Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1719364

registered interest
date	20/05/2024
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: 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 the planned timeframe is for the completion of the Environment Agency (a) works and (b) removal of scaffolding located by the bridge on the Silkstream on Colindale Avenue in Colindale.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	27015
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency is aware of the scaffolding next to the bridge over the Silk Stream on Colindale Avenue. This scaffolding is not associated with any Environment Agency work. The Environment Agency has been in contact with the third party who arranged for the scaffolding to be erected and has asked them to remove it. As the scaffolding and sandbags appear to still be in place, this will be followed up to expedite the removal.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 23/05/2024 12:37:10 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1719384

registered interest
date	20/05/2024
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 Protection: 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 progress has been made on the Environment Improvement Plan’s objective to secure £500 million of private finance for nature restoration by 2027.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	27016
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government has set a target to mobilise over £500m per year of private finance into nature’s recovery in England by 2027, rising to over £1 billion by 2030. We are making progress towards the target by supporting the development and integrity of nature markets through the British Standards Institution Nature Investment Standards Programme; delivering Biodiversity Net Gain; committing £30 million of investment into a blended finance Big Nature Impact Fund; helping farmers with advice and support on accessing nature markets; and increasing the supply of nature investment projects through the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund.</p><p> </p><p>We recently published an update on progress on our Nature Markets Framework, and we will consult on further policy interventions needed to support the growth of high integrity voluntary carbon and nature markets in the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 23/05/2024 14:18:10 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1719385

registered interest
date	20/05/2024
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	Plastic Bags: VAT
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 much Value Added Tax has the charge for single-use carrier bags raised since its introduction.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	27017
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The single-use carrier bag charged has generated over £72 million in Value Added Tax since its introduction in October 2015 to April 2023. Data from April 2023 to April 2024 is currently being requested from retailers and is not available yet.</p><p> </p><p>Full data on the single-use carrier bag charge, including VAT figures, can be found online at <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.data.gov.uk%2Fdataset%2F682843a8-168c-4056-b6fe-741161a39f60%2Fsingle-use-plastic-carrier-bags-charge-data-for-england&amp;data=05%7C02%7CJoseph.Shen%40defra.gov.uk%7C1c8d230dea614b0793aa08dc79799e77%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638518810475434997%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vYhh4Z2XhpLves16%2FUzmuONs%2FNwxAqKTf7vYEz%2FRqiI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Single-use plastic carrier bags charge data for England - data.gov.uk</a>.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 23/05/2024 12:33:26 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1718254

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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	Carbon Capture and Storage: Water Treatment
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 his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the proposal from Planetary Technologies and South West Water to perform a carbon sequestration trial by adding magnesium hydroxide into treated wastewater outlet pipes.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	26407
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>Greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies are technologies that seek to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Technologies such as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) are currently being considered under this category. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change now considers GGR technologies to be essential in limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. The Government has an ambition to reach 5MtCO2/year of removals by 2030, potentially rising to 23MtCO2/year by 2035.</p><p> </p><p>Reaching Net Zero and achieving good environmental status in the seas is a priority for Defra. Trials which advance GGR technologies, such as the proposed trial by Planetary Technologies and South West Water, could bring us closer to being able to deploy these technologies at a large scale. Reaching Net Zero will have benefits for ocean health and ecosystems. GGR technologies such as OAE may also benefit ocean health in other ways, for example, they may temporarily help combat local ocean acidification and the related negative impacts on species and ecosystems, such as calcium carbonate dissolution of calcifying species.</p><p> </p><p>Planetary Technologies have informed the Environment Agency that they wish to delay their formal application for their proposed trial for a period of approximately 6 to 12 months. A new application will be considered as and when it is received.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 23/05/2024 15:11:10 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1718256

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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	Carbon Capture and Storage: Water Treatment
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 make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by the Water Research Centre entitled Pre-Trial Audit of the Planetary and South West Water Ocean and Alkalinity Enhancement Pilot, published in February 2024.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	26409
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The pilot proposed by Planetary Technologies and South West Water involves the addition of alkaline material into the sea to assess the extent to which this results in the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as a method of engineered greenhouse gas removal.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency commissioned the Water Research Centre (WRC) to independently audit Planetary Technologies’ proposal and received WRC’s report in February 2024. The report concluded the trial was low risk and made several recommendations to Planetary. The WRC report can be found on a dedicated Planetary Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Trial Information Page hosted by the Environment Agency. More information can be found <a href="https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/dcis/planetary-ocean-alkalinity-enhancement-trial/" target="_blank">here</a>. Planetary Technologies have informed the Environment Agency that they wish to delay their formal application for this proposed trial for a period of approximately 6 to 12 months, to allow them time to action the recommendations.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is still evaluating the potential for marine-based technologies, such as ocean alkalinity enhancement, to provide a route for effective greenhouse gas removal. The benefits and risks to the environment need to be explored before these technologies can be deployed on a large scale. Pilot studies are essential to understanding the risks and benefits of these new technologies, but they need to be regulated to ensure they do not have adverse impacts themselves on the marine environment.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 23/05/2024 16:18:33 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1718318

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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: 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 funding he has allocated to supporting the the fisheries sector; and what steps he is taking to support sustainability in that sector.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	26418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting the UK fishing sector through our funding schemes. Through the annual investment of £32.7 million across the UK for domestic grants schemes, control and enforcement and data collection activities, in addition to the UK-wide £100 million UK Seafood Fund (UKSF), the Government is investing in projects that will support the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector.</p><p> </p><p>The Fisheries and Seafood Scheme funds projects that boost the sale of seafood, increase business resilience and support more environmentally sustainably practices. The UKSF has four pillars providing funding to: improve infrastructure; deliver science and innovation projects; support the current and future skills and training needs of the sector; and boost seafood exports.</p><p> </p><p>The first Fisheries Management Plans published in December 2023 are part of a package of reforms to make our fisheries more sustainable. Other reforms related to the management of discards and introduction of remote electronic monitoring policies were set out on 13 May 2024.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 21/05/2024 13:21:19 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1718319

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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: 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 steps he is taking to (a) work with the Mayor of London and (b) otherwise help improve air quality in London.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	26419
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in London and has devolved powers under the Environment Act 1995 allowing him to require London boroughs to take action to address local air pollution. The Mayor has received over £6.6bn of funding for transport in London since 2020, and London authorities have received further funding for specific air quality projects totalling almost £102m.</p><p> </p><p>Nationally, we are driving down emissions and concentrations of the most harmful air pollutants and reducing their impact on public health and the environment. This Government has delivered significant reductions in emissions since 2010 – with emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) falling by 24%, and nitrogen oxides down by 48%. We met our targets to reduce emissions for all five key pollutants in the latest reporting year.</p><p> </p><p>PM2.5 is the most harmful pollutant to human health, which is why we have set two new targets to drive down PM2.5 concentrations under the Environment Act 2021:</p><ul><li>A maximum annual mean concentration of 10 µg m-3 by 2040</li><li>A population exposure reduction target of 35% by 2040 compared with 2018</li></ul><p> </p><p>These targets mean that on average, people’s exposure to particulate matter will be cut by over a third by 2040, compared with 2018 levels.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 20/05/2024 14:24:31 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1718432

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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	Swimming
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 oral evidence given by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Water and Rural Growth) to the Environmental Audit Committee on 15 May 2024, which designated bathing water location was tested three times more than was statutorily necessary.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	26423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>There are currently 451 designated bathing waters in England and the Environment Agency takes over 7,000 bathing water samples each year. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 require designated bathing waters to be sampled at least 5 times per bathing season. This year, all bathing waters in England will be sampled more than this statutory minimum. The table below summarises the number of sites at each planned sampling frequency for the 2024 bathing season.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Number of planned samples per season</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of sites</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>236</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>109</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>106</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 23/05/2024 13:18:50 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1716959

registered interest
date	09/05/2024
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	Seafood: 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 he will publish the number of (a) verification requests and (b) refusals of seafood consignments entering the UK in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	25474
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>This information is not held centrally by the Government.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 14/05/2024 15:40:36 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1698352

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Reservoirs: Brent
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what dates the Priestley Way trash screen that sits on the River Brent and enters the Welsh Harp was cleared by the Environment Agency in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	20280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency plans to attend once a week to clear the debris and waste build up on the Priestley Way Screen. By exception, operatives may not attend if they are required elsewhere to carry out higher priority work that could cause flooding or an environmental incident (for example, responding to emergency incidents). The Environment Agency arranges for a grab lorry to attend site once a month (although this frequency does increase at times of heavy rain and higher river levels when the screen can become inundated with waste much quicker). This lorry takes away up to 3 tonnes of rubbish each trip.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency cannot provide exact dates for when it cleared the screen in the past 12 months but can confirm it cleared the screen 43 times (this includes planned visits to end of March 2024).</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 15/04/2024 16:05:29 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord