Rachel Gilmour MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
How these years work
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.
28 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Agriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64335More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process rural payments.
Answer: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands the importance of cashflow for farmers and rural businesses. It makes payments for schemes and grants against published performance indicators and continues to look at opportunities to issue payments as promptly...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Abstraction: Seas and OceansDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60365More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce regulatory limits on the volume of water extracted out at sea, following the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.
Answer: This Government is committed to protecting the natural environment and will consider any relevant issues and options as they arise.
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordFoie Gras: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60281More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a ban on the import of foie gras.
Answer: The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy t...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: ExmoorDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53746More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the Exmoor National Park Authority on the suitability of change of use applications for pubs on Exmoor.
Answer: Planning permission is always required to change use of a pub, ensuring that local consideration can be given to any such proposals through the planning application process, in consultation with the local community. Defra cannot comment on individual plan...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average time was between a pollution discharge notification and a public bathing water quality warning being issued during the 2024 season.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) does not record the time between notifying a Local Authority of a pollution incident that may affect a bathing water and how long it then takes the Local Authority, who have the responsibility for notifications being put up at ...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordWater CompaniesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52952More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with water companies on expanding the usage of community testing.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) engages with citizen science groups on a site-by-site basis regarding bathing waters along with water companies who do the same. The EA uses citizen science data to provide supplementary insights. Citizen science initiatives fo...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSewage: Tiverton and MineheadDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of sewage discharges into waterbodies in Tiverton and Minehead constituency; and what steps he is taking to ensure that co
Answer: For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvem...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBovine Tuberculosis: ExmoorDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the spread of tuberculosis in cattle on Exmoor.
Answer: Our Bovine TB Strategy is underpinned by robust routine and targeted testing of all cattle herds in England, restricting cattle movements from infected premises and detecting and removing all test positive cattle. This strategy is enhanced by statutory pr...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPine Martens: ExmoorDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the reintroduction of pine martens project on Exmoor.
Answer: No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of reintroductions of pine martens project on Exmoor as the release of pine martens on Exmoor is yet to take place. Devon Wildlife Trust, as part of their pine marten reintroduction project, have released p...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRights of WayDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34132More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the right to roam in England.
Answer: The Government committed in its manifesto to improving responsible access to nature. The Department is currently assessing the best way to deliver this, and further information will be made available in due course.
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32746More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department can take to ensure (a) existing drainage infrastructure is maintained and cleaned to appropriate levels to deal with high water volumes and (b) that future dr
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) maintains assets and infrastructure, including flood relief channels to divert water during heavy flows. EA monitoring teams use telemetry systems to identify and respond to high levels, while field teams ensure water conveyanc...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of (a) illegal and (b) banned products of animal origin (POAO) have been seized at the Port of Dover since September 2022.
Answer: Please see the table below for total seizures of illegal meat year on year. The figures quoted are seizures from all ports who had returned seizure data to us from September 2022 onwards as part of Defra African Swine Fever programme. This does not reflec...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAfrican Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth DiseaseDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 10798 on African Swine Fever and to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19080 on Foot and Mouth Disease, what recent assess
Answer: Whilst we have never had an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the UK, it remains a key priority in terms of exotic notifiable disease preparedness. The overall risk of an incursion is currently assessed to be medium, and we continue to prepare for ...
Answered 31 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFarms: Planning PermissionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25083More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential merits of incorporating (a) environmental and (b) animal welfa
Answer: The Department works closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government to deliver planning reforms with regular discussions on how the impacts of development can be fully considered and planning can improve outcomes for nature whilst e...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordWaste Disposal: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25082More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the cost of acquiring a waste exemption permit on future trends in the level of landfill.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) charges consultation (including proposals to charge for waste exemptions) is now closed. The EA expects businesses that register and comply with waste exemptions without the requirement for an environmental permit, will continu...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordWaste Disposal: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25081More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed charge for waste exemption permits on the ability of small environmental farms to recycle.
Answer: The Environment Agency charges consultation included information on the affordability of waste exemption charges for the agriculture sector. It can be found online here. Included in the document is the following estimates for a 3-year registration period:...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Local GovernmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25080More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methods for public recourse are available when a council authority is unable to fulfil their statutory duties on flood prevention.
Answer: Protecting all communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. Lead local flood authorities (unitary and county authorities) are required to manage local flood risks from surface water, groundwater and...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17698More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with producer organisations on (a) the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme and (b) replacing that scheme (i) in part or (ii) in ful
Answer: The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – produced fresh produce. The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme and legi...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17697More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for making a decision on whether to extend the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme beyond 31 December 2025.
Answer: The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – produced fresh produce. The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme and legi...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17696More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Fruit and Vegetables Aid scheme beyond 31 December 2025.
Answer: The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – produced fresh produce. The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme and legi...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPets: InsecticidesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17694More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the current adequacy of (a) regulation of fipronil and imidacloprid products, (b) (i) methods and (ii) scale of publication and promotion
Answer: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) authorises veterinary medicinal products under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (as amended) to protect public health, animal health, the environment, and promote animal welfare. This involves ensuring m...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17409More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the record-keeping requirement for the Sustainable Farming Initiative for 2024 will be maintained.
Answer: For Sustainable Farming Incentive, the Rural Payments Agency carries out desk-based administrative checks on a sample basis which can include requesting and checking the nature and quality of any supporting evidence, such as receipts and farm records. The...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSea Bass: QuotasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17402More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of regulations on the fishing of bass by charter boats which are also commercially-registered fishing vessels and (b) potential merits
Answer: The Bass Fisheries Management Plan published in December 2023 sets out a number goals and measures to deliver long-term sustainable management of bass fisheries in English and Welsh waters. This includes working with the newly established bass management ...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCoastal AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the University of Exeter's report entitled Resilience of Coastal Communities, Work Package 1: Responding
Answer: Defra welcomes the publication of the report, which is an output of work funded by UK Research and Innovation. We consider a number of policy initiatives already align with many of the work’s findings, and will continue to consider their implications in t...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordFarmers: Tiverton and MineheadDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11673More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead on the (a) Exmoor Farmers' Network and (b) farming community in Tiverton and Minehead constituency.
Answer: My Defra private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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