Select committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Conclusion 11

Seventh Report - Food security Published 28 Jul 2023 Paragraph 49 Addressed to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We look forward to the publication of the Government’s Land Use Framework (LUF) for England, and welcome the report of the House of Lords’ Land Use Committee. The LUF should not be overly prescriptive, but it should make clear what the Government’s priorities are and how it will help the private sector to achieve them. In particular, the LUF should address the current balance of land use between that used for pastoral and animal-feed on the one hand, and horticulture.

From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Seventh Report - Food security (HC 622), paragraph 49, 28 July 2023

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 17 November 2023 (deadline 28 September 2023).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it "takes all aspects of food security very seriously" but, across the report's recommendations, mostly points to existing measures and gives few new commitments, with some proposals declined or not planned.

  • On an annual UK Food Security Report, it says "We do not have plans to make the UKFSR an annual publication" and that the next report will be published by December 2024.
  • On the Cabinet Office review of food policy structures, it "agrees with the need for policy coherence and for strong leadership", but points to existing cross-Whitehall structures rather than committing to a review.
  • On free school meals, it says it does "not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions" but "will continue to keep eligibility under review"; on a sugar and salt tax, it does not consider "now is the right time".
  • On the Shropshire labour review, it is "currently considering the recommendations and intend[s] to publish a response before the end of the year".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error