The latest provisional data shows that in 2014 the whole food chain from farming to retail and catering was worth £108 billion to National Gross Value Added, and employed 3.8 million people. Within this, farming contributed £10.7 billion Gross Value Added and employed 440 thousand people, and food and drink manufacturing contributed £26.9 billion Gross Value Added and employed 410 thousand people. These statistics are derived from the Aggregate Agricultural Accounts by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Annual Business Survey and the Labour Force Survey by the Office for National Statistics.

Defra has procured research to assess the impact of crops grown for anaerobic digestion on land rental prices in England. Although concerns have been expressed by stakeholders over potential impacts on land rental prices, statistical analysis of available data did not detect significant price impacts. The development of the anaerobic digestion industry in the UK is still at a relatively early stage, so it may be that it is too early to detect impacts at present.

The relevant report can be found at:

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=2&ProjectID=19655

The regulation of the safety of offshore oil and gas installations in external waters is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working as part of the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator partnership. DECC and the Oil and Gas Authority are in regular contact with the industry and HSE regarding a range of offshore infrastructure issues, including the relationship between maintaining safety standards and reducing the cost of production. Together, we aim to ensure that industry resources are directed to maximising safe, sustainable production.

There has been very substantial ministerial engagement with the Chinese government in recent months, both here and in China.

During the course of those meetings, developments in the steel market were discussed on numerous occasions,including in discussions between the Prime Minister, Chancellor and President Xi during the State Visit. It was also raised by the Business Secretary.

Our relationship with China includes regular discussions of the market reforms needed to underpin growth in both our countries. This Chinese State Visit is delivering over £30bn of trade and investment deals.

Vocational skills offers can be delivered under a number of Rural Development Programme schemes. These are either national or have offers tailored to the needs of the local area. Defra publicises its schemes in a variety of ways including through the GOV.UK website. Local organisations such as Local Enterprise Partnerships also promote relevant local offers to their areas.

We are putting in place an ambitious 25-year plan to promote and grow our world-leading food and farming industry, encouraging enterprise and boosting productivity right across the food chain.

In addition, Defra is currently investing £4.2 million over three years in the Sustainable Intensification research Platform (SIP). This is designed to investigate integrated approaches for farmers to produce more food whilst simultaneously protecting and enhancing biodiversity, and the natural environment in general. The SIP will also develop tools to enable decision-makers to balance our need to produce more British food with the need to protect our natural resources.

The Government is currently developing the framework that will guide the development of a 25-year environment plan for England, which will include biodiversity. Biodiversity policy is a devolved issue, but we will maintain a constructive dialogue with the Devolved Administrations throughout the development of the plan, through the Four Countries Biodiversity Group.

The Government will, of course, ensure that these two long-term approaches complement each other.

This Government is committed to working with industry to develop a long-term plan to grow our food and farming industry. The plan will set out how British food and farming can become a world leader: innovative, competitive, profitable and resilient. Any future funding to deliver the plan will, as with all Government expenditure, be considered as part of the next Spending Review. It will build on the extensive support across Government for innovation and research, skills and apprenticeships, and export promotion.

Since December 2013 over 2 million people have been displaced by the conflict in South Sudan with the majority now residing in refugee camps and reliant on humanitarian aid. While it is too early for assessments for crop production in 2015, widespread disruption to agriculture is predicted to continue across the country and internally displaced people will continue to be reliant on aid, particularly during the dry season.

Under the Humanitarian Response Plan, the United Nations has appealed for USD 1.7 billion for 2015. The UK is one of the top three donors to this plan.