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1673198

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
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	Veterinary Medicine
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to (a) publish the results of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations consultation and (b) introduce revised regulations.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	3772
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>Veterinary medicines play a vital role in protecting our animals’ health and welfare. Defra is updating the Veterinary Medicines Regulations in respect of Great Britain, to ensure the Regulations continue to be fit for purpose, and we consulted on these changes earlier this year. We are finalising the response to the consultation, where we will set out the changes we are taking forward. We are aware that there is significant interest in our proposed changes and we are taking our time to make sure we get it right. We will then seek to introduce the revised Regulations as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 3960 question first answered 04/12/2023 17:09:11 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1669502

registered interest
date	13/11/2023
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: Catering
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 is taking steps to support the provision of a nutritionally balanced plant-based meals on menus for staff in his Department.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	1514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>Defra provides a catering offering at four locations. There is a focus on healthy eating and the meal selection always includes plant-based options.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 23/11/2023 15:45:13 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1663926

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
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	Dog Fighting
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 she is taking to tackle illegal dog fighting.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	201779
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>Causing an animal fight to take place, or attempting to do so, is an offence under Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It is also an offence to be present a at a dog fight without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increases the maximum sentence for such offences from six months to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firm approach to cases such as dog fighting.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 20/10/2023 11:30:37 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1650873

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
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	Public Lavatories: Men
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 she has made of the adequacy of the provision in (a) public spaces and (b) male public toilets for men who experience incontinence as a result of radical prostatectomies to dispose of their incontinence products hygienically.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	192826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government encourages local authorities to consider such provision in public toilets to support those with this need but does not have powers to compel the provision of sanitary bins in public toilets. I would encourage the hon. Member to raise the issue locally.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/07/2023 14:07:37 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1642678

registered interest
date	07/06/2023
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	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 her Department is taking to tackle microplastic fibre pollution.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	188242
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2023 answer text <p>The Plan for Water outlined our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only just last month, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly.</p><p> </p><p>Defra funds Textiles 2030, a voluntary initiative with over 110 signatories from the fashion manufacturing industry covering 62% by sales of the UK clothing market. Signatories are committed to circular economy principles such as agreeing good design principles so that their products are durable and recyclable.</p><p> </p><p>Our landmark Environment Act 2021 also provides general powers on design standards and requiring information on the resource efficiency of products. We are, therefore, exploring the best mix of policy measures to tackle the environmental impact of textiles.</p><p> </p><p>Defra supports a range of research including the UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology) which reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass. The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) includes over £7.39 million of commitment from the water industry to further research microplastics removal through wastewater treatment processes to sludge, which may be a source of microplastics to final effluent discharges.</p><p> </p><p>Technical experts from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have been leading the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment to develop a new indicator for microlitter (including microplastics) in seafloor sediments. This will help us to track progress in reducing plastics in the environment at a regional scale.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 188323 question first answered 13/06/2023 14:05:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1627243

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
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: Animal Housing
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 she plans to provide funding to farmers to transition to cage-free farming systems in 2023.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	184810
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>We are providing a range of financial incentives for improving animal health and welfare to farmers through the new Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. These incentives focus on published health and welfare priorities for each sector and will include support for farmers wishing to transition away from the use of enriched ‘colony’ cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs.</p><p> </p><p>Specifically, we are exploring options for large infrastructure grants, building on the animal health and welfare grants already available towards the cost of equipment and technology which offer improvements in the health and welfare of livestock.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/05/2023 14:12:37 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1609920

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
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	Dogs: Animal Breeding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 158888 on Dogs: Animal Breeding, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of adherence of local authorities to mandatory reporting of licenced dog breeders in their annual returns.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	180053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2023 answer text <p>For the 2021-22 reporting period, my Department received returns from 233 local authorities in England, which represents a doubling of the response rate from the previous year.</p><p> </p><p>My Department asks all local authorities to complete their returns in full. The 2022-23 data return opened on 1st April and will run until 31st May. This year, my officials have used multiple platforms to remind local authorities of their obligation to provide their returns and of the benefits of doing so.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 180052 180054 question first answered 20/04/2023 10:39:06 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1600243

registered interest
date	01/03/2023
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 Emissions: Technology
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 her Department is taking to encourage the use of low carbon technologies such as water saving devices in (a) new build and (b) existing homes.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	156113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>On 31<sup>st</sup> January 2023, as part of the Environment Improvement Plan, we published our roadmap for water efficiency in new developments and retrofits. Here we set out 10 actions we are taking on water efficiency in new developments and retrofits, including reviewing building regulations and working across government to integrate water efficiency into energy efficiency advice and retrofit programmes. The actions can be found in further detail here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1133077/environmental-improvement-plan-2023.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Improvement Plan (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 09/03/2023 15:52:51 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1547670

registered interest
date	02/12/2022
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 steps she plans to take to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	101707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2022 answer text <p>In England, we have already committed to setting a target to halt the decline in species by 2030, in addition to at least one long-term target for biodiversity. Following agreement of the Global Biodiversity Framework at CBD COP 15 we will be setting out our approach to implementing the framework domestically in our Environmental Improvement Plan, due to be published in 2023. The Plan will set out our ambitions and approach to nature recovery, including our legally binding targets and the actions that will drive us towards reaching them.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 12/12/2022 16:47:40 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1420289

registered interest
date	07/02/2022
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 Emissions: Agriculture and Land Use
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 potential merits of developing a nature-positive and net-zero aligned decarbonisation strategy for agriculture and land use as recommended by WWF and the Climate Change Committee.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	119505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2022 answer text <p>Defra is fully committed to supporting the cross Government and cross societal work to reach net zero emissions by 2050. We set out our work in this area as part of the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, and have regular conversations with BEIS at all levels, including between Secretaries of State, on net zero. Our UK Food Security report also highlighted the importance of tackling climate change to support a resilient food supply and the future resilience of farming businesses.</p><p> </p><p>Our future farming environmental land management schemes will be crucial to delivering our goals to decarbonise agriculture and land use in England. In January the department published a target to decarbonise agricultural emissions by a total of up to 6 million tonnes CO2 equivalent per annum in Carbon Budget 6 (2033-37). We will pursue further opportunities to support farmers and land managers' contribution to delivering our Carbon Budgets, including through investment in innovation.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Act introduced statutory Environmental Improvement Plans (EIP) and Local Nature Recovery Strategies with strong land use elements. Together with our planning system they will help to maximise the benefits of any land use change. As part of our next EIP, the review of the 25 Year Environment Plan due in 2023, we will be setting out our policy pathways to reach our legally binding targets under the Environment Act, including to halt the decline in nature by 2030.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 119503 119504 question first answered 16/02/2022 17:57:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith