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1133850

registered interest
date	21/06/2019
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	Radioactive 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 assessment his Department has made of the environmental effects of the dumping of radioactive waste in Hurd Deep and Atlantic Deep as detailed in the Ministry of Defence archived document entitled British Isles Explosive Dumping Grounds.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	267753
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>Dumping of radioactive waste (before being banned under the London Convention of 1972 for highly contaminated and in 1993 for low contaminated waste) was subject to approval by the MAFF Approval Committee, whose procedures included careful checks on the containment and transport of the waste. Both the Hurd Deep and Atlantic Deep sites have been subject to monitoring.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Hurd Deep:</strong></p><p> </p><p>From 1946 to 1993, the UK disposed of amounts of both civilian and radioactive waste at sea, in accordance with national policy and legislation, and with later international agreements regulating such disposals. These disposals were seen at the time as routine and uncontroversial.</p><p> </p><p>The total estimated activities in curies (TBq) for these dumpings were: Alpha activity, 400 curies (14.8 TBq); Beta-Gamma activity, 1,200 curies (44.4 TBq). The very low active waste (mainly sludges) dumped into the Hurd Deep was packed in approved light metal drums to permit rapid dispersion of the contents. The UK regularly monitors the Channel Island States and report the results in the annually produced RIFE (Radioactivity in Food and the Environment) report series. These reports can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radioactivity-in-food-and-the-environment-rife-reports" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radioactivity-in-food-and-the-environment-rife-reports</a></p><p> </p><p>In addition, Cefas and the Food Standards Agency have jointly published a peer reviewed paper (MARINE RADIOACTIVITY IN THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, 1990 – 2009) which looked further at time trends over around 20 years. UK monitoring shows that there is no evidence for significant releases of radioactivity from the Hurd Deep site and the effects of discharges from local sources have continued to be of negligible radiological significance.</p><p> </p><p><strong>North Atlantic Dump site:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA) surveillance of the North-East Atlantic dump site used by OECD/NEA member countries (including the UK) started in 1977 and ended in 1995. In 1985, the OECD/NEA Co-ordinated Research and Environmental Surveillance Programme (CRESP) delivered a report on the dump site. The report concluded that the North-East Atlantic dump site posed negligible human radiological risk although the report noted that in the absence of baseline data on the benthic biology, it was difficult to draw firm conclusions about the environmental impacts. A new report on the dump site conducted by CRESP in 1996 reached the same conclusions.</p><p> </p><p>A summary of the “Historic Dumping of Low-Level Radioactive Waste in the North-East Atlantic” was recently compiled by the Radioactive Substances Committee of OSPAR. OSPAR’s document can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.ospar.org/site/assets/files/1173/factsheet_historic_dumping_final.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ospar.org/site/assets/files/1173/factsheet_historic_dumping_final.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 28/06/2019 15:32:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1133865

registered interest
date	21/06/2019
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: Sustainable Development
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 steps he has taken to ensure that commercial fishing becomes more sustainable (a) in the UK and (b) globally.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	267724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government remains fully committed to sustainable fisheries management and the principle of maximum sustainable yield (MSY). This will not change once we are outside the EU.</p><p> </p><p>In recent years we have successfully introduced a range of selectivity and spatial avoidance measures in our fisheries to help reduce unwanted bycatch and discarding, including cod in the Irish Sea nephrops fishery. In the North Sea, a fleet of vessels participating in an annual scheme to fully document catches have successfully cut their unwanted catch of unmarketable fish, including undersized fish, from their mixed fishery. We also continue to take a strong and principled position on sustainable fishing internationally, including most recently calling for reductions in catches of yellowfin tuna at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, and arguing against an in year increase in the total allowable catch for North East Atlantic mackerel as part of a balanced sustainable approach.</p><p> </p><p>The Fisheries Bill introduced to Parliament in October 2018 provides a framework to enable us to continue to push for more stocks being fished at MSY and delivering our ambition for sustainable fishing in the future. The first clause will enact several sustainability objectives, one of which is to restore fish stocks to levels capable of producing MSY. The Bill provides for a binding duty on the UK and devolved administrations to produce a statutory Joint Fisheries Statement. This statement must include policies for the achievement of the sustainability objectives.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 26/06/2019 13:01:33 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1133565

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Clothing: 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 progress the Government is making on implementing the amendments to the Waste Framework Directive which requires separate collection of clothing waste from households and increased re-use of textiles by 2025.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	267212
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>Latest information from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) indicates that 90 local authorities in England offer households a kerbside collection of textiles. Many more provide collection points at household waste recycling centres or at bring bank sites. These bring sites provide an important service where kerbside collections are not available or may not be practical. Charity shop outlets also play an important role in acting as collection points for textiles from members of the public. We want to increase the amount of textiles that are diverted from landfill and put into recycling or reuse, and will bring forward proposals as necessary to ensure separate collection of textiles by 2025.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, the Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy published in December 2018 sets out our plans to prevent textile waste and encourage greater circularity including reuse. These include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Reviewing and consulting on Extended Producer Responsibility for textiles and four other priority waste streams;</li><li>Developing regulatory measures for product standards that improve the durability, repairability, and recyclability of products such as clothing;</li><li>Improving consumer information and supporting a shift in the market;</li><li>Working with brands, manufacturers, charities and others through the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan to reduce the environmental footprint of clothing and encourage consumers to donate and reuse clothing.</li></ul><p> </p><p>This month, we have also announced a multimillion pound grant scheme to support the development of textile recycling facilities in the UK. Further information on this is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fund-opens-to-reduce-waste-from-plastic-packaging-and-textiles" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fund-opens-to-reduce-waste-from-plastic-packaging-and-textiles</a> and applications for funding can be made through WRAP: <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resource-action-fund" target="_blank">http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resource-action-fund</a>.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 25/06/2019 15:26:30 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1133580

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Whisky: Scotland
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 he has made of the contribution of the Scotch Whisky industry to (a) rural employment and (b) investment.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Martin Whitfield
uin	267257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>The Scotch Whisky industry provides vital employment and investment to communities across Scotland. It is estimated that 7,000 people are directly employed by the industry in rural areas of Scotland.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 25/06/2019 13:52:40 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4626 label Biography information for Martin Whitfield

1133581

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Whisky: Scotland
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 people have been employed by the Scotch Whisky industry in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Martin Whitfield
uin	267258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>More than 10,500 people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland, and over 42,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 25/06/2019 14:01:58 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4626 label Biography information for Martin Whitfield

1133582

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Rivers: Microplastics
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 (a) track and (b) reduce the volume of microplastics in rivers; and whether his Department plans to introduce an independent regulatory body to enforce and monitor the reduction of microplastics in wastewater and rivers.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	267186
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>Defra is working with the Environment Agency, Highways England, academics and the UK water industry to understand the scale of the microplastic pollution problem and to establish detection methods to monitor, characterise and quantify the types of microplastics entering our rivers. There has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment. However, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their ultimate transport to the marine environment. Defra has commissioned evidence reviews to further understand these issues and will use the outcomes from these and other research to develop policy options.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department does not plan to introduce an independent regulatory body to enforce and monitor the reduction of microplastics in wastewaters and receiving rivers.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 28/06/2019 13:58:05 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1133641

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960
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 he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the powers provided for the Caravan and Motorhome Club under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	267207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not made any recent assessment of the adequacy of the powers under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, or of the merits of updating them. We are not undertaking any work to that effect.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 267208 question first answered 28/06/2019 12:29:45 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1133643

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960
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 he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the powers of the Caravan and Motorhome Club under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	267208
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not made any recent assessment of the adequacy of the powers under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, or of the merits of updating them. We are not undertaking any work to that effect.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 267207 question first answered 28/06/2019 12:29:45 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1133659

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Livestock: 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 welfare protections will be put in place for caged animals as part of the Agriculture Bill.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	267190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare and the welfare of our farmed livestock is protected by comprehensive and robust legislation. This is backed up by statutory species specific welfare codes, which encourage high standards of husbandry and which keepers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with. Animal and Plant Health Agency inspectors and local authorities conduct inspections on farms to check that the animal welfare standards are being met.</p><p> </p><p>Whatever the system of production, the most important factor in determining animal welfare is good stockmanship and the correct application of husbandry standards. This reflects the advice of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee.</p><p> </p><p>We have already banned cages or close confinement systems where there is clear scientific evidence that they are detrimental to animal health and welfare. For example, we banned the keeping of calves in veal crates in 1990, the keeping of sows in close confinement stalls in the UK in 1999, and the use of conventional (‘battery’) cages for laying hens in 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will maintain its high regulatory baseline and look to raise standards sustainably over time as new research and evidence emerges. We have been very clear that our departure from the EU will not lead to a lowering of our high animal welfare standards. Our regulatory system will offer the same level of assurance of animal welfare following exit as it does now and we are actively exploring options for strengthening the UK system moving forward. We have introduced mandatory CCTV in abattoirs and are looking to control exports of live animals for slaughter. On 26 June, the Government introduced a Bill to enable tougher prison sentences for the worst animal abusers. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill means that animal abusers could face up to five years in prison, a significant increase from the current maximum sentence of six months. Courts will be able to take a firmer approach to cases such as dog fighting, abuse of puppies and kittens, or gross neglect of farm animals.</p><p> </p><p>In England, we intend to use the powers in the Agriculture Bill to develop publicly funded schemes for farmers to deliver animal welfare enhancements beyond our high regulatory baseline that are not sufficiently rewarded by the market, and also want to provide greater transparency and certainty for consumers and for farmers. We will work with industry, retailers, welfare groups and the Farm Animal Welfare Committee to define these enhancements.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 28/06/2019 10:29:47 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1133683

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Noise: 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 his Department is taking to minimize the effect of human-made noise pollution on animal habitats where it affects animals' ability to communicate.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	267215
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>Under the UK Marine Strategy, the UK Government is working to ensure underwater noise generating human activities do not pose a significant risk to marine ecosystems. We currently have a limited understanding of the distribution of noise in UK seas and its impact on vulnerable species. To address this in relation to sources of continuous noise such as shipping, the UK has established a noise monitoring network, consisting of long term monitoring stations deployed in coastal waters. The information from this monitoring network will be matched with species distributions and used to inform future policy.</p><p> </p><p>In order to reduce impacts, developments such as offshore wind farms are required to have pre and post consent monitoring plans which are managed by the Marine Management Organisation. For example, a Marine Mammal Mitigation Plan lists the appropriate mitigation measures that should be utilised during offshore activities that are likely to produce underwater noise and vibration levels capable of potentially causing injury and disturbance to marine mammals. Government departments including Defra and BEIS are working together to look at how underwater noise can be managed more strategically to reduce harm.</p><p> </p><p>On land, the Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively in order to promote good health and quality of life. We have protections in place to avoid significant noise impacts through our planning system, our environmental permitting systems, in vehicle and product standards, and noise abatement legislation. Defra works with other Government departments whose policies could potentially impact on noise levels.</p><p> </p><p>National Planning Policy Guidance sets out requirements for noise to be considered for new developments with particular consideration given to development affecting designated sites. Our network of designated sites are afforded the highest level of protection. Planning authorities must consider the potential impact of activities and works on or near these sites before granting consent. Noise may also be considered for certain types of development requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 25/06/2019 15:35:21 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly