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1060764

	registered interest
	date	13/02/2019
	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: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure the quality of (a) bathing water at UK beaches and (b) drinking water after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	220856
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2019 answer text <p>The EU Withdrawal Act 2018 will make sure all existing EU environmental law continues to operate in UK law, providing businesses and stakeholders with certainty as we leave the EU. This will include the secondary legislation which has already transposed the EU Bathing Water Directive, which will ensure the UK maintains or surpasses the same standards and levels of testing for water quality required of EU Member States.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2018, the Government published its 25 Year Plan for the environment detailing our ambition to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. As part of its plan for clean and plentiful water, the Government aims to minimise harmful bacteria in designated bathing waters by 2030 and make sure that potential bathers are warned of any short term pollution risks.</p><p> </p><p>Drinking water and bathing waters are both devolved matters. With regards to drinking water, standards derived from the EU Drinking Water Directive have been transposed into UK law and the regulations in force cover the whole of the UK. These standards apply currently and will continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU. National standards which are not directly derived from the EU Drinking Water Directive are also enshrined in UK law and will remain so once the UK leaves. The UK is covered by three technical regulators of drinking water quality: the Drinking Water Inspectorate covering England and Wales, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland and the Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland. These organisations will continue their role in scrutinising water company activities and enforcing standards on departure from the EU. Bathing water quality standards are derived from the EU Bathing Water Directive and will also continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU. Water quality is monitored by the Environment Agency (in England), Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 22/02/2019 13:13:23 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

1125314

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	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	Food: Packaging
	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 encourage major supermarket chains to stop using plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	251953
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations already require all retailers to ensure that all their packaging does not exceed what is needed to make sure the products are safe, hygienic and acceptable for both the packed product and for the consumer. As part of the Resources and Waste Strategy, we have committed to review the effectiveness of these regulations by the end of next year.</p><p> </p><p>We are also consulting on reforms to the way we manage packaging waste. We have set out in our consultation options for how we want to enhance the incentive for producers to make better packaging design choices.</p><p> </p><p>Plastic packaging for some fruit and vegetables can extend their shelf life, which can help to reduce food waste.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 13/05/2019 16:48:39 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

1135553

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2019
	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: 5G
	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 effect of the roll-out of 5G on the sustainability of (a) insects, (b) other animals and (c) other wildlife.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	270788
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>Defra has funded national and global assessments of the status of pollinators and the factors driving changes in their populations. These assessments do not identify 5G or electromagnetic radiation as a driver.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has not undertaken any formal assessment of the potential effect of the roll out of the 5G network on insects, other animals or other wildlife. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead Department for 5G roll out and I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Stroud, Dr David Drew, on 29 May 2019 to PQ 256919.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 03/07/2019 12:47:06 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

1287735

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	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	Whisky: 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 assessment he has made of the ability of the Scotch Whisky industry to contribute to national economic recovery after the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	154963
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>No specific assessment has been made of the ability of the Scotch whisky industry to contribute to the national economic recovery from Covid-19. The Scotch whisky industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. We are confident that the strength and resilience of the industry will ensure that it successfully recovers from these challenging times and continues to contribute.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 24/02/2021 16:03:37 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

1539494

	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	Food: Exports
	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 to consult UK farmers and food processors on her decision to change pre-export requirements from a farmer declaration to a veterinary attestation with immediate effect on 13 December 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	79285
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2022 answer text <p>Businesses exporting goods from GB to the EU are required by the EU to use Export Health Certificates (EHCs) signed by an official vet. EU law sets out the rules which animals and products from third countries must meet via an EHC. Since the introduction of the EU’s Animal Health Regulation in April 2021, these requirements have included a need for ‘regular’ animal heath visits by a veterinarian to establishments of origin of animals providing products of animal of origin for export i.e., for meat, the farm where the animals were kept before slaughter. These requirements are set by the EU and are not within the control of the UK Government. The purpose of the veterinary visit is to detect or provide information on the signs of disease and these visits must take place at a frequency proportionate to risk.</p><p> </p><p>Official Veterinarians (OV) are required to meet the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons principles when signing Export Health Certificates. The process of providing evidence of regular vet visits is outlined to Official Veterinarians and exporters in the Notes for Guidance. We are aware of the concerns raised by industry about the process of providing evidence of regular vet visits for non-assured farms and we are engaging with businesses and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to try and ease the burden on exporters in meeting these EU requirements. Defra’s published existing Notes for Guidance to support this export activity is clear that 13 December date for a change to the form of evidence a certifying vet can accept will be kept under review. We expect to issue further information to industry in the coming weeks.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 14/11/2022 17:48:31 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

1539495

	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	Pigs: Imports
	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 are being taken to ensure that import controls are sufficient to protect UK pigs from African Swine Fever.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	79286
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2022 answer text <p>We announced new controls restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain to help safeguard Britain's pig population. Travellers from the EU are no longer allowed to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms into GB, unless they are produced to the EU's commercial standards. The new controls, which came into force on 1 September, will strengthen GB's biosecurity in relation to the standards for bringing pork and pork products into GB from the EU and EFTA states. More information on the new controls can be found on GOV.UK.</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/news/strict-new-controls-on-pork-and-pork-products-to-protect-britains-pig-sector-against-african-swine-fever" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/news/strict-new-controls-on-pork-and-pork-products-to-protect-britains-pig-sector-against-african-swine-fever</a></p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 14/11/2022 17:55:04 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray