Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been spent on maintaining the eel pass at St Ives sluice in each year since 2015.

The Environment Agency (EA) is the asset owner for the St Ives eel pass. Historically, the EA’s maintenance work has also been combined with routine operational checks to ensure the sluice gates at St Ives function correctly, rather than issuing a separate work order solely for inspecting the eel pass. Operational checks involve activities such as verifying gate movement, mechanical integrity, and overall system performance to maintain safe and reliable operation.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason was the lock structure at St Ives on the River Great Ouse closed in 2024.

St Ives lock was not subject to closure during 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost is of the Mildenhall eel pass.

Turf Lock Fish passage project at Mildenhall was developed and funded in partnership as part of the catchment-based approach to help improve our water environments. The project was delivered over 5 years as part of the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) Capital Programme. Through this fund the Environment Agency adopted a catchment approach, focusing on local communities, partner needs and looking for shared benefits supporting the environment and local communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated cost is of fixing all sluice gates at (a) Brownshill and (b) St Ives.

The gate refurbishment project is currently undergoing phase 1 which includes inspections, surveys and testing to determine all aspects of phase 2 work required.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential benefit to flood alleviation of replacing St Ives sluice gates with a weir.

The Environment Agency is assessing the potential flood alleviation benefits and impacts of a range of options, including the replacing of the St Ives sluice with a weir, through the current project development. The project’s objective is to maintain the upstream water level for navigation and the option delivering the best value for money will be taken forward, in line with Government spending policies. The assessment for each option and associated flood risk impacts will be based on fluvial modelling.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment was made by her Department of the recommendations within the Section 19 report regarding flooding in St Ives in 2024 prior to the decision by the Environment Agency to reclassify the locks as Flood defences from navigation assets.

The Environment Agency (EA) has reviewed a range of data and evidence relating to the St Ives Staunch Sluice and Lock, including hydraulic modelling and analysis of recent flood events. The EA’s assessment has confirmed that St Ives Staunch Sluice provides very limited flood risk benefit but remains important for maintaining navigation water levels. The decision to reclassify St Ives Staunch Sluice’s primary purpose to navigation reflects this evidence and aligns with the EA’s internal asset classification policy. The EA recognises that this change may cause concern locally, it does not affect the level of flood risk funding the asset is eligible for. It also enables St Ives Sluice to attract additional funding from Navigation which has supported the EA’s ability to progress the moderation case for St. Ives. The community can be assured that the current the condition of the structure does not increase flood risk to homes.

Food and Rural Affairs, by what date she expects the repair work on (a) St Ives and (b) Brownshill staunches to be completed.

The Environment Agency (EA) remains committed to maintaining and repairing these assets and has secured funding for repairs to St Ives Sluice and Brownshill Staunch Sluice through to 31 March 2027. Subject to successful procurement and weather conditions, the EA expects major on-site works to commence during the summer and autumn of 2026, when river conditions are most suitable for construction. These on-site works are expected to be completed by March 2027. The EA has set up a website to keep the local community up to date on both projects. I encourage you to share this website with your constituents.St Ives Sluice and Brownshill Sluice | Engage Environment Agency

Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the reservoir from which the proposed Universal Studios Bedford theme park plans to draw its water supply.

Anglian Water has an existing program to upgrade water resources in the region by 65Ml/d which will provide infrastructure to the Universal application. Universal has committed to a program to minimise water usage through collection of on-site water resources, be that rainwater run-off, lake abstraction, water recycling or possible use of borehole abstraction, as part of the application submission.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the reservoir from which the proposed new town at Tempsford plans to draw its water supply.

Anglian Water has a statutory obligation to provide water supplies and will plan provision of this supply for the proposed Tempsford New Town, through the Water Resources Management Plan process.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund has been invested since the fund was announced.

On 19 May 2025, the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund was announced to support the next generation of fishers. A key principle of the fund is that we will work with the industry to target investment where it matters most. That engagement has started and will continue until the end of 2025. The fund is intended for delivery from 2026/27, so engagement is a key priority for this year. As such, no funds have yet been invested as we are working through the fund’s priorities with stakeholders. Once this engagement has concluded, further details on the fund will be provided.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of changing water regulation to permit dynamic abstraction from rivers during high river levels which cause flooding.

Defra recognises the value of flood and high flow water, especially in water stressed catchments. The Environment Agency (EA) has published a Regulatory Position Statement that allows abstractors to pump water outside of normal licence conditions during flood warnings. It is also reviewing the licensing requirements for other low risk abstractions, including high flow abstraction. The EA encourages abstractors to take advantage of high flows by varying their licences. It has introduced ‘e-alerts’ to notify abstractors when flows exceed licence thresholds, is exploring the potential for automated pumping systems, and supporting a ‘smart farming’ project sponsored by MHCLG to further improve access. Water taken by abstractors will have minimal effect on reducing flooding, as pumping capacities would typically be dwarfed by flood volumes. The planned move of water resources into the Environmental Permitting Regulations will provide even greater flexibility to ensure abstractors can access high flow and flood water.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ICL being the UK water industry’s sole domestic supplier of sodium hydrochlorite on the security of the water supply.

Defra works routinely with the water sector to proactively identify and mitigate risks to safeguard the security of water supplies. The Government is preparing to respond to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission, including on assessing potential vulnerabilities in the supply chains needed to produce safe drinking water. Reforms outlined in this response will form the basis of a new water reform bill to be introduced early in this Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79746 on Food: Public Sector, what her planned timetable is for making this assessment.

Work to assess the food bought by public bodies and where it comes from is underway. When the results of this work become available, they will help inform Government’s approach on public sector food procurement.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20th October 2025 to Question 79746 on Food: Public Sector, by when will the Government complete its assessment of what food the public sector buys and where it comes from.

Work to assess the food bought by public bodies and where it comes from is underway. When the results of this work become available, they will help inform Government’s approach on public sector food procurement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) tree-planting and (b) woodland creation projects have been undertaken through the Nature for Climate Fund Programme in Huntingdon constituency since the establishment of that programme.

The Forestry Commission publishes statistics on new planting of woodland, and trees outside woodland, in England. These can be found in the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators. These statistics are reported annually for each financial year in hectares, with interim updates where data are available at mid-year. This government has not set specific targets for individual constituencies and the reporting statistics the hon. Member has requested are not currently available. The statistics show recorded new planting from the Nature for Climate Fund Programme and other grant schemes from administrative records with estimates for new planting without grant aid.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether any flood defence infrastructure projects in Huntingdon constituency would be eligible for upgrades through the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Programme.

This Government is investing more than £10.5 billion by the end of 2036 to protect the country against the threat of flooding and coastal erosion. Projects from the Huntingdon constituency and all constituencies across the country will be able to benefit from this funding and apply to upgrade their defences under new spending rules, announced 14 October. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules. This will increase investor confidence, close funding gaps, and reduce administrative burdens on local communities. Around 10 projects in Huntington have already benefitted from funding this financial year, including £1.035 million for Alconbury Flood Alleviation Scheme, £694k for St Ives Sluice Moderation Project and £275k for Flood Storage Options for Great Ouse Catchment.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74136 on Catering: Public Sector, how many public sector organisations currently purchase more than half their food from British producers.

The Government is currently assessing what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. This will enable us to determine the extent to which public sector organisations are buying food from British producers, providing a baseline with which to measure progress.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has he made in delivering the Livestock Information Transformation Programme.

Defra's Livestock Information Transformation Programme (LITP) is delivering significant progress towards modernising England's livestock traceability systems. LITP will enable faster response to animal disease outbreaks, provide data to help improve animal health and welfare, give further assurances on food safety, support productivity, and facilitate trade. LITP has completed the initial design and development phase for the new Livestock Information Service (LIS), which will replace outdated species-specific systems with a single, multispecies platform capable of near real-time movement reporting. The pilot phase for the new cattle service will begin in December 2025 with selected cattle keepers, with wider availabillity to all cattle keepers across England planned over 2026. Livestock traceability data from England, Wales and Scotland will continue to be integrated, enabling Chief Veterinary Officers to track livestock locations and movements across the UK. This ensures we maintain a robust biosecurity management, providing a more efficient system for both Government and industry. Following cattle implementation, additional species will be added on to LIS, with timelines to be confirmed once cattle rollout is complete. This programme represents the Government’s commitment to modernising livestock traceability and will deliver enhanced disease control capabilities, improved animal welfare monitoring, and stronger support for trade and the country’s farmers.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the local authorities his Department is working with in Cambridgeshire to deliver the NO2 Programme.

The Government is supporting 64 local authorities through the NO2 programme specifically to develop and implement measures to address their Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) exceedances in the shortest possible time. No local authorities in Cambridgeshire were identified as within scope of the NO2 programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made in delivering the Collections and Packaging Reforms programme.

The Government has passed or is on track to pass all the necessary legislation to deliver the Collection and Packaging Reforms Programme, and making strong progress on achieving our target of 65% recycling by 2035 in England, after a decade of stagnating recycling rates. For Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations came into effect on 1 January 2025 and on Friday 27 June 2025, PackUK confirmed 2025 base fees (fees for Year 1 of pEPR) for eight packaging material categories. Packaging producers liable under the regulations have been invoiced this month. In January 2025, the legislation for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland came into force. A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will run the scheme, and were officially appointed in May 2025 (England & NI) and June 2025 (Scotland). UK DMO will engage regularly with shops, drinks companies, environmental groups, and the public to help design and run the scheme. Simpler Recycling has now come into effect for all workplaces with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees in England. This requires workplaces to separately recycle dry mixed recycling (plastic, metal, glass), paper and card, and food waste. By 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect the core recyclable waste streams from all households in England. This includes introducing weekly food waste collections for all homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies (a transitional arrangement is where a local authority has agreed a later implementation date set in regulations). Micro-firms (workplaces with fewer than 10 employees), have until 31 March 2027 to comply, and plastic film collections from all households and workplaces will also be required by then. Finally, to help tackle the problem of illegal waste practices and outdated record-keeping, we are introducing mandatory digital waste tracking, which will become available for all permitted and licensed sites receiving waste in April 2026 and mandatory for permitted and licensed waste receiving sites from October 2026 in the first phase.