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1134530

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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	Peat
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 the protection and restoration of peat moss in achieving net carbon neutrality for the UK.
tabling member constituency	Altrincham and Sale West
tabling member printed	Sir Graham Brady
uin	268974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>Recently published Government research identified that the emissions from UK peatlands range from 18.5 to 23 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. Peatland restoration is therefore a key way to mitigate emissions and will play an important role in achieving net carbon neutrality in the UK. We will publish an England Peat Strategy later this year which will set out our approach to protecting and restoring peat.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 01/07/2019 09:41:37 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	435 label Biography information for Lord Brady of Altrincham

1134629

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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: Loneliness
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 Government Loneliness Strategy, what progress his department has made on convening a rural stakeholder group to (a) advise and support the work of Government Departments and (b) help support the communication of initiatives and good practice at a local level.
tabling member constituency	Newton Abbot
tabling member printed	Anne Marie Morris
uin	269062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>Government has engaged closely with the Loneliness Action Group in the development of, and now implementation of, its loneliness strategy. Defra officials have engaged with the quarterly Loneliness Action Group meetings, to share updates and hear the group's views. The Minister for Sport and Civil Society, who leads Government's work on loneliness, spoke at the Loneliness Action Group conference in May 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to tackling loneliness in rural areas. Last year the Minister for Rural Affairs co-hosted a roundtable on rural loneliness with the Minister for Loneliness.</p><p> </p><p>We share learning and ensure effective implementation via stakeholder engagement. A rural stakeholder forum, a commitment in the Government’s loneliness strategy, was held earlier this year, co-hosted by Defra and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). This was an opportunity for Government to listen to the challenges faced by rural communities trying to tackle loneliness and for attendees to share good practice. A further forum will be held in the autumn. The Minister for Rural Affairs held a smaller, more focused forum earlier this month. These events are part of ongoing conversations between Government and stakeholders on this important issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 269063 question first answered 01/07/2019 10:21:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4249 label Biography information for Anne Marie Morris

1134630

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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	Loneliness
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 Loneliness Strategy, what steps his Department is taking with the Loneliness Action Group to (a) share learning on loneliness and (b) ensure the effective implementation of that strategy.
tabling member constituency	Newton Abbot
tabling member printed	Anne Marie Morris
uin	269063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>Government has engaged closely with the Loneliness Action Group in the development of, and now implementation of, its loneliness strategy. Defra officials have engaged with the quarterly Loneliness Action Group meetings, to share updates and hear the group's views. The Minister for Sport and Civil Society, who leads Government's work on loneliness, spoke at the Loneliness Action Group conference in May 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to tackling loneliness in rural areas. Last year the Minister for Rural Affairs co-hosted a roundtable on rural loneliness with the Minister for Loneliness.</p><p> </p><p>We share learning and ensure effective implementation via stakeholder engagement. A rural stakeholder forum, a commitment in the Government’s loneliness strategy, was held earlier this year, co-hosted by Defra and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). This was an opportunity for Government to listen to the challenges faced by rural communities trying to tackle loneliness and for attendees to share good practice. A further forum will be held in the autumn. The Minister for Rural Affairs held a smaller, more focused forum earlier this month. These events are part of ongoing conversations between Government and stakeholders on this important issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 269062 question first answered 01/07/2019 10:21:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4249 label Biography information for Anne Marie Morris

1134637

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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 steps his Department is taking to ensure co-operation with the EU on tackling air pollution after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Totnes
tabling member printed	Dr Sarah Wollaston
uin	269048
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The UK remains a signatory to the 1979 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, and will continue to be at the forefront of international action and cooperation to tackle transboundary air pollution alongside the EU.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 01/07/2019 13:23:32 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4073 label Biography information for Dr Sarah Wollaston

1134638

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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 steps he is taking to promote cross-departmental collaboration on adopting World Health Organisation standards for fine particulate matter.
tabling member constituency	Totnes
tabling member printed	Dr Sarah Wollaston
uin	269049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The Clean Air Strategy sets out our commitments to take bold action across all parts of Government to achieve reductions in air pollution. We are committed to the setting of an ambitious long term target to reduce population exposure to PM<sub>2.5</sub>. Defra continues to work closely with other Government departments and agencies to deliver the Strategy.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 01/07/2019 09:34:55 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4073 label Biography information for Dr Sarah Wollaston

1134047

registered interest
date	24/06/2019
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	Agriculture: Plastics
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 reduce the effect of plasticulture on the environment; and what support his Department is giving to farmers to tackle plastic waste within their businesses.
tabling member constituency	Delyn
tabling member printed	David Hanson
uin	268406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the answer applies to England only.</p><p>Our Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December last year, builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. This is a seismic shift – it is not just about single use plastics, for example, but about all plastics, including those used in agriculture.</p><p>Plastics are used on farms for a number of reasons. Wrapping hay and silage bales, transporting feed and fertiliser, and insulating and protecting soil and horticultural crops, for example. The materials used are mostly recyclable, however attempts to collect it for recycling have often been unsuccessful, due to high levels of contamination making the recycling process uneconomic. The Government recognises the issues caused by inappropriate disposal of agricultural plastic, and we are working with the Environment Agency and the Waste and Resources Action Programme to explore how Government policy can address them.</p><p>Plastics used in agriculture are ultimately a small proportion of the total volume of plastics used, and the Government is taking a prioritised approach to tackling the overarching problem of plastic pollution. Earlier this year we published consultations on a number of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste and to reduce the impacts of plastic on the environment: 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 responses to these consultations on the GOV.UK website in due course.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 01/07/2019 13:28:22 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	533 label Biography information for Lord Hanson of Flint

1134172

registered interest
date	24/06/2019
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, how many people in England are living in an area with an illegal level of air pollution.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	268387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The UK meets legal limits for concentrations of all air pollutants, with the exception of nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>). Calculating peoples’ annual NO<sub>2</sub> exposure is not straightforward, because an individual’s exposure varies as they move about their daily life. The Government therefore does not hold estimates of the number of people exposed to NO<sub>2</sub> levels above legal limits.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of exceedances of the NO<sub>2</sub> limits occur at roadside locations within ten metres of the kerb. We are working with a number of local authorities to reduce roadside NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations, and our latest modelling indicates that 9% of the road links assessed exceeded NO<sub>2</sub> limits.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 01/07/2019 09:30:33 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1133850

registered interest
date	21/06/2019
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	Radioactive Waste
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 environmental effects of the dumping of radioactive waste in Hurd Deep and Atlantic Deep as detailed in the Ministry of Defence archived document entitled British Isles Explosive Dumping Grounds.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	267753
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>Dumping of radioactive waste (before being banned under the London Convention of 1972 for highly contaminated and in 1993 for low contaminated waste) was subject to approval by the MAFF Approval Committee, whose procedures included careful checks on the containment and transport of the waste. Both the Hurd Deep and Atlantic Deep sites have been subject to monitoring.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Hurd Deep:</strong></p><p> </p><p>From 1946 to 1993, the UK disposed of amounts of both civilian and radioactive waste at sea, in accordance with national policy and legislation, and with later international agreements regulating such disposals. These disposals were seen at the time as routine and uncontroversial.</p><p> </p><p>The total estimated activities in curies (TBq) for these dumpings were: Alpha activity, 400 curies (14.8 TBq); Beta-Gamma activity, 1,200 curies (44.4 TBq). The very low active waste (mainly sludges) dumped into the Hurd Deep was packed in approved light metal drums to permit rapid dispersion of the contents. The UK regularly monitors the Channel Island States and report the results in the annually produced RIFE (Radioactivity in Food and the Environment) report series. These reports can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radioactivity-in-food-and-the-environment-rife-reports" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radioactivity-in-food-and-the-environment-rife-reports</a></p><p> </p><p>In addition, Cefas and the Food Standards Agency have jointly published a peer reviewed paper (MARINE RADIOACTIVITY IN THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, 1990 – 2009) which looked further at time trends over around 20 years. UK monitoring shows that there is no evidence for significant releases of radioactivity from the Hurd Deep site and the effects of discharges from local sources have continued to be of negligible radiological significance.</p><p> </p><p><strong>North Atlantic Dump site:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA) surveillance of the North-East Atlantic dump site used by OECD/NEA member countries (including the UK) started in 1977 and ended in 1995. In 1985, the OECD/NEA Co-ordinated Research and Environmental Surveillance Programme (CRESP) delivered a report on the dump site. The report concluded that the North-East Atlantic dump site posed negligible human radiological risk although the report noted that in the absence of baseline data on the benthic biology, it was difficult to draw firm conclusions about the environmental impacts. A new report on the dump site conducted by CRESP in 1996 reached the same conclusions.</p><p> </p><p>A summary of the “Historic Dumping of Low-Level Radioactive Waste in the North-East Atlantic” was recently compiled by the Radioactive Substances Committee of OSPAR. OSPAR’s document can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.ospar.org/site/assets/files/1173/factsheet_historic_dumping_final.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ospar.org/site/assets/files/1173/factsheet_historic_dumping_final.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 28/06/2019 15:32:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1133868

registered interest
date	21/06/2019
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	Wood-burning Stoves
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is reviewing the planning regulations on the installation of wood burning stove chimneys near residential properties as part of the ongoing review into domestic fuel burners.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	267761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>No. The focus is on the fuels used and guidance on how stoves should be best used.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 28/06/2019 15:44:57 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1133881

registered interest
date	21/06/2019
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: Schools
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 Secretary of State for Education on improving air quality around schools.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Sir Vince Cable
uin	267708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministers across Government Departments about air pollution and how to reduce it.</p><p> </p><p>No estimate has been made by the Government. Local authorities are best placed to target action to improve local air quality, and are required to review and assess local air quality and to take action where there are high levels of air pollution. They have discretionary powers to restrict car access to schools and enforce anti-idling laws outside schools. In March this year Public Health England published the report <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/795185/Review_of_interventions_to_improve_air_quality.pdf" target="_blank">Review of interventions to improve outdoor air quality and public health</a>. This recommended that local authorities, as part of their local Review of interventions to improve outdoor air quality and public health consider a range of interventions to reduce air pollution in the vicinity of schools and reduce children’s exposure accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions which may include action targeting schools. The Government has awarded over £60 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997, including £3 million in 2018/19.</p><p> </p><p>The following air quality grant award money has been allocated specifically to improve air quality around schools since 2017:</p><p> </p><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p><ul><li>London Borough of Islington Local school focused awareness and engagement campaign (£50,000).</li><li>Sheffield City Council Air Aware communications campaign (engaging local GPs, community groups and schools) (£50,000)</li></ul><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p><ul><li>Blaby District Council Schools and SMEs behavioural change and action plan (£59,000).</li><li>Canterbury City Council Awareness campaign in schools and community on transport and domestic burning stoves (£33,354).</li><li>East Sussex County Council (with West Sussex, Brighton, Chichester, Horsham, Adur, Crawley, Mid Sussex, Worthing, Lewes) Action plan for schools and businesses in AQMAs (£105,900).</li><li>Spelthorne Borough Council (Surrey Air Alliance) Awareness campaign in schools across the county (£145,188).</li></ul><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p><ul><li>Colchester Borough Council Engagement and awareness project throughout the transport network to promote air quality awareness and transport choices in schools (£249,100)</li><li>Hertsmere Borough Council Cleaner Air 4 Hertsmere Schools awareness project to influence travel behaviour (£37,500).</li><li>Islington London Borough Council NO2 indoor study in school to test sensor performance and efficiency of filter systems (£20,000)</li><li>Slough Borough Council Testing of Vaisla sensors around schools to monitor AQ and use data to promote behaviour change (£99,125).</li></ul> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 267709 267710 267711 question first answered 26/06/2019 12:05:28 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	207 label Biography information for Sir Vince Cable