Written questions by Pinkerton.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unitary authorities have the (a) powers and (b) resources to develop effective strategic flooding plans.

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires lead local flood authorities – which include unitary authorities – to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management in its area. Local authorities receive revenue funding to deliver local services, including local flood risk management, through the Local Government Finance Settlement. For 2025-26 this makes available over £69 billion, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposed three-year transition to restrict certain rifle ammunition on (a) shooting sports and (b) associated supply chains in (i) Surrey Heath constituency and (ii) the South East region.

In 2021, Defra asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA) to prepare a restriction dossier for lead ammunition. The HSE and the EA considered the evidence of risk posed by lead in ammunition on human health and the environment, as well as the socioeconomic impact of introducing further restrictions. This included considering the impacts on target shooting sports and supply chains in Great Britain.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reductions in access to recycling centres on rates of fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency.

There has been no assessment of the potential impact of reductions in access to recycling centres on rates of fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency. Local authorities hold the responsibility for the operation and management of Household Waste Recycling Centres in their area. It is their duty to provide spaces for residents within their area to dispose of or recycle their waste responsibly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with shooting associations in (a) Surrey and (b) the South East on the potential implications of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposed three-year transition to restrict certain rifle ammunition.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulatory agency for UK REACH. As required by the UK REACH Regulations, the HSE rather than my Department was responsible for engaging with stakeholders via two public consultations in relation to their proposed UK REACH restriction relating to lead in ammunition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Ofwat on (a) odour in tap water and (b) rising household water costs in Surrey Heath constituency; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of service provided by water companies.

This Government works closely with the regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment. Ofwat sets specific performance targets for companies in the five-yearly price review. Where companies fail to meet these targets, they must reimburse customers through lower water bills in the following financial year. The Secretary of State meets with stakeholders regularly such as Ofwat to discuss a range of issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect water supply during summer months in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Surrey Heath constituency sits in the Environment Agency (EA) Thames Area. The Area has moved into 'Prolonged Dry Weather' status following significantly below average rainfall. As a result, EA and water company drought plans have been activated to secure water supplies. Defra and the EA are working closely with water companies and EA is managing water abstraction licences in the area to ensure existing water users and the environment remain protected.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Ofwat on mitigating clean water loss from households in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government works closely with the regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment. Ofwat sets specific performance targets for companies in the five-yearly price review, including for leakage and unplanned outage. Where companies fail to meet these targets, they must reimburse customers through lower water bills in the following financial year. The Secretary of State meets with stakeholders regularly such as Ofwat to discuss a range of issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the plant health inspection regime.

Plant Health inspection uses a risk-based approach to understand global plant health threats and the Department carries out horizon scanning for new and emerging risks to the UK. The Department undertakes systematic, proactive screening of new and emerging plant health risks, which are listed in the UK Risk Register. The register contains details of over 1400 plant pests and pathogens which have been screened for their potential to be damaging in the UK. Risks are reviewed monthly by an expert groups and Ministers, and prioritised for actions such as surveillance, enhanced inspection, regulation, national measures, import controls, research and awareness raising.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support horticulture businesses in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and the vital role it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of home-grown fresh produce. Underlining this commitment to our growers is our farming roadmap which will set out a 25-year vision and blueprint to make our farming and food production more sustainable and profitable.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility regulations on horticultural businesses in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government has worked closely with industry throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector or specific constituencies.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the operational impact of the Border Target Operating Model on plant imports in Surrey Heath constituency.

The general impact of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) to the cut flower trade is likely to be minimal since only a limited group of EU cut flowers (such as chrysanthemum and carnations and orchids), are medium risk goods. All other EU cut flowers are low risk and will not be subject to border checks. EU Medium risk cut flowers have been subject to prenotification since 1st January 2022. EU Medium risk cut flowers have required a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) since 31 January 2024, and inspections for EU Medium Risk goods at the border since 30th April 2024. GB plant health services have significantly increased the number of plant health inspection staff to service the demand for import checks in England and Wales of EU plants and plant products. Inspector levels are being monitored to ensure these meet demand and deliver checks in line with set Service Level Agreements (SLA) and ensure minimal trade disruption.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of future plant passporting arrangements under the SPS framework.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area to make agrifood trade with our biggest market easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. Plants for planting, seed potatoes and some wood and seeds require plant passports when moving within the EU and within GB. The detail of this needs to be agreed with the EU in negotiation, but our assumption is that we will move away from Phytosanitary Certificates for movements between GB-EU and instead use plant passports. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now need to negotiate the detail of an agreement. Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to tackle fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency.

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights local communities and the environment, and we appreciate the difficulty and cost that it poses to landowners. Local councils are usually best placed to tackle fly-tipping in their areas, and they have a range of enforcement powers to help them do so. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to develop new enforcement guidance. We are also conducting a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help them make better use of this tool. Defra continues to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping, including on private land. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available here.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) condition and (b) ecological quality of woodlands in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government recognises the importance of woodland management to improve the condition and ecological quality of woodlands. We are helping owners manage their woodlands by providing Countryside Stewardship woodland management planning grants, infrastructure grants, and woodland improvement as well as supplements for deer and grey squirrel impact management. Through the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds, grant funding has been made available to stimulate the development and testing of new ideas that can help improve the ecological condition of woodlands. Grants are demand led, and we do not measure uptake at constituency level.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Independent Water Commission has made on producing its final recommendations.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission’s Interim Report was published on 03 June 2025; the report's findings can be found at Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings - GOV.UK. The final report and recommendations will be published later in the summer. These recommendations are expected to form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support public awareness campaigns aimed at protecting hedgehogs in Surrey Heath constituency.

While we are not carrying out any specific public awareness campaigns in Surrey Heath, the Government welcomes public awareness campaigns, such as Project Amazing Grace, which promote actions that support the recovery and conservation of hedgehogs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce animal (a) theft and (b) cruelty in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Pet Abduction Act makes pet abduction a criminal offence. In England, the maximum term of imprisonment in the Pet Abduction Act is five years and/or an unlimited fine. Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is an offence under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, subject to a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Those convicted of an offence may also be disqualified from owning or keeping animals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring water companies to report on the volume of sewage discharged into rivers in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government believes that it is important that we invest in the most appropriate type of monitors to ensure we gain valuable information on sewage discharges. Installing the type of monitor required to accurately measure the volume of a discharge is much more costly and provides limited additional insight into the impact of a discharge. It is important that we invest in reducing sewage discharges, as opposed to increasingly costly monitoring. Since 1 January 2025, water companies have been required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. The Secretary of State has authorised Ofwat to carry out enforcement action for this duty, in accordance with the powers conferred under sections 18 and 141DA (4) of the Water Industry Act 1991. Ofwat’s enforcement powers provide for a wide range of enforcement activity, including substantial penalties. Ofwat is monitoring compliance with the duty to report relevant data in real time. Where it detects non-compliance, it will take appropriate enforcement action. In addition to this, the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 has introduced an equivalent duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. Once commenced, this duty will be enforced in the same way. This will create an unprecedented level of transparency, enabling the public and regulators to see where, and how often, overflows are discharging, and hold water companies to account.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of sewage discharge on local ecosystems in Surrey Heath constituency.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes regular monitoring of the water quality in the River Thames catchment including the Surrey Heath constituency, and the assessment and proposed actions are set out in The Thames River Basin Management Plan. Water quality impacts from wastewater pollution are highlighted as one of the key pressures resulting in many waterbodies not currently achieving good ecological status. The EA continues to respond and investigate any significant pollution incidents. There have been significant pollution incidents at Camberley and Chobham Sewage Treatment Works in the last few years and these are subject to ongoing Environment Agency investigations. As part of Price Review 24 (PR24), Thames Water will undertake a significant investment programme to improve the environment over the 2025-30 period.These investments include: £784 million to reduce the use of storm overflows and £1.2 billion to prevent nutrient pollution. Ofwat expects the reduction of the use of storm overflows by at least 29% over the next five years, down to an average of 14 spills per overflow.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect (a) wildlife and (b) plant life in heathland in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to taking action to recover threatened native species across England and we have set four legally binding targets to drive recovery of biodiversity. The government has also concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) and published a statement of the key findings on 30 January 2025. We are developing a new EIP to protect and restore our natural environment, including delivery of our statutory biodiversity targets, which will be published later this year. Surrey County Council is the responsible authority for preparing the Surrey Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which covers Surrey Heath, and which will agree priorities for nature recovery in the area and identify and map the best locations for action to be taken to benefit nature and the wider environment. Defra has provided funding to responsible authorities to prepare their strategies, as well as dedicated advice and support from Natural England, the Environment Agency, and the Forestry Commission.