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1145442

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2019
	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	Seagrass: Carbon Capture and Storage
	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 her Department has made of the merits of the use of underwater seagrass to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	290321
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/10/2019 answer text <p>Defra recognises the role of blue carbon ecosystems including seagrasses, to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it for long periods of time as well as providing multiple other benefits such as storm protection, improving water quality, and benefiting biodiversity and fisheries.</p><p> </p><p>Our Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership have assessed how seagrass habitats can be managed and protected in a changing climate (<a href="http://www.mccip.org.uk/media/1816/mccip-seagrass.pdf" target="_blank">mccip-seagrass report card</a>).</p><p> </p><p>Nature-based solutions, including the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems like seagrass, are key to tackling climate change and averting its impacts.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/10/2019 16:13:15 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1145588

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2019
	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	Water Supply: Chemicals
	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 her Department has support water companies in the supply of purification chemicals in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
	tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
	uin	290382
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>We have been working closely with all water companies in the UK, as well as chemical suppliers, regulators and the devolved administrations on contingency planning. Companies are well advanced in their preparations to make sure they can meet their statutory responsibility to maintain services. We are confident that no-deal will not have an impact on water supply.</p><p>It will be the case that our water will continue to be safe and of the same quality customers expect when we leave the European Union.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 30/09/2019 16:44:26 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1145686

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	Schools: Pollution 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, what mitigation funding is available to schools wanting to reduce the effect of pollution in the surrounding area.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	290710
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government is taking a strong national leadership role to improve air quality and is providing financial and expert support to local authorities to develop innovative plans to tackle local air pollution.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to reduce emissions which may include action targeting schools.</p><p> </p><p>For example, over £3m in Air Quality Grant funding was awarded to local authorities in March 2018 for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions affecting schools, businesses and residents.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/10/2019 13:59:00 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1145796

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	High Speed 2 Line: Buckinghamshire
	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 environmental impact of planned works in preparation for High Speed Rail 2 around Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	290784
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) is not aware of any current applications for any consents works for this area.</p><p>The EA determines applications on a technical basis, using information and data to inform judgements. It ensures that the applicant, with the EA’s input, has identified and assessed any potential impacts on the water environment. Any consent issued must contain appropriate conditions to protect against these impacts. An application can be refused on the grounds of unacceptable risk to the environment.</p><p>With regard to Natural England’s remit, the Phase 1 Environmental statement identified the principal ecological issues in this area as the loss and fragmentation of habitat used by bats; habitat loss and disturbance affecting at a number of local wildlife sites, and fragmentation of habitat used by black hairstreak butterfly habitat. High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) has designed a suite of woodland and other planting to address these impacts although the loss of ancient woodland at Decoypond Wood LWS cannot be fully compensated as ancient woodland is irreplaceable. HS2’s mitigation includes the Sheephouse Wood mitigation structure which will be provided to avoid potential impacts on bats crossing the HS2 corridor adjacent to Sheephouse Wood. Natural England has issued HS2 Ltd a bat licence for works in the Bernwood area.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/10/2019 13:59:18 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1145866

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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: Pollution
	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 her Department is taking to encourage (a) ports and (b) transport companies involved in the movement of plastic (i) pellets and (ii) nurdles to sign up to the British Plastics Federation’s industry-led scheme Operation Clean Sweep to reduce the loss of plastic pellets in transit.
	tabling member constituency	Dunfermline and West Fife
	tabling member printed	Douglas Chapman
	uin	290823
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>UK ports are an important part of the pre-production plastic pellets supply chain. As such, we have welcomed the moves by PD Teesport and the Port of Felixstowe to sign up to Operation Clean Sweep and call for other UK ports to do the same. However, we must continue to engage all stages of the supply chain, such as manufacturing, logistics and processing, if we want to tackle the scourge of plastic pellet loss effectively. Collaboration with the British Plastics Federation is key to making this happen.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 30/09/2019 16:52:02 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4402 label Biography information for Douglas Chapman

1145875

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	Beverage Containers: Deposit Return Schemes
	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 progress has been made on analysing the results of the consultation on introducing a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Dunfermline and West Fife
	tabling member printed	Douglas Chapman
	uin	290830
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>A Government summary of responses and next steps was published on 23 July on Gov.uk (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-a-deposit-return-scheme-drs-for-drinks-containers-bottles-and-cans" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-a-deposit-return-scheme-drs-for-drinks-containers-bottles-and-cans</a>).</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/10/2019 13:57:24 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4402 label Biography information for Douglas Chapman

1145924

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	Air Pollution: Pollution 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, how much her Department has spent from the public purse on tackling poor air quality in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Workington
	tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
	uin	290860
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>The Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) is a cross-Departmental team between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Transport (DfT). It was set up in Financial Year (FY) 2016/17 and is responsible for the delivery of the UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations (NO2).</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows Defra’s spend for FY 2015/16 and JAQU’s total spend each year since FY 2016/17. Figures for FY 2014/15 are not available.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Defra Funding</strong> <strong>(£m)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>DfT Funding</strong> <strong>(£m)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong> <strong>(£m)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>3.2</p></td><td><p>-*</p></td><td><p>3.2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>11.9</p></td><td><p>1.0</p></td><td><p>12.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>19.9</p></td><td><p>22.4</p></td><td><p>42.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>51.6</p></td><td><p>109.2</p></td><td><p>160.8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>*No DfT funding for FY 2015/16</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 30/09/2019 16:53:43 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

1145928

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	Environment Agency: Pay
	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 progress her Department has made on resolving the pay dispute at the Environment Agency.
	tabling member constituency	Workington
	tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
	uin	290863
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) is in meaningful talks with its recognised trade unions. This has resulted in the suspension of action by one of the trade unions.</p><p> </p><p>The EA has a portfolio of transformational projects which will better support the development of any future pay reform, and on which the EA is working collaboratively with its trade unions.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, the EA will move forward with a pay deal for 2019 which will be in line with the Government’s Civil Service pay remit guidance for 2019 to 2020.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 30/09/2019 16:46:24 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

1145929

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	Fracking: Methane
	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 she has made of the effect of fracking on trends in the level of methane emissions.
	tabling member constituency	Workington
	tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
	uin	290864
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>There is currently only one operational shale gas exploration site in the UK. The Environment Agency (EA) has set legally binding conditions to require monitoring and control of methane emissions at the hydraulic fracturing site in Lancashire. Cuadrilla are required to carry out regular emissions monitoring, including continuous monitoring of methane to air before and during shale gas operations. The results are submitted regularly to the EA. The levels of methane in the ambient air are also monitored independently off site by the EA and the British Geological Survey.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 30/09/2019 16:55:29 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

1145935

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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	Nature Conservation: Crime
	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 she has to review wildlife crime penalties.
	tabling member constituency	Workington
	tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
	uin	290869
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government takes wildlife crime seriously. Significant sanctions are available to judges to hand down to those convicted of wildlife crimes. Most wildlife crimes carry <del class="ministerial">a maximum fine of £5,000</del> <ins class="ministerial">an unlimited fine</ins> and a six-month custodial sentence. We have no plans to amend these penalties.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/10/2019 13:58:22 question first ministerially corrected 09/10/2019 09:01:45 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow previous answer version 137435 answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock