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1132086

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
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	Water Treatment
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 discussions he has had with water companies on (a) the modernisation of water treatment facilities and (b) increasing capacity to limit the amount of untreated sewage entering rivers.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	264351
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Over the past 25 years, the water industry has spent over £25 billion on sewage treatment works and sewerage system upgrades driven by environmental directives to improve water quality. This has delivered a 61% reduction in the amount of polluting phosphorus and a 72% reduction in the amount of ammonia discharged from wastewater treatment works since 1995. In addition, 7,000 combined sewer overflows have been improved, reducing the impact of pollution from sewage discharges.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>In the current investment period (2015-2020) the water companies are investing over £3 billion to improve their sewage treatment and sewerage infrastructure. During the next investment period (2020-2025), plans have been put forward to deliver over £4.5 billion on environmental improvements. These include:</p><p> </p><p>(a) Modernisation of around 2,300 wastewater treatment works to meet environmental quality standards such as those required by the Water Framework Directive, Bathing Waters Directive and Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.</p><p> </p><p>(b) Increasing the capacity of around 550 wastewater treatment works and storm tanks to ensure that they are treating the correct amount of sewage flow and to accommodate future growth.</p><p> </p><p>(c) Investing in sewerage infrastructure improvement to monitor and reduce the frequency and volume of storm sewage discharged from combined sewer overflows.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/06/2019 11:10:49 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1131670

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Drinking Water: 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, what estimate his Department has made of the level of micro-plastic contamination in UK tap water.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	263685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has commissioned research to investigate the efficiency of microplastic removal by drinking water treatment processes. In addition, the DWI is supporting research by the water industry as a whole to measure levels in treated water in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/06/2019 14:54:51 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1131697

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Air Pollution: Wales
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 discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on cross-border arrangements on air pollution under the Draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill 2018.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	263842
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Air quality is largely a devolved matter, subject to a small number of areas that are reserved. There has been collaboration with the Welsh Government recognising the legal requirements for the UK.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/06/2019 15:20:34 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

1131363

registered interest
date	11/06/2019
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	Peatlands: Controlled Burning
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 Special Areas of Conservation in England and pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 221626, how many consents or permissions to burn blanket bog Natural England has successfully (a) revoked and (b) modified.
tabling member constituency	Penistone and Stocksbridge
tabling member printed	Angela Smith
uin	263115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>To date, Natural England has revoked or modified 180 consents or permissions to rotationally burn on protected sites, by developing Long Term Plans or equivalent remedies (Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Revisions, HLS Extensions or voluntary surrender).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/06/2019 11:19:22 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1564 label Biography information for Angela Smith

1131034

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
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	UK Wild Camp: Finance
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 Government funding was provided to UK Wild Camp.
tabling member constituency	Wakefield
tabling member printed	Mary Creagh
uin	262319
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Defra provided £4,999 to the Lake District National Park Authority. Defra has not paid any money to UK Wild Camp.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 13/06/2019 10:58:24 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1579 label Biography information for Mary Creagh

1131083

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
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	River Thames: Cocaine
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2019 to Question 216371 on River Thames: Cocaine, what progress his Department has made on tackling the level of cocaine found in eels in the Thames.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	262457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) does not have a remit to tackle illegal use of drugs but is involved in a number of initiatives which may help reduce their entry into the River Thames.</p><p> </p><p>The Thames Tideway Tunnel, which is currently in construction and will be operational by 2023, will significantly reduce the frequency and volume of discharges of storm sewage and improve water quality in the tidal Thames. This will reduce levels of associated chemicals in the tidal river.</p><p> </p><p>The EA is working with Thames Water and other water companies to undertake extensive investigations, to assess a wide range of chemicals entering rivers through wastewater treatment works. The investigations have shown that wastewater treatment works significantly reduce the concentrations of many chemicals before they are discharged to rivers. Although cocaine is not part of these investigations, it is likely that it will be similarly affected by wastewater treatment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/06/2019 11:42:51 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

1131106

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
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	Plastics: Seas and Oceans
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 prevent plastic waste from the UK entering the world's oceans.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	262282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK is making significant progress in addressing the issue of plastic in the oceans, and is taking measures to stop plastic from entering the oceans in the first place. Our ban on microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, one of the strongest in the world, came into force in June 2018. Our plastic bag charge has led to an 86% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags and last year alone raised over £51 million for environmental causes. We have consulted on plans to extend the charge to all retailers and on increasing the minimum 5p charge to at least 10p, and last month announced that a ban on the distribution and/or sale of plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds will come into force from April 2020. A full response to this consultation can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove-takes-action-to-ban-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove-takes-action-to-ban-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds</a>.</p><p>These policies are helping to deliver the Resources and Waste Strategy for England, our framework for eliminating all avoidable plastic waste. It builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to maximise the value we get from resources, minimise waste, promote a circular economy and protect the environment better.</p><p>Earlier this year we published consultations on a number of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste, and in doing so, prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans in the first place: reforming existing packaging waste regulations, exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and increasing consistency in the recycling system, along with a parallel consultation on the plastic packaging tax that the Chancellor announced in the Budget last year. We will publish the Government’s responses to these consultations on GOV.UK in due course.</p><p>Although 80% of plastic waste comes from land, 20% comes from ocean sources. Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) accounts for 10% of all plastic waste in the ocean and presents acute threats to marine life. Through the forthcoming International Ocean Strategy the UK is committed to spearheading international collaboration to establish a detailed understanding of the ocean, with the aim of significantly reducing the contribution of ALDFG to the problem of marine litter. The UK also signed up to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative in 2016, a pioneering scheme tackling lost and abandoned fishing gear on a global scale. Through this initiative we are committed to working with our partners to address the management of existing ALDFG and the mitigation of potential ALDFG.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the benefits and importance of youth outreach and education programmes in tackling this issue. In 2018 a new partnership between the UK Scouts and the Government was set up to help young people better understand the importance of reducing plastic consumption and marine litter. The UK is also working in partnership with UN Environment, collaborating internationally with young people across the Commonwealth to support them in becoming leaders and advocates for behaviour change.</p><p>We are committed to our international work to lead action on the global threat of marine litter. We continue to actively engage internationally through OSPAR, the G7 and the G20, and the UN. In April 2018, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance, a ground breaking initiative working with our Commonwealth partners to reduce marine plastic pollution. To help deliver this, we committed an ambitious package of up to £70 million of UK Aid to drive research and innovation.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/06/2019 11:37:28 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130717

registered interest
date	07/06/2019
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	Rural Areas
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 publish his Department's plans for rural communities in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	261526
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>On leaving the EU, the UK will have an independent trade policy and a new agriculture policy to replace the Common Agricultural Policy. As a result, the impact of the UK’s departure from the EU on rural communities will depend not just on the shape of a UK-EU trade agreement but also on the Government’s future trade and agriculture policies once we have left the EU.</p><p> </p><p>In England Defra is the lead department for rural affairs but issues relating to rural communities are the responsibility of departments across Government. The Government is undertaking a comprehensive and wide ranging programme of ongoing analysis in support of our preparations for leaving the EU.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/06/2019 15:10:31 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1130364

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Air 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 the total emissions were in England of (a) PM2.5, (b) PM1 and (c) PM0.1 in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2017.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	261096
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Defra publishes the report: ‘Air Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’ in the autumn each year. This report provides the total annual emissions in England of PM<sub>2.5</sub>. 2018 total emissions of PM<sub>2.5</sub> in England will be published in autumn 2020, and 2017 total emissions of PM<sub>2.5</sub> in England will be published in autumn 2019. The URL for the latest report is:</p><p><a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1810160958_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2016_Issue1.pdf" target="_blank">https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1810160958_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2016_Issue1.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Emissions of PM<sub>1</sub> and PM<sub>0.1</sub> are not estimated for England, however they are estimated for the UK. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) website holds the database of UK annual emissions for a wide range of air pollutants including PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>1</sub> and PM<sub>0.1</sub>.</p><p> </p><p>The database for UK emissions of particulate matter from 1970 to 2017 can be accessed from the following URL: <a href="http://naei.beis.gov.uk/data/data-selector?view=pms" target="_blank">http://naei.beis.gov.uk/data/data-selector?view=pms</a>.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 10:47:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1130431

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Bees
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 recent trends in the UK bee population.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	261132
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Each year the Government publishes an indicator of trends in populations of wild bees and other pollinators in the UK. The indicator measures changes in the distribution of almost 400 species of bees and other insects since 1980 and shows that, for all pollinating insects, the indicator has declined by 22% since 1980 although it has stabilised in recent years. For bees, the indicator has declined by 17% since 1980 although it shows evidence of a recovery since 2013.</p><p> </p><p>Trends are also available for managed honey bees. The number of beekeepers registered on BeeBase, the National Bee Unit’s biosecurity system which underpins the Government inspectorate’s actions for bee health, has increased significantly over the last 10 years from 12,000 to over 40,000 today.</p><p> </p><p>Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. Since 2014 we have been working with a range of partners to implement a National Pollinator Strategy to address declines in wild pollinators and concerns about bee health, including establishing a pollinator monitoring and research partnership to gather further data and strengthen the evidence base.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:47:25 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell