Tag: Baroness Young of Old Scone

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an environmental assessment has been made of the impact of the likely withdrawal of the landfill operators from the Landfill Communities Fund scheme as a result of the proposed removal of the provision for contributing third parties on the environment and projects funded through that scheme, and if so, what environmental impact has been assessed; and what measures the Government are planning to put in place to counteract that impact.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Since its introduction in 1996, the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) has contributed over £1.4 billion to community projects in areas near a local landfill site or other qualifying site and the Government acknowledges the positive impact of this funding for communities. However, as the LCF is a tax credit scheme, it reduces the Government’s tax revenues and we therefore have a responsibility to seek value for money for the taxpayer. This is a particular concern given the need to reduce the deficit and return the public finances to a sustainable path.

Despite difficult decisions on spending, the Government has decided to retain and reform the LCF. The aim of these reforms is to encourage money to get to communities more quickly. The LCF will provide £39.3 million of additional funding in 2016-17 alone. We also hope more unspent funds, which this year totalled £118 million, will reach projects as soon as possible.

The Government is committed to providing the best value for communities, and over the next five years £20 million of the additional Landfill Tax revenues will be used by the Environment Agency to address waste crime, which can be a danger to both human health and the environment.

The government has received representations on the LCF reforms. We are taking views into consideration and our priority is to ensure that the LCF operates effectively and encourages money to be spent in the communities that need it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2016-04-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of UK environmental and climate change legislation derives (1) from EU directives transposed into UK legislation, (2) from EU regulations without need for transposition, and (3) from wholly domestic legislation; and of the legislation that derives from EU directives, what proportion is dependent on the European Communities Act 1972.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Although specific figures for environment and climate change are not available, the House of Commons library has concluded that across the full range of UK instruments, from 1997 to 2014, an average of 13.2% were EU-related. A copy of the report is attached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2016-10-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Natural England are planning to report on net loss of biodiversity measurements in relation to Phase 1 of the HS2 project, as called for in the Report published in February of the House of Commons Select Committee on the High Speed Rail (London–West Midlands) Bill (HC129); and if so, when that report will be published.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport plans to publish both Natural England’s review of the No Net Loss to Biodiversity metric and the Government’s response before the end of the HS2 Select Committee in the Lords.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of graduates entering the rural economy.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

The Government requires the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consider the changing patterns of demand and supply in relation to all subjects. Through the Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects advisory group, HEFCE seeks to identify where action might be necessary to ensure that the supply of graduates meets the needs of the economy and society. The advisory group includes representatives of agriculture, tourism and other related subjects that affect the rural economy.

The Government supports Universities offering subjects that benefit the rural economy. Subjects such as agriculture and forestry attract high cost ‘band B’ funding. The Government has also provided funding to projects that enhance the impact of higher education in agriculture and related industries including the ‘National Centre for Precision Farming’ at Harper Adams University, the ‘Biovale’ programme at the University of York and the ‘Agri-Food Resilience Programme’ led by the N8 Research Partnership.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage universities to provide courses that will meet the future needs of the rural economy.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

The Government requires the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consider the changing patterns of demand and supply in relation to all subjects. Through the Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects advisory group, HEFCE seeks to identify where action might be necessary to ensure that the supply of graduates meets the needs of the economy and society. The advisory group includes representatives of agriculture, tourism and other related subjects that affect the rural economy.

The Government supports Universities offering subjects that benefit the rural economy. Subjects such as agriculture and forestry attract high cost ‘band B’ funding. The Government has also provided funding to projects that enhance the impact of higher education in agriculture and related industries including the ‘National Centre for Precision Farming’ at Harper Adams University, the ‘Biovale’ programme at the University of York and the ‘Agri-Food Resilience Programme’ led by the N8 Research Partnership.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide financial and other support for the management, protection, and expansion of the United Kingdom’s woodland resources.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Defra and the Forestry Commission continue to work with stakeholders to help landowners manage the impacts of pests and diseases at a local level and, if necessary, replace trees with the most appropriate alternative species. This Government has committed over £21.2 million to tree health research.

£31m per year of new Rural Development Programme funding will be spent on forestry, with £13m being spent on woodland management and £18m on new planting. By investing in woodlands, Countryside Stewardship will help us fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant another 11 million trees by supporting the creation of around 10,000 hectares of new woodland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what resources are being allocated to prevent the spread of pests and diseases affecting the natural environment, including trees and woodland, and what assessment they have made of whether they are sufficient.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Protecting our country from plant and tree pests and diseases is important for our economy, the environment and society and is one of Defra’s strategic priorities.

In 2013 the independent Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce assessed the threat to the health of our plants from pests and diseases and made eight recommendations to strengthen our approach, which were all accepted by Defra. The Plant Biosecurity Strategy sets out our plans to enhance existing risk-based activity and to develop new and innovative approaches such as the now publicly available plant health risk register.

As part of our risk-based approach, agreed management approaches for pests and diseases are periodically reviewed so that we can ensure our responses are appropriate and lessons are learned for the future.

Defra’s spend on plant health policies is now around £30 million per year, which includes policies to protect tree health.

Defra is the lead department for plant and tree health. We published the Tree Health Management Plan in April 2014, setting out priority areas for action and outlining how the Government is working with others to manage tree pests and diseases. We work with other Government departments and agencies, as well as stakeholders from across industry and non-government organisations to address different plant and tree health issues. This work includes a programme of training and awareness-raising about biosecurity risks for other Government Departments and stakeholders such as food retailers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure collaboration across all government departments regarding the implementation of biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of pests and diseases affecting trees and woodland.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Protecting our country from plant and tree pests and diseases is important for our economy, the environment and society and is one of Defra’s strategic priorities.

In 2013 the independent Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce assessed the threat to the health of our plants from pests and diseases and made eight recommendations to strengthen our approach, which were all accepted by Defra. The Plant Biosecurity Strategy sets out our plans to enhance existing risk-based activity and to develop new and innovative approaches such as the now publicly available plant health risk register.

As part of our risk-based approach, agreed management approaches for pests and diseases are periodically reviewed so that we can ensure our responses are appropriate and lessons are learned for the future.

Defra’s spend on plant health policies is now around £30 million per year, which includes policies to protect tree health.

Defra is the lead department for plant and tree health. We published the Tree Health Management Plan in April 2014, setting out priority areas for action and outlining how the Government is working with others to manage tree pests and diseases. We work with other Government departments and agencies, as well as stakeholders from across industry and non-government organisations to address different plant and tree health issues. This work includes a programme of training and awareness-raising about biosecurity risks for other Government Departments and stakeholders such as food retailers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to consult stakeholders on the further devolution of forestry, including the cross-border functions and shared services of the Forestry Commission.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The UK Government, after being approached by Scottish Ministers in June, have agreed that officials will work jointly to consider options for the transfer of Forestry Commissioners’ powers and duties, as they relate to Scotland, to Scottish Ministers.

No decisions have been taken yet and any legislative reforms will be subject to the usual Parliamentary scrutiny.