Jonathan Finlay

The Coronavirus Act provides powers to require information about food supply chains. The Government has said that it is collaborating with the food sector to manage the risk of disruption to supply chains, but that the Act provides powers in case requests for voluntary provision of information were not to be complied with in the future.

This is a House of Commons Library briefing paper on the serious flooding that occurred in the UK during the autumn and winter of 2019-20.

This briefing sets out the background to Spring Budget 2020 which will take place on 11 March 2020. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will publish revised forecasts for the economy and public finances on the same day.

A Commons Library analysis of the Environment Bill 2019-20. The Bill was given its first reading on 30 January 2020 and passed its second reading without division on 26 February 2020. Committee stage started on 10 March 2020 but was adjourned on 19 March due to the impact of Coronavirus. The Public Bill Committee is suspended until a time and date to be fixed by the Chair of the committee.

Food security is a global issue, but for many people it is also a very immediate concern. How do we define and measure food security?

Five environmental areas are likely to lead the parliamentary scrutiny agenda: environmental governance, biodiversity loss, resources and waste, air quality and flooding

This paper provides an overview of the general licence system for controlling wild birds in England, following media attention given to the revocation of three licences in April 2019.

The Environment Bill 2019 was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 14 October 2019. First Reading was on 15 October 2019. This briefing paper sets out the background to the Bill, reaction to it and its main provisions. This Bill fell at dissolution prior to the General Election in 2019 and is no longer current.

The UK and EU agreed a revised Political Declaration on the framework for the future UK-EU relationship on 17 October. This Briefing provides an outline of the contents of the Declaration and the key changes in the revised text

Boris Johnson's Government have negotiated a new 'deal' with the European Union. It is formed of a Political Declaration and a Withdrawal Agreement. This paper focuses on the Withdrawal Agreement and how it compares to the one negotiated by Theresa May's Government in November 2018. The main differences are in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland or the 'backstop' as it is commonly known. It contains very different arrangements, the UK will no longer be in a single customs territory or union with the EU. The UK will no longer be legally bound to continue with level playing field commitments at the end of the transition period. Northern Ireland will still be in the UK's customs territory and VAT area, however, the region will align with the EU's rules in these areas. Northern Ireland will remain mostly aligned to the EU's regulations for goods. Four years after the end of the transition period Northern Ireland's democratic institutions will vote on whether they wish to continue the arrangements in the Protocol.

UK farmers receive around €4 billion per year under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). What arrangements are in place to cover these payments in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit?

This Commons Library briefing deals with the Kew Gardens (Leases) (No. 3) Bill [HL] 2017-19, which would provide that the Secretary of State’s powers in relation to the management of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, include the power to grant a lease in respect of land for a period of up to 150 years.

MPs will debate the Children’s Future Food Report on Thursday 27 June 2019. This House of Commons Library briefing provides information on the report and also parliamentary and press coverage.