:00:00. > :00:09.Order, order. Motion for an unopposed return. Thank you.
:00:10. > :00:16.Questions to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural
:00:17. > :00:22.Affairs. Number one, Mr Speaker. With permission I would like to take
:00:23. > :00:26.questions one and four together. Our strategy to eradicate bovine TB is
:00:27. > :00:31.working. I'm pleased to report to the house today that the three
:00:32. > :00:36.badger control areas, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset all hit
:00:37. > :00:42.their targets this year. The chief vet is clear that this is delivering
:00:43. > :00:50.disease control benefits and it will help us to eradicate this terrible
:00:51. > :00:54.disease. I thank the Secretary of State for her reply and her
:00:55. > :01:02.acknowledgement that bovine TB is a serious issue and particularly for
:01:03. > :01:05.farmers in my constituency in Lewes. What the Secretary of State meet to
:01:06. > :01:17.discuss rolling out a badge of action Asian -- badger vaccination?
:01:18. > :01:20.I welcome her efforts to promote the vaccination of badgers but
:01:21. > :01:28.unfortunately there is a worldwide shortage of the BCG vaccine so I
:01:29. > :01:31.have suspended that for badgers to prioritise human health and Wales
:01:32. > :01:34.recently announced the same decision. I will continue to listen
:01:35. > :01:40.to my honourable friend and her farmers on this issue. May I wish
:01:41. > :01:45.you and also the Secretary of State at the very Merry Christmas. Can I
:01:46. > :01:50.thank my honourable friend for her answer. Whilst badgers are
:01:51. > :02:00.responsible for the spread of bovine TB as I understand it, they are no
:02:01. > :02:02.friend of the hedgehog. On Monday, our right honourable friend the
:02:03. > :02:12.Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government rejected my and
:02:13. > :02:17.the Times's call for a superhighway. Would my right honourable friend be
:02:18. > :02:24.willing to meet with myself and the hedgehog society for a summit?! Can
:02:25. > :02:27.I congratulate my honourable friend on his fantastic campaign? And also
:02:28. > :02:35.the Times for raising this Michael issue. I want hedgehogs too do have
:02:36. > :02:39.a very happy Christmas. -- this vital issue. I am very happy to meet
:02:40. > :02:43.with the hedgehog preservation trust to see what we can do to ensure that
:02:44. > :02:50.we have a good population of hedgehogs in the future. Hedgehogs
:02:51. > :02:57.of the world unite and fight! I can't follow that, Mr Speaker.
:02:58. > :03:01.Having spent ?20 million on the badger cull and having killed
:03:02. > :03:04.hundreds and possibly thousands of badgers, how many of those that have
:03:05. > :03:12.been killed have actually been tested for bovine TB? The reality is
:03:13. > :03:16.that if we don't get a grip of this terrible disease, we will end up
:03:17. > :03:21.spending ?1 billion over the next ten years dealing with it, and the
:03:22. > :03:25.reality was that it was the party opposite in 2010 that left us with
:03:26. > :03:29.the worst levels of this disease in Europe, and that is the reason we
:03:30. > :03:34.have to deal with it. I am following the advice of the chief veterinary
:03:35. > :03:42.officer who says that culling is an important part of dealing with the
:03:43. > :03:46.disease. Why do the party opposite congratulate hard-working farmers of
:03:47. > :03:50.Somerset and Gloucestershire who have delivered this year and are
:03:51. > :03:54.helping to deal with the disease. I thank the Minister for her response
:03:55. > :03:58.and it's important for us in Northern Ireland to learn what you
:03:59. > :04:02.have done on the mainland in your department and the lessons of that
:04:03. > :04:08.because in Northern Ireland with 60% of cattle affected by it, it's on
:04:09. > :04:14.the rise and it is costing the taxpayer ?30 million a year and 70%
:04:15. > :04:22.of badgers that have been tested have TB. What can you do to help
:04:23. > :04:25.Northern Ireland to defeat TB? We will work and we are working closely
:04:26. > :04:31.with Northern Ireland to tackle this disease right across the UK. Can I
:04:32. > :04:36.echo the words of my honourable friend from Plymouth and wish
:04:37. > :04:39.everyone a Merry Christmas. In Gloucestershire and Somerset there
:04:40. > :04:45.has been a very beneficial reduction in the number of cattle suffering
:04:46. > :04:51.from TB in the areas of badger culling. When will she be able to
:04:52. > :04:54.release the figures? Well, my honourable friend is absolutely
:04:55. > :04:58.right and I'm pleased to say that more than half of the country is on
:04:59. > :05:04.track to be officially free of the disease by the end of this
:05:05. > :05:08.Parliament, thanks to the strategy we have put in place. And the chief
:05:09. > :05:16.veterinary officer is clear that licensing of future officers is
:05:17. > :05:24.needed and I'm determined to follow through on that. Data and technology
:05:25. > :05:27.has got the central role to play in maximising the potential of British
:05:28. > :05:31.food and farming and there are huge numbers of datasets relating to
:05:32. > :05:42.issues like crop yields and disease. In October we launched the first
:05:43. > :05:46.technology centre, using ?12 million of Government funding to harness
:05:47. > :05:56.this data. I thank the Minister very much for that answer and along those
:05:57. > :05:59.lines does he welcomed the development of pioneering
:06:00. > :06:05.technologies to reduce crop and food waste and boost production? And does
:06:06. > :06:06.he agree that we need to invest in agricultural technology to grow
:06:07. > :06:11.industries like those in Cambridgeshire? My honourable friend
:06:12. > :06:17.makes an important point and I welcome the eastern agricultural
:06:18. > :06:26.research hub which opened recently. It works at a commercial scale and
:06:27. > :06:31.that new hub will develop that. Technology has a role to play in
:06:32. > :06:35.improving our use of resources. You will be pleased to know that even
:06:36. > :06:39.though I am the MP for Huddersfield and not a Luddite. The fact of the
:06:40. > :06:46.matter is that the whole of the British countryside should have a
:06:47. > :06:50.Merry Christmas. Can I say this? I'm in favour of good management in the
:06:51. > :06:53.rural environment, using data and technology, but the other side of
:06:54. > :06:59.that is much of the countryside has been destroyed for wildlife by
:07:00. > :07:04.industrial farming and that is the truth of the matter, even in
:07:05. > :07:08.Cambridgeshire, whole swathes of countryside with nothing living to
:07:09. > :07:11.be seen, we have to get the balance right between protecting the
:07:12. > :07:17.environment and using technology in agriculture. I agree with the
:07:18. > :07:21.honourable gentleman that we have to get the balance right but I disagree
:07:22. > :07:25.that we are not. We have for many years had successful stewardship
:07:26. > :07:30.schemes with billions of pounds invested in creating new habitats
:07:31. > :07:39.for wildlife so we can see a recovery in wildlife populations and
:07:40. > :07:44.for example pollination. My best wishes to you and the deputy
:07:45. > :07:50.Speakers on a Merry Christmas and also to those in the Department. I
:07:51. > :07:56.hope it is a peaceful New Year. Even sometimes in this place. I do want
:07:57. > :07:59.to emphasise the issue around online services in the department, and
:08:00. > :08:05.where they are useful and helpful, not only for the community, and
:08:06. > :08:10.rural broadband which does not always replace face-to-face contact
:08:11. > :08:15.required by farmers. We recognise that and that is why we in future
:08:16. > :08:21.will ensure that farmers who want to submit a bps, this is in England,
:08:22. > :08:25.submit their applications on paper will be able to. The Government is
:08:26. > :08:32.investing hundreds of millions of pounds to bring broadband to areas
:08:33. > :08:36.that don't currently have it. Mr Speaker, today we have laid out how
:08:37. > :08:39.we plan to tackle air pollution hotspots in towns and cities whilst
:08:40. > :08:46.minimising the impact on businesses and families. I thanked you for the
:08:47. > :08:52.answer but the Secretary of State may be aware of the scheme to link
:08:53. > :08:58.the Channel Tunnel to major economic regions in Britain built to be
:08:59. > :09:04.capable of transporting full-size lorry loads on trains. It could take
:09:05. > :09:08.5 million journeys off the roads each year. The Department for
:09:09. > :09:11.Transport has taken an interest but I am asking the Secretary of State
:09:12. > :09:17.if she could use her offices to support the scheme. I'm certainly
:09:18. > :09:23.happy to look at that, and today I've launched plans for clean air
:09:24. > :09:32.zones in cities outside London, to make sure we are in compliance with
:09:33. > :09:35.a quality limits. -- air quality. One of the reasons that emissions
:09:36. > :09:42.are so high in this country is because of the systematic fitting of
:09:43. > :09:46.defeat devices, the cheating software Bible swaggered. There is
:09:47. > :09:54.enforcement action underway in the United States. -- by Volkswagen. Can
:09:55. > :09:58.she update us about what her department is doing in this area?
:09:59. > :10:04.The right honourable lady is absolutely right, that the American
:10:05. > :10:07.authorities are taking that action and my right honourable friend the
:10:08. > :10:11.Transport Secretary is looking very carefully at that and also making
:10:12. > :10:14.sure that their calls are appropriately tested. We have done
:10:15. > :10:21.is reach agreement at European level to make sure that what is actually
:10:22. > :10:25.being emitted from cars are the real emissions, and that will help us to
:10:26. > :10:31.deal with egg quality issues. The Secretary of State will no that many
:10:32. > :10:38.people regard the limits for maritime cruise ships berthing in
:10:39. > :10:42.cities as inadequate. -- air quality issues. Cities like Gothenburg
:10:43. > :10:47.require ship to shore energy supplies so why can't we have that
:10:48. > :10:52.for London? We are certainly looking at the issue that the honourable
:10:53. > :10:54.gentleman identifies. We are determined to fulfil our
:10:55. > :10:56.environmental obligations and we will be bringing the whole of the UK
:10:57. > :11:07.into compliance. English sparkling wine is a growing
:11:08. > :11:14.industry worth almost ?100 million. I note that to Max Barkan wines,
:11:15. > :11:23.including one in my honourable friend's constituency, recently beat
:11:24. > :11:28.champagne in a blind tasting. We are promoting British produce through
:11:29. > :11:32.our campaign. May I thank her for that answer? In my constituency,
:11:33. > :11:38.there has been a remarkable increase in a wine production. I believe more
:11:39. > :11:42.than in any other constituency. Is it not time for a coordinated
:11:43. > :11:47.strategy to promote these excellent wines which beat others from around
:11:48. > :11:52.the world in a wine tastings? Will she ensure that English sparkling
:11:53. > :12:02.wine is served at government events? Other inferior sparkling wine brands
:12:03. > :12:08.are confined to the sellers? I thank him for his sparkling point. I will
:12:09. > :12:11.be holding a round table in the New Year with the sparkling wine
:12:12. > :12:16.industry to talk about how we can in courage the industry to grow. I
:12:17. > :12:20.recently held an event in Shanghai in China with English sparkling wine
:12:21. > :12:23.and I in courage in all my colleagues across government to use
:12:24. > :12:29.English sparkling wine is there drink of choice. Can I thank the
:12:30. > :12:37.Secretary of State for support of English wine? She made a recent
:12:38. > :12:45.visit to the Premier area for English sparkling wine in Sussex.
:12:46. > :12:53.Can I remind her that 60% of the average bottle of wine in the UK
:12:54. > :12:56.goes on tax against 21% in France. How are heard discussions with the
:12:57. > :13:03.Chancellor going to get a better deal for it English wine producers?
:13:04. > :13:08.Excise duty is a matter for my right honourable friend, the Chancellor. I
:13:09. > :13:15.had a very enjoyable morning in Sussex. We started the tour at 9am.
:13:16. > :13:25.It was one of the best days in the job. Will my right honourable friend
:13:26. > :13:30.join me in welcoming a new venture to produce sparkling wine in my
:13:31. > :13:35.constituency? Can I ask her to take steps to make sure that policy
:13:36. > :13:39.across government supports the growth of the English sparkling wine
:13:40. > :13:45.industry? Well, it's not a surprise that even the French want to get in
:13:46. > :13:58.on the action of English sparkling wine. Using DEFRA's data, we have
:13:59. > :14:03.identified and extra 75 acres across the country suitable for growing
:14:04. > :14:10.these grapes. I'm sure it will go from strength to strength. We will
:14:11. > :14:17.be investing in 1500 flood schemes over the next six years. Spending
:14:18. > :14:26.?2.3 billion providing protection to an extra 300,000 homes. I hope the
:14:27. > :14:32.Minister will join me in thanking the work of our emergency agencies
:14:33. > :14:43.who have dealt with flooding incidents over the past fortnight.
:14:44. > :14:53.Coastal defences have been brought into my constituency. But others are
:14:54. > :15:01.not being renewed. Can he look again at whether or not these defences are
:15:02. > :15:08.adequate. If I can join in paying tribute to the members of the
:15:09. > :15:12.emergency services. I saw some of the wonderful work done by them and
:15:13. > :15:18.volunteers. I am pleased the honourable member is paying tribute
:15:19. > :15:24.to the work along the Fylde Coast. ?80 million worth of work. We would
:15:25. > :15:27.be delighted to look at the missing section on the Rossall Beach. Has
:15:28. > :15:35.the Minister explained to his backbenchers that the 300,000
:15:36. > :15:43.properties he's talking about have been those that are in the low risk
:15:44. > :15:48.moving to the lowest risk and do not substantially affect those residents
:15:49. > :15:56.living in the highest and most substantial risk? In other words,
:15:57. > :16:04.the money is being used to detect those least at risk. We disagree
:16:05. > :16:09.strongly on that. I am happy to sit down and discuss this in detail.
:16:10. > :16:14.These defences will have a serious impact on houses that are at serious
:16:15. > :16:22.risk of flooding. Can I compliment my noble friend for the way they
:16:23. > :16:25.have dealt with the tragedy for people in the north-west? Can I them
:16:26. > :16:30.to continue to make the point to those who have a simplistic view of
:16:31. > :16:33.flooding that it is some binary issue and dredging works in all
:16:34. > :16:37.cases when we know it does not. There are circumstances where
:16:38. > :16:46.capital schemes are the solution. That are other cases where we need a
:16:47. > :16:56.nuanced approach. Every single flood defence event requires a different
:16:57. > :17:01.solution. We need to look also at upstream mitigation, planting trees,
:17:02. > :17:06.the restoration of soils that are poached, looking at Pete bogs,
:17:07. > :17:10.looking at River movement. This is not only about flood defences. The
:17:11. > :17:20.work we will do over the next few months will focus on natural
:17:21. > :17:25.measures. The devastation of Northwest communities were clear for
:17:26. > :17:32.all to see but don't tell the full story. I meant people in smaller
:17:33. > :17:37.communities in Cumbria. Many who were just getting on with their job
:17:38. > :17:42.of cleaning up felt abandoned yet again with no hope of any schemes.
:17:43. > :17:47.Most of them small and inexpensive. What plans does the Minister have 2p
:17:48. > :17:57.attention to smaller communities also devastated by floods? I would
:17:58. > :18:02.like to pay tribute to his visit which was appreciated. Many people
:18:03. > :18:07.feel the media attention has been on Carlisle and the number of small
:18:08. > :18:12.villages affected have been ignored. You can see many communities like
:18:13. > :18:14.that across Cumbria who will be having a horrifying time. The
:18:15. > :18:23.arrogant have a very difficult winter. We are working to bundle
:18:24. > :18:36.schemes together, such as Stockdale wharf we have an alleviation scheme
:18:37. > :18:44.for a small hamlet. That must be extended. I would like to applaud
:18:45. > :18:56.the government's commitment for the project in place, but could you give
:18:57. > :19:01.us a note when for future funding? The honourable member is very
:19:02. > :19:07.interested in the rules that ancient woodland can play in flood
:19:08. > :19:11.alleviation. We are looking at that. There are three main initiatives
:19:12. > :19:17.being undertaken. Won by Cumbria County Council, one led why the
:19:18. > :19:29.Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the third put I am cheering for
:19:30. > :19:34.Lancashire. The work done on flood forecasting is done by the flood
:19:35. > :19:37.forecasting Centre, a collaboration between the Environment Agency the
:19:38. > :19:41.Met Office. It provides daily forecasts communicated to the public
:19:42. > :19:53.through the web and telephones providing flood warnings on flood
:19:54. > :19:59.alert on a real-time basis. Long-term assessments of flooding
:20:00. > :20:02.demonstrate that risk is becoming greater. The government has
:20:03. > :20:06.introduced an insurance scheme to support people in their homes were
:20:07. > :20:10.affected by insurance. Am I right in thinking that doesn't include small
:20:11. > :20:20.businesses? Will the Minister rethink that policy? This scheme
:20:21. > :20:28.will make a considerable difference to lower income households. Small
:20:29. > :20:31.businesses are not currently included because the Association of
:20:32. > :20:34.British Insurers believe there is no systematic trouble in providing
:20:35. > :20:41.insurance for small businesses, however should we discover that is
:20:42. > :20:47.the case I'm happy to sit down with him to ensure this matter is
:20:48. > :20:50.resolved. He mentioned low-lying Lincolnshire, but yet more and more
:20:51. > :20:54.huge housing schemes are being forced on us to meet rising
:20:55. > :20:58.population. Will the Minister responsible for defending the people
:20:59. > :21:05.from flooding remind those in the EU, the Home Office and the Treasury
:21:06. > :21:14.that in one of the most rain sodden countries in Europe there is a cost
:21:15. > :21:18.to free net migration into this country every year. Even if we could
:21:19. > :21:23.afford it, we should not build houses in the wrong places. I don't
:21:24. > :21:28.wish to be drawn into a debate on migration, but I believe we should
:21:29. > :21:32.not be building houses on flood plains. Guidance on this is strict
:21:33. > :21:37.and we push hard to ensure councils act knowledge and respect that
:21:38. > :21:42.guidance. In considering flood risks, has he assessed the risks of
:21:43. > :21:47.property ring in relation to services required in the clean-up
:21:48. > :21:51.after flooding? Can understand the cost of Skip hire and estate agent
:21:52. > :22:05.services have rocketed in areas affected by flooding. This is a
:22:06. > :22:10.serious risk of profiteering. Even criminal activity. The police in
:22:11. > :22:16.Cumbria, Lancashire and Northumberland are focused on this
:22:17. > :22:21.issue. You're right. We should absolutely condemn anybody who
:22:22. > :22:27.attempts to exploit misery for gain. My noble friend will know that over
:22:28. > :22:32.a year ago there was a tidal surge in the North Sea which brought
:22:33. > :22:36.flooding to a lot of the east coast, particularly Norfolk. I understand
:22:37. > :22:42.that -- there is a tidal surge forecast for Christmas Day and
:22:43. > :22:47.Boxing Day. Can he update us on what measures the Environment Agency are
:22:48. > :22:50.taking in the event of such a surge taking place? The Right honourable
:22:51. > :22:55.member is right. We are facing high spring tides at the moment, some of
:22:56. > :23:02.the highest for 18 years. We need to take into account the level of the
:23:03. > :23:05.tide themselves is not the determining factor. The low-pressure
:23:06. > :23:07.systems and the wind will also have an impact. The focus hard
:23:08. > :23:10.specifically on that tide on Christmas Day and the flood
:23:11. > :23:14.forecasting centre as sure as we have as accurate forecasts as
:23:15. > :23:23.possible and we have the measures in place to respond. Flood risk and the
:23:24. > :23:28.Humber remains high. The Environment Agency were involved in putting
:23:29. > :23:31.together proposals along with local authorities which the Environment
:23:32. > :23:36.Agency have now advised should be reassessed. Can he confirm his
:23:37. > :23:47.commitment to strengthening flood defences along the Humber? I thank
:23:48. > :23:51.the honourable member very much for the work he does for his
:23:52. > :23:56.constituents in arguing for more funding on the Humber. Considerable
:23:57. > :24:02.investment is going into defences in the Humber region. ?40 million in
:24:03. > :24:06.the north and 40 in the South. Were looking forward to a round table
:24:07. > :24:22.group will discuss every one of those schemes from Grimsby to half.
:24:23. > :24:25.-- to Hull each application will be considered on its merits taking into
:24:26. > :24:58.account the local plan. And He will be aware of the animal
:24:59. > :25:01.welfare order from 2006 that requires journey time to be
:25:02. > :25:04.minimised for animals rightly so. Does he agree with me that that
:25:05. > :25:11.should be a material consideration in planning terms to ensure that in
:25:12. > :25:21.modern animal husbandry we minimise the distance animals half to travel
:25:22. > :25:26.to abattoirs. Understand the point he is making. There are robust
:25:27. > :25:32.regulations in place at a European and UK level. They require for
:25:33. > :25:35.instance minimum journey times, rest times, set down requirements for the
:25:36. > :25:41.lorries carrying that transport. It is not always possible to co-locate
:25:42. > :25:46.factories close to clear poultry are because the investment means that
:25:47. > :25:47.you have to have quite often a large number of poultry farms supplying
:25:48. > :26:03.one abattoir. The national government can work
:26:04. > :26:07.through the landfill tax and harmonisation of the rat programme.
:26:08. > :26:25.Cycling is now at the highest level ever. 44%.
:26:26. > :26:39.I believe we are on track. The thing that will keep us on track is more
:26:40. > :26:44.harmonisation. We have over 300 types of recycling system so we are
:26:45. > :26:51.working hard on a voluntary basis to harmonise that. If we can reduce it
:26:52. > :26:58.to four or five we can reduce costs. On the first anniversary of the
:26:59. > :27:04.creation of the charity would the minister join me in encouraging
:27:05. > :27:13.people to recycle gift wrapping. We recycle enough card to wrap the
:27:14. > :27:21.Elizabeth Tower 260,000 times. Certainly both to confirm
:27:22. > :27:25.absolutely, real tribute to Wrap, which was an initiative led by the
:27:26. > :27:38.last Labour Government, it has done an awful amount of work on this
:27:39. > :27:44.agreement. May I declare my interest as a Member of Kettering Borough
:27:45. > :27:46.Council. Would the Minister like to congratulate Kettering Borough
:27:47. > :27:54.Council on being the best performer in having the best recycling and
:27:55. > :27:59.refuse service in the country following the introduction of the
:28:00. > :28:03.blue bin service. I would like to pay real tribute to Kettering and
:28:04. > :28:08.would like to invite Kettering to join us in the task force in order
:28:09. > :28:10.to communicate the best practice to the council is because there is a
:28:11. > :28:21.great deal we can learn from Kettering. Question number ten
:28:22. > :28:25.please. The National Audit Office recently completed an early review
:28:26. > :28:31.into the delivery programme and despite difficulties the programme
:28:32. > :28:37.is on course to realise a positive net present value of a over eight
:28:38. > :28:42.years. It has been the most complex ever but despite that, the core of
:28:43. > :28:50.the system is working. Already paying over 40% of farmers the BPS
:28:51. > :28:55.payment and the bass majority by the end of January. DNF you reports that
:28:56. > :29:00.many flood hit farmers in the North West have received a 11 me, being
:29:01. > :29:05.informed that they will not receive payments until February at the
:29:06. > :29:10.earliest. The Secretary of State on shoes they could say that the
:29:11. > :29:14.Government is seeing what it will do but now could he outlined what he is
:29:15. > :29:20.doing to ensure that the farmers receive payments before Christmas?
:29:21. > :29:24.The gentleman makes an important point and we are conscious of the
:29:25. > :29:28.plight of farmers in Cumbria. We have said that we would have
:29:29. > :29:33.difficulty paying before February because of the complexity of the
:29:34. > :29:39.system but we have identified 600 affected farmers in Cumbria to
:29:40. > :29:47.prioritise them. A Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and your
:29:48. > :29:53.staff. DNF US confirmed that most farms in Scotland are reliant on CHP
:29:54. > :29:59.payments to survive. Will the Minister confirm that in the event
:30:00. > :30:02.of Britain leaving the EU that the UK Government will guarantee the
:30:03. > :30:08.same level of payments to farmers so that they can survive? I would
:30:09. > :30:14.simply say that in terms of the current year's BPS, it is up to the
:30:15. > :30:18.Scottish Government to ensure that farmers are paid on time and we all
:30:19. > :30:23.have a debate to look forward to about Britain's membership of the
:30:24. > :30:29.European Union. I thought the honourable gentleman wanted a second
:30:30. > :30:37.question? Am I mistaken? Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will ask the Minister
:30:38. > :30:40.to confirm what will happen if Britain votes to leave the European
:30:41. > :30:48.Union, will the UK Government guarantee the same level of
:30:49. > :30:56.payments? If he could and said this time please. -- if he could answer
:30:57. > :31:00.this time. We want to renegotiate our relationship with the European
:31:01. > :31:04.Union and see powers come back, but we will put this to a referendum and
:31:05. > :31:09.the British public will make a decision. Should the UK decide to
:31:10. > :31:17.leave the European Union at that point the Government would set a
:31:18. > :31:30.national agricultural policy. Defra's mismanagement of the CAP
:31:31. > :31:34.programmes or childish squabbling. ?60 million over budget and farmers
:31:35. > :31:39.were forced to switch back to pen and paper. With millions in
:31:40. > :31:42.penalties predicted as a result wide in the Minister intervened to save
:31:43. > :31:51.farms and taxpayers from this IT disaster? -- why didn't the Minister
:31:52. > :31:55.intervened? We intervene when we realised it would be a difficulty to
:31:56. > :32:00.ensure that all farmers could get their applications in on time on a
:32:01. > :32:04.paper basis. We have worked hard since that point to enter it on the
:32:05. > :32:13.core of the system which has worked well. Question 11 Mr Speaker. We
:32:14. > :32:19.understand the pressure facing dairy farmers and have taken action to
:32:20. > :32:23.ease cash flow problems. ?26.2 million aid package secured from the
:32:24. > :32:29.European Commission will provide relief. We are introducing a fairer
:32:30. > :32:35.tax system for farmers, pushing for clearer labelling of products and
:32:36. > :32:38.developing a futures market. I thank the Minister for the answer, but can
:32:39. > :32:45.I press harder rather like the Sussex wine, what help can he offer
:32:46. > :32:53.milk processors to Admiral value so we can enhance opportunities to
:32:54. > :33:01.explored milk around the world? The honourable gentleman makes an
:33:02. > :33:05.important point. We are working on a project to investigate the potential
:33:06. > :33:08.to use funding through the European investment bank to make available
:33:09. > :33:16.loan capital to invest in new capacity. Topical questions.
:33:17. > :33:20.Following the recent flooding in the North of England I'm sure the House
:33:21. > :33:24.would want to join me in expressing sympathy is for all of those
:33:25. > :33:28.affected. I would also like to express gratitude to the emergency
:33:29. > :33:33.services, military, Environment Agency and volunteers who have
:33:34. > :33:38.worked around the clock to protect people and property. Earlier this
:33:39. > :33:42.week I visited Appleby and Carlisle to meet local residents and farmers
:33:43. > :33:46.and see the recovery efforts and the Government is doing all it can to
:33:47. > :33:52.ensure that every resource is available to help those areas get
:33:53. > :33:55.back on their feet. I share the Secretary of State's sentiment
:33:56. > :33:59.regarding flooding. Wikis shoppers want to support dairy farmers but
:34:00. > :34:09.current labelling is often too complicated to make this a. --
:34:10. > :34:14.British shoppers. So that this Christmas we can all buy British
:34:15. > :34:19.with confidence. What I would say is that my honourable friend is a
:34:20. > :34:24.fantastic champion of Yorkshire farmers and the Yorkshire Post is
:34:25. > :34:29.running a great campaign, I want to see British labelling on British
:34:30. > :34:32.dairy products across the country. I recently had the pleasure of
:34:33. > :34:37.visiting the Wensleydale creamery in his constituency in the newly
:34:38. > :34:43.expanded Yorkshire Dales National Park and I have been eating their
:34:44. > :34:47.yoghurt ever since. Thank you and happy Christmas. This week the Paris
:34:48. > :34:53.talks and the devastating floods in the North both reminded us of the
:34:54. > :34:57.importance of the climate change adaptation work but also the select
:34:58. > :35:02.committee raised concerns about the impact of further budget cuts. Will
:35:03. > :35:07.the Secretary of State tell us her top three policies for making our
:35:08. > :35:12.country more resilient and safer from climate change. The honourable
:35:13. > :35:15.lady is absolutely right and can I pay tribute to the climate change
:35:16. > :35:20.secretary for the fantastic work that she did in achieving the deal
:35:21. > :35:24.in Paris and I worked closely with her to make sure we are adapting to
:35:25. > :35:29.climate change. Of course the number one issue in terms of Defra's agenda
:35:30. > :35:34.is to make sure we have flood defences in place and that is why we
:35:35. > :35:38.have seen a real terms increase in flood defence spending in this
:35:39. > :35:43.Parliament, 2.3 billion over six years compared to 1.7 billion in the
:35:44. > :35:47.last parliament. And in the Autumn Statement the Chancellor also
:35:48. > :35:52.announced we would protect flood maintenance spending as well. I
:35:53. > :35:57.thank the Minister for her response but I did ask for three policies and
:35:58. > :36:04.is a shame she could only talk about one. It's little wonder when the
:36:05. > :36:10.unit has been slashed from 38 to six and expert advice is routinely
:36:11. > :36:13.ignored. Successful delivery of vital environmental, agricultural
:36:14. > :36:16.and rural services will not be possible without strong leadership
:36:17. > :36:20.and a sharp focus on priority areas so when are we going to get the
:36:21. > :36:26.leadership and sharp focus from the Secretary of State. The key point is
:36:27. > :36:30.that we bake climate change into everything we do across Defra,
:36:31. > :36:34.whether it is the programme to plant 11 million trees, whether it is the
:36:35. > :36:39.flood defence programme which we are increasing in real terms or whether
:36:40. > :36:43.it is the activity to make sure that we have biodiversity taken into
:36:44. > :36:51.account for climate change, every single team in Defra, that is part
:36:52. > :36:55.of their plans. The ice cream produced in my constituency is
:36:56. > :37:01.popular across the Solent region. Will the Secretary of State continue
:37:02. > :37:06.to promote British food brands and encourage supermarkets to do the
:37:07. > :37:10.same? I am delighted to visit in January to taste ice cream with him.
:37:11. > :37:14.It might be an seasonal but I'm sure it will be nice. I'm pleased to say
:37:15. > :37:20.that supermarkets are responding to the massive demand for British
:37:21. > :37:25.dairy, Marks and Spencers are moving from 80% British Jeddah to 100% and
:37:26. > :37:28.Tesco from early next year have committed 100% of their own brand
:37:29. > :37:37.yoghurt will be sourced from Britain. -- British Cheddar. In 2012
:37:38. > :37:40.the Secretary of State for climate change stated that in addition to
:37:41. > :37:48.environmental benefits the UK expects carbon capture and storage
:37:49. > :37:52.to be worth ?6.5 billion to the UK economy by the end of the next
:37:53. > :37:59.decade. Can the Minister tell me what economic analysis has been made
:38:00. > :38:05.of the effect of abandoning the carbon capture and storage
:38:06. > :38:07.competition? This is a matter for the Secretary of State for Energy
:38:08. > :38:10.and Climate Change and she has a very clear plan to deliver carbon
:38:11. > :38:19.reductions, economic growth and lower bills for bill payers and she
:38:20. > :38:31.is on track to do that. The honourable gentleman had no right to
:38:32. > :38:36.chunter, so he ought to thank the Secretary of State for offering some
:38:37. > :38:39.sort of response. I welcome the Secretary of State's emphasis on the
:38:40. > :38:44.promotion of British food both here and around the world. When I tried
:38:45. > :38:49.to buy lactose free milk I noticed that it comes from Denmark, can she
:38:50. > :38:52.ensure that the British dairy industry gets a grip on this and
:38:53. > :38:57.starts to produce lactose free milk for what is probably the biggest
:38:58. > :39:02.market in Europe? I thank my honourable friend for pointing that
:39:03. > :39:05.out and also there are huge opportunities in producing UHT milk
:39:06. > :39:10.here and overseas which I know the dairy industry is looking at. One
:39:11. > :39:14.thing we are doing is that in January we will establish the great
:39:15. > :39:19.British food unit to bring together UK expertise and Defra expertise so
:39:20. > :39:25.we have a one-stop shop for businesses wanting to export their
:39:26. > :39:28.fantastic products. The forced the family in my constituency have
:39:29. > :39:33.farmed in Saint Helens for 125 years and in recent years they have opened
:39:34. > :39:41.a shop selling their own produce. What is the Government doing to help
:39:42. > :39:46.farmers like that to showcase the best local produce and encourage
:39:47. > :39:50.people to buy and eat locally. The honourable gentleman makes an
:39:51. > :39:54.important point and through our programme we are supporting farm
:39:55. > :40:02.businesses who want to diversify and do want to start retailing their own
:40:03. > :40:06.produce. Trees are a vital and precious feature of our national
:40:07. > :40:10.environment, nowhere more so than in Cheltenham where they act as the
:40:11. > :40:12.town 's lungs. Can she bigger house on how many trees the Government
:40:13. > :40:20.will plant over the course of the Parliament? -- can she update the
:40:21. > :40:25.House? The Government is committed to planting 11 more trees -- 11
:40:26. > :40:27.million more trees and we are particularly proud of a scheme we
:40:28. > :40:31.are currently developing with the Woodland Trust to work with primary
:40:32. > :40:39.school children to educate them and plant trees. Given the impact of
:40:40. > :40:43.adapting and the challenge to adapting to climate change that we
:40:44. > :40:52.have heard about, how will she work towards mitigating global warming to
:40:53. > :40:54.1.5 degrees? I'm working closely with my honourable friend the
:40:55. > :41:00.climate change secretary to make sure that we hit our carbon budgets
:41:01. > :41:06.and it will include areas like agriculture and biodiversity and
:41:07. > :41:09.tree planting. I'm appalled at what the Secretary of State has announced
:41:10. > :41:13.today, that she is stopping vaccination in edge areas because it
:41:14. > :41:18.is exceptionally important when we see a 25% increase in the number of
:41:19. > :41:23.cattle slaughtered in Wales and 6% in England. I understand the reasons
:41:24. > :41:32.she has announced this today so will she looked at Defra's test which is
:41:33. > :41:34.95.5% specific and 98% sensitive so we can identify TB in infected
:41:35. > :41:44.badger sets. I thank him for that question. There
:41:45. > :41:49.is a global shortage of the BCG vaccine. Human health has the
:41:50. > :41:55.priority to make sure humans are protected against TB. As soon as
:41:56. > :42:01.that vaccine becomes available, we want to start vaccination in the
:42:02. > :42:15.edge areas. In 2013, the European food safety agency found high acute
:42:16. > :42:19.risk to honeybees. There is a petition against this pesticide
:42:20. > :42:24.which has reached 90,000 signatures. What measures will the government
:42:25. > :42:31.bringing to control use of this pesticide? We had a comprehensive
:42:32. > :42:37.debate on this last week. There is a comprehensive piece of research work
:42:38. > :42:48.on the impact of Niall McGinn tonight. -- those pesticides. There
:42:49. > :42:52.will be a review next summer. Carrying on the theme of Christmas
:42:53. > :43:02.spirit, since the Prime Minister was pictured enjoying a pint of Regan
:43:03. > :43:09.King, the export of this beer from my constituency has gone up from
:43:10. > :43:14.3000 cases to 50,000 cases. They are keen to learn port work her
:43:15. > :43:20.department is doing to help fund and organise trade shows in order to
:43:21. > :43:24.secure this important trade. I was in China a few weeks ago. One of the
:43:25. > :43:34.things we were promoting was Regan King. -- green King. We had the
:43:35. > :43:43.biggest ever delegation of food companies. We launched the Great
:43:44. > :43:48.British food unit bringing together expertise. I expect us to have even
:43:49. > :43:55.more in the future. Value for money and efficiency in delivering is
:43:56. > :44:03.important. Of the government has to be flexible regarding responding to
:44:04. > :44:06.events. Can I ask them to help farmers hit by recent flooding, by
:44:07. > :44:13.making partial payments from the basic payment scheme? I thank the
:44:14. > :44:18.honourable lady for that question. I met farmers in Cumbria earlier this
:44:19. > :44:22.week. Firstly, we are identifying 600 farmers and making sure we get
:44:23. > :44:26.the basic payments out as soon as possible to them. We have put in
:44:27. > :44:31.place a farming recovery fund which farmers can apply to from tomorrow,
:44:32. > :44:41.to give them extra funding needed to get the forms back to normal.
:44:42. > :44:50.Questions to the Right honourable member for Meriden regarding Church
:44:51. > :44:56.Commissioners. Question number one. The commission has made clear in its
:44:57. > :45:00.briefings on recent legislation that a change to the franchise as a
:45:01. > :45:04.matter for Parliament. It does not take a view on the merit of widening
:45:05. > :45:10.the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds. During the passage of
:45:11. > :45:14.the EU Referendum Bill, Parliament was advised regarding the
:45:15. > :45:15.implications of any such