Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1138076

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
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	Climate Change
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 report of the Committee on Climate Change entitled, Progress in preparing for climate change, published on 10 July, for what reasons good progress was not made in any of the 33 sectors assessed by that Committee on actions needed to manage climate change risks.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	275655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the report by the Committee on Climate Change. We are committed to taking robust action to improve resilience to climate change, and will formally respond to the Committee’s detailed recommendations in October, in line with the timetable set out in the Climate Change Act.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 15/07/2019 14:00:31 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1138134

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
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	Recreation Spaces
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 merits of increasing green spaces in the UK to reduce the effect of flash flooding.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	275672
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>As set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan, this Government recognises the importance of green spaces for health and happiness as well as for environmental benefits such as sequestering carbon, absorbing noise, cleansing pollutants, absorbing surface water and reducing high temperatures. In the right place, using green spaces in towns and cities to help divert or store flood water can be beneficial, including using sustainable drainage systems such as permeable surfaces and ponds or natural flood management techniques in towns and cities as well as upstream.</p><p> </p><p>As we build more homes, preserving and creating green spaces in towns is more important than ever. We want to encourage local authorities to consider all flood management opportunities and developers to take into account all the benefits when deciding how much land to allocate as green space.</p><p> </p><p>To support this we have worked with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to revise the National Planning Policy Framework to further encourage sustainable drainage systems, and published our Surface Water Management Action Plan which includes actions that will join up planning for surface water management and build local authority capacity. In addition, Natural England is developing a framework of national standards for green infrastructure in close consultation with stakeholders.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 15/07/2019 12:16:36 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1138140

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
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	Draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill
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 add additional principles to those included in the Draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill 2018.
tabling member constituency	Belfast East
tabling member printed	Gavin Robinson
uin	275769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>No. We believe these principles are sufficient to ensure we achieve our vision of protecting the environment and leaving it in a better state than we found it.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 15/07/2019 15:03:52 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4360 label Biography information for Gavin Robinson

1138157

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
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	Antibiotics: Drug Resistance
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 his Department is taking to monitor antibiotic resistant bugs in seagull faeces in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	275689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government conducts surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in animals and publishes the results annually on GOV.UK in the Veterinary Antibiotic Sales and Surveillance report. These surveillance programmes do not include wildlife.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 15/07/2019 14:03:35 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1137454

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
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	Whales: Scotland
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 protect the population of Orcas off the coast of Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Morley and Outwood
tabling member printed	Andrea Jenkyns
uin	274587
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>Protection of this particular population is a devolved issue.</p><p> </p><p>All cetaceans are fully protected in UK waters under the EU Habitats Directive, the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and through sectoral measures tackling specific threats, such as the bycatch mitigation measures implemented under EU Regulations (Regulation 812/2004).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 15/07/2019 15:09:36 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns

1137570

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
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	Pets: Travel
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 estimate he has made of how many and what proportion of cars travelling from the UK to (a) France and (b) the EU contain a pet animal.
tabling member constituency	Harborough
tabling member printed	Neil O'Brien
uin	274644
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government does not record data on how many or what proportion of cars travelling from the UK to France, or from the UK to the rest of the EU, contain a pet animal. Due to the nature of the border arrangements for cars travelling out of the UK, it would be very difficult to conduct an estimation of the proportion that are carrying a pet.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 15/07/2019 14:05:45 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien

1137583

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
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	Agriculture
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 plans the Government has to support UK farmers in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Harborough
tabling member printed	Neil O'Brien
uin	274649
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>As any responsible Government would, we are preparing for the possibility of no deal, which is why we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption for the food and farming sector as much as possible.</p><p> </p><p>We are in close contact with the farming unions and other farmer representatives across the UK. Alongside the publication of technical notices, we continue to work closely with farmers, businesses and trade associations across the food and drink sector, from farm to fork, to keep them informed of exit preparations.</p><p> </p><p>We have committed to the same funding for farm support until the end of this Parliament, whether the UK leaves with or without a deal. In a no deal scenario, the current EU Common Agricultural Policy legislation will be retained under the Withdrawal Act 2018 and modified through secondary legislation. This will provide a legal basis for its continuation until the passage of the Agriculture Bill. We have also already guaranteed that any projects where funding has been agreed before the end of 2020 will be funded for their full lifetime, including in a no deal scenario. The guarantee also means that the Government and the devolved administrations can continue to sign new projects after the UK leaves the EU during 2019 and 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 15/07/2019 15:13:31 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien

1137170

registered interest
date	05/07/2019
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	Forests: Carbon Emissions
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 of the findings of The global tree restoration potential report, published in Science on 5 July 2019 that there are 1.7 billion hectares of treeless land on which 1.2 trillion native tree saplings would naturally grow, providing immense potential for tree-planting as a cheap and effective strategy to tackle climate change; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	273790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the huge potential for nature based solutions in tackling climate change while also supporting biodiversity. Trees are a major contributor to nature-based carbon sequestration. There are other natural sequesters including mangroves, sea grasses, salt marshes, soil and peatlands.</p><p>Through the UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF, £5.8bn between 2016-2021) the UK funds several programmes in developing countries that use tree-planting as a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and generating economic benefits for rural communities. For example, Defra’s investments are expected to restore 500,000 hectares of forest generating 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions savings. In Brazil, Defra has invested £55m to help rural farmers restore nearly 200,000 hectares of forest in the Amazon, Atlantic Forests, Cerrado and Caatinga biomes through the implementation of low-carbon agricultural practices. Defra has also invested £10 million to restore up to 20,000 hectares of mangrove forest in Madagascar and Indonesia and recently announced a further £12.75m to restore mangroves across Latin America and the Caribbean.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 15/07/2019 11:19:04 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1137176

registered interest
date	05/07/2019
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: Rivers
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 report entitled, Upstream: Microplastics in UK Rivers, published by Greenpeace UK on 18 June 2019, what assessment he has made of the level plastic pollution in UK rivers; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	273795
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>Defra is working with the Environment Agency (EA), academics and the UK water industry to understand the scale of the microplastic pollution problem and to establish detection methods to identify, characterise and quantify the types of microplastics entering our rivers. Although there has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their ultimate transport to the marine environment. Defra has commissioned evidence reviews to further understand these issues and will use the outcomes from these and other research to develop policy options/measures/interventions for removing plastic pollution from rivers.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no consistent sampling, collection or assessment methodologies for measuring micro-plastics in various environmental media (sediments, water column or biota), which means that routine monitoring is not practicable. Defra is also working with the EA, academics and water companies to develop methodologies to enable future monitoring of micro-plastics in wastewater, sludge and the water environment.</p><p> </p><p>The EA takes steps to stop pollution causing harm where they can clearly attribute the source of the substance, as without this information it is not possible for them to take action. One of the sources of plastic pollution comes from small beads used in industrial processes and EA are working proactively to reduce the release of these small plastics pellets from the industries they regulate.</p><p> </p><p>Plastic waste can also provide a source of micro-sized plastics once in the environment. To address this, the Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 273796 question first answered 15/07/2019 09:09:22 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1137177

registered interest
date	05/07/2019
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: Rivers
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) prevent plastic entering rivers and (b) remove plastic pollution from rivers.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	273796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>Defra is working with the Environment Agency (EA), academics and the UK water industry to understand the scale of the microplastic pollution problem and to establish detection methods to identify, characterise and quantify the types of microplastics entering our rivers. Although there has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their ultimate transport to the marine environment. Defra has commissioned evidence reviews to further understand these issues and will use the outcomes from these and other research to develop policy options/measures/interventions for removing plastic pollution from rivers.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no consistent sampling, collection or assessment methodologies for measuring micro-plastics in various environmental media (sediments, water column or biota), which means that routine monitoring is not practicable. Defra is also working with the EA, academics and water companies to develop methodologies to enable future monitoring of micro-plastics in wastewater, sludge and the water environment.</p><p> </p><p>The EA takes steps to stop pollution causing harm where they can clearly attribute the source of the substance, as without this information it is not possible for them to take action. One of the sources of plastic pollution comes from small beads used in industrial processes and EA are working proactively to reduce the release of these small plastics pellets from the industries they regulate.</p><p> </p><p>Plastic waste can also provide a source of micro-sized plastics once in the environment. To address this, the Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 273795 question first answered 15/07/2019 09:09:22 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra