Martin Wrigley MP: written questions
1010 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Agriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38219More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to return to budget management mechanisms from the Common Agricultural Policy.
Answer: No. The farming budget for each financial year is set through Government's Spending Reviews and managed by established in-year mechanisms.
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38218More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason his Department did not give six weeks’ notice when closing Sustainable Farming Incentive applications.
Answer: To ensure fair access, and to avoid the risk of overspend, we could not give any advance notice to avoid creating a sudden increase in the level of demand. Whilst we aim to give notice where possible (and we are aware the application service mentioned thi...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: GrantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38217More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to open capital grants in summer 2025.
Answer: The Environmental Land Management standalone Capital Grant will re-open in the summer. Other grant schemes, including Higher Tier Capital Grants and Protection and infrastructure grants are open now.
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Protection and Food SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's (a) resources and (b) staff to implement his policies on (i) environment protections and (ii) food security.
Answer: Phase 1 of the Spending Review concluded in October last year and set Defra's budget for 2025-26. Phase 2 of the Spending Review is underway and will set our departmental budgets until 2028-29 for RDEL and 2029-30 for CDEL. All departments are being asked...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Rural Payment Agency’s ability to handle the change announced to SFIs this week.
Answer: As the principal sponsor of the RPA, Defra works closely with RPA officials at every level to provide constructive challenge and support on RPA implementation of policy changes. The RPA’s ability to implement policy changes is well understood and comprehe...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to changes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive, what support communications he plans to send to impacted farming businesses; and what support communications his Departm
Answer: A letter from Minister Zeichner was sent to all farm businesses on 12 March advising them of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive to new applications. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will be writing to impacted farm businesses shortly with mor...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with farmers on the potential impact of changes to (a) basic payments, (b) the Sustainable Farming Initiative, (c) capital grants and (d) higher tier scheme
Answer: The Secretary of State believes in the importance of continued engagement with the sector and has spoken with several farmers since his appointment. Defra ministers and officials will continue to work closely with the farming sector to develop and improve...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's new policy on the Sustainable Farming Incentive, whether he has made an assessment of the availability of private funding to deliver public goods for
Answer: The Government is committed to significantly increasing private investment in nature’s recovery. This will not only help meet our environmental targets but will also create opportunities for farmers and land managers to diversify their business revenues t...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department's objectives on support for sustainable farming have changed, in the context of the closure of the SFI scheme.
Answer: We have closed Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for new applications because the current SFI budget has been successfully allocated, with large-scale uptake of the scheme and 37,000 live SFI agreements delivering towards our environmental targets. This...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCoastal Areas: DevonDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38210More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will report on the (a) financial, (b) environmental and (c) social impact of coastal natural capital resources in Devon.
Answer: Defra has not undertaken specific regional surveys on coastal natural capital resources and, therefore, does not hold information on the financial, environmental and social impacts specific to Devon. Defra’s £38 million marine Natural Capital and Ecosyste...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: Private SectorMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38209More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will list the stated legal reasons her predecessor Department withdrew the private parking code of practice in 2022.
Answer: The government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.The previous government introduced the Private Parking Code...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming Incentive: Food SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Initiative on food security.
Answer: This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period. Farm businesses with existing Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ag...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on (a) small farms, (b) upland farmers and (c) commoners.
Answer: We publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income. Farming evidence packs for example have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. W...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on meeting environmental targets for (a) species abundance and (b) improving water qualit
Answer: We have paused the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ahead of reforming it. This is the third time SFI has been paused. We will confirm plans for the reformed SFI in the summer and we expect that scheme to contribute to these outcomes. There are also te...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the funding for the new National Biosecurity Centre is being paid for out of the agricultural budget which was previously committed to go towards farmers directly as public pay
Answer: The Government has committed to setting up a new National Biosecurity Centre to transform the Animal and Plant Health Agency animal health facility at Weybridge, investing £200 million to improve our resilience against animal disease to protect farmers an...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the spend on the agriculture budget (a) so far this financial year and (b) committed for 2025-26 including (i) delinked payments, (ii) agri-environment schemes and (
Answer: The information requested can be found publicly available here.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFarmers: Government AssistanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37907More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to support upland farmers who were intending to move onto the Sustainable Farming Incentive following the closure of the scheme.
Answer: We fully recognise the importance of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for upland farmers – and we strongly want the scheme to be available to them as we move forward. We have closed SFI for new applications because the current SFI budget has been s...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFarmers: Government AssistanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37906More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers through the agricultural transition following the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answer: This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period. Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for the sub...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFarmers: Government AssistanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37905More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers that were intending to apply for the Sustainable Farming incentive scheme.
Answer: This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a two-year period. Following the announcement that Defra has closed SFI for the submi...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFarmers: Government AssistanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37904More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help farmers that aren't receiving financial support from Government environmental schemes.
Answer: The Government’s commitment to our farmers remains steadfast. It’s why we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years – more money than ever for sustainable food production. We have allocated £60 million to the Farming Recovery Fund for...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37797More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers, in the context of the closing of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.
Answer: This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period. Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for the sub...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordProducts: SafetyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning UK General Product Safety Rules (GPSR) with EU GPSR rules.
Answer: The UK enjoys a high level of product safety. As outlined in the Government’s response to the Product Safety Review consultation, undertaken by the previous Government, we will now develop options for further consultation on updating the UK’s product safe...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordProducts: SafetyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37795More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to ensure that UK General Product Safety Rules (GPSR) are compliant with EU GPSR rules.
Answer: The UK enjoys a high level of product safety. As outlined in the Government’s response to the Product Safety Review consultation, undertaken by the previous Government, we will now develop options for further consultation on updating the UK’s product safe...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: ChildcareDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 34683 on Universal Credit: Childcare, if she will have discussions with claimants on the potential merits of establishing definitions for those terms.
Answer: The Government recognises that childcare needs vary from customer to customer and area to area, and we are committed to working with the Department for Education to increase availability so that we can support customers’ varied needs. At all times we want...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: Fees and ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37411More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 29983 on Parking: Fees and Charges, whether her Department has received representations from businesses on the potential im
Answer: My officials have regular meetings with both parking Trade Associations and representatives for motorists. Meetings with the Trade Associations are scheduled monthly, and meetings with the motorist group are quarterly. In addition to regular meetings, my ...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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