The Government is committed to strong domestic food production and the Plan for Water sets out the actions we are taking to secure water supplies, including for the agriculture and horticulture sectors. The Government and the Environment Agency are working with the sectors to help them improve the resilience of water supplies for the future.

The package of support includes improvements to water resources planning and investment in infrastructure, for example by aiming to increase the amount of water stored by the agriculture and horticulture sectors to support food production and protect the water environment. This includes £20 million of grants to help farmers with the costs of building on-farm water reservoirs and irrigation equipment, through two rounds of the Water Management Grant under the Farming Investment Fund.

The UK produces world leading quality food and drink, demonstrating excellence in animal welfare and sustainable production standards. Defra’s consultation on food and catering policy sought views on a number of proposals to update the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services. This included ways of gaining greater clarity on how widely sustainable UK-grown food and ingredients are used in public sector canteens and kitchens. Changes to the standards must be proportionate and strike a balance between providing information on the impact of government policy and managing burdens on business. We will publish the consultation findings, alongside updated standards and guidance later this year.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) publishes Impact Assessments of the UK's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and these contain the official assessment of the potential impacts on the agri-food sector. DBT has also committed to monitor the implementation and conduct a comprehensive evaluation for the agreements as set out in the FTA impact assessments. Defra will also be supporting DBT in monitoring the impacts of new FTAs as these come into force over time.

The Government is supporting research that will identify opportunities for the chemicals sector to become more circular, delivering resource efficiency and waste reduction objectives throughout the chemicals supply chain. This includes support for the UKRI-funded National Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Chemical Economy. UKRI is also providing grants to support the use of sustainable feedstocks.

The Government has commissioned further research exploring barriers and opportunities around improving resource efficiency across UK industry, including the chemicals sector and related downstream products. This research will be published in due course, and will inform an assessment of policy options to support increased circularity.

Officials are working to ensure the planning system is optimised to support the development of a rapidly expanding UK hydrogen economy. This includes through the BEIS Hydrogen Regulators Forum and bilateral engagement. The Government will continue to work with industry and regulators to identify, prioritise and implement any changes to the existing framework, including addressing any gaps, to support the growth of the hydrogen economy. BEIS recently consulted on the optimality of existing planning arrangements through a consultation on hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure business models and regulation, and is currently reviewing the submitted responses.

The Government has doubled its ambition to up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, subject to affordability and value for money.

The Government's increased ambition will drive significant private sector investment, delivered by a strong investable proposition through the Hydrogen Production Business Model, which will help to address the key barrier to deployment, the cost gap compared to fossil fuels. The Net Zero Hydrogen Fund will also provide up to £240 million to 2025 to support the development and construction of new low carbon hydrogen production plants.

The North Sea Transition Authority provides data and projections on a calendar year-basis, publishing projections for production but not exploration. The number of exploration wells will depend upon the results of the 33rd Licensing Round, which closes on 12 January 2023.

Production projections can be found here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/media/8365/nsta-august-2022-production-projections-plus-ccc-and-beis-demand-projections.xlsx.

In January 2021, to 2,000 people working in roles crucial to the continuity of the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain were offered vaccinations. Workers identified by the Government as being crucial to the delivery of vaccine supply included staff working for Pfizer and AstraZeneca involved in specialist, highly trained roles.

Eligible workers were identified by their employer against clear criteria and the most appropriate location for vaccination were agreed between the National Health Service, local providers and employer.

Low carbon hydrogen is one of a handful of critical options needed to deliver net zero and presents an opportunity to deliver against our clean growth goals – meeting our decarbonisation needs while capturing commercial opportunities.

DfT-commissioned analysis supporting the Government’s Clean Maritime Plan set out that hydrogen and ammonia, a hydrogen carrier, are expected to play a significant role in decarbonising the maritime sector. The global market for elements of alternative fuel production technologies like hydrogen and ammonia, in which the UK has a strong competitive advantage, could rise to up to £11bn per year by 2050, generating economic benefits to the UK of up to £0.5bn per year by the middle of the century

The proximity of the local port to the Net Zero Teesside industrial project, which aims to produce and use significant quantities of low carbon hydrogen, as well as the recently announced ambition for Tees Valley to become a trailblazing Hydrogen Transport Hub, position the area well to realise significant local benefits.

BEIS ministers and officials continue to work closely with colleagues in the Department for Transport (DfT) in developing our approach to hydrogen, including in end uses such as maritime.