Results 1-20 of 2,001 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Huw Irranca-Davies

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government published their response to the Pitt review last December. It set out what we had already achieved and what we needed to do to implement the remaining recommendations. We published the first progress report in June 2009, and it showed that further good progress had been made across the board. The next progress report will be published in December.

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: Ultimately, the hon. Gentleman knows about the progress on the review of planning policy guidance note 25 and that approximately 98 per cent. of developments follow the Environment Agency's recommendations. I am slightly disappointed that he has not remarked on the doubling of investment under the Government for flood defences since 1997.

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: That is an important point and I am pleased to tell my hon. Friend that we set up a new Cabinet Office team to ensure that critical national infrastructure—for example, power stations—is properly protected from flooding. If we are lucky in what may be in the Queen's Speech—we can never second-guess it—there is an imperative under the Labour Government to get on and...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: I am pleased to report that that work is well under way. Every time we stand at the Dispatch Box, Conservative Front Benchers harry the Government to do more. They simply ignore what has been done—the £9.7 million awarded to 77 local authorities with the highest risk and potential for surface water flooding; the £5 million currently open for bids to deal with well-known local...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: I assure my hon. Friend that we are very keen to get on. I welcome the fact that at a conference run by Marketforce and the Institute of Economic Affairs as recently as 15 October, my Opposition Front-Bench colleague said that "we are concerned that a Bill may be dropped from this final session altogether. The Government will have serious questions to answer if, two years after the Pitt...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: My understanding is that that is a matter for local authorities, many of which, as the hon. Gentleman knows, have applied and bid for the funding. However, I am more than happy to write to him with details to clarify the point that he has raised. It is important, and when people take responsible approaches to their properties' resilience, that needs to be recognised, but I will write to him.

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: At the IWC's 2009 annual meeting, which I attended, it was agreed that the small working group would continue work on the future of the IWC for another year. The support group, of which the UK is not a member, appointed to assist the small working group was unable to complete discussions on possible reform packages in October, but we hope to complete discussions before the small working group...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: On 20 October, British officials met the Japanese Government and expressed continued concern about Japanese dolphin hunts, among other things. I wrote personally to the Japanese Fisheries Minister last week on a range of issues, including whaling, and expressed the British public's concern about the hunting of dolphins, urging Japan to prohibit the killing and capture of dolphins and other...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: My approach to the current negotiations will reflect agreements reached with ministerial colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with the UK industry and other key stakeholders on a balance of appropriate priorities. Those will seek to ensure the long-term sustainability of the stocks in question, while maintaining the future viability of the UK fleet.

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: My hon. Friend raises a vital point. We need to get away from this haggling until 3 in the morning in late December. We need to change the CFP, as we made clear in the May and June Councils, where we led from the front. We need to reform the CFP on the basis of good, long-term science, sustainable fish stocks, regionalisation and the long-term viability of all parts of the UK fleet, and away...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: I would counter that. I am aware of a perception in certain parts of the fleet and in certain harbours, where it is widely reported that there is a perception of being disconnected. The reality is that we have set up the sustainable access to inshore fisheries—SAIF—project, and we have a ministerial quadrilateral group on quota reform, in which we are engaged and reaching out to...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: Yes, I can indeed. I give the hon. Gentleman a categorical assurance that we are continuing to have close discussions with Northern Ireland stakeholders, Ministers and colleagues. Northern Ireland Ministers play a vital part in our negotiating team as well. I was also pleased recently to meet skippers in Portavogie. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that, as we determine the package of UK...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: No recent representations have been received on the activities of British Waterways in the Stoke-on-Trent area. However, I understand that British Waterways, the local regional development agency and other partners are working together on a variety of projects in the area, reflecting the importance of partnership in working to achieve our shared goals of getting the best from our waterways.

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: I am very happy to pay tribute to my hon. Friend's sterling role in advocating the canals that are so important to her area. In fact, I would be more than happy to meet her to discuss the issue further. Ultimately, it is a question of British Waterways and its partners getting on with the business on the ground, identifying the priorities and driving them forward. I would welcome the...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: The hon. Gentleman has raised a valid point. Through our work with British Waterways, the Broads Authority, the inlands waterways authorities and others we have made it clear that we recognise the wider public benefits of canals, not just in terms of recreational boating but, for instance, of health, education and awareness of nature. Again, I do not want to interfere in individual...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: I am grateful for the work that my hon. Friend does as a trustee of RYA Sailability, and we have corresponded on the issue she has raised. The organisation does sterling work in encouraging people of all abilities to participate in sailing activities. I understand that the matter is currently being discussed by the parties involved, and I hope that it will be resolved speedily. I gather that...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: I am pleased to be able to update the hon. Gentleman on discussions that we had as recently as the week before last, following the announcement made at the Labour party conference. There has been a very good response. We will introduce a concessionary scheme, subject to legislative opportunities and also to guidance. I think it important for us to get the details right, so that the right...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: First, I cannot guarantee anything at this moment. The Government are committed to bringing forward proposals on a discretionary scheme at the first available legislative opportunity, and that has been widely welcomed. I would not want to go into detail but I am glad that we have support for this right across the House. We will need to go into detail about who is and is not included, but it...

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

Huw Irranca-Davies: Indeed, and in this 60th year it is right that we look to the future of the national parks. That is why we are working very hard with the national parks authorities and other agencies to look forward and shape a vision for the future. I suspect that that vision will be concerned with access, sustainable ways of living, living and breathing communities and climate change. The national parks...

Closed Circuit Television (Monitoring and Promotion): Clause 2 — General objective (27 Oct 2009) has video

Huw Irranca-Davies: I applaud the representations made by my hon. Friend and others on behalf of the PCS and the work force of the MFA in their transfer to the MMO, and I can assure him of my categorical follow-through on the undertakings within that letter. I echo his view that if any Minister, myself or any subsequent Minister, were to renege on those undertakings, they would be acting in bad faith, so he has...