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1170601

registered interest
date	14/01/2020
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	Office for Environmental Protection
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 timeframe is for establishing the new independent Office for Environmental Protection; and what consultation process will be used to define strict new laws on air quality.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	3294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2020 answer text <p>The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is to be operational from 1 January 2021. Subject to the passage of the Environment Bill, the OEP will therefore take on its full statutory functions from this date, including being able to receive and investigate complaints, take enforcement action, and provide scrutiny and advice including in relation to the 25 Year Environment Plan.</p><p> </p><p>Our Clean Air Strategy (CAS) was published in 2019 following a thorough consultation exercise and included new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies to clean up our air faster and more effectively. The Environment Bill delivers key parts of this CAS including outlining how new air quality targets will be set through an open and transparent, evidence-based process, which will include seeking independent expert advice and holding a public consultation. The targets and associated technical detail will be set in a statutory instrument via the affirmative procedure, and both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the details and ambition of the targets before they are finalised.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 22/01/2020 15:34:11 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1170648

registered interest
date	14/01/2020
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	Floods: Rural Areas
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 in place to support rural communities affected by flooding where cost-benefit calculations make it more difficult to fund schemes as a result of the dispersed nature of properties.
tabling member constituency	Tonbridge and Malling
tabling member printed	Tom Tugendhat
uin	3245
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is investing a record £2.6 billion from 2015-2021 to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, and £1 billion to maintain existing defences. This will also attract over £600 million in additional contributions through partnership funding. In addition to homes better protected, this investment will also protect 700,000 acres of agricultural land that will help avoid more than £1.5 billion worth of direct economic damages to agricultural land, benefiting rural communities. Of the £2.6 billion Defra funding, approximately £650 million will be allocated to local authorities for their defence improvement projects.</p><p> </p><p>Government funding policy recognises where deprivation is highest through higher funding payments. This also can help benefit rural communities where there is economic disadvantage. We will continue to work with the Environment Agency and HM Treasury to consider future investment needs and Government’s role in supporting the resilience of communities.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/01/2020 12:51:34 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat

1170674

registered interest
date	14/01/2020
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	Forests: North of England
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 her Department has to support the Northern Forest initiative.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	3216
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2020 answer text <p>As part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, we are providing £5.7 million to support the existing Northern Forest Partnership of the Community Forests and the Woodland Trust to accelerate and further develop the Northern Forest. Specifically, this kick-start investment is funding the planting of at least 1.8 million new trees across the Northern Forest by 2022.</p><p>We continue to work with the Northern Forest Partnership to identify, develop and implement delivery models to ensure new trees are planted in the places of greatest need and that these trees are well managed and maintained for current and future generations to enjoy and benefit from.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 20/01/2020 11:49:21 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1170745

registered interest
date	14/01/2020
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	Recycling: 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 (a) funding and (b) other resources are available to local authorities to enable the provision of recycling at schools.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	3158
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to increasing recycling rates. The Queen’s Speech committed the Government to bring forward our ambitious Environment Bill which introduces legislation so that a core set of materials (metal, plastic, paper and card, glass, food and garden waste) will be collected from all households, businesses and other organisations such as schools, in England, from 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Waste collection and recycling arrangements for schools are controlled and financed by schools themselves. One of Defra’s delivery partners, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), provides curriculum linked resources for schools and teachers to help teach pupils about recycling.</p><p><a href="https://partners.wrap.org.uk/campaigns/recycle-now/schools/" target="_blank">https://partners.wrap.org.uk/campaigns/recycle-now/schools/</a></p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/01/2020 12:23:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1170817

registered interest
date	14/01/2020
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	Lighting: Pollution
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of light pollution in the UK; whether light pollution in the UK is decreasing; and if so, at what rate.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2020 answer text <p>A range of measures are in place to ensure that light pollution is effectively managed through controls in the planning system, the statutory nuisance regime and improvements in street lighting.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has not made a recent assessment of overall levels of light pollution in the UK or of whether these are decreasing.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 27/01/2020 17:29:47 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1170174

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
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	Tree Planting
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trees have been planted in (1) England, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales, in each of the last three years; and what were the respective acreages of (a) replanting of existing woodlands, and (b) new afforestation.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL321
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>The Forestry Commission produces statistics on woodland planting and restocking by area, but not by tree numbers, in the UK. These are Official Statistics produced to meet the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics.</p><p> </p><p>Woodland area statistics can be found on the Forest Research website together with background information at: <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/" target="_blank">https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/</a></p><p> </p><p>The area of new planting (woodland creation) and publicly funded restocking for each country in each of the last three years, taken from the published statistics, which report in hectares, is shown below.</p><p> </p><p>Woodland Area (thousands of hectares)</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year (ending 31/3)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>New planting</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Restocking</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>England</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>1.15</p></td><td><p>3.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>1.50</p></td><td><p>2.04</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>1.42</p></td><td><p>1.65</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Wales</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>0.40</p></td><td><p>1.67</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>0.24</p></td><td><p>1.71</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>0.52</p></td><td><p>1.44</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>4.76</p></td><td><p>11.07</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>7.14</p></td><td><p>9.66</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>11.21</p></td><td><p>11.19</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Note: Publicly funded restocking is defined in the statistics as restocking of Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales Forest Service Woodlands and grant aided restocking of private sector woodland. This means that the level of restocking is under-reported in these statistics.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 21/01/2020 13:09:39 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1170246

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
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: Carbon Emissions
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 (a) recent discussions she has had with farming unions on and (b) funding she plans to allocate to help in reducing carbon emissions after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	2535
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>This Government is committed to meeting net zero by 2050, and in 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to have legislated for a net zero target to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from across the UK economy by 2050.</p><p> </p><p>Since the General Election, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has spoken with farming unions, amongst other groups to listen to their priorities for the year ahead. Engagement has included meetings with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), along with wider farming groups at the Oxford Farming Conference and Oxford Real Farming Conference. Discussions covered the importance of our British farmers being the climate and nature leaders that the world is looking for and how The Secretary of State will raise the profile of agriculture across Government at the new Cabinet Committee for Climate Change.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State also mentioned that the UK will pioneer approaches that will show other governments what can be achieved if we rethink how we work with the land and produce our food to create a virtuous circle between agriculture, climate change, biodiversity, and investment.</p><p> </p><p>Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change are important goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and important objectives of Environmental Land Management (ELM). ELM could support this through providing funding for land management activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. <br></p><p>We have also provided £50 million funding for Woodland Creation Carbon Guarantee grants that will boost our carbon offset market and provide long-term payments for land managers planting trees.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/01/2020 16:03:13 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1170397

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
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	Marine Environment
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 marine life in the UK; and what steps the Government is taking with (a) counterparts in other countries and (b) representatives of marine life organisations to protect oceans around the world.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	2651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>The UK is a global leader in protecting the seas, the ocean and our marine life, and works with counterparts in the UK and overseas to help achieve these aims.</p><p> </p><p>Financed from the UK Official Development Assistance Budget, the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) will help eligible countries protect their marine resources from key human-generated stressors including plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat loss. The BPF will also embrace the ocean’s role in mitigating and adapting to climate change.</p><p> </p><p>Our work also includes the creation of 355 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protecting 25% of UK waters, including the recent designation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones. On 8 June 2019 we announced a review into Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters, which is due to report later this year.</p><p> </p><p>Internationally, the UK has committed to continuing its leading role in global biodiversity conservation, including calling for at least 30 per cent of the ocean to be in MPAs by 2030 and negotiating hard to agree a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is both ambitious and transformational. We strongly support a new Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to protecting vulnerable marine species including through action to reduce bycatch in fisheries. We work through a number of multilateral environmental agreements, international bodies and regional Fisheries Management Organisations to strengthen international protection for vulnerable marine species.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/01/2020 12:13:25 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1170457

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
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	National Food Strategy Review
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 responses have been received to the National Food Strategy’s Call for Evidence; and if she will make a statement on the progress of the independent review led by Henry Dimbleby.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	2414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>The National Food Strategy independent review, led by Henry Dimbleby, was launched in June 2019. A Call for Evidence was held from 17 August 2019 to 25 October 2019. 1979 responses were received and these responses are currently being analysed.</p><p> </p><p>Since the review’s launch, Henry and his team have engaged extensively across the food system, academia, industry, civil society and citizens. This engagement will continue as the work progresses in order to ensure that the review’s recommendations are based upon robust analysis of evidence and diverse insights from across the food system. This includes a number of public engagement events in 2020, ensuring that citizens’ voices are heard as part of the process. An Interim Report will be published in early 2020 and the review’s final report and recommendations will be published in winter 2020/21.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 21/01/2020 12:19:12 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1170458

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
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 organisations the Government Food Waste and Surplus Champion has met with; and if she will make a statement on policies to reduce food waste.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	2415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government’s Food Surplus and Waste Champion, Ben Elliot, has met with a wide range of stakeholders since taking up the role at the end of 2018. From small and large businesses across the hospitality, food manufacturing and grocery retail sectors to surplus food redistribution charities. In May 2019, The Champion hosted a major symposium <em>Step up to the plate </em>where key players from the food sector, along with social media influencers and well-known chefs, joined forces to pledge ground-breaking action to reduce food waste.</p><p> </p><p>The Resources and Waste Strategy <em>Our waste our resources, a strategy for England</em> published in 2018 sets out a range of policy actions to reduce food waste. This includes a £15 million food waste fund, a consultation on the mandatory annual reporting of food waste by businesses of an appropriate size as well as continued support of the cross sector collaboration through the Courtauld 2025 agreement.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/01/2020 12:07:20 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas