Written questions by Farron.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to (a) revoke Environment Act 1995 Air Quality Directions and (b) introduce further directions to (i) achieve compliance with nitrogen dioxide limit values and (ii) avoid future exceedances.

Existing Directions under the Environment Act 1995 relating to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exceedances are revoked once the local authority area concerned has successfully demonstrated that compliance with legal limit levels for NO2 has been achieved, and that compliance will be maintained.

Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the revised Environmental Improvement Plan.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tamworth on 17 March 2025, UIN 37341.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 45555 on Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control, which local (a) monitoring and (b) modelling as part of the Local Air Quality Management process showed measurements in 2024 above 40ug/m3 within a 10-mile radius of Heathrow.

Local authorities are expected to publish their Annual Status Reports on their own websites, detailing their assessments of the air quality objectives.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2025 to UIN 66131, which (a) local authorities and (b) Metro Mayors have not published local plans to achieve compliance with legal limits for nitrogen dioxide.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the reply previously given on 16 July 2025, PQ UIN 66131.

Food and Rural Affairs, what localised hotspots for exceedances of the nitrogen dioxide annual limit value have been identified by which Air Quality Annual Status Report in each reporting zone in 2024.

Local authorities are expected to publish their Annual Status Reports detailing exceedances of the air quality objectives on their own websites. Annual limit values under the Air Quality Standards Regulation 2010 are assessed separately to the Annual Status Report process.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2025 to UIN 39815, which (a) cities, (b) towns, (c) agglomeration zones and (d) non-agglomeration zones in which reporting zones in (i) England, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Wales exceeded the nitrogen dioxide annual mean limit value in 2024; and by which year they are expected to become compliant.

The results of the UK’s air quality assessment for 2024 are published online on the UK-Air website (https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/).

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered aligning agricultural support in England with the approach taken in Scotland, where virtual fencing systems are eligible under the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS), in order to ensure consistency for farmers and crofters across the UK.

Defra has funded virtual fencing technology projects through the Farming in Protected Landscape Programme which are helping to deliver our environmental targets in Protected Landscapes. Defra does not currently offer funding for virtual fencing technology under other schemes. We will keep the matter under review when considering future grants offers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support farmer uptake of innovative tools such as virtual fencing.

Defra has funded virtual fencing technology projects through the Farming in Protected Landscape Programme which are helping to deliver our environmental targets in Protected Landscapes. Defra does not currently offer funding for virtual fencing technology under other schemes. We will keep the matter under review when considering future grants offers.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review (a) the eligibility of virtual fencing technology under existing agricultural support schemes in England, such as Farming in Protected Landscapes and (b) its potential merits in promoting environmental improvements, biodiversity gains, and animal welfare benefits.

Defra has funded virtual fencing technology projects through the Farming in Protected Landscape Programme which are helping to deliver our environmental targets in Protected Landscapes. Defra does not currently offer funding for virtual fencing technology under other schemes. We will keep the matter under review when considering future grants offers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review (a) restrictions on the use of virtual fencing technology under the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme and (b) the eligibility criteria for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.

The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme is due to end March 2026 and decisions on the future of the programme have not yet been made. The FiPL eligibility criteria for virtual fencing technology protects the highest standards of animal welfare and targets limited programme funding to priority environmental outcomes in Protected Landscapes. There are no plans to review the current approach. Following the outcome of the Spending Review, we are continuing work to simplify and rationalise our grant funding from 2026 onwards, ensuring that grants are targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to publish updated guidance on incorporating (a) blue-green algae and (b) other additional public health factors into bathing-water quality assessments.

The purpose of the Regulations is to ensure the protection of public health through the use of monitoring and classifications. Bathing waters are one of the most visible ways in which the public interacts with the water environment and so it is critical that appropriate regulations meet the needs of water users and those involved with managing bathing water sites. On 28 October 2025, the Department laid before Parliament an SI which incorporates reforms to modernise the Bathing Water Regulations. Coming into effect on 21 November 2025, these reforms include the scope to extend the bathing and monitoring season from 21 November 2025. We will continue to evaluate environmental and societal impacts of future reforms and engage stakeholders as we move to implementation. Current guidelines on Environment Agency and Local Authority roles during pollution incidents, including blue-green algae, remain valid.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a different classification system for lake ecosystems.

In the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, ‘Schedule 5, classification’ shows there are already different standards for inland waters and for coastal and transitional waters when measuring E coli and intestinal enterococci. This means there are varying classifications of water quality thresholds depending on pathogen levels in place at different locations, recognising the distinct natural characteristics and hydrodynamics that exist in different water environments. The SI that was laid 28 October and due to come into force 21 November this year will not change this.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to increase spatial representation of sampling points around Lake Windermere including areas not currently designated as bathing-water locations.

The Environment Agency samples the designated bathing waters in Windermere according to the Bathing Water Regulations. Applications for new bathing water designations in Lake Windermere can be made to Defra if the criteria published on GOV.UK are met.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to allocate funding for the introduction of a (a) traffic-light system and (b) publicly accessible platform in the context of improving the communication of bathing-water results.

Swimfo, the Environment Agency’s (EA) bathing water quality website, provides details on over 450 bathing waters, classifications, pollution sources, and seasonal water quality results. From May to September, Swimfo posts daily forecasts for over 170 sites where water quality may be temporarily affected by factors like rainfall or tides, helping the public make informed choices quickly. The EA is exploring redevelopment opportunities to enhance communication and service delivery. This will include working with the public and key stakeholders to understand their needs and preferences for future developments of the system. The EA have also introduced several stabilisation measures to reduce service disruptions and will continue to enhance the resilience of Swimfo ahead of the next bathing season.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to publish a review comparing UK bathing-water (a) monitoring and (b) classification systems with international best practice.

Existing practices for monitoring and classification in the UK mirror the European Commission’s Bathing Water Directive which is based on the World Health Organisation’s recommendations for management of recreational waters. Environment Agency (EA) monitoring also currently exceeds the minimum requirements of the Bathing Water Directive at all Bathing Waters. The Government is committed to improving the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses it. We are continually working to improve and modernise our bathing waters system and learn from best practice. We laid an SI on 28 October, due to come into force on 21 November 2025 which introduces three core reforms and several technical amendments to the Bathing Water Regulations. These will bring legislation in line with modern sampling practices, allowing the EA to improve ways of working and improve delivery for the public.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of current sampling coverage at designated bathing-water sites.

The Environment Agency (EA) monitors all designated bathing waters above the minimum monthly frequency requirement of the Bathing Water Regulations during the bathing water season. Most sites are sampled weekly, in line with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to reduce misclassification risk. Data is published on the EA’s Swimfo bathing waters website, ensuring bathers can make informed decisions. On 28 October 2025, the Department laid before Parliament an SI which incorporates reforms to modernise the Bathing Water Regulations. Core reform 3 comes into force 21 November, introducing the discretion to determine a different bathing season for a site where appropriate, allowing locally tailored bathing seasons that reflect their use. We are working with the EA on a pre-implementation research project, where we will consult with stakeholders to ensure we have considered all the relevant factors. The outcome will be set out in public guidance to be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) people swimming away from the shoreline and (b) all other lake users are considered in future bathing-water monitoring strategies.

The Bathing Water Regulations 2025 were laid before Parliament on 28 October 2025 and come into force 21 November 2025. Defra is committed to working with local and national stakeholders as work progresses to implement these Regulations. In the November – December 2024 consultation on bathing water reforms, views were also sought about further reforms to expand of the definition of ‘bathers’ to include other water users at both coastal and inland sites, and the use of multiple monitoring points at each bathing water site where useful to classify bathing water quality. We are now exploring further research and policy development to determine how best to implement these reforms and consider any potential environmental and societal impacts. Defra will engage with local and national stakeholders as this work progresses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the current SwimFo system in helping the public understand bathing-water risks.

We know that local communities want to have a clear picture of water quality at popular bathing sites. The Environment Agency (EA) publishes sampling information during the bathing season on Swimfo to inform bathers of water quality and provide daily pollution risk warnings. This includes details on over 450 bathing waters, including classifications, pollution sources, and seasonal water quality results. Local Authorities use this information to provide bathing water quality information on physical signs at each bathing water. The EA has introduced several stabilisation measures to reduce service disruptions and will continue to enhance the resilience of Swimfo ahead of the next bathing season. They are also exploring redevelopment opportunities to enhance its communication and improve its service delivery. This will include working with the public and key stakeholders to understand their needs and preferences for future developments of the system.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to move away from multi-year averages and adopt a more real-time approach to reporting bathing-water quality data.

On 28 October 2025, the Department laid before Parliament an SI which incorporates reforms to modernise the Bathing Water Regulations. Core reform 3, due to come into force 21 November, introduces the discretion to determine a different bathing season for a site where appropriate, enabling flexible, locally tailored bathing seasons that reflect its use. The Environment Agency (EA) sample throughout the season, and data is published regularly on the EA’s Swimfo bathing waters website ensuring the public can make an informed decision before entering the water. Where bathing water quality is not consistently excellent the EA makes pollution risk forecasts each day using an analysis of previous samples and notifies the public through the Swimfo website and on signage at the site in this event.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to allocate funding to ensure that bathing-water sampling in Lake Windermere takes place year-round rather than seasonally.

On 28 October 2025, the Department laid before Parliament a Statutory Instrument which incorporates reforms to modernise the Bathing Water Regulations. Core reform 3, which is due to come into force 21 November, introduces discretion to determine a different bathing season for a site where appropriate, allowing more flexible, locally tailored bathing seasons that reflect when people use the site. We are working with the Environment Agency (EA) on a pre-implementation research project which will consult with stakeholders to ensure we have considered all the relevant factors. The outcome of this project will be set out in public guidance that will be published in due course. Currently, the EA samples regularly throughout the season and this will continue with any bathing site extensions under core reform 3. This data is published regularly on the EA’s Swimfo bathing waters website ensuring the public can make an informed decision before entering the water.