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1079323

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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: 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 steps his Department is taking to replace EU funding for rural communities when the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
uin	227054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2019 answer text <p>Defra is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop the ways the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will support the rural economy after we leave the EU, taking into account the needs of rural businesses and communities. The Government intends to consult widely on the design of the fund. Decisions on how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will operate, its priorities and quantum will be determined at the forthcoming spending review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 07/03/2019 14:25:51 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1079350

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Beverage Containers
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 his Department has to introduce (a) 25p per coffee cup surcharge, (b) bottle deposit scheme and (c) refillable water bottle policy.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Simon Hart
uin	227078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the problems caused by disposable cups, which are difficult to recycle and often littered. At Budget 2018, the Government concluded that a levy on all cups would not at this point deliver a decisive shift from disposable cups to reusable cups across all beverage types.</p><p> </p><p>The Government expects industry to go further in taking action on disposable plastic cups and will return to the issue if sufficient progress is not made. In the meantime, the Government is considering the case for reducing the environmental impact of disposable cups within a reformed packaging producer responsibility system and a potential deposit return scheme (DRS), which we are currently inviting views on through consultation.</p><p> </p><p>The DRS consultation is being undertaken jointly by the UK and Welsh Governments, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The consultation was launched on 18 February and will close on 13 May. The aim of a DRS is that it is easy for consumers to return drinks containers (such as plastic bottles, aluminium and steel cans, and glass bottles), reduce litter and increase recycling rates of drinks containers within the scope of a DRS.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of making drinking water more readily available in public places, as a means of reducing single use plastic bottles. As laid out in the 25 Year Environment Plan and the Resources and Waste Strategy, we are already taking action in this area.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has encouraged transit hub operators, including Network Rail and airports, to install free water fountains to support refilling water bottles.</p><p> </p><p>The water industry is supporting the Refill campaign, which is managed by City to Sea. We are pleased to see new refill points being installed in every major city and town in England. There are now over 14,000 refill points on City to Sea’s free Refill app, and they aim to double this by 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 07/03/2019 16:14:09 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

1079399

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff
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 staff have been employed by his Department in each month since June 2016.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	227158
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2019 answer text <p>The information relating to staff numbers can be found in the Monthly Workforce Management Information Reports here: <a href="https://data.gov.uk/dataset/9fb1ed1f-00c9-421b-ab18-c30c14559681/workforce-management-information-defra" target="_blank">https://data.gov.uk/dataset/9fb1ed1f-00c9-421b-ab18-c30c14559681/workforce-management-information-defra</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 07/03/2019 16:53:35 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1079444

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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	Poultry: Animal Welfare
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 he has made of the effectiveness of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens and Pellets.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	227046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>Farmers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with the statutory farm welfare codes, which provide guidance for keepers on how to comply with animal welfare legislation and help us maintain our high animal welfare standards. The codes are also used by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to check how well animal welfare standards are being met. We have an ongoing dialogue with APHA on all animal welfare matters, including those relating to enforcement, and the latest updated code of practice for the welfare of laying hens and pullets provides keepers with up to date information on the latest practices and helps ensure high standards of compliance.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 05/03/2019 11:59:54 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1079475

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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	Countryside Stewardship Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many farmers are awaiting Countryside Stewardship payments from 2018.
tabling member printed	Baroness Byford
uin	HL14136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>Payments for 2018 Countryside Stewardship claims are underway and 20% of eligible agreement holders have received their advance payment. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is working towards paying 95% of 2018 advance payments by the end of March and will issue bridging payments, in early April, to eligible agreement holders who have not received a payment by the end of March. In addition the RPA is aiming to pay 95% of eligible final payments by the end of July 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The RPA took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/03/2019 16:39:59 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	3343 label Biography information for Baroness Byford

1079476

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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	Environmental Stewardship Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many farmers are awaiting the final payment of their (1) Entry Level Stewardship, and (2) Higher Level Stewardship, for 2017; whether any bridging payments will be paid to such farmers; and if so when.
tabling member printed	Baroness Byford
uin	HL14137
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>Over 98% of 2017 advance and over 80% of 2017 final payments have been issued to agreement holders. Recognising the importance of these payments, around £26 million was paid in bridging payments to just over 1,700 eligible agreement holders in September 2018. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is working to complete 95% of final payments by the end of July.</p><p> </p><p>The RPA took on administration of Environmental Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/03/2019 16:38:10 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	3343 label Biography information for Baroness Byford

1079486

registered interest
date	28/02/2019
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	Fisheries: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether fishing vessels from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have reciprocal access to each other's inshore waters; what representations they have made to that government to restore the provisions of the Voisinage Agreement; whether Northern Irish fishing boats have been recently seized by authorities in the Republic of Ireland; and what assessment they have made of whether the seizure of such vessels constitutes a hard border in the Irish Sea.
tabling member printed	Lord Kilclooney
uin	HL14147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>The Voisinage Arrangement between the UK and Ireland provides for reciprocal access to fish in the 0-6nm zone. The arrangement has, however, been suspended by Ireland following a decision by the Irish Supreme Court in 2016. As a result, fishing by Northern Irish vessels within Ireland’s 0-6nm zone is currently not permitted.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has continued to respect the arrangement. The Government has made numerous representations to the Irish Government since 2016 to push for the reinstatement of the arrangement as soon as possible. In particular, Defra’s former Minister of State, George Eustice, met Minister Creed, the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on 24 March 2018 and wrote to him on 6 June 2018 to reiterate concerns about the suspension of the arrangement by Ireland. The Secretary of State further raised the issue with Minister Creed when they met on 13 June 2018.</p><p> </p><p>On 26 February, two Northern Irish fishing vessels were detained in Dundalk Bay for continuing to fish in the 0-6nm limit of Irish waters while the Voisinage Arrangement is suspended by Ireland. The skippers of the boats appeared in court on 1 March. They have since been released without conviction and the boats returned.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, committed on 1 March to changing the law to restore the status quo to what it was before 2016, and has indicated that he is confident the legislation can be passed quickly. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Minister Creed, has made similar commitments.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to avoiding a hard border and to continue cooperation between Northern Ireland and Ireland over fisheries matters. We welcome the Irish Government’s commitments and stand ready to work with the Irish Government to reinstate a level playing field as quickly as possible for the benefit of all our fishermen.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 11/03/2019 15:43:13 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	657 label Biography information for Lord Kilclooney

1078614

registered interest
date	27/02/2019
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	Palm Oil
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 international discussions he has had on the sustainable (a) supply and (b) use of palm oil; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	226538
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2019 answer text <p>Officials of the Department attended a regular meeting of the Amsterdam Declaration Partnership in October last year to discuss its coordination and delivery. Through the Amsterdam Declarations we are working with businesses and other governments to strengthen governance, promote market-based solutions and put in place incentives, policies and actions that support sustainable production of palm oil alongside forest protection.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst attending UNFCCC COP24 in Katowice, Poland last December I met the Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar from the Republic of Indonesia; palm oil production and the importance of producing it sustainably were discussed.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 08/03/2019 14:54:34 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1078625

registered interest
date	27/02/2019
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	Biodiversity
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 he has to prevent loss of biodiversity in the UK.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
uin	226587
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2019 answer text <p>Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only, except in relation to our plans internationally.</p><p> </p><p>Our 25 Year Environment Plan sets out over 200 actions to enhance the environment and has long-term goals for recovering nature.</p><p> </p><p>We are developing a new environmental land management system that will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environmental outcomes such as protection of habitats, which will support our biodiversity goals.</p><p> </p><p>At sea, we are expanding our protected areas. Last summer we consulted on an ambitious third tranche of 41 Marine Conservation Zones. Sites to be designated in this tranche will be announced and in place by 7 June.</p><p> </p><p>The ongoing declines in nature are a global problem that need a global solution. That is why the UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is ambitious and transformational. Our Darwin Initiative supports global action, awarding £10.6 million to projects in 2018, for example sustaining snow leopard conservation in Nepal. Defra’s contribution to Darwin Plus, our main funding source for UK Overseas Territories’ biodiversity, has totalled nearly £6million over the last three years. We continue to support activities to end poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, including introducing a ban on ivory sales which is the toughest in Europe and one of the strongest in the world.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 08/03/2019 14:43:56 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1078666

registered interest
date	27/02/2019
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: Scunthorpe
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 protect outdoor workers from ambient air pollution in Scunthorpe; which locations have been found to have fine-particle air pollution levels that exceed the WHO limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre in the most recent period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	226666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>Local authorities are required to work towards reducing emissions of PM2.5. North East Lincolnshire Council reported in its 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) that their PM2.5 monitors did not record a breach of the statutory limit value, which is 25 micrograms per metre cubed.</p><p>The council also stated that it is running campaigns to discourage waste burning and bonfires, and implementing environmental permit improvement programmes to address PM2.5. In 2018 Defra awarded North East Lincolnshire Council grant funding to help reduce emissions of PM2.5 resulting from the use of domestic wood burning stoves.</p><p>With specific regard to Scunthorpe, a recent report published on the Government’s UK Air website detailed the extensive measures undertaken to reduce the impacts from the steelworks in the area (particularly aimed at reducing concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene and the impact of PM2.5). The report can be found here: <a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/bap-nickel-measures/bap_yorkshireandhumberside_UK0034_reportonmeasures_2016.pdf" target="_blank">https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/bap-nickel-measures/bap_yorkshireandhumberside_UK0034_reportonmeasures_2016.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 05/03/2019 12:20:56 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin