Written questions by Anderson.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of (a) agriculture, (b) forestry and (c) fishing business closures since 2017.

Defra is aware of the Office for National Statistics' quarterly business openings and closures data. There are many factors unrelated to government policy that might explain why businesses would be shown as "closing" in the data source, including purely statistical factors. Defra monitors data on the number of farm businesses registered with Defra for England published here Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June - GOV.UK. This Government is committed to supporting economic growth. We continue to work closely with our agriculture, fishing, seafood and forestry sectors to ensure they are vibrant, profitable, and sustainable.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban foreign supertrawlers from UK waters.

The UK is committed to protecting our marine environment and ensuring sustainable fisheries. We are taking action through Marine Protected Area management and Fisheries Management Plans, which apply to all vessels in UK waters. Any policy changes must be evidence-based and consistent with our international obligations, including the non-discrimination provisions of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. We continue to monitor fishing activity closely and will act where there is evidence of harm or non-compliance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The Department does not hold data or information centrally on the number of workdays completed by staff remotely.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of (a) agriculture, (b) forestry and (c) fishing business closures on the supply of food.

The Government assesses a whole variety of factors that affect UK food supply using readily available data. Two examples include: the Production to Supply ratio last updated in July 2025 (found here Chapter 14: The food chain - GOV.UK) and analysis of the UK’s Seafood Consumption (found here Seafood Consumption 2025 — Seafish and published annually).

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enforce the ban on glue traps.

The Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 bans glue trap use in England in all but the most exceptional, licensable circumstances. It came into force in 2024. Nothing in the law prevents sale of glue traps in England. However, only pest controllers with a licence can legally use them for rodent control. The police enforce against illegal use of glue traps. All wildlife crime police officers in England are able to access the National Wildlife Crime Unit’s (NWCU) DISC Hub which provides updates regarding national wildlife crime issues. Comprehensive briefing on glue traps legislation has been available on this Hub since the Act came into force. If a police officer needs to urgently know the legislation, they have the correct pathway to the information they need and should take the appropriate enforcement action. Natural England meanwhile is the licensing authority for the use of glue traps for rodent control. Its officers will enforce against breaches of licensed use and Natural England is suitably resourced to fulfil this function.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to introduce a public awareness campaign on the impact of domestic pesticide usage on wildlife.

All authorised plant protection products have statutory conditions of use that must be followed by all users, and strict, science-based regulation is supplemented with policies to encourage safe and minimal use. In March this year, the government published the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) 2025, which sets out the actions that all four UK governments will take to reduce the potential harm from pesticide use. Through events such as Bees Needs Week, the government highlights what the public can do to help pollinators – including thinking carefully about whether to use pesticides.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were.

The amount of expenditure recorded for translation services in the 2023/24 financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March, is £1,699.13. For the 2024/25 financial year, the provisional expenditure is £2,703.84.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the adequacy of access to green spaces (a) in Ashfield constituency and (b) nationwide.

Defra does not hold information on the specific steps taken in Ashfield constituency on the adequacy of access to green spaces. However, we have committed that everyone should live within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space and are working to reduce other barriers which prevent people from accessing green and blue spaces, such as physical challenges, lack of confidence and lack of information. Progress towards meeting the commitment is being made through work already happening across Government to both increase available natural space and make it more accessible, such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government's Green Flag Awards; Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework and Defra's Access for All and Farming in Protected Landscapes programmes. As of May 2025, we have published two new official statistics in development on walkability within England to the nearest green or blue space. We are in the process of developing next steps which will be announced in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support his Department is providing for people struggling with water bills.

The Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to this end. We expect water companies to put robust support in place for vulnerable customers and keep current support schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount that a person can be fined for having a dangerous dog.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, there are already strict penalties in place. The owner of any dog that is dangerously out of control may be put in prison for up to 14 years, banned from ever owning a dog and receive an unlimited fine. We have no plans to increase these penalties.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing stronger penalties for owners involved with dangerous dog incidents.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, any dog that is dangerously out of control can be euthanised and their owners put in prison for up to 14 years and banned from ever owning a dog. Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership. We have reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce and look forward to receiving their findings and recommendations in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents regarding dangerous dogs have been reported in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each of the last 5 years.

This information is collected by the NHS, individual police forces or local authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect hedgehog populations.

Government-led action is focused on addressing the main known drivers of hedgehog decline including habitat loss and fragmentation due to removal of field margins, hedgerows and scrub; the use of herbicides and insecticide; and road traffic. The Environment Act 2021 introduced several policies, such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities, which will work together to support the creation and restoration of habitats which will support a range of species including hedgehogs and their prey species. Natural England is co-funding the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered will produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of future practical conservation measures to address this challenge.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help encourage the building of wildlife-friendly neighbourhoods.

Defra is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to deliver planning reforms and unlock the housing this country urgently needs while improving outcomes for nature. We already expect local planning authorities to plan for development incorporating green infrastructure. Biodiversity net gain ensures development has a measurably positive impact on biodiversity, compared to what was there before development, and became mandatory (under the Environment Act 2021) in England for most major developments and small sites in early 2024. This means protecting existing habitats and ensuring that lost or degraded habitats are compensated for by enhancing or creating habitats with a greater overall value to wildlife and people, and with rules incentivising delivery on development sites. The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published in December also expects planning policies and decisions to minimise impacts on and provide gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features that support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs. As part of our work to develop a set of national policies for decision making, the Government has committed to consulting on changes which require swift bricks to be incorporated into new buildings unless there are compelling reasons which preclude their use, or which would make them ineffective. As an interim step ahead of the consultation the government have published updated Planning Practice Guidance setting out how swift bricks are expected to be used in new development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on water quality in (a) lakes and (b) rivers in Ashfield constituency.

The Environment Agency (EA) holds historical and current water quality data for the rivers and lakes (water bodies) in the Ashfield Constituency. The EA monitors different aspects of water quality data to classify the overall health of these water bodies. The Catchment Data Explorer system provides data and information on the lakes, rivers and groundwater waterbodies in England, including the physical, chemical and biological, properties of that water. The water body data relevant to the Ashfield constituency can be accessed via the following links; Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton in Ashfield, Hucknall.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve management of flood risk in high-risk areas of Ashfield constituency.

Ashfield constituency suffered flooding to 58 properties in Storm Babet, October 2023 and to six properties in Storm Henk, January 2024. Much of the flooding risk in Ashfield is from ‘ordinary watercourses’ or surface water run-off, both of which are the responsibility of Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs). Ashfield LLFA Nottinghamshire County Council can be contacted on flood.team@nottscc.gov.uk. The LLFA published Section 19 investigation reports following the 2023/24 winter storms. These reports cover areas in Ashfield such as Pleasley, Kirkby in Ashfield, and Sutton in Ashfield, and can be accessed on the council’s website: : The Council's role | Nottinghamshire County Council The Environment Agency contributed to the Section 19 investigations where relevant, for example in Pleasley, where we have a role in incident response, issuing flood warnings and supporting recovery efforts: 26. Appendix Y. Pleasley S19 Storm Babet Oct 2023 The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for managing flood risk from the River Meden that flows through Pleasley and a small stretch of the River Erewash headwaters.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of air quality levels in Ashfield constituency.

Local authorities review and assess air quality in their areas and publish an annual report on their actions to improve local air quality including local monitoring data which is assessed by Defra. In their most recent report, the Council indicated they were monitoring NO2 levels at 25 locations and recorded continued reductions in concentrations in recent years. Ashfield District Council have no declared Air Quality Management Areas due to having recorded no exceedances of the Air Quality Objectives set by Defra.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle graffiti vandalism.

Local authorities are primarily responsible for managing graffiti on their land. Existing Defra guidance on managing graffiti and flyposting for local authorities and others outlines the options available for tackling these issues with examples of good practice. The guidance has been informed by a research report which aids further understanding of the issue. The guidance and research report are available here: understanding graffiti and fly-posting management approaches - EV0497. Local authorities have enforcement powers to help them tackle graffiti, including issuing fixed penalty notices of up to £500. They can also tackle persistent offenders and other unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative effect on a community’s quality of life by issuing Community Protection Notices and Public Space Protection Orders.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been (a) fined and (b) received criminal records for breaking laws on log burning in each of the last five years.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold a centralised record of fines or criminal records related to burning solid fuels, including wood.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackling potential water shortages relating to population growth in the future.

The Government is committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience. This involves action to improve water efficiency and reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure, including new reservoirs and water transfers. All water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers, efficiently and economically and set out how they plan to continue to supply water to their customers through Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs). These plans are statutory and will set out how each company will continue to meet this duty and manage water supply and demand including leaks, sustainably for at least the next 25 years. As outlined by Ofwat in their final determinations for PR24, approximately £8 billion will be spent across England between 2025 and 2030 to deliver the company WRMPs and boost our water supply and manage demand. This includes progressing 9 new reservoirs and many water transfer schemes.