Rachael Maskell MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
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Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
20 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Climate ChangeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) wetland restoration, (b) tree planting and (c) other nature-based solutions to mitigate (i) flood and (ii) heat risks.
Answer: Nature-based solutions offer sustainable approaches to environmental challenges, delivering benefits for nature, communities, water security, water quality, and flood resilience, including measures such as tree planting and wetland restoration. The Enviro...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Supply: Climate ChangeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) water supply systems and (b) other critical infrastructure are resilient to projected climate impacts.
Answer: In the Water White Paper, the Government set out our commitment to developing statutory resilience standards, which will be brought forward through the Clean Water Bill announced in the King’s Speech. These standards will require companies to undertake lo...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: PayDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that Water Company Executive Members do not have salaries and bonuses subsidised by parent companies.
Answer: The Government is strengthening transparency and accountability in the water sector. Ofwat recently consulted on tightening executive remuneration reporting requirements. Companies are now required to publicly report the total remuneration received by eac...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPets: InsecticidesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department’s policies of permitting the use of active substances in pesticides that are banned for outdoor agricultur
Answer: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is taking a range of actions to address the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid being detected in UK waterways. Through its leadership of the cross‑Government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Group, the VMD has...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordVeterinary Services: InsecticidesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118811More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect freshwater invertebrates from pesticides used in veterinary tick and flea treatments.
Answer: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is taking a range of actions to address the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid being detected in UK waterways. Through its leadership of the cross‑Government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Group, the VMD has...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116176More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commit to developing a roadmap for the transition to in-ovo sexing in the UK egg industry.
Answer: As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and we will be working with the UK egg industry to this end. The Government welcomes industry’s interest in the d...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116175More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a consultation on ending the routine culling of male chicks through in-ovo sexing is under consideration.
Answer: As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and we will be working with the UK egg industry to this end. The Government welcomes industry’s interest in the d...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116174More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to publish a formal consultation on how a transition to in-ovo sexing would be implemented.
Answer: As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and we will be working with the UK egg industry to this end. The Government welcomes industry’s interest in the d...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordClimate Change: WildlifeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of climate change on wildlife.
Answer: Under the UK Climate Change Act 2008, the Government must complete a Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme outlining how identified risks will be addressed. The fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment w...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGame: Gun SportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103323More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislation to ban grouse moor shooting practices on the moors to help protect against flooding and fire.
Answer: The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to ban grouse shooting but it is vital that wildlife and habitats are protected and that the law is respected by those involved in the activity. In September 2025, the Government amended the Heather...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103322More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to encourage planting to manage water in the upper catchments.
Answer: Defra promotes tree planting in upper catchments to enhance the water environment, supported by a suite of targeted grants including the England Woodland Creation Offer, the Environment Agency’s (EA) Natural Flood Management Programme, and wider Environme...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordYorkshire WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103320More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made with Ofwat on helping to ensure that Yorkshire Water provides value to its customers through how it prioritises resources.
Answer: Ofwat, the economic regulator, sets specific performance targets for companies including Yorkshire Water in the five-yearly price review. Where companies fail to meet these targets, they must reimburse customers through lower water bills. As a result, Ofw...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDroughts: North YorkshireDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103319More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to reduce drought in York and North Yorkshire over the summer season.
Answer: Yorkshire's water resources have fully recovered after a notably wet autumn and early winter. The likelihood of a return to drought conditions in 2026 are now the same as they are in the late winter of any recent year. The Environment Agency, Yorkshire Wa...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: North YorkshireDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103318More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will (a) provide funding for and (b) accelerate upland management schemes to prevent flooding in lower catchment areas in York and North Yorkshire.
Answer: The Government is providing funding for upland and catchment-based management measures that help reduce flood risk in downstream communities, including in York and North Yorkshire. A new 3-year £4.2 billion Flood and Coastal Risk Management Investment Pro...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103317More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will develop a strategy (a) to help tackle surface water flooding and (b) ensure water industry regulatory compliance.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) has a strategic overview role for all sources of flooding, which includes surface water. This is set out in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England (FCERM Strategy). The EA has a legal duty t...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Business PremisesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost of flood protection measures to businesses which regularly flood in (a) the King's Staith area in York and (b) all other areas.
Answer: The properties along the historic Kings Staith waterfront are the lowest lying properties in the city and have no permanent flood wall defences due to heritage, buildability and economic reasons. Many of these properties now benefit from individual proper...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103315More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that flood protection infrastructure, including the Foss Barrier in York, is regularly inspected and maintained.
Answer: The Environment Agency regularly inspects and reports on the condition of flood risk management assets across England. Environment Agency assets are prioritised for funding as part of the annual allocation process. Where appropriate, third-party asset own...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPigs: Animal HousingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76016More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered introducing method of production labelling for pork products to help consumers that are seeking to avoid products from farrowing crates.
Answer: We will consider the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the government’s wider animal welfare strategy. On 12 June 2025, we published the summary of responses and the Government response to the fa...
Answered 8 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPigs: Animal HousingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76015More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to support farmers in Yorkshire to transition to free farrowing systems.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the Rt. Hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, Laurence Turner, on 3 April 2025, PQ UIN 41698.
Answered 23 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPigs: Animal HousingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76014More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she is having with (a) farming bodies and (b) animal welfare organisations on the potential for phasing out the use of farrowing crates by indoor pig farms.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 September 2025 to the hon. Member for Ashfield, PQ 73693.
Answered 8 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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