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1626125

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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	Washing Machines: 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 progress she has made on encouraging industry to (a) develop and (b) use low-cost microfibre washing machine filters.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	184112
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is a world leader in tackling plastic pollution, including microplastics. Monitoring of marine litter by the Marine Conservation Society, funded by Defra, tells us that over the last seven years the total litter count on British beaches has decreased significantly - the total median litter count in 2021 was almost three times lower than in 2016.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to contribute to the development of a new legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040. We want to tackle microplastic pollution wherever possible which is why we introduced a microbead ban and a tax on plastic bags.</p><p> </p><p>We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic, subject to public consultation. We will also support the Water UK communications campaign to ‘Bin the Wipe’ and write to the relevant producers and advertising authorities regarding the labelling of wet wipes as ‘flushable’.</p><p> </p><p>The Plan for Water also outlined our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only just last month, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology) reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass. The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) includes over £7.39 million of commitment from the water industry to further research microplastics removal through wastewater treatment processes to sludge, which may be a source of microplastics to final effluent discharges.</p><p> </p><p>An additional investigation sits within the Chemicals Investigation Programme looking at biosolids and microplastics to groundwater. For microplastic monitoring in surface waters and sediments, a pilot study has been completed to develop sampling and analytical protocols that could be used to determine the quantities, loads and types of microplastics and tyre-wear particles in surface waters and sediments. This report will be available post July 2023.</p><p> </p><p>We have also funded research to examine wider sources of microplastics, including tyres and textiles. This research will help to inform future policy. Technical experts from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have also been leading the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment to develop a new indicator for microlitter (including microplastics) in seafloor sediments. This will help us to track progress in reducing plastics in the environment at a regional scale.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 184113 184114 question first answered 15/05/2023 15:59:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1626126

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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 and Seas and Oceans: 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, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Plan for Water: our integrated plan for delivering clean and plentiful water, published in April 2023, what progress her Department has made on reducing the levels of microplastics in rivers and oceans.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	184113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is a world leader in tackling plastic pollution, including microplastics. Monitoring of marine litter by the Marine Conservation Society, funded by Defra, tells us that over the last seven years the total litter count on British beaches has decreased significantly - the total median litter count in 2021 was almost three times lower than in 2016.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to contribute to the development of a new legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040. We want to tackle microplastic pollution wherever possible which is why we introduced a microbead ban and a tax on plastic bags.</p><p> </p><p>We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic, subject to public consultation. We will also support the Water UK communications campaign to ‘Bin the Wipe’ and write to the relevant producers and advertising authorities regarding the labelling of wet wipes as ‘flushable’.</p><p> </p><p>The Plan for Water also outlined our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only just last month, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology) reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass. The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) includes over £7.39 million of commitment from the water industry to further research microplastics removal through wastewater treatment processes to sludge, which may be a source of microplastics to final effluent discharges.</p><p> </p><p>An additional investigation sits within the Chemicals Investigation Programme looking at biosolids and microplastics to groundwater. For microplastic monitoring in surface waters and sediments, a pilot study has been completed to develop sampling and analytical protocols that could be used to determine the quantities, loads and types of microplastics and tyre-wear particles in surface waters and sediments. This report will be available post July 2023.</p><p> </p><p>We have also funded research to examine wider sources of microplastics, including tyres and textiles. This research will help to inform future policy. Technical experts from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have also been leading the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment to develop a new indicator for microlitter (including microplastics) in seafloor sediments. This will help us to track progress in reducing plastics in the environment at a regional scale.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 184112 184114 question first answered 15/05/2023 15:59:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1626127

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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 Companies: 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 steps she plans to take to reduce microplastic pollution from water companies.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	184114
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is a world leader in tackling plastic pollution, including microplastics. Monitoring of marine litter by the Marine Conservation Society, funded by Defra, tells us that over the last seven years the total litter count on British beaches has decreased significantly - the total median litter count in 2021 was almost three times lower than in 2016.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to contribute to the development of a new legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040. We want to tackle microplastic pollution wherever possible which is why we introduced a microbead ban and a tax on plastic bags.</p><p> </p><p>We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic, subject to public consultation. We will also support the Water UK communications campaign to ‘Bin the Wipe’ and write to the relevant producers and advertising authorities regarding the labelling of wet wipes as ‘flushable’.</p><p> </p><p>The Plan for Water also outlined our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only just last month, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology) reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass. The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) includes over £7.39 million of commitment from the water industry to further research microplastics removal through wastewater treatment processes to sludge, which may be a source of microplastics to final effluent discharges.</p><p> </p><p>An additional investigation sits within the Chemicals Investigation Programme looking at biosolids and microplastics to groundwater. For microplastic monitoring in surface waters and sediments, a pilot study has been completed to develop sampling and analytical protocols that could be used to determine the quantities, loads and types of microplastics and tyre-wear particles in surface waters and sediments. This report will be available post July 2023.</p><p> </p><p>We have also funded research to examine wider sources of microplastics, including tyres and textiles. This research will help to inform future policy. Technical experts from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have also been leading the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment to develop a new indicator for microlitter (including microplastics) in seafloor sediments. This will help us to track progress in reducing plastics in the environment at a regional scale.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 184112 184113 question first answered 15/05/2023 15:59:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1626137

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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	Animal Sentience Committee
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 has taken on (a) establishing and (b) maintaining the Animal Sentience Committee since the assent of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	184043
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>Work is underway to prepare for the forthcoming launch of the new Animal Sentience Committee. Michael Seals CBE was appointed on 2nd September 2022 as the first-ever Chair of the Committee and the Member appointments will be announced in due course. We will also bring the provisions of the Animal Sentience Act into effect, in order to formally establish the Animal Sentience Committee.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 17/05/2023 12:33:30 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1626148

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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: Sales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage retailers to allocate proceeds from the sale of single-use plastic bags to charitable causes.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	184139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2023 answer text <p>No new steps are being taken; the Government has always encouraged retailers to donate the proceeds of the charge. The total amount of money donated to good causes as a result of the single-use carrier bag charge (and reported to Defra) since the charge was introduced in 2015 to now is over £200 million.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 11/05/2023 17:08:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1626184

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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 Agency: Managers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she last met the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	184189
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has regular meetings with the Chief Executives of key arm’s length bodies including the Environment Agency.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 22/05/2023 16:58:17 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1626185

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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 Agency: 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, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Environment Agency's budget.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	184190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2023 answer text <p>Environment Agency (EA) funding is closely monitored to ensure that the EA can carry out its duties and functions effectively. In the current Spending Review period (SR21) the EA received new ring fenced money for specific activities including enforcement.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 24/05/2023 11:26:11 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1626186

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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	Waste: Crime
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 steps she has taken to tackle waste crime in (a) Leicestershire, (b) Staffordshire and (c) Warwickshire.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	184191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, which is a blight on our local communities and the environment and damages legitimate businesses. We have strengthened regulators' powers, are tightening the law and have increased the Environment Agency's budget by £10 million per year to make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. We are also providing grants to councils across the country to help them purchase equipment to tackle fly-tipping. Recipients include Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In Leicestershire, the Environment Agency has recently stopped three illegal waste sites, two in relation to burning and one in relation to the storage of liquids. All sites were visited by Environment Agency staff and provided with advice and guidance detailing the relevant legislation, their obligations, how to return to compliance and the consequences of not doing so. The Environment Agency also has ongoing investigations into organised crime groups and are progressing a major case through the court system which had operations within Leicestershire.</p><p> </p><p>In Warwickshire, the Environment Agency currently has two active investigations in targeting priority offenders. In Staffordshire there two ongoing investigations relating to suspected serious environmental offending. These investigations are being undertaken with partner organisations such as the Police, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) and other public bodies. Between April 2022 to March 2023 the Environment Agency closed 10 high risk illegal waste sites across Staffordshire and Warwickshire.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, the Environment Agency is a member of the newly formed Staffordshire Organised Crime Group. The group aims to target and stop organised crime in the area, working with partner organisations including the police, HMRC, HM Prison and Probation Service, local authorities and immigration services.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 17/05/2023 16:05:18 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1626187

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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	Landfill: 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 recent assessment she has made of the effect of landfill sites on the levels of toxic air in neighbouring communities.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	184192
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2023 answer text <p>Under the Environment Agency’s permitting regime, limits are set for atmospheric emissions of pollutants from permitted installations, including landfill sites. The limits are based on acceptable ambient concentrations of individual chemicals, which minimise risk to human health. The operators are responsible for monitoring to ensure compliance with permit conditions, and to alert the Environment Agency when the conditions are not being met. In the event of a specific incident or report of air quality concerns in proximity of a permitted site, the Environment Agency may conduct targeted monitoring to identify pollutant levels and investigate the concern raised. This would be undertaken on a case by case basis, and would not provide an overall assessment of the effect of landfill sites.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 16/05/2023 11:33:04 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1626188

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
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	Landfill: Health
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 she has made an assessment of the prevalence of potential links between landfill sites and health inequalities.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	184193
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>Conditions in the environmental permits for individual landfill sites take into account the potential impact on local receptors of a range of environmental risks, including air pollution.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 22/05/2023 17:02:01 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones