Written questions by Costigan.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help (a) support British farmers to negotiate contracts with retailers and (b) preserve traditional farming methods.

The Government will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness in the supply chain across all sectors. Where farmers sell directly to retailers, their agreements will be covered within the scope of the sectoral regulations that we are introducing through powers in the Agriculture Act 2020. Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling contractual unfairness wherever it exists Farmers are not only an important part of our local economies and communities, they play a crucial role in tackling biodiversity loss; improving water and air quality and improving our resilience to climate change. To us, food security is national security, and so it is important that we have a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports British farmers. We understand the importance of, and need for, continuity when it comes to traditional farming practices for certain landscapes. This government will work with the sector to optimise schemes, including the methods and actions they fund, making sure that they work for all farmers whilst delivering food security and nature recovery in a just and equitable way.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce design standards that ensure greater accessibility in (a) parks, (b) woodlands and (c) other outdoor spaces for disabled people.

The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public sector organisations to have due regard to the provision of walking and wheeling infrastructure for those who are disabled or have reduced mobility. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 introduced the need for local authorities to prepare and publish rights of way improvement plans explaining how improvements made by the local authority to the public rights of way network will provide a better experience for people with mobility problems. There are no plans to make any further legislative changes in this area at this time. In addition Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Standards for England sets out the principles for planning green infrastructure to deliver multiple benefits for people and nature.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a deposit return scheme on levels of (a) litter and (b) public disamenity caused by litter; and if he will make an estimate of the monetary value of that impact.

Across the UK, it is estimated that approximately 4 billion plastic and 2.5 billion metal drinks containers are not recycled every year – a significant amount being littered. Once the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers is introduced, the Deposit Management Organisation will be required to reach a collection rate of 90% of DRS containers in year 3 of the scheme. Further details, including monetary analysis on the reduction of disamenity of litter, will be provided in the DRS Final Impact Assessment. This will be published when the Statutory Instrument is laid in Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent flooding in urban areas.

Protecting all communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. The new Government has established a Floods Resilience Taskforce, a key commitment that marks a new approach to preparing for flooding and working between national, regional and local Government, including the devolved administrations, and flood risk partners. The Government is investing over £1.25 billion in 2024/25 to build and maintain flood defences to scale up national resilience including in urban areas and is strongly committed to requiring standardised sustainable drainage systems in new developments. We need to see sustainable drainage systems in more developments; to designs that cope with changing climatic conditions, deliver wider water infrastructure benefits and help tackle our water pollution problems. We also need to ensure that appropriate adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place. The responsibility for local flood risk management falls to lead local flood authorities. They do this in partnership with highways authorities and water companies. Water and sewerage companies in England must prepare, publish and maintain Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans. They will help water and sewerage companies better plan for extreme weather, such as flooding, and take the actions necessary to mitigate these current and future risks over the next 25 years.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of incentives under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to encourage the use of reusable packaging.

Re-use has a significant role to play in driving down unnecessary waste, and the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging will encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the proposed level of producer involvement in the (a) establishment and (b) administration of the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme Administrator.

Yes. The Scheme Administrator is already guided by the Scheme Administrator Steering Group, whose membership includes representatives across the packaging and waste value chain including several producers and their trade associations. The Secretary of State is committed to continuing to include producers and the wider packaging value chain in co-designing the future iterations of the scheme’s administration. This includes but is not restricted to supporting the development of future producer-led models including a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the proposed introduction of litter payments under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.

Defra is working with the Devolved Administrations on future amends to the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, including the management of binned waste and litter within this scheme.