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To ask His Majesty’s Government what oversight they intend to exercise over the budget of the Independent Football Regulator following its proposal for a levy of £20.3 million a year, around double the amount originally estimated.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what oversight they intend to exercise over the budget of the Independent Football Regulator following its proposal for a levy of £20.3 million a year, around double the amount originally estimated.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 29 January (HC107822), whether they are still considering investing through British international investment in the Tropical Forests Forever Fund.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 29 January (HC107822), whether they are still considering investing through British international investment in the Tropical Forests Forever Fund.
The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) represents a critical evolution in forests finance, which is why the Government has been pleased to steadfastly support its development, including by pledging £2.5m to support the establishment of the Fund. Switching funding that had been set aside for international climate finance projects from grants into loans allows DESNZ to make £400m of financial transactions available to support the government's intention to invest in international climate finance projects, which could include projects such as TFFF. I will keep the House updated on the Government’s decision to invest in TFFF.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release of 22 July, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, what the terms will be of the loans the United Kingdom will give to international climate finance projects, and which projects these will include.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release of 22 July, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, what the terms will be of the loans the United Kingdom will give to international climate finance projects, and which projects these will include.
The Government is switching £400 million of grant funding set aside for future international climate finance projects into loans, which could include projects such as the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This provides more flexible ways to meet our international climate objectives. The terms, repayment schedules and interest rates of any loans will depend on the final design of individual investments and will be considered in line with normal value for money and Official Development Assistance requirements.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release of 22 July, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, what the repayment schedules for the United Kingdom’s loans to international climate finance projects will be; and which projects these will include.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release of 22 July, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, what the repayment schedules for the United Kingdom’s loans to international climate finance projects will be; and which projects these will include.
The Government is switching £400 million of grant funding set aside for future international climate finance projects into loans, which could include projects such as the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This provides more flexible ways to meet our international climate objectives. The terms, repayment schedules and interest rates of any loans will depend on the final design of individual investments and will be considered in line with normal value for money and Official Development Assistance requirements.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release of 22 July, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, what the interest rates of the loans the United Kingdom will make to international climate finance projects will be; and which projects these will include.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release of 22 July, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, what the interest rates of the loans the United Kingdom will make to international climate finance projects will be; and which projects these will include.
The Government is switching £400 million of grant funding set aside for future international climate finance projects into loans, which could include projects such as the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This provides more flexible ways to meet our international climate objectives. The terms, repayment schedules and interest rates of any loans will depend on the final design of individual investments and will be considered in line with normal value for money and Official Development Assistance requirements.
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the total United Kingdom contribution to the International Climate Finance budget can be turned into loans.
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the total United Kingdom contribution to the International Climate Finance budget can be turned into loans.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) uses a combination of grants and other instruments, including loans, as most appropriate to deliver the intended outcomes and provide the best value for money. No existing FCDO International Climate Finance programmes have been switched from grants to loans linked with the recent announcement of £2 bus fares.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their plans for achieving net zero emissions include introducing targets to reduce livestock herd sizes.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their plans for achieving net zero emissions include introducing targets to reduce livestock herd sizes.
This Government has no plans to introduce targets to reduce livestock herd sizes as part of its approach to achieving net zero. The department’s focus is on supporting farmers to reduce emissions while maintaining a thriving and productive agricultural sector.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Natural England’s approach to gamebird release licensing.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Natural England’s approach to gamebird release licensing.
My Lords, Natural England is the licensing authority for most wildlife management issues in England and has the necessary delegated powers to grant game bird release licences on behalf of the Secretary of State. It has the required expertise, experience and technical management to fully assess the potential impacts of game bird releases, including direct access to specialists in this area.
My Lords, I pay tribute to the Minister for her hat-trick of Answers. The former Prime Minister promised to cut quangos and end regulators running riot. Instead, we have more of them, and Natural England has just been found by the High Court to have acted irrationally and beyond its powers. Wales is now heading down the same road, with Natural Resources Wales pursuing a licensing regime that risks ignoring the conservation case for shooting altogether. Does the Minister accept that unaccountable quangos are out of control on both sides of the border? When will the Government match their rhetoric with action?
My Lords, I pay tribute to the Minister for her hat-trick of Answers. The former Prime Minister promised to cut quangos and end regulators running riot. Instead, we have more of them, and Natural England has just been found by the High Court to have acted irrationally and beyond its powers. Wales is now heading down the same road, with Natural Resources Wales pursuing a licensing regime that risks ignoring the conservation case for shooting altogether. Does the Minister accept that unaccountable quangos are out of control on both sides of the border? When will the Government match their rhetoric with action?
Dan Corry did a review of the different arm’s-length bodies in Defra. That report has gone to the board. I have been at meetings where it has been discussed. We are actively looking at how we can make the arm’s-length bodies in Defra much more efficient.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the competitiveness of British farming against imported produce.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the competitiveness of British farming against imported produce.
My Lords, this Government are backing British farmers to create a productive, profitable and sustainable future for farming. We will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that it may have. Where necessary, we will be prepared to use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors. We will set out our wider plans to boost farming profitability and long-term viability later this year.
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her reply. UK food self-sufficiency has fallen below 65%. Britain increasingly relies on volatile international markets while holding its own farmers to higher standards than most of our trading partners. The Batters review was unequivocal that food security is national security, so, yes or no, will the Government commit to treating agriculture as a sensitive sector in all future trade negotiations and ensure that no future trade deal allows imports produced to lower welfare or environmental standards to undercut British farmers?
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her reply. UK food self-sufficiency has fallen below 65%. Britain increasingly relies on volatile international markets while holding its own farmers to higher standards than most of our trading partners. The Batters review was unequivocal that food security is national security, so, yes or no, will the Government commit to treating agriculture as a sensitive sector in all future trade negotiations and ensure that no future trade deal allows imports produced to lower welfare or environmental standards to undercut British farmers?
We have been very clear when working on our trading agreements with other countries that our standards are sacrosanct. We will not allow deals that undermine the standards that we have in this country. We are investing £11.8 billion in the farming budget over this Parliament, so we are absolutely serious about building our farming road map and responding positively to the Farming Profitability Review from the noble Baroness, Lady Batters. It is really important that any products that are produced to different environmental or animal welfare standards can be placed on the UK market only if they comply with the strict requirements that we put in place.
My Lords, I declare an interest as a serving Army Reserve officer—I will be on the live firing ranges with my battalion this weekend. I bring that up because we are hearing worrying signals across the Army Reserve that reserve service days and special taskings are being turned off to meet budgetary requirements. Will the Minister assure the House that in the forthcoming defence investment plan, all reserve force budgets will be protected and boosted to meet our operational effectiveness requirements?
My Lords, I declare an interest as a serving Army Reserve officer—I will be on the live firing ranges with my battalion this weekend. I bring that up because we are hearing worrying signals across the Army Reserve that reserve service days and special taskings are being turned off to meet budgetary requirements. Will the Minister assure the House that in the forthcoming defence investment plan, all reserve force budgets will be protected and boosted to meet our operational effectiveness requirements?
First, it would be wrong not to acknowledge the service that the noble Lord undertakes on behalf of our nation; perhaps he can pass that on to the other reservists he will be training with at the weekend.
What the noble Lord asks will, again, be subject to the defence investment plan. Reserves are important to this Government. They will be an important part of how we ensure that we have war-fighting readiness in the future, and alongside that they will need the necessary training.
My Lords, I declare an interest as an owner of a hybrid vehicle. The Minister will know from the recent Budget about the plan to tax EVs for road use per mile. Can he tell the House how this is going to work in practice?
My Lords, I declare an interest as an owner of a hybrid vehicle. The Minister will know from the recent Budget about the plan to tax EVs for road use per mile. Can he tell the House how this is going to work in practice?
As the owner of an EV, I have a vested interest in this. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for public services and investment infrastructure, including the upkeep of our roads. Fuel excise duty is £24 billion to the national tax take, and it is important, as we transition to our climate change initiatives, that we balance this fairly so that everyone who uses the roads pays their equal share. Historically, motoring taxation has been structured around two elements: taxation on usage of the vehicle and taxation on the ownership of the vehicle. This transition means that all vehicles shall contribute fairly to the wear and tear of the roads, but drivers of petrol and diesel will pay fuel duty, whereas drivers of electric vehicles will not pay the current equivalent. I refer noble Lords to the Government’s policy on the specifics of how that shall be taxed and taken.
My Lords, I declare my farming and land management interests in Wales. Last year, mountain rescue services in England and Wales were called out to an incident every single day; in Scotland, they were called out more than 1,000 times during the year. Can we—pardon the pun—proceed with caution on any scope to widen public access in our national parks?
My Lords, I declare my farming and land management interests in Wales. Last year, mountain rescue services in England and Wales were called out to an incident every single day; in Scotland, they were called out more than 1,000 times during the year. Can we—pardon the pun—proceed with caution on any scope to widen public access in our national parks?
I hear what the noble Lord says. I have friends in mountain rescue. I bumped into one of them at the weekend; they had been particularly busy. The important thing is that the people who call out mountain rescue are often completely and utterly ill equipped for what they are doing. That seems the biggest problem. Mountain rescue is there to help people who get into trouble. If you have fallen and broken your ankle or there is a particular problem, that is absolutely what it is there for, in the same way as any other emergency service. To be blunt, the people who try to climb mountains in flip-flops and without proper maps—we have had this in Cumbria, believe it or not—are the ones who really need our attention, shall we say.
My Lords, I declare my interests as in the register. Tourism is a vital component of the Welsh economy. What conversations have the Minister or the Prime Minister had with the First Minister about the Welsh Government’s ill-thought-through and short-sighted decision to introduce a tourism tax?
My Lords, I declare my interests as in the register. Tourism is a vital component of the Welsh economy. What conversations have the Minister or the Prime Minister had with the First Minister about the Welsh Government’s ill-thought-through and short-sighted decision to introduce a tourism tax?
The noble Lord makes a very interesting point—I wonder whether he made it to his Conservative colleagues on Great Yarmouth Borough Council, who were the first to introduce a tourism tax. The tourism tax brings in £33 million a year. There are ongoing conversations, but this is devolution in action, and it is a matter for the Welsh Government.
I thank the Minister for his response. Poland is now spending 4% of GDP on defence. Finland has a wartime strength of 280,000 and can call on a reserve of 870,000 troops. NATO allies are waking up to the fact that we must take defence spending seriously. Will the Minister do everything in his power to ensure that the Treasury understands why we must spend not 2.5% but 3.5% as a minimum on defence and make that change before the spending review?
I thank the Minister for his response. Poland is now spending 4% of GDP on defence. Finland has a wartime strength of 280,000 and can call on a reserve of 870,000 troops. NATO allies are waking up to the fact that we must take defence spending seriously. Will the Minister do everything in his power to ensure that the Treasury understands why we must spend not 2.5% but 3.5% as a minimum on defence and make that change before the spending review?
I thank the noble Lord for his Question and, as I always do, acknowledge his service to our country as a reservist. On defence spending, he will know the Government’s policy. In the spring the Government will set out a pathway to 2.5%. He will also be pleased to know that the Government have not waited for that; we have already increased defence spending by £3 billion in the next financial year. We are on a pathway to increased spending on defence.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of uncertainty surrounding major defence contracts.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of uncertainty surrounding major defence contracts.
My Lords, the Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of certainty in the MoD’s demand signal for industry. Making the right procurement decisions is a key enabler for improving effective equipment delivery to the Armed Forces and ensuring greater value for money for the taxpayer. This Government are determined to establish long-term partnerships between business and government, promoting innovation and improved resilience.
My Lords, I declare an interest as a serving Army Reserve officer. Army cadet forces are vital to social mobility and community cohesion. I implore the Minister to speak with colleagues in the Department for Education about reversing the 50% cuts to the Army cadet force budget.
My Lords, I declare an interest as a serving Army Reserve officer. Army cadet forces are vital to social mobility and community cohesion. I implore the Minister to speak with colleagues in the Department for Education about reversing the 50% cuts to the Army cadet force budget.
First, I congratulate the noble Lord on his service and all that he has done. He makes a good point about the importance of the cadet service. We all recognise the importance of cadets and their valuable contribution to social mobility, social cohesion and the rest. Certainly, I will reflect on the importance of that and see where we go to in discussions with government colleagues.
My Lords, I declare my interest as a business owner in Wales. You cannot have prosperity without good infrastructure. Since 2023, the Welsh Government have cancelled all roadbuilding projects. I have asked this question before: will the Minister seek to have discussions with his Senedd counterparts about getting some of those roadbuilding projects going again?
My Lords, I declare my interest as a business owner in Wales. You cannot have prosperity without good infrastructure. Since 2023, the Welsh Government have cancelled all roadbuilding projects. I have asked this question before: will the Minister seek to have discussions with his Senedd counterparts about getting some of those roadbuilding projects going again?
I have great admiration for and friendship with the noble Lord from the previous Government, when I was an Opposition Whip and he was a Whip. These are the conversations that my honourable friend Alex Norris MP is currently having, so I would not like to pre-empt them. I will also be visiting Wales to meet my counterpart in my portfolio, and I will raise that particular point.
I am grateful to the noble Lord. Tourism is one of the most important areas for the Welsh economy. Indeed, many farmers and farming families have diversified into tourism. They are already reeling from the Budget announcement, but today the Welsh Government are going to put in place a levy on overnight tourist visitors. How can this be in any way good for growth and prosperity of Wales?
I am grateful to the noble Lord. Tourism is one of the most important areas for the Welsh economy. Indeed, many farmers and farming families have diversified into tourism. They are already reeling from the Budget announcement, but today the Welsh Government are going to put in place a levy on overnight tourist visitors. How can this be in any way good for growth and prosperity of Wales?
As the noble Lord will know, this is a devolved matter. The Government respect the devolution settlement and the Senedd’s ability to legislate on it. Both this Government and the Welsh Government understand the importance of tourism to local economies, economic growth and jobs.