Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

Food and Rural Affairs, how the Digital Waste Tracking service will help to reduce fly tipping.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, how the Digital Waste Tracking service will be enforced; and how members of the public can report waste that is not disposed of correctly.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, when further information regarding the Digital Waste Tracking service will be made available to the public.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to prohibit the routine castration and tail docking of lambs.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the maximum fine that can be issued as a Variable Monetary Penalty for an onshore oil spill is.

On the 1 December 2023 legislation was changed to introduce unlimited variable monetary penalties. This applies to Environment Agency enforcement responses to onshore oil spills in England. Further information can be found here:- Annex 1: RES Act – the En...

Food and Rural Affairs, how many hours of bottom-towed fishing took place between June 2025 and May 2026 within the 41 English offshore marine protected areas subject to public consultation in summer 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Putney on 16 March 2026, PQ UIN 118879.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to ban the use of snares in England.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. This was recently reaffirmed in this Government’s...

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to set out a timetable to ban the emergency use of neonicotinoids.

This Government remains committed to ending the use in England of the three neonicotinoid pesticides (thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid) that threaten vital pollinators, including through emergency authorisations. The Health and Safety Executive (H...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to fund a transitional programme to integrated pest management methods for farmers.

The UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) 2025 includes actions committed to by all four governments to encourage uptake of integrated pest management (IPM) across the UK. In England, farmers can access support for IPM and wider nature-positive farming...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether they recognise the right to food as a human right under their international obligations.

The Government is committed to delivering on the intent of the Right To Food but does not have plans to legislate for it at this stage. While the right to food is not codified in UK domestic law, the UK continues to recognise economic, social and cultural...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of incorporating the Right to Food into domestic law.

The Government is committed to delivering on the intent of the Right To Food but does not have plans to legislate for it at this stage. While the right to food is not codified in UK domestic law, the UK continues to recognise economic, social and cultural...

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the relationship between social security policy and household food insecurity.

Defra and DWP Ministers meet regularly. We understand that the relationship between social security policy and household food insecurity is important. Therefore, we have taken action to address poverty through targeted social security measures. This inclu...

Food and Rural Affairs, which species of conservation concern will be covered by the forthcoming legislation to ban the import of hunting trophies.

Defra continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to help determine the most appropriate scope for a ban. Species of conservation concern are listed primarily on Appendices I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)...

Food and Rural Affairs, how a prohibition on children being left unsupervised with banned breeds will be enforced; and what will be the consequences for doing so.

Enforcement of the Dangerous Dogs Act is a matter for the police, who have existing powers to take action where necessary. If non-compliance with the condition is identified, they can take enforcement action in line with those powers. This could include s...

Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidence base was for requiring third-party liability insurance for banned breeds, and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing the requirement.

From 1 July 2026 it will no longer be a requirement for banned breed dogs to have third party public liability insurance. Insurance formed part of the safeguards attached to Certificates of Exemption, providing financial protection for dog owners in the e...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing the measure banning children being left alone with section 1 dogs before November 2026.

From 1 November 2026, it will be an offence to leave a child under the age of 12 in close proximity with a banned breed dog, in a home or garden without adult supervision. This measure is intended to strengthen safeguards for children, where evidence indi...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Global Justice Report by the World Inequality Lab.

The Department is aware of this report. Defra is focusing on protecting and restoring nature at home and overseas, recognising that healthy natural systems underpin growth, food security and resilience. Internationally, we are scaling up investment in nat...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her department plans to recognise timber supply as a national security issue within the UK’s National Security Risk Assessment.

We recognise the importance of increasing our supply and use of domestic timber while reducing our reliance on imports. This is why we have refreshed the Timber in Construction Roadmap which seeks to increase the production and use of sustainable, homegro...

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her department has to support long-term certainty for productive woodland creation and management.

To strengthen resilience for the creation and management of our productive woodlands, we are supporting tree breeding, species diversification and innovation in tree planting. We also relaunched the Timber in Construction Roadmap in February 2025 with inc...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on including timber and wood processing within the UK’s industrial strategy.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The use of timber supports the Government’s Industrial Strategy by contributing to low‑carbon growth, strengthening domestic supply chains, supporting modern met...