Speeches by Creagh.

“We are committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. My noble friend Baroness Hayman continues to engage with stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban.”

“I thank the hon. Lady for campaigning on climate and nature issues, in stark contrast with the Conservatives. I know that she will raise this issue during today’s debate. The nature restoration fund, which is a key plank of the Bill, will improve outcomes for nature, while unlocking the housing and infrastructure that …”

“This Government are putting the largest budget ever towards nature restoration, with more than £7 billion announced in the spending review. We have taken targeted action, including licensing the first wild beaver release since their extinction 400 years ago.”

“It is a pleasure to speak under your chairship today, Ms Lewell. I commend the right hon. Member for Tatton (Esther McVey) for securing this debate, and thank other hon. Members for their thoughtful contributions. Let me begin by saying how incredibly sorry and sad I am to hear about Mr Hall’s death. I offer my profoun…”

“The right hon. Lady is correct to bring me back to my conclusion. We have got five minutes, so I had a little tour via the Western Forest. On the point about 13% coverage, we are trying to get to 16% over the country by 2050. That has been a cross-party agreement under the Climate Change Act 2008 on the number of trees…”

“Of course, the hon. Member’s area is benefiting, under this Government, from the first national forest to be planted for 30 years. The Western forest will stretch from the Mendip hills up to Bristol, Gloucester—for the flood prevention—and the Forest of Dean, so there will be a huge increase. [Interruption.] She has qu…”

“I pay tribute to that section. I have not been to that part of the path but I opened a section of the coastal path in 2011 or 2012, when, sadly, no Minister from the coalition Government could be found to make the journey to Dorset. I was asked as the shadow Secretary of State, and was happy to walk up and down—a lot o…”

“The hon. Lady raises an excellent point. Making sure we are resilient to a rapidly changing climate with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, dryer summers is important for not just food and water security, but all infrastructure, including our roads and bridges. With the flooding in Tadcaster, we saw what happens when a…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I congratulate the hon. Member for Henley and Thame (Freddie van Mierlo) on securing this debate on an important issue. I recognise his long-standing interest in the Thames Path, which runs through his constituency, and his assiduous representation of his consti…”

“I think the Mayor of London has some elements around embodied carbon in his London plan. I am afraid that I don’t know the details, and it is not my area, but the evidence I am hearing on the circular economy is that, instead of just knocking down buildings, we are now seeing developers deconstructing them, reusing the…”

“I am 100% committed to the protection and restoration of nature in this country. The Government are committed to protecting and restoring nature, while building the homes that we need. I cannot comment on what Government spokespeople do or do not say, but I would say that they do not reflect the view of the Ministers w…”

“I am Mary Creagh, the Minister for Nature.”

“May I come in on this? I have things to offer the Committee that I hope are helpful. First, I am also the forestry Minister, and we have given deep thought to how we can use more timber in construction, subject to safety. We recently relaunched our timber in construction road map, which looks at timber’s potential for …”

“It is also happening in Birmingham and other places as well.”

“If I can come in on that, Chair—”

“In May this year, we announced £10 million of funding for local planning authorities to implement biodiversity net gain, which is on top of the £35 million that has been provided since the financial year 2021-22. This funding is being used for a wide range of uses, including employing ecologists or purchasing tech solu…”

“When it comes to the nature restoration fund, and colleagues should please step in if I am wrong, it is about Natural England making those nature restoration funds on the basis of evidence. Dr Chowns has gone, but I think there will be ecological assessments; I do not see how you could do it scientifically without them…”

“I do not. I think it needs refinement, which is why there is a consultation, but I believe that it is a really important tool. It is about creating better quality homes—better for people, better for communities, and better for species like swifts, bats and hedgehogs.”

“I think what we are trying to do is get beyond the divisive rhetoric of saying that it is either nature protection or house building, and achieve a win-win for nature and for the homes that we so desperately need. Frustration at the current system, which we heard eloquently expressed by Minister Pennycook today, can so…”

“I am not sure how clear I was. I am just lifting up my feet. NRF is about a strategic centralised approach; biodiversity net gain is basically about a much more localised approach. I hope that satisfies the Committee.”