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1135766

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Housing: Construction
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the effect of house building on (a) air and (b) soil pollution.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	271448
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is responsible for the Government’s planning policies for England and how these should be applied. Defra works with MHCLG to ensure policies relating to air quality management are embedded in their National Planning Policy Framework. We are exploring options to address emissions from construction materials as announced in the Clean Air Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>Defra’s Construction Code of Practice for the Sustainable Use of Soil on Construction Sites is a practical guide to assist anyone involved in the construction industry to protect the soil resources with which they work. The Environment Agency have published a guide Land contamination: risk management that can be used in the in the planning regime to ensure existing land contamination is dealt with appropriately during the development process.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 10/07/2019 13:41:49 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1135771

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Barbecues
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to ban disposable barbecues.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	271453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment of the impact of disposable barbecues on the environment, nor do we have plans to ban them.</p><p>The Government is working to raise awareness of the impacts of domestic burning and has produced guidance which also asks people to be considerate towards others when using barbecues. The guidance can be found here: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1901291307_Ready_to_Burn_Web.pdf.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 271480 question first answered 10/07/2019 12:59:13 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1135778

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Processed Food
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support large scale food processing.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	271459
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2019 answer text <p>The UK food processing industry is a highly competitive and successful industry, supplying both domestic markets and exporting overseas. Defra works across Government and in partnership with the sector in a variety of ways to support industry to improve its productivity and facilitate growth. This includes funding research and development to support new innovation and working to support new export opportunities for our world class food and drink products, including in priority markets such as China, Japan and USA.</p><p> </p><p>The Food and Drink Sector Council is an industry-led partnership with Government which represents the entire farm to fork food chain. The Council’s aim is to boost the UK’s productivity and secure the UK’s position as a global leader in affordable, safe, sustainable and high-quality food and drink. The Council has a range of key priorities to support this aim, including working groups on agricultural productivity, and skills and workforce development.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 11/07/2019 13:03:18 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1135791

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics: Waste
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) incentivise small food and catering businesses to reduce plastic waste.
tabling member constituency	Stevenage
tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
uin	271472
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy, published last December, sets out our approach to eliminating avoidable plastic waste. As part of this, we propose to introduce requirements for businesses in England, which would include small food and catering businesses, to present a core set of materials for recycling. We will ensure that smaller businesses are not disadvantaged by these new requirements and, through our consultation on this proposal which closed in May, have sought views on how to help these businesses reduce the costs of waste collection.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also consulted on reforming packaging waste regulations to financially incentivise packaging producers to reduce the use of unnecessary and difficult to recycle packaging, and to produce packaging that can be recycled. These reforms, along with our proposals on consistency of recycling collections, should ensure that more of the plastic used by small food and catering businesses can be and will be recycled.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 10/07/2019 13:37:25 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1135808

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Incinerators
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the volume of recyclable waste that has been sent to be incinerated in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Morley and Outwood
tabling member printed	Andrea Jenkyns
uin	271476
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>We do not record this information and we do not have a basis to make such an estimate.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 10/07/2019 13:35:47 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns

1135812

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics: Recycling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) increase the amount of plastic that is recycled, and (b) improve the UK’s recycling infrastructure.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Mrs Anne Main
uin	271396
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December last year, sets out how we will reduce plastic pollution and preserve material resources by minimising waste, increasing recycling rates, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a more circular economy. We have consulted on reforms to household and business recycling collections which are intended to improve the quantity and quality of materials collected for recycling, including plastic, and on proposals to make producers pay the full net cost for dealing with the packaging they put on the market at end-of-life, and on the potential introduction of a deposit return scheme. Her Majesty’s Treasury have also consulted on a world-leading tax on plastic packaging which does not contain at least 30% recycled material. These reforms should help reduce waste and increase the amount of packaging recycled.</p><p> </p><p>Defra also supports the UK Plastics Pact, a unique collaboration launched by Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) that will create a circular economy for plastics. WRAP estimates these members are responsible for over 80% of the plastic packaging on products sold through UK supermarkets, and approximately 50% of the total plastic packaging placed on the UK market.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also acting to help ensure the right infrastructure is in place to deliver high quality secondary materials for recycling. It is investing around £3 billion of grant funding in waste infrastructure projects. These grants support infrastructure including material recovery, mechanical biological treatment and anaerobic digestion facilities, as well as implementation and expanding kerbside recycling services. It also recently announced £4.7 million of grant funding for recycling infrastructure projects that will help to recycle difficult plastic packaging and textile materials. Further grant opportunities around recycling will follow in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 10/07/2019 12:50:45 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1568 label Biography information for Mrs Anne Main

1135837

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support research on alternatives to plastics.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	271370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>Our Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December last year, sets out approach to eliminating avoidable plastic waste. We recognise, however, that plastics will continue to play an important role, for example by helping to prevent food waste when used in food packaging for certain foods. One reason plastics are useful is that they are lightweight, which can have benefits in terms of the carbon emissions associated with getting them to market. So we want to better understand the environmental trade-offs associated with alternative materials. We set this out as an area of research in interest in the Resources and Waste Strategy, and we welcome collaborations with industry and academia in order to further explore it.</p><p> </p><p>We are also taking steps to ensure new, innovative types of plastic really are more sustainable. As part of this, the Government has confirmed, subject to matched funding from industry, that it is prepared to invest up to £60 million through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund towards the development of smart, sustainable plastic packaging, which will aim to make the UK a world-leader in sustainable packaging for consumer products.</p><p> </p><p>We will also publish a call for evidence on standards for bio-based and biodegradable plastics. The Government is concerned that, in the absence of accepted standards, claims about the biodegradability of plastic-based products cannot be verified, possibly leading to increased levels of consumption and greater environmental harm, in comparison to conventional fossil-based plastics. The call for evidence will be published later this year, and we welcome responses from the research community.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 10/07/2019 13:44:25 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1135838

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Barbecues
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect on the environment of the use of disposable barbecues; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	271480
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment of the impact of disposable barbecues on the environment, nor do we have plans to ban them.</p><p>The Government is working to raise awareness of the impacts of domestic burning and has produced guidance which also asks people to be considerate towards others when using barbecues. The guidance can be found here: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1901291307_Ready_to_Burn_Web.pdf.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 271453 question first answered 10/07/2019 12:59:13 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1135842

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics: Recycling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current plastic recycling system.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	271373
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>In England plastic is widely collected for recycling across local authorities. 45% of plastic packaging waste was recycled in 2017, exceeding the EU target of 22.5%.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our Resources and Waste Strategy, the Government analysed the challenges currently facing the recycling industry in this country. Through the Strategy, the Government set out how it would tackle these challenges, including making producers more responsible for the packaging they put on the market and making recycling simpler for households. We want all local waste authorities to collect the same core set of materials for recycling. We also want to introduce a deposit return system. This will increase the quantity and quality of recyclable material collected. Our approach, from production through consumption to end of life, is focused on increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Our ambition is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste over the lifetime of the 25 Year Environmental Plan. For the most problematic plastics we are going faster, which is why we have committed to working towards all plastic packaging placed on the UK market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 10/07/2019 12:56:24 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1135850

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Retail Trade: Apprentices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in retail sector apprenticeship starts between 2012 and 2017.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	271485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>The retail framework had around 1,000 starts in 2017/18, with a further 8,300 on the new retail standards. Two of the largest supermarkets were involved in the design of these standards.</p><p> </p><p>It is important to recognise that apprenticeships are paid jobs and can be subject to wider labour market and economic pressures. The impact of a number of companies closing down, online shopping and automation means that there has been a general decrease in recruitment within the retail sector.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018, I hosted a roundtable with employers in the retail sector, including John Lewis and Greene King, to explore some of the challenges and opportunities for apprenticeships in retail, and we continue to work closely with employers to better understand these.</p><p> </p><p>Earlier this year, I met with the British Retail Consortium, and I am in regular contact with ministers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 09/07/2019 16:54:49 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin