Written questions by Savage.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Government response to the Office for Environmental Protection’s report on progress in improving the natural environment in England from January 2024, published on 14 January 2025, what progress the cross-Government working group to support effective implementation of the environmental principles policy statement has made.

The Cross-Government working group to support the implementation of the Environmental Principles Policy Statement Duty (EPPS) has been actively coordinating efforts across various departments to ensure that the environmental principles are integrated into policy-making processes. The Office for Environmental Protection also published a report on the implementation of EPPS and the government will be responding to that report soon.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to improve (a) public access, (b) environmental protections and (c) biodiversity enhancement for (i) rivers, (ii) lakes and (iii) other inland waterways.

The government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors including blue spaces for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. We are currently developing policy working closely with key stakeholders to improve access to nature, in line with our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England. This includes access onto unregulated inland waterways, taking account of environmental protection and biodiversity enhancement.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled Technical annex: The combined environmental land management offer, published on 19 March 2024, whether it is his policy to financially incentivise permissive access.

Actions for permissive access are included in the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer where they will benefit from input from Natural England advisers to ensure improvements represent value for money and link into the existing PROW network. Details of the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer were announced in December 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 13418 on Countryside: Access, by when he plans to make further announcements on his policy on access to nature.

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure that this access is safe and appropriate. We are committed to increasing access to nature and have already set out several ambitious manifesto commitments to expand opportunities for the public to enjoy the outdoors, including the creation of nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England. We are currently developing policy to improve access to nature, working closely with other government departments and key stakeholders. In addition, we are already delivering key initiatives aimed at increasing access to green spaces and the countryside, including: Completing the King Charles III England Coast Path, which will become the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world. With over 2,400 miles of the route now approved and 1,430 miles already open, this will also create 250,000 hectares of new open access land within the coastal margin.Designating Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route as a National Trail across the north of England.Delivering the £16 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which is designed to make our protected landscapes, national trails, forests, and the wider countryside more inclusive and accessible to all. In addition, the Government has made the decision to repeal the cut-off date for the registration of historic rights of way, preventing the loss of hundreds of miles of unregistered paths. This will ensure that these paths remain available to the public for future generations. This change will be formally enacted when parliamentary time allows.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) farmers and (b) landowners wishing to restore wild beavers on their land.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Farmers and landowners who would like to reintroduce wild beavers on their land must first submit an Expression of Interest, which will be assessed by Natural England (NE). Projects likely to meet the licensing criteria will be invited to make a full application. A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage participation in the wild beaver reintroduction program in (a) areas prone to downstream flooding and (b) England; and whether he plans to provide additional (i) support and (ii) resources to farmers in those regions.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government recognises that beavers can bring many benefits for the environment including reducing downstream flooding. A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way. Support for farmers, landowners and local communities will be provided through a rigorous risk assessment in the application process and the existing management framework laid out in our 5-step beaver management approach. This will be backed up by support through local beaver management groups and Environmental Land Management options.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeline is for the implementation of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.

The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme, and in England, legislation is in place to close the scheme to English POs on 31 December 2025. The Government has committed to championing British farming, whilst protecting the environment, and is currently considering the best way to support our farming sectors in the future, including horticulture. We will make further announcements in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Record investment to protect thousands of UK homes and businesses, published on 4 February 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of new flood prevention infrastructure on (a) wildlife and (b) river ecosystems.

The Environment Agency ensures that all its flood projects assess their impact on the environment and biodiversity, with support from the National Environmental Assessment Service. The impact of any new scheme will be undertaken in due course as part of each schemes’ assurance process. Defra has established protocols to assess the potential environmental impacts of flood prevention infrastructure on wildlife and river ecosystems. These assessments are carried out through Strategic Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments, which are integral to the planning and implementation of flood risk management projects.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will provide clarity on the law on the public rights of navigation on non-tidal waterways; and if he will make a comparative assessment of his policy and Magna Carta.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply previously given on 21 January 2025 to PQ 24394.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of restructuring Thames Water as a Community Interest Company.

The Government and Ofwat are carefully monitoring the situation with Thames Water, and the company remains stable. Thames Water is a private company, as such it would be inappropriate to comment any further on their corporate structure.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help farmers transition from the Higher Level Stewardship Schemes to the Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship agreements.

We want to support farmers with High Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements to apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) or Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier when it becomes available (initially CSHT will be by invitation). To provide farmers in HLS with some certainty and continuity until they can move into the new ELM offer, we have offered extensions for farmers with expiring agreements. Those with HLS agreements expiring in 2024 have been offered 2-year extensions and those expiring in 2025 have been offered 1- or 2-year extensions. These agreement extensions will allow farmers to continue delivering land management practices in their HLS agreement without interruption to the funding they receive and to continue delivering environmental outcomes on their land. Farmers can still apply for a separate agreement in the expanded SFI offer to run alongside their existing agreement. This is possible if a farmer and their land are eligible for each scheme; if the activities or outcomes they are being paid for are compatible; and if they will not be paid twice for a similar activity or outcome on the same area of land at the same time (known as ‘double funding’). We understand for farmers with an existing HLS agreement they may be more limited in their ability to apply for an additional SFI agreement. We are very aware that some farmers wish to end their existing HLS agreement early to apply for our new scheme and we will provide more information soon about how to do this. Due to the complexity of closing agreements early, it may take some time to end an agreement and could result in a period of some months between one agreement ending and a new agreement starting.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's web page entitled Steve Reed speech at the 2025 Oxford Farming Conference, published on 9 Janaury 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on reforming permitted development rights on farms.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the (a) framework and (b) criteria for beaver releases into the wild.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra are continuing to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. This includes the development of a framework and criteria to enable the wild release of beavers in England. Further information on this will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the readiness of the supply chain to implement a deposit return scheme; and if he will engage with the wine and spirits industry on steps to implement such a scheme.

The UK Government is fully committed to a Deposit Return Scheme and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland to launch the scheme across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027. The Department has been working closely with industry, including the wines and spirits sector, during the development of DRS policy and legislation. Officials have engaged with the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) and the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) who have been acting as Industry Champions of the DRS Small Producers sub-group, working alongside the UK and devolved governments. In England and Northern Ireland, glass will not be in scope of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. Scottish Government have also agreed to exclude glass from the DRS to progress the delivery of the schemes. This means most wine and spirit drinks containers will not be included in the scheme, only those supplied in PET plastic, aluminium and steel containers will be in scope of the scheme. We aim to appoint the industry-led scheme administrator, the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), in April 2025. The DMO will work with industry and support them to implement DRS in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding he has allocated to flood resilience in South Cotswolds constituency.

£2.4 billion will be invested in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding in 2025/26 will be agreed in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees with local representation. The Environment Agency is continuing to work across the South Cotswolds constituency to support communities at flood risk, particularly those who have recently flooded. This includes communities such as Dauntsey where the Environment Agency is continuing to provide flood resilience advice to better prepare people for the risk of flooding.

Food, and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the mental health of farmers.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The department regularly meets with stakeholders as part of ongoing work to understand the causes behind poor mental health in farmers and what actions can be taken to assist those experiencing mental health challenges. Before Christmas, I hosted a roundtable for national farmer welfare organisations to discuss this important issue. The department is in contact with officials from the Department for Health and Social Care and will shortly be discussing the issues raised during the roundtable.

Food and Rural Affairs, which legislation created the requirement for individuals to obtain permission from every riparian property owner to pass through their land while using a waterway; and whether he plans to (a) clarify and (b) amend existing guidance on public access to rivers.

Determining access rights onto rivers is complex. There is no general waterway access right and the matter has not been tested in the courts. It is not government’s role to offer legal advice, and at present those seeking to navigate inland rivers for recreational purposes where there is no navigation authority should establish that they have a legal right to do so, either through voluntary agreement with riparian landowners or otherwise. The Government is considering the approach to improving access to nature and is committed to working with stakeholders as this develops. A further update will be provided in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help the wine and spirits industry manage the implementation of a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme.

The UK Government is fully committed to a Deposit Return Scheme and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland to launch the scheme across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027. The Department has been working closely with industry, including the wines and spirits sector, during the development of DRS policy and legislation. Officials have engaged with the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) and the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) who have been acting as Industry Champions of the DRS Small Producers sub-group, working alongside the UK and devolved governments. In England and Northern Ireland, glass will not be in scope of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. Scottish Government have also agreed to exclude glass from the DRS to progress the delivery of the schemes. This means most wine and spirit drinks containers will not be included in the scheme, only those supplied in PET plastic, aluminium and steel containers will be in scope of the scheme. We aim to appoint the industry-led scheme administrator, the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), in April 2025. The DMO will work with industry and support them to implement DRS in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish its land use framework.

The Government plans to publish the first steps of its land use strategy in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to reform funding arrangements for Internal Drainage Board levies.

Defra has committed to work with the internal drainage board (IDB) sector and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to review IDBs’ current funding and costs. This will include examination of whether any changes are needed to their funding model. IDBs are local independent statutory public bodies, mainly funded by the beneficiaries of their work. This includes farmers who pay drainage rates and local authorities that pay special levies. Those beneficiaries are represented on the boards of IDBs, where decisions are made on the forthcoming programme of work and the annual drainage rates and special levies.