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528550

registered interest
date	24/06/2016
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: Recycling
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 assistance the Government provides to local authorities to enable them to provide recycling facilities for all kinds of plastics.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	41113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government works with local authorities and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide advice and promote best practice on waste and recycling. The UK Recycling rate has increased from 11% at the turn of the century, to 44.9% in 2014. This progress is thanks in large part to the hard work of local authorities and householders towards recycling more.</p><p> </p><p>For 2015/16, local authority spend on waste services was approximately £3.5 billion, of which nearly £600 million was spent on recycling. In addition the Government, through the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme, has allocated some £3 billion in grant funding to a number of local authority waste infrastructure projects. This funding has helped authorities to build waste treatment infrastructure including energy from waste, mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and material recovery facilities, as well as to implement household recycling collection services and communal recycling centres for plastics and other recyclable materials.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are best placed to decide on their waste recycling services and the range of materials collected, taking into account local circumstances such as geography and population. WRAP’s best understanding of collections being operated by local authorities in England as of June 2016 shows us that 99% of English local authorities offer a collection of plastic bottles while 72% offer collection of plastic packaging, pots, tubs and trays.</p><p> </p><p>I have asked WRAP to work with the waste sector, to look at the benefits and opportunities there are from having more consistency in the materials collected for recycling and in collection systems. This will help local authorities to identify value for money and to help householders recycle more and put the right materials in the right bin. This not only includes opportunities for local authorities, but also what others can do to support greater consistency and increased recycling.</p><p> </p><p>I am expecting WRAP to publish a framework for greater consistency in the summer.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 41114 question first answered 30/06/2016 13:45:32 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

528551

registered interest
date	24/06/2016
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: Recycling
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 she has made of the level of variation in the availability of plastics recycling facilities in different local authorities in England.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	41114
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government works with local authorities and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide advice and promote best practice on waste and recycling. The UK Recycling rate has increased from 11% at the turn of the century, to 44.9% in 2014. This progress is thanks in large part to the hard work of local authorities and householders towards recycling more.</p><p> </p><p>For 2015/16, local authority spend on waste services was approximately £3.5 billion, of which nearly £600 million was spent on recycling. In addition the Government, through the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme, has allocated some £3 billion in grant funding to a number of local authority waste infrastructure projects. This funding has helped authorities to build waste treatment infrastructure including energy from waste, mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and material recovery facilities, as well as to implement household recycling collection services and communal recycling centres for plastics and other recyclable materials.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are best placed to decide on their waste recycling services and the range of materials collected, taking into account local circumstances such as geography and population. WRAP’s best understanding of collections being operated by local authorities in England as of June 2016 shows us that 99% of English local authorities offer a collection of plastic bottles while 72% offer collection of plastic packaging, pots, tubs and trays.</p><p> </p><p>I have asked WRAP to work with the waste sector, to look at the benefits and opportunities there are from having more consistency in the materials collected for recycling and in collection systems. This will help local authorities to identify value for money and to help householders recycle more and put the right materials in the right bin. This not only includes opportunities for local authorities, but also what others can do to support greater consistency and increased recycling.</p><p> </p><p>I am expecting WRAP to publish a framework for greater consistency in the summer.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 41113 question first answered 30/06/2016 13:45:32 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

528588

registered interest
date	24/06/2016
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	Hazardous Substances: 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, what steps her Department is taking to stop the illegal export of electronic and other hazardous waste from the UK to Africa.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	41162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2016 answer text <p>The UK is a Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal, which sets controls on the shipments of waste from developed to developing countries. This is implemented through the Waste Shipment Regulations and the UK Plan (on import and export of waste) which bans the export of waste for disposal to non-OECD countries.</p><p>The UK environment agencies enforce the Regulations in the UK. They have adopted an intelligence-led approach to identify and disrupt the movement of waste intended for illegal export.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 29/06/2016 06:59:51 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

528034

registered interest
date	20/06/2016
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 Products: 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 the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the bringing into the UK of hunting trophies from threatened or endangered species.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	40996
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2016 answer text <p>Under international rules set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a hunting trophy from an endangered or threatened species can be exported only if the exporting country is satisfied that the hunt was both legal and sustainable.</p><p> </p><p>Importing controls are implemented at an EU-wide level and the UK works with other EU Member States to agree a collective approach. In light of growing concerns about the sustainability of the hunting of some species, stricter controls on the import of hunting trophies of six species, including lions and African elephants, have been introduced. As a result, the import of hunting trophies of certain species from certain countries is currently prohibited.</p><p> </p><p>The Government considers that properly managed, legal and sustainable trophy hunting can play a part in species conservation efforts, including by providing an important source of funding for conservation in some countries. In view of this, we have no plans to introduce legislation banning the import of all trophies of endangered or threatened species. We will however continue to monitor the impact of trophy hunting and will work to put in place greater protection, including prohibiting imports, if this is shown to be needed.</p><p> </p><p>For example, in recognition of the real concerns about the impact of trophy hunting on lion conservation, I announced in Parliament on 24 November 2015 that the Government will ban lion trophy imports by the end of 2017 unless there are improvements in the way hunting takes place in certain countries, judged against strict criteria. We will work with our European and international partners, and experts in the field, to reach a common approach to this issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 28/06/2016 09:24:00 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

528035

registered interest
date	20/06/2016
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: Procurement
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 the Government has made on implementing the recommendations of the report by Dr Peter Bonfield on a plan for public procurement of food, published in July 2014.
tabling member constituency	Tiverton and Honiton
tabling member printed	Neil Parish
uin	40982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government is committed to providing food produced to British standards or their equivalent in all its canteens, restaurants and cafeterias by the end of this Parliament. Defra is working closely with other Departments and businesses to implement the Plan for Public Procurement of Food, including a balanced scorecard. The Ministry of Justice launched a tender for supplying food to prisons earlier this year, worth £500 million, which requires bids to use the balanced scorecard. Their current supplier has agreed that the 30 million portions of UHT milk served in prisons each year will be sourced from UK producers. We are working with the Ministry of Defence to develop the best way to incorporate the balanced scorecard into their forthcoming contracts. We are working with all central government departments to ensure that their food and catering contracts comply with the balanced scorecard approach.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 28/06/2016 11:28:15 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4072 label Biography information for Neil Parish

528036

registered interest
date	20/06/2016
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	Bovine Tuberculosis: Wiltshire
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 proportion of badgers exterminated through culling in Wiltshire were found to carry bovine TB in all instances in which tests were carried out in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	41028
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2016 answer text <p>Natural England has not licensed the killing of badgers in Wiltshire for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB in the last five years.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 28/06/2016 11:30:20 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

528037

registered interest
date	20/06/2016
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: 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 reduce (a) plastic packaging consumer waste and (b) other forms of pollution in the River Thames.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	41038
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government has taken a number of steps to reduce the amount of consumer plastic packaging waste ending up in the natural environment, including in the River Thames, by reducing the amount of plastic packaging placed on the market, increasing the amount that is recycled, and reducing litter.</p><p> </p><p>These include the UK’s Packaging Waste Regulations, which both put an obligation on producers to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they handle is recovered and recycled and require that packaging should not exceed what is needed to ensure that products are safe, hygienic and acceptable to the consumer.</p><p> </p><p>Working with the Waste and Resources Action Programme, a number of activities support recyclability and reducing packaging waste. The industry led Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan also identified actions across the whole supply chain to increase the amount of plastic packaging waste recycled sustainably.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Litter Strategy for England will also help to improve the way we all tackle the scourge of litter. To develop the Litter Strategy we are working with a range of interested stakeholders, including representatives from the Marine Conversation Society, Thames21 and the Canals and Rivers Trust.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of other forms of pollution, the Environment Agency controls pollution from discharges of treated sewage, industrial effluent and storm sewage overflows into the River Thames using environmental permits under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010. The Environment Agency also leads the development of River Basin Management Plans setting statutory environmental objectives for all our waters, including the River Thames, which were revised last year.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the Thames Tideway Tunnel will significantly reduce the current high volumes of untreated sewage that regularly overflow into the River Thames through London at times of even moderate rainfall.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 28/06/2016 09:37:54 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

528038

registered interest
date	20/06/2016
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	Soil: Research
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 her Department has made of the current health and status of earthworm populations in English arable soils; and what trends have been observed in the last two decades based on research and surveys carried out by her Department; and what information her Department holds on those trends based on research carried out by other bodies.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	41064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2016 answer text <p>Defra has not carried out an assessment of the current health and status or trends of earthworm populations in English arable soils.</p><p> </p><p>However, Defra is working closely with the research councils and is funding research to improve our understanding of the role of soil biodiversity in contributing to soil condition.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 28/06/2016 09:41:00 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

528039

registered interest
date	20/06/2016
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	Soil: Research
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 (a) title of, (b) name of contractors used for, (c) budget of and (d) location on her Department's website of each survey of earthworm populations and diversity in arable soils in England carried out by her Department is since 1996.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	41065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2016 answer text <p>Defra has not carried out any surveys of earthworm populations and diversity specifically in arable soils.</p><p> </p><p>Defra carries out research on earthworms as part of a wider programme of research on sustainable land management because of their important role in developing soil structure, water movement, nutrient dynamics, and plant growth.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 28/06/2016 09:43:48 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

525450

registered interest
date	15/06/2016
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	Public Libraries
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what surveys of earthworm populations and diversity in arable soils in England have been carried out since 1996, and for each project what was the contractor's budget, and where the final report can be found on the gov.uk website.
tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
uin	HL722
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2016 answer text <p>Defra has not carried out any surveys of earthworm populations and diversity specifically in arable soils.</p><p> </p><p>However, Defra carries out research on earthworms as part of a wider programme of research on sustainable land management because of their important role in developing soil structure, water movement, nutrient dynamics, and plant growth.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has contributed funding to the Open Air Laboratory (OPAL) Soil and Earthworm Survey in England launched in 2012. Two technical reports detailing the analysis of the first set of results of the Soil and Earthworm Survey are publicly available on the website of Imperial College London.</p><p> </p><p>Defra’s delivery partner Natural England has previously funded the London Natural History Museum to survey earthworms in a number of semi-natural sites across England and Scotland, but also included sampling from 6 arable sites. This work was captured in a report published by Natural England in April 2014 entitled “<em>Earthworms in England: distribution, abundance and habitat”. </em>The report is available on Natural England’s website, reference NECR145.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014 Defra funded the establishment of the Sustainable Intensification Research Platform (budget £4,111,184), supporting research into sustainable productive farming techniques, which includes current assessment of earthworm abundance under contrasting arable systems at the Allerton Project at Loddington.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 29/06/2016 14:09:35 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer