Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Secretary of State was asked—

1. If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing private sea defence charges.

We are committed to supporting coastal communities, and that is why, between April 2024 and March 2026, over £600 million has been invested in protection from sea flooding, tidal flooding and coastal erosion.

Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne is the only marina of its kind in Europe; thousands of residents, rather than the Government, have to cover the cost of sea defences through an annual charge. The charge this year increased by 16%—way more than inflation—and there is poor transparency as to why. Will the Minister meet me and representatives of the amazing Sovereign Harbour Residents Association, who are in the Gallery, to hear more about the issues with the harbour charge, and to help us secure a fairer arrangement?

The annual sea defence charge is a legal obligation that was placed on property owners in Sovereign Harbour in 1988, so it was introduced under Thatcher and was unchanged under the coalition. It contributes to the maintenance of the harbour and the sea defences on the south coast between Pevensey Bay and Eastbourne. We spent nearly £5 million this year, and plan to invest over £100 million over the next decade. Of that £5 million, £400,000 comes from the rent charge in 2026-27. We have also secured record funding of £1.4 billion for over 600 flood schemes across all regions in England.

2. What progress she has made on banning snare traps.

As outlined in our manifesto, this Government are committed to bringing an end to the use of snare traps. We set out this commitment in our animal welfare strategy, and are actively looking to bring a ban on snares into force as quickly as possible.

I and many others in my constituency of Melksham and Devizes, and no doubt across England, welcome the new animal welfare strategy for England, particularly the banning of snares, which are indiscriminate and cruel. What progress is being made on protecting hares during the breeding season, and on delivering on the pledge to consult on ending trail hunting where it is used as a cover for illegally killing foxes?

I thank the hon. Member for his interest, and share his view that the use of snare traps is cruel and indiscriminate. We are looking at and consulting on whether we can introduce a closed season for hares.

3. What steps she is taking to help reduce air pollution.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on the excellent progress made on reducing air pollution in London, which was recently identified as one of 19 leading cities in reducing air pollution. Communities across England will benefit from cleaner air, thanks to our actions to tackle fine particulate pollution, which harms public health and is linked to asthma, lung conditions and heart disease. We will deliver that by modernising industrial permitting, exploring tighter standards for new wood burning appliances to protect public health, and increasing communication of air quality information.

I published the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, also known as Ella’s law, this month alongside the Ella Roberta Foundation, Mums for Lungs, Clean Air in London, Asthma and Lung UK and Global Action Plan. Together, we affirmed that the right to breathe clean air is a fundamental human right. Does the Minister agree that the Government should include this vital, life saving legislation in the upcoming King’s Speech, to give clean air the statutory momentum it requires?

I thank the hon. Lady, and pay tribute to Rosamund for the campaigning that she has been doing on this for years. Of course, I support the objectives of improving air quality and cleaning up air pollution, and agree with the hon. Lady on how important that is to public health. That is why we are already taking action to deliver meaningful improvements to air quality, through commitments and actions set out in the environmental improvement plan.

The Minister will know that in Warwick and Leamington, we have suffered extreme chemical pollution in the atmosphere from Berry Polymers. More recently, we have had an application from Bellway Homes that proposes dumping the equivalent of an Olympic size swimming pool of building waste for every day that the development is being built, which will be several years. The common theme here is, of course, the Environment Agency, so will she agree to meet me and the Environment Agency urgently to resolve this pressing issue?

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this. I know how important it is for him and his community to see that we clean up our rivers, lakes and seas, and he has been campaigning on this for a long time. Of course, I would be delighted to meet him.

4. If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of public ownership of markets on food security.

The Government recognise the importance of wholesale markets for the customers and communities they serve. We have limited recent evidence, however, of the impact that public ownership of markets has on food security.

A number of us in London are concerned about the City of London’s proposal to put through a private Bill to relinquish its responsibility for providing the fish and meat markets, Billingsgate and Smithfield. A lot of our constituents rely on Billingsgate for selling and buying fresh fish, and it is important for our restaurant sector. Do the Government have any view on the City of London’s position, and how can we protect these food markets, so that there is no diminishment of the opportunity to get fresh food in London?

We recognise Billingsgate’s importance as a UK distribution hub for fish, and we will continue to monitor the proposed transition closely. We are engaging with the City of London Corporation on the proposed changes.

I thank the Minister for her response to the hon. Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier), who always brings forward interesting matters for this House to consider. I always underline the importance of farming, fishing and food in Northern Ireland, and would not want a change to the public ownership of markets in Northern Ireland to impact us in any way. May I, very respectfully and genuinely, ask the Minister whether she has had an opportunity to discuss these matters with the relevant Minister in Northern Ireland, to ensure that nothing similar to what the hon. Lady says may happen in London, happens to us?

Good luck with that!

Mr Speaker, all I can do is express my admiration of the hon. Gentleman’s ingenuity in ensuring that his question is in order.

I would not say it was in order.

It gives a new meaning to the London Irish.

It was so bad. Even I did not mention Chorley market, wonderful though it is.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Only 55% of Britain’s food is produced in Britain, so food security should be a much bigger priority for this Government. Donald Trump’s war in the middle east, Putin’s war on Ukraine and all the other global shocks have not woken up the Government to this, yet England is now the only country in the UK, and the only country in Europe, that does not financially support farmers in producing food. Is that not recklessly foolish, and will the Minister not amend the farm payment scheme to change that?

Local markets are extremely important, particularly for maintaining food supply locally, and I am very interested in seeing what we can do to assist. Most markets are owned and operated by local authorities. I think the Covent Garden Market Authority is the only wholesale market that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs still looks after. I recognise the hon. Member’s comments on food security, but this country is 67% self sufficient in food at the moment, or 77% if one takes out the produce we cannot grow, such as mangoes and bananas. Nobody is complacent about that, and we are looking at this very closely. The new farming and food partnership board will be looking at it, and the first sector we will look at is horticulture.

5. What steps she is taking to reform the sustainable farming incentive.

I set out further details of the 2026 sustainable farming incentive offer at the National Farmers Union conference last month. We are streamlining action and reducing complexity, so that more farmers can access funding. The offer will be simpler and fairer, with priority access in June for small farms, and farms not already in receipt of environmental land management scheme agreements.

I was pleased to welcome my right hon. Friend to Adstockfields, a great small family farm in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, for a rural summit. As she knows, the SFI came up frequently. Can she set out for the House the steps that she has taken to ensure that farmers with SFI 2023 and countryside stewardship mid tier agreements that are expiring this year can move on to SFI 2026 agreements, without losing any support?

It was a pleasure to meet my hon. Friend and farmers from Buckinghamshire at the farm in his constituency for our rural summit, at which we discussed SFI and other issues. At the end of last year, the Government decided to extend expiring mid tier agreements. I understand that farmers are concerned about any gap in their support, and we are looking to see what we can do to fix that problem.

I am pleased to hear that answer, because farmers across Skipton and Ripon are really concerned about the fact that, having recently signed mid tier agreements, they will not be eligible for the new SFI window. If the Secretary of State could push further on that and try to find a way through, farmers in North Yorkshire would be extremely grateful.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his very thoughtful question. I have heard that from farmers in different parts of the country, and I know it is an issue in his constituency. We are looking to see what we can do, because there are many whose agreements are expiring towards the end of the year, and the second window will open in September. The intent to act is there, but we must ensure that we have the systems in place to enable that to happen.

I call the shadow Minister.

So here we are: after stopping and starting, and chopping and changing, the Government are finally working on the roll out of the new SFI scheme, which will be launched this summer, but it comes with lower payment rates for key environmental delivery measures, and a £100,000 cap. We learn that thousands of upland farmers will be excluded altogether, and that those on historic agreements will still be locked in and unable to apply. Farmers are already struggling as a result of rising costs, the family farm tax and choices that this Labour Government are making. How will the Secretary of State focus on ensuring the effective delivery of the scheme? What does she say to the many farmers I have spoken to, who say that the new SFI creates more cost, more risk and less reward for our farmers?

I respectfully disagree with the hon. Gentleman’s analysis. We are simplifying the SFI precisely because we want more farmers to benefit from it. At the moment, 25% of SFI funding goes to just 4% of farms, and we do not think that is right. We are simplifying the scheme, so that it is easier and less costly to administer. We have new leadership at the Rural Payments Agency, as he will know, and the cap he talked about affects only a tiny minority of those who already have an agreement. [Interruption.] He can keep shouting at me from a sedentary position, but I cannot talk and listen, believe it or not. There is a record number of farmers in our schemes, unlike under the previous Government, who failed to get the money out the door.

6. What steps she is taking to support UK interests in sanitary and phytosanitary negotiations with the EU.

We are negotiating an SPS deal with our closest trading partner, the EU, to reduce barriers, and cut friction, costs and delays at the border for businesses. Last week, I launched a call for information to understand how best we can support businesses to make the best of this opportunity.

Various farming organisations have expressed their concern about the potential negative impact of dynamic alignment with the EU. CropLife’s report suggested that immediate alignment could cost British farming £800 million in year one, and could see wheat production reduced by more than 15%. What is the Secretary of State doing to work with Cabinet Office colleagues to ensure that they understand the potential negative impacts of an SPS deal, so that we do not sell out our farmers, as they sold out the fishing industry?

This is about making it easier for farmers and other food processors in the food chain to export to our biggest export market. I can reassure the hon. Gentleman—I know he is an assiduous member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee—that we are in touch with the National Farmers Union and others about the negotiations. They are ongoing. I cannot provide a running commentary on them, but as was set out in the common understanding between the UK and the EU, there will be a number of exceptions, and we want to see a smooth transition to the new system.

The negotiations are critical to UK fisheries. What plans does the Secretary of State have to keep this House and the fishing sector updated? Perhaps she or one of her colleagues would attend the all party parliamentary group on fisheries, to ensure that we are up to date on all developments.

We are keeping in touch with all sectors that are affected by the agrifood deal, but I recognise my hon. Friend’s work, particularly with the fishing industry. The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs would be very happy to attend a meeting of her APPG, and to talk to it.

I call the Chair of the Select Committee.

Obviously, there are real opportunities to be had from the completion of an SPS agreement, but those who import fresh produce, in particular citrus fruit, are concerned that imports from countries outside the European Union will become more difficult and more expensive as a consequence. May I encourage the Secretary of State to engage more vigorously and in greater detail with the Fresh Produce Consortium, which brought these concerns to my desk recently?

The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs is more than happy to meet the consortium. As the right hon. Gentleman said, there is a big prize here, because we do more trade with our nearest trading market and, as he knows, there have been significant delays at the border, and administrative costs. That means that the export of fresh produce is very difficult; in some sectors, such as shellfish, it becomes almost impossible. We have to keep our eyes on the prize. I understand the point that he makes about produce from non EU countries. We are engaging on that, and as I say, the Minister is happy to meet the group that he mentioned.

I very much appreciate the determination of this Government to get an SPS agreement with the EU. That will bring down costs both for our Welsh farmers exporting meat, and for our consumers. Llanelli has a long tradition of cockle gathering, but exports of unprocessed shellfish were stopped by the Tories’ ill thought through Brexit deal. Will the Secretary of State please update us on any progress on the export of shellfish?

A successful SPS deal will bring huge benefits to the shellfish industry, which was, as my hon. Friend said, very badly affected by the botched Brexit deal that we inherited from the last Government.

I call the shadow Minister.

Stakeholders have expressed alarm about the fact that the Government’s guidance for businesses on the UK EU SPS agreement, published last week, has legislation in scope on the use of hormones, including bovine somatotrophin, in livestock. The use of growth promoting hormones for livestock and of bovine somatotrophin are rightly banned in the UK and EU because of serious animal welfare issues and public health concerns, and bovine somatotrophin is linked to a 25% increase in mastitis in cows. For the sake of animal welfare, will the Minister give a clear assurance that the UK will maintain our bans on hormone treated beef, ractopamine treated pork and bovine somatotrophin treated dairy, and that none of those standards will be weakened or traded away in the EU SPS negotiations, or in trade deals with other countries? Will she also confirm whether the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024, which ended the export of live animals for slaughter or fattening, will be retained in the reset?

Order. Dr Hudson, I have the greatest respect for you; you have more knowledge of this than anyone in this Chamber. However, we cannot have five questions. I have to get others in. Secretary of State, pick whichever question you want.

I do not know which one to answer! I reassure the shadow Minister that the Government are absolutely committed to maintaining high animal welfare standards, and we made it clear to the United States when we were doing the deal with them that we will not tolerate hormone treated beef and certain other products.

7. What steps she is taking to help protect communities vulnerable to flooding.

On Tuesday, I was delighted to announce the biggest ever flood programme; we are investing £1.4 billion across 2026-27 in over 600 flood schemes across all regions of England. The Government are investing at least £10.5 billion to 2036 in building new flood schemes and strengthening existing defences, and that record funding will protect 900,000 properties over the next decade.

I warmly welcome the funding just announced, including for areas in my constituency—Budle bay, Belford and areas along the Coquet river. The national assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk assessment says that one in four homes are projected to be at risk of flooding by 2050. Will the Minister give us further assurances about what the Government will do on an ongoing basis to address those concerns?

I know how much my hon. Friend cares about this issue. As well as announcing the biggest ever major flood investment, we are also changing the flood and coastal erosion funding policy. As part of those changes, at least 20% of future investment will be set aside to help the most deprived communities. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver flood defences, and ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We are also investing at least £300 million in natural flood management over the next 10 years.

Salisbury has benefited enormously from investment in the river park scheme, which has alleviated flood risk to the centre of the city. My attention now turns to the villages, the role that farmers and agricultural land can play in effective flood defence, and the consequential impact on food supply. How does the Minister view the role of farmers in a collaborative approach to flood defences?

The right hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Quite often, we find that flooding farmland is used to protect villages and rural communities. I have been thinking about the best way to take this issue forward, after meeting a farmer when I went to Somerset, and seeing the extensive flooding right across his land. We have put £91 million into internal drainage boards, which is the most money that has ever gone into trying to support farmers in draining agricultural land. I am actively considering this issue, and am having conversations about it at the moment.

8. What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory right to food.

The Government are taking strong action to improve access to good, nutritious food. We have extended eligibility for free school meals to half a million more children, and free, universal breakfast clubs are being introduced across the country. We are also reforming crisis support through the introduction of the crisis and resilience fund.

The Right to Food UK Commission, launched last November, is gathering vital evidence from policy experts and those with lived experience of food poverty from across the UK—next week we will be Aberdare and Cardiff. I would like to put on the record my thanks to my hon. Friend the Minister for the positive meeting we had last week on the commission. Will the Secretary of State commit to meeting me later this year, upon publication of the commission’s legislative road map, so that we can work together to ensure that the right to food is finally committed to law and tackle the scourge of hunger in our communities?

I certainly welcome the opportunity to discuss my hon. Friend’s work in this area. We agree on the importance of the problems that the commission is looking to resolve and look forward to seeing its final report. The Government are working across Departments to improve access to healthy and affordable food. We have already introduced the junk food ad ban and mandatory targets for healthier food sales from our food industry, and we are committed to breaking the link between obesity and poverty.

Is this a wind up, Mr Speaker? They will be asking for collective farms in this socialist paradise next. Has the Minister made any assessment of the impact that a right to food would have on the public purse once our activist judges got hold of it?

I have to say that a study of history demonstrates that collectivising the food system does not usually work.

9. Whether she plans to increase the level of funding available to agricultural industries.

Rising input costs, including for fertiliser, have contributed to pressure on many farm businesses in recent years. We continually assess how global cost volatility affects farm productivity and the resilience of the sector.

Edinburgh West may not seem like the most rural constituency, but we have several critical agricultural businesses in the seat, including the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston and a number of businesses that are diversifying into agritourism. There is funding available, but it is often unclear how to get it or how to align it for, say, the conversion of buildings. Can the Minister commit to making it clearer how agricultural businesses that want to diversify can access the funding?

I would love to—if the hon. Lady’s constituency was in England. Agriculture is a devolved matter, and she must therefore ask the Scottish Government.

10. Whether the implementation of the good food cycle strategy includes supporting the growth of the alternative protein sector.

The Government’s good food cycle strategy sees alternative proteins as a major opportunity, and not just for the economy but for health, sustainability and food resilience. We are backing the sector and working with the Food Standards Agency on novel food programmes to accelerate precision fermentation technology.

I thank the Minister for her response. The cultivated meat sector could bring in billions of pounds to the UK economy and help to increase food chain security. Companies such as Hoxton Farms are leading the way in this—they are genuinely world leading. Will she support growth in this industry and meet me and Hoxton Farms to see how we can do it better?

I am happy to meet my hon. Friend and congratulate the company he mentions, which is leading the way in this area. We have a major national hub for plant based, cultivated and fermentation based research and development, which is at the forefront of progress in this exciting new area.

11. What steps she is taking to support flood preparedness projects in the Esher and Walton constituency.

I have said this previously, but it is always worth reiterating. On Tuesday I announced the biggest ever flood programme, with £1.4 billion investment in 2026-27, over £1million of which will go to projects in Esher and Walton.

The Thames runs the length of my constituency, making flooding a significant issue. The Thames Ditton flood group has brilliantly secured funding for temporary flood barriers but cannot deploy them because, despite its efforts, it is unable to obtain public liability insurance. It has contacted Flood Re, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association and the local flood authority, but there is no viable public liability insurance. The group has explored and exhausted all leads provided by the Environment Agency. What does the Minister suggest to the Thames Ditton flood group to enable it to get insurance so that it can use the flood barrier?

I pay tribute to all the flood groups up and down the country and those volunteers who do so much to add to our flood resilience. If the hon. Lady would like to write to me specifically about that matter, I will have a think about which agency is the best one to help. We want to enable more people to help with our flood resilience and response, not make it too difficult.

Although the Minister knows that good progress has been made by my flooding taskforce on Sandon Road in Stafford—we have cleared the brook and the installation of a non return valve is planned—a long term fix will likely require Government investment. Can she please say a little more about the new schemes, and how new flood groups such as mine can access some of the funding?

I was delighted to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency to speak to some of the people who have been impacted by flooding, and to see the area for myself. She has been a formidable champion on this issue, and of course we will continue to have those conversations to ensure that we do everything we can to protect as many people as possible from the devastation of flooding.

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

Yesterday, I launched the land use framework, a blueprint for how we can make the most of our land. We will shortly be publishing our waste crime action plan to give the Environment Agency police style powers to crack down on these criminal networks. Earlier this week, we announced more than 600 flood defence projects. Earlier this month, I led the first agrifood trade mission to Washington to promote the new 13,000 tonne beef quota. I also took part in the second UK Ireland summit, alongside the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet. Next week, I will chair the first food and farming partnership board. Today, we are opening the King Charles III England coastal path, which I am sure Members across the House will agree is a wonderful achievement.

What assessment has the Secretary of State made of agricultural co operatives and how they might contribute to Government objectives on sustainable farming and food security?

This Labour Government are committed to doubling the size of the co operative and mutual sector, as we laid out in our manifesto. We already have some very successful agricultural co operatives such as Arla and Openfield, which benefit the farmers in those co operatives and their local communities.

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

Consumers and farmers believe that a Union Jack flag or a Made in Britain label should mean that the food was made or grown in the United Kingdom. We Conservatives, led by my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Steve Barclay), consulted on this flag loophole before the election—and we will close it when we are back in government. May I offer the Secretary of State some help? We have already helped her with her fly tipping policies this week, and I am pleased to see that she has adopted some of our policies to tackle the problem. Will she now adopt another Conservative plan and close the flag loophole?

The right hon. Lady had 14 years to do what she is talking about.

And the Secretary of State has had this matter sitting on her desk for 18 months. Instead of dealing with it, we have had 18 months of damaging the rural economy, damaging rural businesses and hurting rural families under this Government. Indeed, only yesterday we saw yet another example: as fuel prices surge, Labour MPs voted to make the fuel in our cars even more expensive than it already is. We on the Conservative Benches know that rural families depend on their cars to live, so we ask why this Labour Government are targeting rural families with ever higher taxes on their cars, their incomes and their businesses, making life harder for us all?

Let me gently point out to the right hon. Lady that on Monday the Prime Minister announced a £53 million package to help rural communities that are reliant on heating oil. On waste crime, I will take no lectures from the right hon. Lady, because the Conservatives had 14 years in government to address waste crime. In 2018 they had a review on what to do about waste crime, and they did precisely nothing.

T5. When we came to power, our then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committed to protect farmers from being undercut in all new trade deals. I am pleased to say that we have come good on that commitment. Ahead of the Labour rural research group’s push for farming profitability, will the Secretary of State agree to level the playing field in trade deals, and will she reaffirm that commitment to farmers?

We have promoted and protected farmers in trade deals, unlike the previous Government, who sold them down the river with the US and Australian trade deals.

T2. In Harrow we have suffered two industrial scale dumping incidents on land that is earmarked for much needed housing development. It has cost thousands of pounds to clear up. The council has issued more than a thousand fines for people dumping their rubbish on the streets. I welcome the decision by the Secretary of State to introduce further measures. Will she outline what those measures are and when they will be introduced, so that we can end this scourge of fly tipping?

The hon. Member is absolutely right, but in the last five years under the previous Government, incidents rose by 20%. We are encouraging councils to seize and crush the vehicles of fly tippers, and we will be consulting on a conditional caution so that people who do fly tip will pick up and pay up.

T6. The recent real life drama “Dirty Business” highlighted the scale of the issues within the water industry. In my constituency, Yorkshire Water has had serious issues with sewage outflows and poor standards of infrastructure. I welcome the Government’s water reforms, which will protect customers. However, does the Secretary of State agree that we now need to consider public ownership of the water industry in order to resolve the fundamental problems it faces?

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. Like the viewers of “Dirty Business” and my hon. Friend, I share the public’s anger about the decades of failure and neglect in our water system. The programme was very distressing and upsetting. I have extended an invitation to Heather Preen’s mum, Julie, to meet with me. I can reassure my hon. Friend that the Government are determined to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. We have already banned unfair bonuses for water bosses. We are scrapping Ofwat, and we are ending self monitoring of water companies.

T3. My constituent Caroline fell ill after swimming in the River Thames. She needed antibiotic treatment and was warned by her doctor never to swim in the river again. Like many others, she has been enraged by Channel 4’s “Dirty Business”. Will the Secretary of State step up and not just replace Ofwat but improve transparency by monitoring sewage by volume, not just length of time?

It is incredibly distressing to hear of people falling ill when using our bathing waters. One reform that we are looking at—being led by Chris Whitty—is about public health and water. We want to ensure that when we are making reforms to the water industry, we do so through the lens of thinking about it as a public health issue as well as a pollution issue. We must take action so that we do not continue to see people falling ill after using our beautiful bathing waters.

T8. One in five people face a vitamin D deficiency, with serious health impacts, but in South Norfolk we are part of the solution. The John Innes Centre is boosting vitamin D in tomatoes using gene editing technology, and the Quadrum Institute is studying the impact. Will the Minister visit Norwich research park to support the changing agritech that is supporting people to live healthier lives?

We are committed to growing the agritech and engineering biology sectors, which are key to the industrial strategy. We are allocating £200 million to the farming innovation programme precisely for this purpose. I look forward to trying to visit my hon. Friend as soon as I am out that way.

T4. I was wondering whether the Minister has had a chance to speak to her colleague the Housing Secretary about the different pressures that water is having on housing demand in Kent. If she had spoken to Tonbridge and Malling council and South East Water, she would have heard that the planned house building is simply not possible with the water capability available. Has she engaged in any way with her housing colleagues, and does she have an answer for the people in my community?

The short answer is yes. The Minister for Housing and I sit on the water delivery taskforce, which considers whether we have the water we need where we need it. We have done some heatmapping to find areas of stress, and have committed to building nine new reservoirs—none has been built over the past 30 years. We also sit on the Ox Cam group, looking at areas where there is acute stress, to ensure that we have the water security required to deliver growth, support our environment and build the homes that we need.

There are widespread concerns that we are way off our national biodiversity targets. Does the Minister agree that there must be no further backward steps on environmental protections, and that we must set clear red lines for nature?

I agree that the environmental improvement plan that we inherited was not fit for purpose. We will oversee the largest ever investment in nature. We have banned bee killing pesticides, licensed the first wild beaver release in England for 400 years, and announced the first new national forest for 30 years.

T7. Red diesel prices have shot up by 60%, a third of the world’s fertiliser goes through the strait of Hormuz, and energy prices are skyrocketing. All that is creating challenges for farmers, and will ultimately affect the prices we pay for food in the shops. What is the Minister doing to work across Departments to reduce pressure on farmers, and to reassure them that, for once, the Government understand the challenges they face and their importance for UK food security?

We are well aware that events in the middle east are putting pressure on input prices. The hon. Lady mentions red diesel and fertiliser for the farming sector. I have talked to the chief executive officer of the Competition and Markets Authority. We are taking a close look at what is happening to ensure that there is no market abuse, and will keep a close eye on the situation as it develops. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has already announced extra support for heating oil in rural communities. We keep a watching brief on this important matter.

Although they appreciate the need to put right the failings of the past, my constituents continue to raise concerns about Thames Water’s price increase last year. Will the Minister assure them that Thames Water is being held to account and will provide information to customers about how local infrastructure will be improved?

I share my hon. Friend’s anger about the poor service that many people receive from Thames Water. I can absolutely assure him that Thames Water is being held to account—a record £122 million fine was issued by Ofwat only a few months ago.

After a serious pollution incident, the Environment Agency produces a help report, which is shared with the Secretary of State’s officials, so she would have been notified of the category 1 pollution incident—the most serious rating—that occurred in September 2024 at Stanground, near Whittlesey in my constituency. No prosecution has been made, however. Why not?

I will be happy to look into the matter and get back to the right hon. Gentleman in writing.

The organisation Surfers Against Sewage has just published its investigation of illegal dry spills by water companies in 2025. There were over 204,000 hours of illegal sewage spills in England last year. The situation in Scotland is no better: Scottish Water faces little accountability, with just 30% of overflows monitored and 70% unreported. Will the Government take tougher action to ensure that water companies are held properly to account?

In England we are absolutely holding those companies to account by banning bonuses, abolishing Ofwat, and introducing over 10,000 inspections for water companies. Sadly, our power does not extend to Scotland. I can only hope that the SNP continues to follow our lead.

The fishing and coastal growth fund saw an utterly meagre £28 million devolved to Scotland and £304 million allocated to England, even though Scotland represents 60% of fishing capacity in the UK. Despite the Government’s inability to understand basic arithmetic, is the Minister considering mitigations to ensure that Scotland’s fishing industry and coastal communities can thrive?

In the comprehensive spending review, the Scottish Government received the largest real terms increase in their funding since devolution. If they wish to support Scotland’s thriving fishing industry further, they have every right to do so.

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State announced yet another supposedly significant policy this week—the land use framework—outside Parliament, and has not offered an oral statement so that Ministers may be scrutinised. This is the fifth time she has done this. The other four occasions were the Baroness Batters review, the animal welfare strategy, the family farm tax fiasco and the SFI scheme, which has attracted many questions today because colleagues need to know more details for their constituents. What can be done to encourage the Secretary of State to make a proper announcement in the House so that Members of Parliament can—

Order. You have put the point on the record. While I have got the Secretary of State here, I will ask her if she wishes to respond.

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I am happy to respond. We issued a written ministerial statement yesterday. I have done oral statements on big issues such as the water White Paper. I note that when my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Streatham and Croydon North (Steve Reed), made an oral statement on water in September, the right hon. Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins) did not care to attend.

A WMS was out there, and I say to the Government that priority should always be given to the House. I am sure that will be noted. Far too many statements are made outside the House, but there was a WMS on this occasion. I will leave it at that because we have other things to get through.