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175704

registered interest
date	26/01/2015
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	Fossil Fuels
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 article by Christophe McGlade and Paul Ekins entitled The geographical distribution of fossil fuels unused when limiting global warming to 2°C, published in Nature on 8 January 2015, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the research contained in that paper.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	221959
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2015 answer text <p>Defra is committed to understanding the sustainability of the major changes in energy infrastructure and use needed to meet climate change goals. We are currently leading the Sustainable Pathways to Low Carbon Energy (SPLiCE) research programme which aims to fill important gaps in knowledge about the environmental, social and economic consequences, both positive and negative, of different energy system components which could form part of a low carbon energy infrastructure by 2050. We will consider the results of Phase 1, which runs to June this year, to inform decisions on future research needs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 29/01/2015 11:12:08 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

99726

registered interest
date	17/10/2014
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	Rivers: 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 the Government is taking to prevent plastic contaminants in UK river basins from reaching the sea.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	211006
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government focuses on preventing litter from entering rivers and the sea by reducing it at source.</p><p>Through the waste hierarchy, we seek to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place and to encourage greater reuse and recycling of goods and materials. The Waste Prevention Programme for England, published in December last year, sets out actions for government, businesses, the wider public sector, civil society and consumers to prevent waste.</p><p>Where litter is found on waterside land, the responsibility for rectifying it depends on the ownership and management arrangements. The responsibility for removing litter may fall on local authorities, appropriate Crown authorities, designated statutory undertakers and the governing bodies of educational institutions. All of these bodies have a statutory duty to keep specified land clear of litter and refuse. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse recommends that canals and waterside areas should be subject to regular and systematic management and monitoring of litter and refuse.</p><p>Investment by the water companies to improve sewerage infrastructure has resulted in a significant reduction in sewage-related litter entering rivers and the sea through screening of discharges and improvements to sewage treatment.</p><p>We welcome work such as that done by Keep Britain Tidy and Anglian Water through their RiverCare programme to engage local communities in clearing litter, removing non-native species, surveying and monitoring flora and fauna and carrying out habitat management and restoration in their local rivers.</p><p>Defra will shortly be consulting on a programme of measures, including for marine litter, as part of the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The UK is contributing to the OSPAR convention’s regional action plan on marine litter in the north-east Atlantic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra has not undertaken any recent studies into the effect of plastic and litter contamination on rivers; however, Defra is funding a study into the possible effects of microplastics in the marine environment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson grouped question UIN 211007 211008 question first answered 22/10/2014 16:59:03 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

99727

registered interest
date	17/10/2014
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: 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 (a) prevent and (b) rectify plastic and litter contamination of (i) UK river basins and (ii) the sea.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	211007
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government focuses on preventing litter from entering rivers and the sea by reducing it at source.</p><p>Through the waste hierarchy, we seek to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place and to encourage greater reuse and recycling of goods and materials. The Waste Prevention Programme for England, published in December last year, sets out actions for government, businesses, the wider public sector, civil society and consumers to prevent waste.</p><p>Where litter is found on waterside land, the responsibility for rectifying it depends on the ownership and management arrangements. The responsibility for removing litter may fall on local authorities, appropriate Crown authorities, designated statutory undertakers and the governing bodies of educational institutions. All of these bodies have a statutory duty to keep specified land clear of litter and refuse. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse recommends that canals and waterside areas should be subject to regular and systematic management and monitoring of litter and refuse.</p><p>Investment by the water companies to improve sewerage infrastructure has resulted in a significant reduction in sewage-related litter entering rivers and the sea through screening of discharges and improvements to sewage treatment.</p><p>We welcome work such as that done by Keep Britain Tidy and Anglian Water through their RiverCare programme to engage local communities in clearing litter, removing non-native species, surveying and monitoring flora and fauna and carrying out habitat management and restoration in their local rivers.</p><p>Defra will shortly be consulting on a programme of measures, including for marine litter, as part of the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The UK is contributing to the OSPAR convention’s regional action plan on marine litter in the north-east Atlantic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra has not undertaken any recent studies into the effect of plastic and litter contamination on rivers; however, Defra is funding a study into the possible effects of microplastics in the marine environment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson grouped question UIN 211006 211008 question first answered 22/10/2014 16:59:03 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

99728

registered interest
date	17/10/2014
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	Rivers: 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 has taken to study the effect of plastic and litter contamination of UK river basins on local biodiversity.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	211008
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government focuses on preventing litter from entering rivers and the sea by reducing it at source.</p><p>Through the waste hierarchy, we seek to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place and to encourage greater reuse and recycling of goods and materials. The Waste Prevention Programme for England, published in December last year, sets out actions for government, businesses, the wider public sector, civil society and consumers to prevent waste.</p><p>Where litter is found on waterside land, the responsibility for rectifying it depends on the ownership and management arrangements. The responsibility for removing litter may fall on local authorities, appropriate Crown authorities, designated statutory undertakers and the governing bodies of educational institutions. All of these bodies have a statutory duty to keep specified land clear of litter and refuse. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse recommends that canals and waterside areas should be subject to regular and systematic management and monitoring of litter and refuse.</p><p>Investment by the water companies to improve sewerage infrastructure has resulted in a significant reduction in sewage-related litter entering rivers and the sea through screening of discharges and improvements to sewage treatment.</p><p>We welcome work such as that done by Keep Britain Tidy and Anglian Water through their RiverCare programme to engage local communities in clearing litter, removing non-native species, surveying and monitoring flora and fauna and carrying out habitat management and restoration in their local rivers.</p><p>Defra will shortly be consulting on a programme of measures, including for marine litter, as part of the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The UK is contributing to the OSPAR convention’s regional action plan on marine litter in the north-east Atlantic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra has not undertaken any recent studies into the effect of plastic and litter contamination on rivers; however, Defra is funding a study into the possible effects of microplastics in the marine environment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson grouped question UIN 211006 211007 question first answered 22/10/2014 16:59:03 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

93187

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
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
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 the Government is taking to prevent degradation and deforestation of woodland.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	210585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>Our Forestry and Woodland Policy Statement, published in January 2013, set out our three overall policy priorities. These are to protect, improve and expand our woodland resource. We are now implementing the actions we proposed to achieve these objectives. We have made tree and plant health a high priority as demonstrated in our recent Tree Heath Management Plan; and we are seeing increases in the area of woodland under management. Taken together with relevant regulatory frameworks regarding the felling of trees, they will significantly help to protect our woodlands from degradation and deforestation.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 05/11/2014 15:07:57 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

93188

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
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
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 her policy is on reduction of the virtual footprint of UK water usage.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	210586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government recognises we must ensure a sustainable and secure water supply for the future. Defra encourages businesses to become more water efficient by, for example, incentivising the purchase of water efficient technology and providing business tools to manage their water use so as to save water and money.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Defra supports sector-led action to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of products sold in the UK. In some cases, this includes looking at their water footprint. For example, signatories of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan have committed to a 15% reduction in water use per tonne of clothing by 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of its wider work to ensure the UK has a secure, environmentally sustainable and affordable supply of food, the UK government is encouraging the UK food and drink industry to use resources more sustainably. Lead trade associations and major businesses have developed sustainability strategies, which include targets to measure and reduce water use. For example, the Federation House Commitment aims to help reduce overall water usage across the food and drink sector by 20% by 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are also looking to improve water efficiency internationally through ongoing negotiations on the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 17/10/2014 13:55:27 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

93192

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
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	Timber: 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, if she will make it her policy to reduce the import of any hardwood timber from tropical forests.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	210589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2014 answer text <p>The import of hardwood timber from tropical forests is governed by a robust regulatory framework.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The EU Timber Regulation prevents the import of illegally-harvested timber into the EU by laying down obligations on operators who place timber and timber products on the market and those who subsequently trade in them. It was implemented in the UK by the Timber and Timber Products (Placing on the Market) Regulations in March 2013.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK supports the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process between the EU and timber producing countries, many of which contain tropical forests, under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. The VPA process helps timber producing countries to stop illegal logging by driving improvements in the regulation and governance of the forest sector. Once in operation, VPAs will ensure that timber and timber products exported to the EU come from legal sources.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the import of a number of endangered hardwood species into the UK is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) licensing system. The system aims to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species and is implemented in the EU by the Wildlife Trade Regulations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 17/10/2014 13:56:53 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

90068

registered interest
date	01/09/2014
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: Greenhouse Gas 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 steps the UK is taking to monitor the effect of the UK food industry on greenhouse gas emissions.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	207747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2014 answer text <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p>The Food Statistics Pocketbook 2013 (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/food-statistics-pocketbook" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/food-statistics-pocketbook</a>) contains a chapter on environmental statistics, including greenhouse gas emissions. Around 176 million tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent greenhouse gases (mt CO<sub>2</sub>e) were emitted within the UK from domestic agri-food sector activity in 2011. This excludes emissions from non-fertiliser pre-farm gate production, food packaging, food waste and land use change; the largest contributor is net trade in food and drink, estimated at 61 mt CO<sub>2</sub>e. The UK farming and fishing sector was the second largest contributor, accounting for 55.1mt CO<sub>2</sub>e.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 04/09/2014 12:21:32 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

64022

registered interest
date	25/06/2014
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	Timber: Trade
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 meet environmental groups and specialists in the field to discuss the trade of legal hardwood timber and associated environmental concerns.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	202453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Defra recently hosted a stakeholder event on the European Timber Regulation and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Regulations, at which Lord de Mauley met interested parties, including several NGOs. Next month he will be speaking at a launch event for WWF's major upcoming timber campaign, which will be another chance to engage directly with a range of interested parties.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As responsible minister, Lord de Mauley would be happy to consider any invitations to meetings on this subject.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 30/06/2014 16:28:06 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

64023

registered interest
date	25/06/2014
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	Rainforests: Conservation
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 raise awareness about steps to protect and preserve rainforests worldwide.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	202454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Defra is the UK competent authority for the European Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which are designed to counter illegal logging and help protect rainforests. Information on both is published on Defra's Central Point of Expertise for Timber Procurement (CPET). Information on EUTR is also published on GOV.UK. The National Measurement Office, which enforces EUTR and FLEGT on Defra's behalf, speaks at numerous events at which it raises awareness of the legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra is responsible for £140 million of the International Climate Fund (ICF) dedicated to international forestry projects. Our ICF spending so far has targeted rainforest deforestation in Brazil and contributed towards the World Bank's Biocarbon Fund. Case studies of ICF projects are described on GOV.UK, and details of ICF spending are made available through the International Aid Transparency Initiative.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 30/06/2014 15:01:37 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham