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1278070

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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 Experiments
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 ensure that the use of animal testing is (a) minimised and (b) not duplicated following the UK’s departure from membership of the European Chemical Agency.
tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
uin	140144
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>We will recognise the validity of any animal tests on products that have already been undertaken and so avoid the need for further testing.</p><p><br> The grandfathering of all existing GB-held REACH registrations into the domestic system will further avoid the need to duplicate animal testing associated with re-registration.</p><p><br> The UK has been at the forefront of opposing animal tests where alternative approaches could be used. This is known as the &quot;last-resort principle&quot;, which we will retain and enshrine in legislation through our landmark Environment Bill</p><p><br> We are determined that there should be no need for any additional animal testing for a chemical that has already been registered, unless it is subject to further evaluation that shows the registration dossier is inadequate or there are still concerns about the hazards and risks of the chemical, especially to human health.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 25/01/2021 15:24:04 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford

1278093

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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 Mersey: 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 plans the Government has to remedy metal contamination of bed sediments in the Upper Mersey catchment that result from industry and urban development.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2021 answer text <p>There are currently no plans in place to remediate existing metal contamination of bed sediments in the Upper Mersey Catchment. The Environment Agency (EA) does however have powers to limit pollution from heavy metals and uses these powers to prevent heavy metal pollution from entering the catchment.</p><p>In the wider water environment, Defra is working with the EA and the Coal Authority to tackle legacy impacts of industry through the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) programme. The WAMM programme targets pollution of the water environment in areas with a legacy of historical metal mining through the development and operation of mine water treatment schemes, which deliver benefits for the local environment, people and the economy. The current schemes successfully treat 7.4 billion litres of mine water each year and prevent 800 tonnes of metals from entering and polluting rivers.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 28/01/2021 12:26:51 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278094

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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	Inland Waterways: 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, whether measuring plastic levels in waterways is a priority of his Department.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140301
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>Addressing plastic pollution in our waterways is a priority for Defra. In order to measure plastic levels accurately, it is important to use consistent sampling, collection and assessment methodologies for measuring plastics in various environmental media (sediments, water column or biota). Defra is working with the Environment Agency, academia and water companies, to develop such methodologies to enable future monitoring of plastics in wastewater, sludge and the water environment.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is also working with the relevant committees at the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to progress the development of agreed standards for sampling and analytical methodologies for plastics in the aquatic environment.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 17:26:14 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278095

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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, how many breaches of compliance his Department has identified of plastic recyclers not complying with their environmental permits in the latest period for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140302
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>In 2018 the number of breaches for operators of waste treatment activities accepting plastic wastes was 260.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 17:23:49 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278096

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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: 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, how many instances of plastic pollution the Environment Agency identified in the last two years; and what assessment that agency made of whether such pollution posed a significant risk to the public.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140303
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) doesn’t currently collect data on instances of plastic pollution. The Environment Agency has a 7-point plan to reduce plastics in the environment and is working with stakeholders to reduce avoidable plastic waste and encourage a circular economy where possible.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 17:23:10 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278097

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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: 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, with reference to the Environment Agency's visits in 2018 to all facilities which treated or reprocessed plastic waste to check they were not losing plastic fragments into surface water, how many and what proportion of such facilities were identified as losing plastic fragments into surface water.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) regulates a number of activities which have the potential to cause plastic waste pollution in the River Mersey. The EA is responsible for the regulation of permitted and exempt plastics recycling plants, which includes inspection and compliance checks to ensure plastics recyclers are complying with their environmental permits.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018 the EA visited facilities which treated or reprocessed plastic waste and checked they were not losing plastic fragments into surface water draining into the Mersey. The EA undertook an investigation on the River Tame to identify if there were any permitted activities based on the Tame catchment with the potential to discharge micro-plastics into the watercourse.</p><p> </p><p>The EA identified and inspected three sites. One of these sites was identified as having the potential to discharge plastic waste into the Tame. The EA worked with the operator to prevent waste escaping from the site and potentially causing pollution to the watercourse and the operator subsequently moved to a different area.</p><p> </p><p>The EA also works nationally to reduce waste crime which helps to minimise and prevent loss of plastic waste into the environment from businesses by keeping it in the waste management system. The EA has worked with the energy sector to reduce the loss of plastic media from their cooling treatment processes. The EA has also worked with water companies to prevent plastic bio-bead loss from the wastewater processes. The EA is working with businesses and leading academics to investigate the types and quantities of plastics, including micro-plastics, entering the environment. This research will feed into plans to tackle this type of pollution at source.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/02/2021 17:05:04 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278098

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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: Contamination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason his Department has not adopted sediment quality guidelines to provide an assessment of levels beyond which heavy metal contamination may pose a risk to aquatic biota and human health.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Agency assesses the risk from heavy metals in freshwater, estuaries and coasts on the basis of Environmental Quality Standards (EQS). These are mostly based on water concentrations and for some substances they are based on the fraction of the metal known to be the most toxic to aquatic life. The EQS for mercury, for example, is based on concentrations of the metal in the tissues of aquatic animals. This allows direct assessment of the amount accumulating in the food chain which may present a risk to biota and higher predators that eat them, which is also protective of human health.</p><p>The Secretary of State has the powers to update EQSs in future in light of new scientific knowledge and so, whilst we have not adopted sediment quality guidelines for heavy metals in the freshwater environment at this stage, Defra will keep this under review.</p><p>In the marine environment, sediment assessment levels are in place for a range of contaminants, including heavy metals, that are used to enable risk assessments of the potential impacts to marine life such as fish and seabed organisms. Sediment action levels exist to inform the management of the sediment such as the disposal of dredged sediment to sea.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 16:44:11 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278099

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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	Chemicals: Health Hazards
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) financial and (b) other support the Government is providing to areas with disproportionate environmental contaminants as a legacy of historical industrialisation and urbanisation.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140306
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>The 2015 Spending Review awarded the Environment Agency approximately £0.5m per year of Contaminated Land Capital Funding to support investigations of potential Special Sites on behalf of local authorities and remediation of orphan Special Sites and we are considering where capital investment would best support remediation in the future.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also provides Land Remediation Relief which provides a deduction of 100% from corporation tax, plus a deduction of 50%, for qualifying expenditure incurred by companies cleaning up contaminated land acquired from a third party.</p><p> </p><p>The majority of land affected by contamination in England (approx 90%) is investigated and cleaned up by the private sector through the planning regime.</p><p> </p><p>Defra, the Environment Agency, and the Coal Authority are also working in partnership to tackle pollution of the water environment in areas with a legacy of historical metal mining through the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines programme.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 17:21:30 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278100

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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: Metals
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 is making of sediment-bound concentrations of key heavy metals and metalloids within the modern river network.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140307
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>Sediment-bound concentrations of metals and metalloids are assessed through the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme where there is a site- or catchment-specific need to do so. The Government does not routinely monitor for sediment-bound concentrations of metals and metalloids within the wider river network. However, the Environment Agency regularly measures levels of metals - including lead, nickel and cadmium - in freshwater as part of its water quality monitoring regime.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 16:50:26 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1278101

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
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: Pollution Control
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 remove microplastic contamination from the (a) Mersey and (b) UK river network.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	140308
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) regulates a number of activities which have the potential to cause plastic waste pollution in the River Mersey. The EA is responsible for the regulation of permitted and exempt plastics recycling plants, which includes reviewing inspection and compliance checks to ensure plastics recyclers are complying with their environmental permits. In 2018 the EA visited all facilities which treated or reprocessed plastic waste and checked they were not losing plastic fragments into surface water draining into the Mersey.</p><p>The EA also works nationally to reduce waste crime which helps to minimise and prevent loss of plastic waste into the environment from businesses by keeping it in the waste management system. The EA has worked with the energy sector to reduce plastic media from the cooling treatment processes. It has also worked with water companies to prevent plastic bio-bead loss from the wastewater processes. The EA is working with businesses and leading academics to investigate the types and quantities of plastics, including micro-plastics, entering the environment. This research will feed into plans to tackle this type of pollution at source.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/01/2021 16:22:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra