Written questions by Anderson.

Food and Rural Affairs, what monitoring arrangements will her Department put in place to ensure that environmental protections in Buckinghamshire are maintained following the introduction of the new permitting exemptions.

Proposed changes to environmental permitting will make controls more proportionate for certain low-risk preparatory work associated with house building and other developments. The Environment Agency (EA) will be able to create new exemptions from environmental permitting subject to consulting on exemption conditions and providing a risk assessment. The EA will monitor use of the new exemptions and have power to amend or revoke new or current exemptions, with consultation, where necessary to protect the environment. We anticipate that housing developments and similar projects will benefit from streamlined processes for low-risk construction activities, including certain earthworks (e.g. creating bunds and landscaping to shield the building site) and placement of materials near to watercourses. However, the EA will only be permitted to introduce new exemptions where robust safeguards are in place to maintain essential protections for the environment and local communities. Local authorities will have the opportunity to engage in consultations on specific proposals when the EA exercises its new powers. Officials at Defra have worked closely with the EA to develop these proposals and will continue to collaborate to support effective implementation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that farmers in Buckinghamshire can transition smoothly from Countryside Stewardship to the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

On the 15 October 2025 we announced a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers with Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements expiring on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and administer the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. We will publish the 2026 information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many Countryside Stewardship agreements currently in place in Buckinghamshire are eligible for the one-year extension announced in October 2025.

There are 6474 hectares of farmland in Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements in Buckinghamshire which are due to expire on 31 December 2025. The majority of these will be offered a one-year extension.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the additional hectares of farmland in Buckinghamshire that will remain under agri-environment schemes as a result of the extension to Countryside Stewardship.

There are 6474 hectares of farmland in Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements in Buckinghamshire which are due to expire on 31 December 2025. The majority of these will be offered a one-year extension.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Tenant Farmers Commissioner on agricultural productivity in Buckinghamshire.

The Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector in England has been appointed by the Government to strengthen relationships and collaboration between tenant farmers, landlords and advisers in all parts of England including Buckinghamshire. Tenant farmers, landlords and advisors working in the tenanted sector in Buckinghamshire can contact the Commissioner to raise an issue or enquiry relating to tenancy matters through the Commissioner’s webpages at Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector: role and services - GOV.UK. The Government is committed to keeping the effectiveness of this approach under review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Tenant Farmers Commissioner has adequate powers to help tackle tenancy disputes.

As a non-statutory role, the Commissioner will promote and encourage good relations between tenants, landlords, and advisors, and provide a neutral and confidential point of contact for anyone who has concerns that the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice for England is not being followed. Where concerns or issues cannot be resolved the Commissioner will signpost sources of further professional advice as appropriate. The Government is committed to keeping the effectiveness of this approach under review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed water efficiency standards on new home construction costs.

We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills. The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed water-saving measures on water availability in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills. The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics her Department will use to assess the effectiveness of water-saving measures in new homes.

We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills. The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, how she plans to monitor compliance with proposed water efficiency standards.

We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills. The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to evaluate the long-term impact of proposed water-saving measures on water consumption.

We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills. The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department plans to provide to developers to implement proposed water efficiency standards.

We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills. The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to measure the effectiveness of the Tenant Farmers Commissioner’s work.

The Commissioner for the Tenant farming sector will report to the joint Defra and industry Farm Tenancy Forum on delivery of the Commissioner’s services, including on insights from engagement with the sector and the number and type of informal and formal complaints the Commissioner has received (unattributed and redacted). This will enable ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of and demand for the Commissioners services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the resources required to support the new Tenant Farmers Commissioner.

Defra has assessed the resources required to support the Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector based on other similar industry roles and insights from industry stakeholders on likely demand for the Commissioner’s services. This will be under continuous review to ensure the Commissioner’s services are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Food and Rural Affairs, how she plans to assess progress towards establishing the proposed UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary zone under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

This autumn we expect to start the detailed negotiations on the SPS agreement, as well as the other commitments from our summit in May Defra has established a programme to deliver the work required to implement a UK-EU SPS agreement. This is already part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio, with regular progress reporting into the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has set any quantitative targets for the reduction in emergency-authorised pesticide applications that risk harming pollinators, following the publication of the revised guidance.

The new guidance makes clear that risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators, will be taken fully into account. No pesticide will be granted an emergency authorisation unless the benefits outweigh those risks. The legislation governing emergency authorisations for pesticides requires that each application is assessed against strict criteria. As each application is considered on its own merits and on the basis of the relevant evidence, it is not appropriate to set a target for the number of emergency authorisations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of pesticides used under emergency authorisations will be subject to risk assessments under the new guidance.

The new guidance applies to all applications for emergency authorisation of pesticides. All such applications will therefore be subject to assessments of risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators.

Food and Rural Affairs, what methodology her Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of the revised emergency authorisation guidance in reducing harm to bee populations.

Defra has developed a Pesticide Load Indicator which combines data on quantities used with data on the properties of each pesticide. The indicator illustrates trends in the potential pressure on the environment arising from the use of pesticides. The metrics for bees indicate a very substantial reduction in load in recent years, due in large part to the end of widespread use of three neonicotinoid pesticides which carry risks to bee populations.The National Honey Monitoring Scheme supports estimates of honeybee exposure to pesticides. Defra also contributes funding for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which tracks changes in numbers across the UK.Defra will continue to monitor trends in these metrics and other data to ensure that risks from pesticides to bees, including the risks of any pesticides given emergency authorisation, are being kept to acceptable levels.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that remain without access to central government-supported flood resilience measures.

Flood Resilience Measures include Natural Flood Management, Property Flood Resilience (PFR), and Sustainable Drainage Systems. These can be effective at reducing the impacts of flooding but are always considered against a range of flood risk management options. The National Flood Risk Assessment identifies 196 properties at high or medium risk from fluvial flooding within this constituency. The Environment Agency are undertaking a new 'Initial Assessment' for Buckingham which will look at flood risk data and create a high-level evaluation of potential mitigation measures. A further 2629 properties are identified at high or medium risk from surface water flooding. Surface water flood management is the responsibility of the Lead Local Flood Authority. The FCRM Investment Programme includes the following projects to reduce risk from surface water: Leckhampsted Natural Flood ManagementTingewick Flood Alleviation SchemeBuckingham Natural Flood ManagementBuckingham Property Flood Resilience Study

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with (a) Buckinghamshire Council and (b) Thames Valley Police to help reduce incidents of fly-tipping.

Local authorities are usually best placed to respond to fly-tipping problems in their area. Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties, including local authorities and National Police Chiefs Council, to share good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. The NFTPG has developed various practical tools including a guide on how councils and others can set up and run effective local partnerships to tackle fly-tipping. These are available at: https://nftpg.com/. We also encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers. We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise their existing powers. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.