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1667522

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Sewage: 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, if he will introduce legislation to require water companies to report annually on the number of animals killed as a result of raw sewage discharges.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	221
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2023 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>We do not have plans to introduce legislation that will require this of water companies. However, this Government is clear that the volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable. That is why our Plan for Water sets out more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement to tackle pollution and clean up our water.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside this, our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets clear and specific targets for water companies, regulators and the Government, to work towards the long-term ambition of eliminating ecological harm from storm overflows. This will protect biodiversity at both a local and national scale.</p><p> </p><p>We have also set a world-leading, legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This target will drive wide-ranging actions to deliver nature recovery.</p><p> </p><p>We know that to meet our targets we will need large-scale habitat restoration, creation and improved connectivity; to tackle pressures on species including pollution, unsustainable use of resources and climate change; and targeted action to recover specific species.</p><p> </p><p>Action to restore or create freshwater habitats will support species in our indicator that live in and rely on lakes and rivers such as kingfishers, silver bream, perch, and minnow.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 13/11/2023 15:38:12 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1667533

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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 Welfare: Labelling
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 Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare, published by her Department in August 2022, whether she plans to take steps to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce labelling for animal welfare.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>Defra’s Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare gathered data on the impacts of different types of labelling reforms. Based on the information gathered, we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers. We will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of a wide range of market interventions, as well as how they could align with wider labelling proposals such as eco-labelling.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 14/11/2023 10:58:43 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1667536

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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: Health Hazards
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 bring forward legislative proposals to establish an independent body to (a) identify and (b) monitor public health threats from (i) plastic and (ii) microplastic contamination.
tabling member constituency	Falkirk
tabling member printed	John McNally
uin	265
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>Defra has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals. Public health threats are the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/11/2023 14:36:59 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1667538

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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: Boilers and 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, if she will make it her policy to ban plastic materials in (a) boilers and (b) water tanks.
tabling member constituency	Falkirk
tabling member printed	John McNally
uin	267
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 – which, in part, are designed to prevent contamination of drinking water supplies from water fittings – do not cover the design of boilers or hot water tanks, including the materials they are constructed from. If a consumer suspects that their drinking water is contaminated, they should contact their local water company who will investigate. If the cause of contamination is identified as occurring from plumbing inside the property, water companies will provide instructions to the consumer on remedial action to consider such as replacement or repair of the defective component. All plumbing inside a property is the responsibility of the property owner.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/11/2023 13:57:44 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1667575

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Fly-tipping: Greater London
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 information her Department holds on the level of illegal waste disposal in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Enfield North
tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
uin	565
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>In the last 12 months the Environment Agency (EA) has received six reports of illegal waste disposal in the London Borough of Enfield. There were three reports of small-scale burning which were all referred to the council, and where two addresses were identified as carrying out burning, letters were sent. There was one small-scale fly tipping incident in the N9 area which was also referred to Enfield Council due to the impact on the highways, and two major fly tipping incidents in the N11 and N18 areas. The EA currently has no outstanding investigations in the illegal disposal of waste in the Enfield area.</p><p> </p><p>The EA continues to work closely with internal and external stakeholders across London and the Southeast to initiate partnership solutions to the multi-faceted issues we deal with, often involving significant investigations of various strands to not only disrupt criminal activity but to hold to account those responsible.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>In addition, local authorities are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which we publish annually <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistical-data-sets%2Fenv24-fly-tipping-incidents-and-actions-taken-in-england.&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cf85f063dbc7147bedc3008dbe13cb9cc%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638351423175380207%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=JAJzD%2Bm1c8wqkuXZjAkzz6EUCAorRmS0NfuAIO3lKH4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/11/2023 14:02:28 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1667639

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Wood-burning Stoves: 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 her Department is taking to tackle air pollution from log burners.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2023 answer text <p>Air quality is a devolved matter. In England, regulations introduced in 2020 put restrictions on the sale of wet wood for domestic burning, placed limits on the emission of sulphur and smoke from manufactured solid fuels and phased out the sale of bituminous coal (traditional house coal). Through the Environment Act 2021, we also introduced measures to streamline the enforcement of Smoke Control Areas (SCAs).</p><p /><p>Since 1 January 2022 all stoves placed on the market in the United Kingdom must be Ecodesign compliant. This is in addition to the separate requirement in Smoke Control Areas (SCAs) that householders can only burn approved fuels or use a Defra exempt appliance.</p><p /><p>The Environment Improvement Plan sets out further measures to reduce domestic combustion emissions. These include:</p><ul><li>Publishing outdoor burning best practice guidance</li><li>Extending the solid fuels legislation, including to fuels burned outside</li><li>Tightening the limits that new stoves in SCAs must meet</li><li>Driving a shift away from older, more polluting appliances to newer appliances which meet our tough new emission standards;</li><li>Continuing our targeted communications campaign to promote best practice when burning</li></ul><p> </p><p>As set out in our recent Air Quality Strategy, we also continue to work with local authorities to help them tackle emissions from domestic combustion in their communities. This includes funding relevant local projects through our 2023/24 Air Quality Grant.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 16/11/2023 10:29:57 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1667665

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Food: 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 steps her Department is taking to increase food waste reporting.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>We are committed to tackling food waste, which is why we are taking action to increase the take up of the voluntary approach to reporting through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap delivered by WRAP. This year more than £2 million will go to our food waste prevention programme, with action across the supply chain including working with trade associations and businesses to measure and report their food waste. We ask all businesses to sign up to the Roadmap and to ‘Target, Measure and Act’ on their food waste.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/11/2023 13:23:57 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1667753

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Cats: Theft
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 plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to make the abduction of cats a criminal offence.
tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
uin	156
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2023 answer text <p>We would be supportive of legislation on pet abduction when parliamentary time allows. We have listened carefully to views expressed on the pet abduction measures during the passage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill including adding cats. We will take this feedback into consideration when delivering any measure.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 13/11/2023 15:34:56 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1667762

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Wildlife: Nature 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, with reference to the Fifth Special Report of Session 2022-23 of the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Species Reintroduction: Government response to the Committee's Fifth Report, published on 27 October 2023, HC 1931, on what criteria her Department decides when it is appropriate to support the reintroduction of recently lost former native species.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	446
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2023 answer text <p>The reintroduction of any species in England should follow our published guidance and Code for Reintroductions, which provides the best practice for assessing the benefits and impacts of releasing a species into the wild. The appropriateness of a reintroduction proposal will be highly dependent on the specific circumstances in which it is made, for example the surrounding environmental conditions, socio-economic circumstances, or species already present in that location. As such, Natural England assess applications for release licences on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that any applications align to the Code.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 13/11/2023 15:29:43 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1667859

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Livestock: Animal Housing
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 an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to end the use of cages on farm animals.
tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
uin	157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, in the course of this Parliament and beyond. We do not consider the time is right to consult on cage reforms, being mindful of the challenges the sectors are facing.</p><p>The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hens with over 60% of eggs coming from free range production. The UK also has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement.</p><p>We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our new domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 15/11/2023 13:31:00 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch