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1695403

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Dogs: Import Controls
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 has taken help tackle the import of dogs with cropped ears since 1 January 2024.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	18081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2024 answer text <p>Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears or the docking of their tails. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.</p><p> </p><p>The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 21/03/2024 18:22:48 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1656155

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: 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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of microplastics in the air within (a) houses, (b) large cities, (c) hospitals and (d) health care environments.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	195852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency undertakes a range of ambient air quality monitoring on behalf of Defra including particulate matter monitoring. Particulate matter is a complex pollutant that could include some proportion of microplastics but this is not routinely assessed. Near real time data on particulate matter levels, as well as other pollutants, are made available on <a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/" target="_blank">UK Air website</a>.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/09/2023 15:40:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1656156

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: 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 estimate she has made of the prominence of microplastic contaminants in human tissue samples.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	195853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is aware of a several published research papers that report finding microplastic particles in human tissues such as a lung and diseased liver. These studies are small but do indicate the potential of small numbers of microplastic particles to enter some human tissues. UKHSA is not directly involved with this work and is not currently assessing the prevalence of microplastic particles in human tissues, but does have some research work ongoing with Imperial College London to look at the factors that contribute to the uptake of microplastic particles into tissues.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/09/2023 15:39:40 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1656158

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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 assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) monitoring and (b) mitigating the presence of microplastics within the UK.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	195855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. We are commissioning a research project called the ‘Emissions of intentionally added microplastics’ which will investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It will advise on the most effective measures to address risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has, however, taken a targeted approach to tackling microplastic pollution. We’ve already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and we continue to tackle upstream sources of secondary microplastics that leak into the environment, by banning and restricting commonly littered plastic items – including single use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and through our upcoming bans on single use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic subject to public consultation, which will be launched in Autumn 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government is also proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution to start negotiating an international legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, agreed at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. The process to negotiate a new agreement is now underway, and the UK has taken an ambitious stance, including calling for specific provisions in the agreement to address microplastic pollution.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 195857 question first answered 08/09/2023 16:20:15 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1656159

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: 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 assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of microplastic contaminants on public health.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	195856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>The potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed in 2021 by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) who published an overarching statement on potential risks from exposure to <a href="https://cot.food.gov.uk/M-statementsandpositionpapers#microplastics" target="_blank">microplastics</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The COT concluded that it is not yet possible to perform a complete assessment for the potential risks to human health from exposure to micro and nanoplastics via the oral and inhalation routes&quot;. The COT made a number of recommendations for further research including understanding the risk of exposure from the oral and inhalational routes. UKHSA has work ongoing in this area in small projects in collaboration with Imperial College. These projects, while limited, are assisting the understanding of the potential risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics from inhalational and oral exposure.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/09/2023 15:49:11 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1656160

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: Regulation
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 introduce new regulations to (a) monitor and (b) mitigate the presence of microplastics in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	195857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. We are commissioning a research project called the ‘Emissions of intentionally added microplastics’ which will investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It will advise on the most effective measures to address risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has, however, taken a targeted approach to tackling microplastic pollution. We’ve already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and we continue to tackle upstream sources of secondary microplastics that leak into the environment, by banning and restricting commonly littered plastic items – including single use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and through our upcoming bans on single use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic subject to public consultation, which will be launched in Autumn 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government is also proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution to start negotiating an international legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, agreed at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. The process to negotiate a new agreement is now underway, and the UK has taken an ambitious stance, including calling for specific provisions in the agreement to address microplastic pollution.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 195855 question first answered 08/09/2023 16:20:15 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1563634

registered interest
date	20/12/2022
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	Flood 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 precautionary steps his Department is taking to support communities at risk of flooding.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	114613
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2023 answer text <p>In July 2020, the Government published a long-term Policy Statement, which sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The Policy Statement includes five policies and a number of supporting actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion.</p><p> </p><p>The Government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment in around 2,000 flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. In July 2020 we announced an additional £170 million to accelerate the building of 23 flood schemes across the country.</p><p> </p><p>To support communities that have experienced repeated flooding, the Government announced the creation of a new Frequently Flooded Allowance in July 2022 to boost schemes in these areas. The new ring-fenced £100 million allowance, as part of the £5.2 billion programme, will be targeted at eligible communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the past 10 years.</p><p>In addition to the £5.2 billion investment in flooding and coastal erosion, the government’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation fund (2021–2027) will allocate:</p><ul><li>£150 million to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme, to support 25 local areas to demonstrate how practical innovative actions can work to improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion;</li><li>£36 million to the coastal transition accelerator programme, to trial opportunities, in a small number of coastal areas at significant risk of coastal erosion, to transition and adapt to a changing climate; and</li><li>£8 million to the adaptation pathways programme for work on long term planning for climate adaptation in the Thames and Humber estuaries, the Severn Valley and Yorkshire.</li></ul> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/01/2023 10:16:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1457390

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
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	Birds of Prey: Conservation
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 UN Office on Drugs and Crime's report, entitled Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published in August 2021, which states that raptors are being persecuted by organised crime groups, if the Government will (a) recognise raptor persecution as serious and organised crime and (b) allocate additional resources to help tackle raptor persecution.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	153823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>We welcome this report and the fact that it recognises the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment. While raptor persecution is not linked to organised crime groups, this government takes it very seriously and Defra has this year more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from £165,000 per year to over £1.2 million over the next three years to target wildlife crime priorities including the illegal killing of birds of prey.</p><p>The report does, however, link the illegal trade of raptors to organised crime. This government recognises illegal wildlife trade (IWT) as a serious crime, which is sometimes carried out by organised criminal groups, and advocates that approach worldwide. From August 2021 the Home Office has provided additional funding for the NWCU to tackle money laundering related to IWT, aligning directly to G7 commitments to intensify the combating of illicit finance from IWT. This is intended to be a three-year project.</p><p>We will carefully consider all of the UN report's recommendations to help us build on the positive progress we have made in tackling wildlife crime. The UK is already committed to protecting endangered animals and plants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities, the economy and protect global security. We are investing over £46m between 2014 and 2022 to counter international illegal trade by reducing demand, strengthening enforcement, ensuring effective legal frameworks and developing sustainable livelihoods.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 27/04/2022 10:05:15 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1313135

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
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, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to (a) set targets for the reduction of plastic pollution, (b) publish a strategy and annual reports on plastic pollution reduction and (c) establish an advisory committee on plastic pollution.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Bill requires the Government to set at least one long-term, legally binding target in four of the highest priority areas for environmental improvement, including Resource Efficiency and Waste Reduction. These targets will be set following a robust, evidence-led process that includes seeking independent expert advice, a role for stakeholders and the public, and approval from Parliament. We prefer to set a wider Resources and Waste target to ensure a holistic approach to all materials, not just plastics, to ensure we achieve the best environmental outcome.</p><p> </p><p>As to a strategy, annual reports and an advisory committee on plastic pollution reduction, the Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. In December 2018 we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy, effectively providing a strategy for plastic pollution reduction. The Environment Bill will enable us to significantly change the way that we manage our waste and take forward a number of the proposals from the Resources and Waste Strategy. The Bill contains powers to create extended producer responsibility schemes; introduce deposit return schemes; establish greater consistency in the recycling system; better control the export of plastic waste; and give us the power to set new charges for other single-use plastic items. All these measures will effectively contribute to reducing plastic pollution.</p><p> </p><p>The Government are currently consulting on policy proposals for extended producer responsibility for packaging, a deposit return scheme and more consistency in recycling collections.</p><p> </p><p>We also support the UK Plastics Pact (UKPP), which produces an annual report on the progress to plastic waste reduction targets in 2025. The Pact is a collaborative initiative of over 120 business members, representing retail, manufacturing, hospitality, the plastic supply sector, plastic recycling and resource management.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 17/05/2021 15:36:22 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1299469

registered interest
date	04/03/2021
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	Flood Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to secure long-term funding for nature-based flooding solutions.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	912956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2021 answer text <p>This Government sees nature-based solutions playing an increasing role in our effort to reduce flood risk, alongside traditional flood defences, in our £5.2 billion capital flood defence programme as well as through the £200 million innovation programme. These will run for the next six years. In addition, the Government’s ongoing investment in the environment, such as the Nature for Climate Fund and our environmental land management schemes, will also support natural flood management measures.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/03/2021 16:50:51 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson