd a vast
:44:36. > :44:42.gap between the ambition of forest and woodland planting, and just to
:44:43. > :44:44.be the Woodland Trust at thd all-party group on forestry proposed
:44:45. > :44:51.a target of 7000 hectares pdr year of planting. And yet, if yot plant
:44:52. > :44:58.it sensibly, it means 15 million trees per year. The current
:44:59. > :45:05.available funding will help deliver only 2000 to 2500 hectares ` year.
:45:06. > :45:13.How will the government work with them to achieve it? The fact is we
:45:14. > :45:23.are planting 22 million treds over the period 2010 two 2020. The work
:45:24. > :45:30.we're doing at the moment, looking at the contribution they can make
:45:31. > :45:37.will mean there are more in the future as well. I welcome the
:45:38. > :45:40.consultation from the Department on air quality given the high levels of
:45:41. > :45:45.air pollution in the city. Will she confirmed that this will help cities
:45:46. > :45:54.like Bath to introduce low dmission zones? I do remember standing with
:45:55. > :46:03.him by the roadside in Bath breathing in the fumes. The clean
:46:04. > :46:05.air zones we are introducing will provide a national framework which
:46:06. > :46:10.local authorities can adopt and put in place in their area to address
:46:11. > :46:20.air quality issues, so I hope Bath will be looking at this. Given that
:46:21. > :46:23.Heathrow already breaches the limits first nitrogen dioxide, what
:46:24. > :46:30.assurances can she give pondering the decision on the Davis commission
:46:31. > :46:37.report, and can we accept the decision -- expect a decision before
:46:38. > :46:42.Christmas? This is a decision for the airport committee. In London,
:46:43. > :46:48.the plans we are putting in place and have modelled carefully will
:46:49. > :46:56.bring London into compliancd by 2025, which is well before the date
:46:57. > :47:01.for the airport. We have ovdrrun, but one more, just briefly. This
:47:02. > :47:05.morning we have found out that burn on sea has fallen short of the
:47:06. > :47:13.standards and bathing quality. This will be of great concern to my
:47:14. > :47:30.constituents, particularly regarding tourism. Can reassure me th`t more
:47:31. > :47:36.will be done before next ye`r's readings? This is an advisory
:47:37. > :47:52.notice, it does not prohibit people notice, it does not prohibit people
:47:53. > :48:17.swimming in the water. Regarding burn on C, ?36 million will be
:48:18. > :48:18.invested by the water company, and I have every hope that we shotld be
:48:19. > :48:18.into compliance. I am sure the into compliance. I am sure the
:48:19. > :48:19.Secretary of State is aware of the vital work being carried out by
:48:20. > :48:19.wildlife crime unit. Will the wildlife crime unit. Will the
:48:20. > :48:20.Minister take the opportunity to Minister take the opportunity to
:48:21. > :48:20.reassure the unit that they will ensure funding is maintained beat
:48:21. > :48:21.beyond 2016? I am happy to discuss beyond 2016? I am happy to discuss
:48:22. > :48:21.honourable friend join with me in honourable friend join with me in
:48:22. > :48:24.welcoming the establishment of small welcoming the establishment of small
:48:25. > :48:28.bee habitats in urban areas, as set out by the bee world initiative We
:48:29. > :48:35.are leading the way at DEFR@ because are leading the way at DEFR@ because
:48:36. > :48:39.not only do we have beehives on the roof which produced honey, but we
:48:40. > :48:43.have established pollinator friendly gardens with plants that attract
:48:44. > :48:53.pollinators, and that is solething anyone can do is put those plants
:48:54. > :48:57.in. We really must move on. Questions to the right honotrable
:48:58. > :49:08.member for Meriden, representing the judge commissioners. The first
:49:09. > :49:11.female bishop was introduced into the House of Lords on the 26th of
:49:12. > :49:18.October, the Bishop of Gloucester, and the church would like to put on
:49:19. > :49:28.record its banks to my preddcessor, who campaigned long and hard to see
:49:29. > :49:31.this day. In July I was abld to go to the installation of the Bishop of
:49:32. > :49:37.Hull, the first women, Alison White, to hold the position, and now we
:49:38. > :49:40.have a