As part of the EAC’s examination of the role of financial institutions in the UK’s net zero transition, Barry questioned Sam Alvis, Head of economy at Green Alliance; Ryan Jude, Programme Director for Green Taxonomy at Green Finance Institute; Mark Campanale, Founder and Director at Carbon Tracker Initiative; and Dr Anastasiya Ostrovnaya, Senior Research/Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment at Imperial College Business School about the role the Government can play in facilitating investment for renewable energy.
Holding DEFRA to account for environmental targets
In the EFRA Committee’s hearing on 6 December, 2022, Barry questioned Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey and Permanent Secretary at DEFRA Tamara Finkelstein on the public access elements of ELMS, the UK’s goals for COP-15, the deliverability of the UK’s environmental targets and resource allocation within DEFRA following the Government’s Autumn Statement.
Post-Brexit chemicals regulation, water quality and recycling
Barry questioned environment minister Rebecca Pow on progress in implementing the UK REACH regulatory framework for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals in Great Britain following Brexit. The EAC also discussed the Government’s policy around improving water quality.
Avian flu: inspection and enforcement
In part two of the Avian Flu evidence session, Barry questioned David Holdsworth, Chief Executive, Animal Plant Health Agency and Christine Middlemiss, the Chief Veterinary Officer on the inspection and enforcement regime of poultry producers, or the lack of it.
The tragedy of Avian Flu
As part of the EFRA committee’s evidence session on Avian Influenza, Barry questioned Richard Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Poultry Council, Paul Kelly of Kelly Turkeys and James Pearce-Higgins, Director of Science, British Trust for Ornithology about the impact on the disease, which has resulted in the culling or death so far this year of over one million ‘Christmas birds’ alone, on poultry farmers and also the impact on wildfowl and seabird numbers.
Food security and supermarket prices
Barry questioned Professor Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, about the evidence of ‘price gouging’ by the big name supermarkets – the three largest have together made a 97 per cent increase in profit over their pre-Covid levels – and how governments should intervene.
He also quizzed Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive Officer, FareShare; Maria Marshall, Project Manager, Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN); Anna Taylor, Executive Director, The Food Foundation about the government’s food strategy and whether it had adequately addressed the reasons that increasing numbers of people are being driven to use food banks.
Environmental Land Management Scheme progress update
As part of the EFRA committee check-ups on the Government’s progress in delivering the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), Barry asked a series of questions of Mark Spencer, the food minister, and Janet Hughes, the Future Farming Programme Director at DEFRA, starting with whether the department has assessed how large the ELMS budget needs to be, beyond 2024, to ensure that farming contributes to net zero and Environment Act targets.
Watch his questions below 🔽
Challenging the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquiculture Science on the Contamination of Tees Bay.
In an Oral Evidence session on 25 October, Barry questioned Rachel Hartnell, Science Director of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquiculture Science about the contamination caused by the dredging of the River Tees.
A national food strategy?
Barry questions Henry Dimbleby, the government’s lead on the National Food Strategy, about the government’s response to his recommendations.
Minister announces windfall tax on renewables
Watch Barry cross-questioning the new climate minister Graham Stuart on the government’s approach to accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies.
It was a somewhat spikey exchange, which included an apparant announcement of a windfall tax on renewables, not the fossil fuel producers 🔽
Caring for our oceans
In the 2nd part of the EFRA Committee hearing on marine mammals, Barry questions Chris Butler Stroud, Chief Executive at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Dr Mark Simmonds OBE, Director of Science at Ocean Care and Lucy Babey, Deputy Director and Head of Science & Conservation at ORCA, cetacean conservation charity.
Marine mammal monitoring
Barry questioned Professor David Lusseau, Professor of Marine Sustainability, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark; Rob Deaville, Project Manager at UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP); and Dr Carol Sparling, Director at Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) about the issues affecting marine mammals, in the UK and around the world.
Drilling down: the Environmental Land Management Scheme
Barry quizzes the National Trust, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and North York Moors National Park Authority, National Parks England.
Equal or not equal: the Enviromental Land Management Scheme
WATCH Barry question representatives of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Tenant Farmers Association and the Country Land and Business Association about the distribution of funds in the Environmental Land Management Scheme.
Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies
WATCH Barry quizzing Andy Samuel, Chief Executive, North Sea Transition Authority, on the so-called “ambitious” target of reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 - given they are based on an assumption that there will be less production by then, rather than actually reducing them on each oil field.
In part 2, Barry seeks answers about the electrification of oil and gas platforms.
Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels
Barry used this week’s Environmental Audit Committee meeting to question leading representatives of three oil and gas companies – BP, Shell and Harbour Energy – on why they think they shouldn’t pay the levels of tax that the public think they should.
The day after record temperatures brought the UK to a near standstill, it was a timely, lively and eye-opening session.
WATCH Barry’s questioning here 🔽
Mapping the path to net zero
Barry interrogates the Rt Hon. the Lord Deben, Chair, Climate Change Committee; Mike Thompson, Chief Economist, Climate Change Committee
Watch below 🔽
How are NHS England and integrated care boards really tackling rural mental health?
Let’s start with what practical difference Integated Care Boards (ICBs), and all the other acronyms in our NHS, are really doing to improve mental health care for rural people?
WATCH Barry at the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee quizzing Claire Murdoch, National Director for Mental Health, NHS England, Amantha Allen, Chief Executive, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, DEFRA ministers and others 🔽
Cross-questioning the candidate
Barry took part in a joint session of EFRA and the Environment Audit Committee, grilling Alan Lovell, the Government’s preferred candidate to be the Chair of the Environment Agency.
He focussed in particular on why Mr Lovell had proposed a restructuring and integration of Natural England and the Environment Agency. The answers he got raised more questions than answers about the candidate’s knowledge and suitability for the role.
WATCH some of the highlights 🔽
Phasing out fossil fuel-based fertilisers
Barry used a session on the environmental protection policies of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to question the minister George Eustice MP on whether the government was delaying the phasing out fossil fuel-based fertilisers.
WATCH below.