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 question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

746836

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2017
	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: Seasonal Workers
	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 effectiveness of using tier 3 visas to tackle labour shortages in the soft fruit industry.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	2040
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2017 answer text <p>We remain closely engaged with industry to ensure that we are informed of the latest intelligence on the labour market.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office intends to commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to better understand the reliance on EU migrant workers across the economy and consider the UK’s labour market needs.</p><p> </p><p>The number of non-UK workers in the agriculture and horticulture sector after we leave the EU will depend on the final shape of domestic immigration policy.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 04/07/2017 16:23:42 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

731780

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2017
	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	Microplastics
	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 plans to introduce legislation banning the use of plastic microbeads in products for use in the home.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	682
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2017 answer text <p>We ran a consultation between 20 December 2016 and 28 February 2017 on our intention to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. We will publish the Government’s response to the consultation shortly. Additionally, the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKCPI) has assured us that no microbeads are used in UK-produced household and industrial cleaning products.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 30/06/2017 12:07:04 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1345482

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2021
	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	Bottles: 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 assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including other single-use materials in the planned deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	30328
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>We have recently closed a second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are analysing the responses to the consultation, with a view to publishing a government response in due course. The government response will include a final decision on the scope and materials to be included in the deposit return scheme. An impact assessment for the introduction of the scheme will also be published.</p><p> </p><p>Any packaging materials not included within the scope of a deposit return scheme will be included under the reformed packaging producer responsibility regime to ensure equitable treatment of packaging materials, which would then be collected through kerbside recycling collections.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 19/07/2021 13:23:35 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1345480

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2021
	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, with reference to Trashed: How the UK is still dumping plastic waste on the rest of the world, published by Greenpeace on the 17 May 2021, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the UK’s plastic footprint.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	30326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>We acknowledge the concerns raised by Greenpeace in its report and agree that there is a need to take action on plastic pollution. The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. 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 and keep resources in the system for as long as possible. 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 also has a manifesto commitment to ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries. 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>On 24 March 2021, we launched a second consultation regarding our specific proposals to reform the current packaging producer responsibility scheme and on introducing Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging. We want producers to take greater responsibility for the packaging they place on the market. To do this we will make them pay the full net costs of collecting and managing packaging when it is no longer used and becomes waste. This will encourage businesses to think carefully about how much packaging they use and design. It will also encourage businesses to use packaging that is easily recyclable and encourage greater use of reusable and refillable packaging. Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging will see producers’ fees varied (‘modulated’) to account for certain criteria, including recyclability. Producers who use easily-recyclable packaging will pay less than those who use hard-to-recycle, or unrecyclable, packaging. Producer fees will also be used to cover the costs of national consumer information campaigns on recycling packaging waste.</p><p> </p><p>On 24 March 2021, we launched a consultation on our proposals for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The introduction of a deposit return scheme is aimed at increasing the recycling and reprocessing of materials and reducing the incidence of littering. A deposit return scheme for drinks containers will see a refundable deposit added to the price of a drink, which people can reclaim when they return their empty drinks containers to a specified return point. We know that well-run deposit return schemes in other countries can collect over 90% of the drinks containers placed on the market, which can be then sent for recycling.</p><p> </p><p>On 7 May 2021, we launched a consultation on our proposals for consistency in household and business recycling in England. We want to make recycling easier and ensure that there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will help to reduce confusion with recycling, ensure that there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and that the UK recycling industry grows.</p><p> </p><p>These consultations have now closed and we are currently analysing the responses.</p><p> </p><p>We have made significant progress on reducing other single-use plastic products. In October 2020, we introduced measures to restrict the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, has been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers to encourage customers to bring their own bags to carry shopping and reduce the volumes of single-use plastic being used. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products, including problematic packaging materials. However, we must think carefully about introducing bans and other policy solutions to avoid unintended consequences. Impact assessments for future bans on single-use plastics will continue to assess the potential for substitution to single-use items made of other materials, to ensure that any ban really is a sustainable approach.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put together a package of over £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. £38 million was set aside through the Plastics Research and Innovation Fund, the last funding competition of which opened in June 2020.  The Resource Action Fund included £10 million specifically to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter. The Government has also announced £60 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £150 million investment from industry, towards the development of smart, sustainable plastic packaging (SSPP), which will aim to make the UK a world leader in sustainable packaging for consumer products. Two SSPP funding opportunities have been open for bids in 2021: the SSPP Demonstrator Round 2 and the SSPP business-led research and development competition.</p><p> </p><p>To note, waste and environmental policy is a devolved area and therefore devolved administrations are taking their own approach.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 19/07/2021 13:40:51 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1353601

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2021
	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	Horses: Animal Breeding
	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 prevalence of unregulated horse breeding in the UK; and whether he plans to bring forward (a) legislative or (b) regulatory proposals on tackling equine overbreeding.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	44274
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>To promote responsible ownership, there is clear guidance available to educate and remind horse owners of their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal. The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids makes clear that you should consider buying or rehoming a youngster before taking the decision to breed. The foal’s individual future must also be considered before breeding from your equine, and the code highlights the UK’s overpopulation problem at the time of publication. The Code can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700200/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700200/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Further information on responsible breeding is available to the public, including World Horse Welfare’s “Need to Breed” initiative which can be found here: <a href="https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/management/do-you-need-to-breed" target="_blank">https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/management/do-you-need-to-breed</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Government considers that the key issue at stake here is how well equines are cared for after they have been born, and existing protections address this. We continue to engage closely with key stakeholders in the equine sector about these issues. The Government currently has no plans to introduce additional legislation or regulation specifically relating to breeding levels themselves.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 15/09/2021 13:00:47 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1141808

	registered interest
	date	24/07/2019
	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	Primates: Pets
	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 potential merits of further restricting the keeping of primates as pets beyond that set out in section 4 and section 9 the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	281684
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>There is no doubt that primates are complex creatures requiring specialist care. I recently met with the owner of a leading specialist primate rescue centre who informed me about the rising numbers they are having to take from private care. Given these issues I am looking at the options for banning the trade altogether.</p><p>In the meantime, we have strict laws in place restricting the keeping of primates and action can be taken if a primate is being kept in poor welfare conditions. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide for its welfare.</p><p>The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-human Primates that provides essential information for any primate keeper on how to meet the welfare needs of the primates in their care. The Code is made under the 2006 Act and can be used as evidence in court in support of a prosecution made under the 2006 Act.</p><p>If anyone has any concerns about the way a primate is being kept they should report to the relevant local authority, who have powers to investigate such issues, or to the RSPCA who can also investigate and take action.</p><p>In addition to the animal welfare controls, the keeping of most primates requires a licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (DWAA), which is issued by a local authority. The DWAA licence is primarily to ensure public safety is protected.</p><p>The trade of primates is regulated through a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) licensing system. Under this system, the international, commercial trade of the most endangered primates is prohibited, except under exceptional circumstances. Whilst it is not in itself a welfare measure, CITES does contain welfare provisions for the transport, keeping and moving of animals, including primates.</p> answering member constituency Richmond Park answering member printed Zac Goldsmith question first answered 09/09/2019 16:48:22 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1141807

	registered interest
	date	24/07/2019
	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	Primates: Pets
	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 scale of the problem of primates being kept and traded as pets in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	281683
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>There is no doubt that primates are complex creatures requiring specialist care. I recently met with the owner of a leading specialist primate rescue centre who informed me about the rising numbers they are having to take from private care. Given these issues I am looking at the options for banning the trade altogether.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, we have strict laws in place restricting the keeping of primates and action can be taken if a primate is being kept in poor welfare conditions. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide for its welfare.</p><p> </p><p>The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-human Primates that provides essential information for any primate keeper on how to meet the welfare needs of the primates in their care. The Code is made under the 2006 Act and can be used as evidence in court in support of a prosecution made under the 2006 Act.</p><p> </p><p>If anyone has any concerns about the way a primate is being kept they should report to the relevant local authority, who have powers to investigate such issues, or to the RSPCA who can also investigate and take action.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the animal welfare controls, the keeping of most primates requires a licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (DWAA), which is issued by a local authority. The DWAA licence is primarily to ensure public safety is protected.</p><p> </p><p>The trade of primates is regulated through a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) licensing system. Under this system, the international, commercial trade of the most endangered primates is prohibited, except under exceptional circumstances. Whilst it is not in itself a welfare measure, CITES does contain welfare provisions for the transport, keeping and moving of animals, including primates.</p> answering member constituency Richmond Park answering member printed Zac Goldsmith question first answered 09/09/2019 16:47:13 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1353602

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2021
	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, further to the Answer of 19 July to Question 30326, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the 30% recycled plastic content criterion in the plastic packaging tax with the Government's commitment to all plastic packaging on the market being recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	44275
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax that is set to be introduced in April 2022 will increase demand for recycled plastic by encouraging the use of recycled plastic content in the manufacture of plastic packaging, addressing concerns raised by stakeholders that a lack of market demand for recycled plastics has held back recycling.</p><p>Our proposed collection and packaging reforms that will help us work towards our milestone of all plastic packaging placed on the UK market being recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025 are complementary to the tax. These include a Deposit Return Scheme for beverage containers, a requirement for a core set of materials to be collected from households and businesses for recycling and extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging. Packaging EPR will incentivise producers to make better design choices and to use plastic packaging that can be recycled or re-used. Collectively, these proposals will increase the supply of good-quality material for recycling, including for plastic packaging with recycled content. We have recently closed consultations on each and are analysing the responses and evidence submitted by consultees.</p><p>Our work towards achieving our plastic packaging commitment and the Plastics Packaging Tax are complementary measures and hence further assessment of the compatibility of the 30% recycled plastic content criterion and the commitment is not needed.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/09/2021 13:28:24 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1175715

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2020
	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	Non-native Species
	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 evidence her Department has of the effect of invasive non-native species since the publication the 2010 technical report entitled The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain by Frances Williams et al.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	11520
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2020 answer text <p>The evidence that invasive species are having an ever greater impact on biodiversity, globally and domestically, is undeniable. The 2019 Environmental Audit Committe report, developed using a wide range of evidence sources, highlighted the risks these species pose to native biodiversity. It also called for greater levels of prevention, management, control and public awareness regarding invasive species and their negative effects on the environment.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is also in receipt of the 2019 UN global assessment report on biodiversity which concluded that “the numbers of invasive species per country have risen by around 70 per cent since 1970” and that “invasive non-native species have contributed to 40 per cent of the animal extinctions that have happened in the last 400 years and are the biggest threat to biodiversity on islands”. Defra is aware that the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services found that invasive species were one of the top five direct drivers for changes to nature and were included in a list with climate change and pollution.</p><p> </p><p>Reports such as “The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain” remain highly relevant, as the impact of invasive non-native species (INNS) has not decreased since the report was published. Defra recently however commissioned a scoping study aimed at documenting the current evidence in relation to the ecosystem service impacts of INNS in the UK. This study[1] sought to determine the feasibility of expanding on the 2010 report by estimating natural capital costs incurred by INNS, alongside the direct economic costs which the 2010 report focused upon.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] Scoping study: ecosystem services and natural capital costs of invasive non-native species in the UK - BE0162 <a href="http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&amp;Module=More&amp;Location=None&amp;Completed=1&amp;ProjectID=20315" target="_blank">http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&amp;Module=More&amp;Location=None&amp;Completed=1&amp;ProjectID=20315</a></p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/02/2020 14:23:38 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1000252

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2018
	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 Protection: Brazil
	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 reported environmental policy plans of the President-Elect of Brazil on (a) the environment in that country and (b) global climate change targets.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	187332
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK and Brazil have a close dialogue on issues of mutual interest and concern, both bilaterally and globally, including on climate and the environment. We are aware of a number of proposals reported during the recent election period. The new Brazilian President takes office on 1 January 2019. It is for the Government of the day to formulate its own policies and it would be inappropriate to speculate at this stage on the decisions that the new Government may make. Climate and environment issues form an important part of our work with Brazil and we look forward to continuing our dialogue on these.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 08/11/2018 16:30:00 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown