Speeches by Reynolds.

“Coastal is super-important too and you will see it is very coastal. David, do you want to say something more about that?”

“That is a very good question. Thank you. The Batters review is critical. I absolutely want to see a more profitable farming sector. We want to ensure that agriculture is contributing to growth and supporting food security but also supporting our environmental objectives. I hope to be able to say something a little bit …”

“Sure. You mentioned rural proofing. I am still new to the Department but I know, having spoken to the Department, that we have an important role across Government. We help other Departments with training and guidance, and with statistics to ensure that they consider what the impact is of some of their policies in rural…”

“There have been before my time.”

“Let me try to answer that question and forgive me if I do not get to the nub of it. You can always come back. It is a big Department in terms of the number of ALBs. They all have very specific duties and vary in size. It is true to say, for example, that we are changing the leadership of the Rural Payments Agency, whic…”

“Well, I backed Ofwat in this period and what we are seeing is encouraging because I am quite impatient for change. I was in Opposition for nine and a half years before I lost my seat and then came back. We must legislate to introduce a single water regulator but we are already encouraging our regulators to integrate so…”

“I am already working constructively—not my words, by the way; that I saw in the press—with our regulators, particularly the Environment Agency and Natural England and Ofwat. The big structural change that we are taking forward within this Parliament—and we will be setting this out in further detail in the water White P…”

“Indeed.”

“I am excited about that. If you would like me to come back—I do not know if I am supposed to already volunteer to come back—but it is an interesting report. I am very excited to get it out there. We are just doing some work on it, going through the recommendations, but it is brilliant to have someone of Minette’s exper…”

“I have not been that involved in the detail of this but it is my understanding that there was a request for this fund to be devolved because there were concerns that under the previous Government the seafood fund that they had was not devolved. That is my understanding.”

“Yes, we will wrap it up. Yes.”

“Soon.”

“We can certainly have a look into that for you.”

“Hopefully improved productivity in the farming sector, major improvements in our water infrastructure, and our food industry going from strength to strength. It is already a powerful and strong sector. I cannot put new numbers around that but that is where I hope we will be.”

“I think DEFRA has two different roles in growth, an enabling role but also driving more directly. Let me come to the second role, which I think is what you are getting at. We are doing a huge amount of work with Baroness Minette Batters on farming profitability. We want to help our farming sector drive growth in the se…”

“Thank you very much. I am really excited about this relatively new role—eight weeks now in the role. It is a real privilege. DEFRA is a very important Department of Government and you as the scrutiny arm of the Parliament are very important because this is about the air we breathe, the water that we drink, the nature t…”

“Thank you for the invitation. I am delighted to be with the Committee for the first time. I am the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.”

“It is a pleasure, as ever, to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis) for securing this debate and the opportunity to have a constructive discussion about living standards in the east of England. I thank other hon. Members who have contributed, incl…”

“indicated assent.”

“I might not be able to give my hon. Friend the specifics about her region right now, but I will say that my colleague the Pensions Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea West (Torsten Bell), has secured an ambitious industry-led accord—the Mansion House accord—that commits 17 pension funds, representing 90% of…”