Results 1-20 of 8,668 for speaker:Hilary Benn

Written Ministerial Statements — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Flood and Water Management Bill (19 Nov 2009)

Hilary Benn: I would like to inform the House that today I have introduced to Parliament a revised Flood and Water Management Bill, laid regulations under the European Communities Act to implement the EU floods directive and published a command paper setting out the Government's response to pre-legislative scrutiny and consultation on the draft Bill. The floods in 2007 claimed 13 lives and cost our...

Written Ministerial Statements — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Agriculture and Fisheries Council (19 Nov 2009)

Hilary Benn: My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Huw Irranca-Davies), will represent the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 19 and 20 November. There are a number of items on the agenda relating to agriculture and fisheries which are of...

Written Ministerial Statements — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: South Downs National Park (12 Nov 2009)

Hilary Benn: Further to my written ministerial statement of 31 March 2009, column 53WS, I am pleased to announce that I am today confirming the South Downs National Park (Designation) Order 2002 and the South Downs national park (Designation) Variation Order 2004, with modifications in both cases, thus creating the South Downs National Park, to take effect from 31 March 2010. I will also be confirming...

Written Ministerial Statements — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Agriculture and Fisheries Council (10 Nov 2009)

Hilary Benn: My hon. Friends the Minister for Marine and the Natural Environment (Huw Irranca-Davies), and the Minister for Food, Farming and Environment (Jim Fitzpatrick) represented the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 19 and 20 October. Richard Lochhead MSP also attended. On agriculture, France, spearheading a large group of member states, had deposited a paper...

Written Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Departmental Data Protection (4 Nov 2009)

Hilary Benn: holding answer 3 November 2009 Details of total losses or thefts from DEFRA and some of its agencies from 2005-06 onwards of mobile phones, blackberries (including PDAs) and laptops were provided in response to a question from the hon. Member from Putney (Justine Greening) 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1212W. A further breakdown and complete agency figures are not available...

Written Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Rural Payments Agency: Data Protection (4 Nov 2009)

Hilary Benn: holding answer 3 November 2009 On 29 October 2009, Official Report, column 437, I made a statement to the House of Commons regarding unaccounted for electronic storage media at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). I gave a commitment to put in the Library of the House a copy of the internal investigation report that was carried out by RPA. This text accompanies that report. Summary The...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Natural Environment (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: We have seen improvements in water quality, more species have been protected, pollution levels are decreasing, and 89 per cent. of our sites of special scientific interest are in a favourable or recovering condition. However, we all need to do more to protect our natural environment, and securing a good deal at Copenhagen would be a very important step forward.

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Natural Environment (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I congratulate my hon. Friend on hosting the event, and I am sorry that I was not able to join her for it. The single most important thing that we can do is understand and appreciate more the value of biodiversity, including what it does for us, because it is fundamental to human existence and we have taken it for granted for far too long. It sustains our economy, our clean water and air and...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Natural Environment (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I share the hon. Gentleman's concern, and we are trying to find the most effective way to deal with such invasive species. I am happy to write to him to set out the steps that we are seeking to take.

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Natural Environment (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I have seen that report, and I share my hon. Friend's desire that more people should have the chance to get out there. The national parks provide a wonderful opportunity for that, and of course the coastal access provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which received its Third Reading earlier this week, will provide further opportunities for young people and others to enjoy the...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Natural Environment (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I profoundly disagree with that last statement. The Government are very committed. If the hon. Gentleman considers, for example, bird numbers, we have managed in this country to stop the decline that happened between the 1970s and the 1990s. The number of sea birds is up, we have offered protection to Lyme bay to safeguard the pink sea fan and there are otters in every single English county...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Farmers (Suicides) (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I have not received any particular representations about this, but earlier this year the Farming Crisis Network produced its sobering report on the impact of bovine TB on farming families. This showed, as we all know, that for those most seriously affected, the economic and particularly the human consequences of bovine TB are devastating. The TB eradication group for England has since met...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Farmers (Suicides) (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I know that my right hon. Friend took a great deal of interest in the matter and I pay tribute to her work on it. The TB eradication group that we have now established is both looking at what can be done to help farmers to try to cope with the disease and getting on with doing effective things to try to tackle it. I have approved all the recommendations that the TB eradication group produced...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Farmers (Suicides) (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: It is a matter for the TB eradication group to report as it sees fit. Its first report, as I just indicated, has been received, and I accepted all its recommendations. The fact that we are working in partnership now to try to deal with this devastating disease is a big step forward compared with where we were before.

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Farmers (Suicides) (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I do not know to which unpublished reports the hon. Gentleman refers. If he is talking about scientific research, that has to go through a peer review process and be published. One of the things that the eradication group is doing is keeping a close eye on unfolding scientific information—that is part of its remit and it referred to that in the report that was recently put out.

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Farmers (Suicides) (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: The publication of that research information is a matter for the journals who publish these things, and it has to be in a form suitable for publication. As soon as it is publicly available, I will ensure that it is placed in the Library so that we may all see what it has to say.

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Bovine Tuberculosis (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: Since November 2008, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has worked alongside the farming industry and veterinary profession as part of the bovine TB eradication group for England. On 8 October, the group published a progress report including a number of recommendations now being implemented. We are pursuing the future use of vaccination through vaccine research and...

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Bovine Tuberculosis (29 Oct 2009) has video

Hilary Benn: I am well aware that, as the hon. Lady points out, others take a view different from the judgment that I formed and reported to the House last year. For me, the overwhelming requirement has been to take action that will be effective in dealing with the disease. As I indicated earlier, I understand completely, having talked to many, many farmers, how devastating the disease is, but we have to...