Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 121–136 of 136 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what the average (a) waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for his Department was in each of the last five years.
The average waiting time for people calling the Defra General Helpline in each of the last five years is set out below: Reporting Year Average Wait Time (minutes, seconds)2024 / 202501:112023 / 202401:232022 / 202300:502021 / 202200:582020 / 202100:322019...
Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints to his Department from farmers there were in each of the last five years.
Records of complaints categorised by the occupation of the complainant are not held by the department. Obtaining the information would incur disproportionate costs.
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of food consumed in the UK that is produced domestically.
In 2023, 58% of domestic consumption came from UK production (based on unprocessed value at farmgate), 24% from the European Union and the remaining 18% from the rest of the world. Data for 2024 will be published in Defra's ‘Agriculture in the United King...
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 3.82 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if he will provide funding for flood defences in Hemsby.
To ensure we protect the country from the devastating impacts of flooding, we will invest £2.4 billion over the next two years to improve flood resilience, by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government f...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the percentage of food served in canteens in his Department that is British.
Catering services at Defra are provided by our facilities management supplier, ISS. In the contract we require ISS to comply with Government Buying Standards (GBS) for food and catering services and ISS is encouraged to meet the best practice criteria of ...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a review into the food labelling system.
Defra is in the process of conducting a Post Implementation Review of the Food Information Regulations 2014 and the Country of Origin of Certain Meats Regulations 2015 to assess their success against their origin policy objectives. Furthermore, we plan to...
Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in their Department work outside of the UK; where those staff work; and what the cost is of salaries for those staff.
Information on civil servants employed by Defra working overseas and the median salary for overseas posts are available at the following link: https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/data_browser_2024/index.html Information on t...
Food and Rural Affairs, what forms his Department requires farmers to complete each year; what the length of these forms are; and what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the administration burden o
The Government does not require the same forms annually, and therefore we cannot provide this information. However, we are committed to improving the services we offer to farmers. Through ongoing service design and research with farmers, we continue to op...
Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department work exclusively on farming issues.
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department have experience in farming.
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Food and Rural Affairs, what the staff turnover rate in his Department was in each of the last five years.
Figures are taken from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey for the core department. The data reference point in time is 31 March at each year. Reference PeriodCivil Service Turnover*Departmental Turnover**12 months up to 31 March 20247.4%14.3%12 mo...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will arrange a meeting between the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth and the Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs.
My Defra private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) review and (b) implement changes to the funding structure for Internal Drainage Boards to reduce the financial impact on local councils.
Defra has committed to work with the internal drainage board (IDB) sector and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to review IDBs’ current funding and costs. This will include examination of whether any changes are needed to their fu...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the funding criteria for coastal defences in Hemsby, and if he will visit Hemsby.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is the responsible risk management authority for coastal erosion at Hemsby. The shoreline management approach for Hemsby’s coastline is managed realignment, as outlined in the Shoreline Management Plan which has been develop...
Food and Rural Affairs, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of th
Defra does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the department's annual report and accounts.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle coastal erosion in Hemsby; and if he will meet the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth to discuss the criteria for his Department's funding of coastal erosion programmes.
Defra knows the devastating impact flooding and coastal erosion can have on communities, including in Hemsby. That is why we are committed to supporting coastal communities and ensuring flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future. We will establish a new Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. The Environment Agency is working closely with Great Yarmouth Borough Council as they consider options for flood risk management of the area, taking into account the technical challenges. East Suffolk Council is leading on the Resilient Coasts project, part of the £200 million Flood and Coast Innovation Programme. This project includes Hemsby as a pilot location, and we look forward to hearing how this is progressing.