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1658380

registered interest
date	05/09/2023
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	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 23 May 2023 on the regulator OFWAT.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	197772
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>A response was sent to the Rt. Hon Member on 11 September 2023.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/09/2023 16:22:48 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1642193

registered interest
date	06/06/2023
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	Environment Agency and Natural England
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 she is taking with her Cabinet colleagues to ensure the service provided by (a) the Environment Agency and (b) Natural England meets the requirements of UK businesses in the context of applications by those businesses for (i) planning permission and (ii) permits.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	187946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2023 answer text <p>Defra works regularly with other Departments (such as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities), alongside our own arm's-length bodies, to keep permitting services and their regulations under review to ensure that the service provided best meets the requirements of UK businesses whilst upholding environmental protections. We also work closely with them on the role of our arm's-length bodies in the planning system, including as part of the <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fnationally-significant-infrastructure-projects-nsip-reforms-action-plan&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqtransfers%40defra.gov.uk%7Ce600558b19fd414f014808db6824061a%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638218276145143191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=24%2F%2BT2iMyNS8gSTHhVsCIJ9rpIxeDNYfQz%2FAjv%2B4RcM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">NSIP Reform Action Plan</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Defra regularly monitors Environment Agency and Natural England performance to ensure there is a high-quality service provided to all applicants of planning and permitting services. The Environment Agency and Natural England both have customer service commitments which are available on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/06/2023 08:09:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1613166

registered interest
date	21/04/2023
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	Metals: Waste Disposal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of Environment Agency’s time is dedicated to (a) tackling permitted scrap metal operators acting illegally and (b) tackling unpermitted operators in the scrap metal sector accessing Grant-in-Aid funding.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	182151
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency spent a total of 32,446 hours on compliance activities at 7,070 permitted sites across all waste treatment sectors (Hazardous Waste Treatment, Non-Hazardous &amp; Inert Waste Treatment and Metal Recycling) in 2022.</p><p> </p><p>For the metal recycling sector specifically, the Environment Agency undertook 1,762 compliance related activities across 2,152 permitted sites. These compliance activities include site inspections, site audits, check monitoring, procedure reviews and report/data reviews. As part of these compliance checks we recorded 1,396 separate permit breaches. The Environment Agency spent a total 8,811 hours on compliance work in the Metal Recycling Sector. 7,878 of those hours were spent undertaking site inspections.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency does not have data available on the proportion of time spent tackling unpermitted operators in a specific sector. However, we can state that in the financial year 2021/2022 the Environment Agency spent approximately 130,000 hours or 108 FTE tackling illegal waste sites, including illegal scrap metal sites. During that same financial year, a total of 561 illegal waste sites were stopped by the Environment Agency. As an indicator, 94 of these sites were in the scrap metal sector, which represents 17% of all sites stopped. Activities to tackle illegal waste sites are currently funded through government grant-in-aid.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 26/04/2023 12:23:48 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1587689

registered interest
date	21/02/2023
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	Iron and Steel: 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, whether she plans to take steps to prevent steel scrap waste from being exported to economies with lower environmental standards.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	149458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2023 answer text <p>Steel scrap waste is a commodity which is traded on a legitimate global market. Where the UK cannot currently recycle materials economically, exports can help ensure those materials are recycled. The UK Government therefore has no plans to restrict the exports of steel scrap for recycling.</p><p> </p><p>While there is a legitimate global market for secondary materials, it must be and is subject to strict regulatory requirements. Under the UK legislation on waste shipments, businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling.</p><p> </p><p>All waste exports need to be made in accordance with the relevant legislation and we have a system of inspections in place to verify compliance. The UK regulators mount targeted inspections at UK ports working with the shipping sector to help detect and prevent illegal waste shipments. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of the requirements in the legislation waste can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 24/02/2023 11:45:46 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1539461

registered interest
date	04/11/2022
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	Flood Control: Capital Investment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published on 18 November 2020, how much his Department has spent on the six-year capital investment programme for flood and coastal defences through point nine on protecting our natural environment since the publication of that plan.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	79289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2022 answer text <p>Investment in flooding and coastal erosion in England is provided by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).</p><p> </p><p>HM Government has invested £761 million in 2021/22, the first year of the capital Flood and Coastal Risk Investment Programme.</p><p> </p><p>Information on government spending on flood and coastal erosion risk management is available on GOV.UK within the document <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1070943%2FFunding_for_FCERM_March_2021_Final_v1_accessible.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7CMarcus.Fry%40defra.gov.uk%7Cfa258a8748e44438128d08dac1936a1b%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638035136140114326%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=9bPZWgRNxmvDPXbJQp0lvDcXGyDYUURN%2FYClQUpNRGk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England</a>, March 2022.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 14/11/2022 17:00:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1340023

registered interest
date	24/06/2021
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 Disposal
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 assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on the treatment of plastic waste of the Greenpeace Plastic Pledge; and whether he has plans to implement the recommendations set out in that pledge.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	21848
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2021 answer text <p>The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. We are making great strides to tackle plastic pollution. In December 2018 we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy. Our approach is focused on increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. We know more needs to be done, and for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government has a manifesto commitment to ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries. The Government has committed to consult on this measure and work to deliver this is underway. Defra has commissioned research to have a better understanding of plastic waste recycling capacity in the UK and OECD member countries, and this research will be key to the development of policy options to implement the manifesto commitment. We currently plan to consult before the end of 2022 on options to deliver the proposed ban.</p><p> </p><p>Legitimate imports of plastic waste into the UK will be destined for recovery operations. The UK Government does not permit the import of plastic waste for disposal. The UK Government has not assessed the benefits of a ban on plastic waste imports and has no plans to do so.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Bill includes a requirement for the Government to set at least one long-term target on resource efficiency and waste reduction. This target will take a holistic approach to reduce consumption of all materials, including plastics, increasing resource productivity and reducing the volume of waste we generate. Work is already underway to develop these targets. In order to help guide the Government, the Resources and Waste Targets Expert Group has been formed. More information can be found at: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fgroups%2Fresources-and-waste-targets-expert-group&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C582f05e2cb6942481d9b08d93aef50a0%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C1%7C0%7C637605621801428431%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=HdWvPclYnSm%2Bd%2Bf3n27sr6yi7PPTfxBUNtfIJVLvYxk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/resources-and-waste-targets-expert-group</a>. Moreover, the Government is exploring packaging recycling targets under our proposals for extended producer responsibility for packaging. The consultation on our more detailed proposals closed on the 4 June.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 22033 22044 question first answered 29/06/2021 15:14:15 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1328117

registered interest
date	26/05/2021
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	Flood Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2021 to Question 4583 on Flood control, if he will publish the content of that feedback.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	7799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2021 answer text <p>All organisations who submitted expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme have been offered detailed feedback. The significant details included in the expressions of interest and the subsequent feedback are commercially confidential, meaning that it is only appropriate for this to be handled between the applicant organisations and the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is continuing to work with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to take their <del class="ministerial">good</del> <ins class="ministerial">proposed</ins> ideas forward.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 07/06/2021 13:20:31 question first ministerially corrected 07/06/2021 13:38:48 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow previous answer version 4370 answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1316796

registered interest
date	20/05/2021
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	Flood Control: Sefton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to meet the hon. Member for Sefton Central to discuss flood protection measures for the town of Maghull in the borough of Sefton; and for what reason previous meetings on that topic that were scheduled to take place between the hon. Member for Taunton Deane and the hon. Member for Sefton Central on (a) 25 March 2021, (b) 26 April 2021 and (c) 20 May 2021 were cancelled.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	4582
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2021 answer text <p>The meetings scheduled with me in March and April were rearranged due to Parliamentary business. The meeting on the 20 May was cancelled due to an unforeseen circumstance.</p><p> </p><p>My office will be in touch soon to re-schedule this meeting as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 25/05/2021 16:28:16 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1316830

registered interest
date	20/05/2021
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	Flood Control
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 publish the feedback given to each organisation that submitted an expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	4583
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2021 answer text <p>All organisations who submitted expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme have been offered feedback. Where requested, the Environment Agency has, or will, provide detailed feedback from the assessment process, providing learning opportunities for the lead applicant and their partners. The Environment Agency is continuing to work with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to help them identify potential alternative opportunities to take their good ideas forward.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 25/05/2021 16:15:22 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1316420

registered interest
date	19/05/2021
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	Flood Control: Sefton
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 assessment he has made of recent bids for Flood Resilience funding for projects in the Borough of Sefton.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	3842
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>25 projects across England were selected to receive a share of £150 million to demonstrate how practical innovative actions can work to improve communities' resilience to flooding and coastal change.</p><p> </p><p>79 eligible expressions of interest (EOIs) were received, and independently assessed by a panel of experts. Two EOI proposals were received from project teams in Sefton, one of which will receive funding from this programme.</p><p> </p><p>The project approved for funding in Sefton ( <em>Ecological Community Owned Coastal Buffer Strips</em>) is being led by Wyre Council. Sefton Council is a key partner. This project will deliver actions across the North West coast, including Formby, to improve resilience to flooding in the area.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency provided feedback to the lead officer at Sefton Council on 26 April 2021 to help the team identify the strengths of the unsuccessful proposal (<em>Increasing Community Flood Resilience in Merseyside: Novel Applications of Smart Technology and Data Analysis</em>). The feedback also notes areas they might want to consider improving if they choose to continue to develop the ideas further.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency is working with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to take their good ideas forward through other routes. Sefton Council has provided summary information about its proposal for the Environment Agency to share with partners and stakeholders who may be interested in supporting the proposal.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 24/05/2021 13:51:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson