Let me start by assuring you that I am enthusiastic about promoting recreation in the countryside and I understand the benefits outdoor activities can produce both physically and mentally. Our countryside is of great importance and it cannot be understated just how much the scenery means to people. 

Ministers are continuing to support and enhance access to the countryside. This includes completing the England Coast Path, supporting the network of National Trails, ensuring that rights of way are recorded and protected, as well as developing ways to support access through financial provisions in the Agriculture Act for environmental land management. The new schemes will make a significant contribution to the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan, including beauty, heritage and engagement with the environment. I believe that public access is a key way for people to engage with the environment and so supporting greater access is an important aspect of achieving this goal.

Further, ministers are looking at ways in which the UK’s new agri-environment schemes could fund the creation of new paths, such as footpaths and bridleways, providing greater and safe access for cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians. I know that they are working in close collaboration with interested parties to explore the best ways of making further enhancements to our wonderful access network.

Finally, ministers have now published the England Trees Action Plan, which sets the UK on the path to at least 12 per cent woodland cover by the middle of the century. Over £500 million of the £640 million Nature for Climate Fund is dedicated to trees and ministers aim to treble woodland creation rates and plant 30,000 hectares of trees per year by the end of this Parliament.

DS.

Hedgerows and field boundaries are the very essence of our British countryside, providing vital resources for mammals, birds and inspect species. They improve air quality, store carbon and benefit the rural economy. An important habitat in their own right, they act as wildlife corridors and enhance our cultural and national heritage.

Now we have left the EU and the Transition Period is over, the Government is able to reward farmers for the work they do to sustainably manage every metre of hedgerow on their land in a way that is right for their area. Part of the sustainable farming incentive is the hedgerow standard, under which ministers will pay farmers to plant more hedgerows, leave them uncut or raise the cutting height. To provide habitat for wildlife, farmers and land managers will be incentivised to maintain and plant more hedgerow trees. I know that simple actions like planting trees within the footprint of existing hedges can make a big difference. 

Hedgerows are legally protected by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 which prohibit their removal without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. The authority is required to decide whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ according to the Regulations and should not be removed. Research has indicated that over 70 per cent of hedgerows in England and Wales are ‘important’. The Regulations therefore play a valuable role in providing statutory protection for a large proportion of hedgerows in the countryside. When granting planning permission, a local authority has the power to impose enforceable conditions on a developer in order to protect hedges or trees assessed as being worthy of retention, which might otherwise be harmed by construction or the new land use.

DS.

The Down Syndrome Bill will require the Secretary of State to publish guidance to public bodies to ensure they are clear on how they should meet the needs of people with Down’s syndrome. It will set out best practice across health, education social care and housing, giving practical advice on how the appropriate steps can be taken to meet the needs of those with Down’s syndrome when planning, designing and delivering services.

The guidance is part of wider work that is ongoing to improve outcomes for all people with a learning disability. For example, the Government is trialling the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training programme to improve awareness and understanding of learning disabilities, including Down’s syndrome, for all health and social care staff. I look forward to seeing the results of this trial. Additionally, the cross-government SEND Review, launched in September 2019, is considering ways improve outcomes for children and young people by making sure children and families with the most complex needs are supported throughout school and into adulthood. As I understand it, the Government plans to publish proposals for public consultation shortly.

DS.

I appreciate the concerns you have regarding the Government of Israel’s recent decision to proscribe six civil society organisations as terrorist groups.

The Government has a close relationship with the Government of Israel, the strength of which allows sensitive issues such as this to be raised. Minister Cleverly assured the House on 26 October that he and his colleagues at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will be speaking to their Israeli counterparts to understand why they felt they needed to take this action. 

Human rights and civil society organisations have a vital role to play in the development of thriving, open societies. Israel’s longstanding commitment to democratic values is one of its great strengths as a fellow democracy, and ministers continue to make clear that a strong, vibrant civil society is in Israel’s own interest.

The UK is a proud champion of human rights and a strong supporter of those around the world who dedicate their lives to defending them. Support is provided to human rights defenders through bilateral contributions around the world, and through core contributions to multilateral organisations. The FCDO also monitors treatment of human rights defenders in its annual Human Rights and Democracy Reports, the most recent of which was published on 8 July. That report paid tribute to the courageous work of HRDs and listed support for them as a UK foreign policy priority.  

DS.

As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, there was a commitment to support the transformation of stroke services into specialist centres, and the roll out of treatment like mechanical thrombectomy. 

Good progress has been made towards this objective, with more to follow. The NHS is currently looking to increase the number of operators that can deliver thrombectomy, beyond the 22 centres and two non-neuroscience centres where the treatment is currently available.

In November, in response to a written parliamentary question on the issue of capital investment into medical thrombectomy, my colleague Ed Argar MP (Minister for Health and Care) said: “The Department and NHS England are conducting a detailed planning exercise following the Spending Review, including funding allocations to specific services, which will be made available in due course.”

Species-rich grasslands are vital for biodiversity, and it is disappointing that so much of our country’s meadows and grasslands have been lost. I am reassured, therefore, that my ministerial colleagues are committed to protecting 30 per cent of our land for biodiversity.

I welcome the early roll-out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) from spring 2022. The scheme, which will eventually be open to every farmer in England, will support approaches to farming that deliver for the environment, such as actions to improve soil health, hedgerows and integrated pest management. I understand that the SFI will begin by offering two soils standards – an arable and horticultural soils standard and an improved grassland soils standard. Through signing up to these standards, farmers will be rewarded for management practices that improve soil health by improving soil structure, soil organic matter, and soil biology.

Further, I am encouraged that the Government’s landmark plans for a renewed agriculture sector will transform the way farmers are supported. The new system will be centred around incentivising sustainable farming practices alongside profitable food production. I welcome that at COP26, countries committed to transform agriculture and food systems. In addition, the UK led 45 governments in new pledges to protect nature and shift to more sustainable ways of farming. I am glad that the UK launched a £65m fund to help developing countries move towards more sustainable methods of agriculture and food production.

Finally, I welcome that the Government’s new Environment Act includes measures to protect biodiversity, with a new, historic legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030.

DS.

The United Kingdom has a proud record of helping those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny from around the world. Alongside providing £10 billion a year to support people through our overseas aid, the UK is a global leader in refugee resettlement. As a country, between 2016 and 2019 we resettled more refugees from outside Europe than any member state of the EU. In 2015, the Government committed to resettle 20,000 of the most vulnerable refugees who fled the conflict in Syria through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) – the Government has now met that commitment.  

In total across all of our resettlement schemes, the UK has now resettled more than 25,000 vulnerable refugees in need of protection over the past 6 years, with around half being children. These refugees are resettled directly from regions of conflict and instability rather than from safe European countries. I believe that it is most important to prioritise those refugees in dangerous situations, not those already in Europe. 

The Government already provides safe and legal routes for people needing protection or seeking to reunite with their families. In the year ending December 2020, over 5,400 refugee family reunion visas were issued to partners and children of those previously granted asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK. Over 29,000 family reunion visas have been issued in the last 5 years. 

Let me assure you that the new Nationality and Borders Bill will allow the UK continue to resettle genuine refugees directly from places of danger and offer refugee family reunions. It will improve support for refugees to help them build their life in the UK, integrate and become self-sufficient members of society. The Bill also seeks to introduce a new temporary protection status for those who do not come directly to the UK or claim asylum without delay once here but who have, in any event, been recognised as requiring protection. 

It is also the case that refugees in the UK need to have the freedom to succeed as they settle. This means ensuring refugees have access to the tools required to become fully independent and provide for themselves and their families. This will allow refugees to be in a position to contribute and integrate into the economic and cultural life of the UK.

In order to achieve this, the Home Secretary has announced £14 million of funding to help newly granted refugees to integrate in the UK. This fund will pilot new approaches across the country to support newly granted refugees to learn English, move into work, access housing and build links in their local communities. Lessons learned from these pilots will inform future support available to all refugees.

In order to protect this country, the Home Secretary has the power to deprive someone of their British citizenship where it would not render them stateless. This power has been in place for more than a hundred years and has been used by successive Home Secretaries. I would like to assure you that any decision to deprive an individual of their citizenship is only used in exceptional circumstances where there is a significant threat to the public, such as from a terrorist, and based on all available evidence, including secret intelligence, with a right to appeal – I fully support the ability for the Home Secretary to deprive citizenship on these grounds. Therefore, if you have not partaken in any of the above activities then you have no need to worry about your citizenship being revoked.

The Nationality and Borders Bill will amend the law in order to allow the deprivation of citizenship where it is not practicable to provide notice. This could be in a case where there is no way of communicating with the individual, for example if they are in a war zone. The Bill does not give the government power to unilaterally remove British citizenship – all current procedures must be followed and there is still recourse to appeal, it simply changes whether written notice is given or not.

It is vital for national security that the powers of the Home Secretary are effective and I support the Government in ensuring that this is the case.

DS.