Every parliamentary written question tabled by Bradley Thomas this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–15 of 15 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her department is taking to introduce minimum animal welfare standards for all food imports that are in line with British animal welfare standards for domestic farmers.
I refer the Hon. Member to the reply given to Mr Lee Dillon on 4 February 2026 to PQ UIN 109910.
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who die each year from wildfire smoke.
Whilst Defra considers smoke from wildfires to be important the department has not, to date, made an estimate of the number of people who die each year from wildfire smoke.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of household water bills in 2025; and what discussions her Department plans to have with Ofwat on levels of water bills.
It is Ofwat's responsibility to independently scrutinise water company business plans and ensure that the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. On October 9, the Competition and Markets Authority published its provisional decision that, for the five companies that appealed, bills should increase further. This decision remains subject to consultation and they will not publish their final decision until early next year. This is an independent, statutory process. The Government has acted decisively by consulting on reforms to WaterSure - the statutory scheme which caps bills for low-income customers with necessary higher water usage and by introducing new and increased compensation for companies to pay customers in the event of unforeseen disruption to supply. We expect water companies to ensure that their customers know what support schemes are available and how to use them if they need help.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and his Brazilian counterpart on the Brazilian government's proposal to reclassify the Pernambuco tree from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I.
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs or their Brazilian counterpart. Preparations for the CITES Conference of Parties are led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote beekeeping.
In 2024 the annual Hive Count exercise produced a figure of 252, 647 honey bee colonies in the UK which indicates that there continues to be interest in keeping bees. There are over 52,700 beekeepers in England, Wales and Scotland registered on BeeBase, the voluntary register managed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU). Defra encourages all beekeepers to have good husbandry skills, including recognition of pests and disease and husbandry practices which can minimise the risk of introducing and spreading disease within an apiary.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in Bromsgrove.
Agreements under the Countryside Stewardship scheme in the Bromsgrove Parliamentary Constituency area contain 2,139 hectares of land as of 2024. The scheme supports a range of enhanced environmental outcomes from restoring wildlife habitats, creating woodlands to managing flood risk. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier is expected to continue to deliver a range of environmental benefits to farmers when it opens to new applications.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will visit a farm in Worcestershire to meet with (a) local farmers and (b) hon. Members to discuss changes to agricultural property relief.
Ministers regularly engage and visit farmers across England and have met with farming organisations and representatives nearly every week since coming into Government.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of illegal fly-tipping on agricultural activity.
The department does not intend to assess the potential impact of illegal fly-tipping on agricultural activity. The Government understands the difficulty that fly-tipping poses to all landowners. We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created and will provide further details on this in due course. We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. Various practical tools, including case studies and ‘how to’ guides on key issues such as setting up effective local partnerships, are available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of the mandatory displaying of waste licence numbers on advertisements for waste disposal and (b) impact of doing so on the level of illegal disposal of waste.
The current waste carriers, brokers and dealers regulatory regime is not fit for purpose, so I have asked officials to look at how we strengthen that regime to crack down on waste criminals. This includes consideration of the mandatory display of waste licence numbers on advertising. A full impact assessment would be conducted ahead of any legislative reform.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many successful prosecutions for (a) fly tipping and (b) environmental crime there were in 2024 in Bromsgrove constituency, by category.
Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions, such as prosecutions, to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. This data isn't available at a constituency level and excludes the majority of private-land incidents. Data for the 2023/24 reporting year will be published on 26 February 2025. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected. The Environment Agency investigates fly tipping where the waste is more than 20 tonnes, a specified amount of hazardous waste, or is suspected to be linked to organised.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on rural entrepreneurship.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of criminal sanctions for fly tipping.
We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. Sentencing is a matter for the independent courts. We do not intend to carry out any further assessment of criminal sanctions for fly tipping. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are considering if further guidance is needed.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the risk of flooding in Bromsgrove constituency.
Communities at risk of flooding in the Bromsgrove constituency include Hagley, Hollywood, and Bromsgrove itself. At present, there have been no reports to the Environment Agency of property flooding in this constituency during the recent wet weather. The Environment Agency has been supporting Worcestershire County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority and Bromsgrove District Council, to establish flood risk management projects on the 2021-2026 Flood and Coastal Risk Management Investment Programme. Over £300,000 has been invested to date with a further £1.2 million planned to be invested under the new Government. The projects aim to better protect over 100 properties from flooding through Property Level Resilience interventions across Bromsgrove and Redditch Council areas. The Environment Agency is engaging with the community at Hagley and Bromsgrove via flood action groups and responding to direct enquiries from residents. A Flood Warning Service is available to over 900 homes and businesses at risk of flooding from main rivers in the constituency. The Environment Agency will continue to collaborate with partners towards raising awareness of flood risk in the area to support community resilience.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect rural communities in Bromsgrove constituency from flooding.
Communities at risk of flooding in the Bromsgrove constituency include Hagley, Hollywood and Bromsgrove itself. At present, there have been no reports to the Environment Agency (EA) of property flooding in this constituency during the recent wet weather. The EA has been supporting Worcestershire County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority and Bromsgrove District Council, to establish flood risk management projects on the 2021-2027 Flood and Coastal Risk Management Investment Programme. Over £300,000 has been invested to date with a further £600,000 planned to be invested over the next 3 years. The projects aim to better protect 155 properties from flooding by March 2027 through Property Level Resilience interventions across Bromsgrove and Redditch Council areas. The EA are engaging with the community at Hagley and Bromsgrove via flood action groups and responding to direct enquiries from residents. A Flood Warning Service is available to over 900 homes and businesses at risk of flooding from main rivers in the constituency. The EA will continue to work with partners towards raising awareness of flood risk in the area to support community resilience.
Food and Rural Affairs, how the Floods Resilience Task Force will work with stakeholders in Bromsgrove constituency.
The Government’s new Floods Resilience Taskforce marks a new approach to preparing for flooding. It brings together a range of partners in national, regional and local Government, including the Environment Agency (EA), Devolved Administrations, selected Regional Mayors and Lead Local Flood Authorities. Membership of the Taskforce is flexed to meet the specific agenda and priorities but the Taskforce will also work with a wider range of flood risk partners as needed. The EA has been supporting Bromsgrove District Council to deliver flood risk management projects which will increase protection for over 150 properties by 2027. The EA has acted on local feedback to further improve the flood warning service on these watercourses, to help warn and inform constituents to take action to protect livelihoods and property.