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1130540

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	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	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, whether he has made an assessment of the contribution that green bridges make to biodiversity.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	261183
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Green bridges are structures designed to provide wildlife and non-motorised users with easy and safe crossing of main roads and railways.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, Natural England published a review of the literature on green bridges. The review looked at 53 case studies from Europe and North America and found evidence that, in the majority of cases, green bridges were utilised by wildlife, although an assessment of their effectiveness in conserving wildlife populations was limited by the lack of long-term monitoring data. Guidance on the design of green bridges was also published by the Landscape Institute based on research undertaken by Natural England.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, the Government published research which included an assessment of the A21 Scotney Caste Green Bridge, constructed by the then Highways Agency, which found that of all incidences of bats crossing the road to and from the Scotney Castle Estate, 97 per cent used the green bridge. At least five bat species were recorded foraging over the bridge which was also used by deer, badger and breeding dormice.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will keep the evidence for the effectiveness of these structures under review as new green bridges are planned and implemented.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 11:08:13 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1130541

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	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	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, which key performance indicators his Department uses to assess progress in improving the UK’s biodiversity.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	261184
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter. The UK government has a range of performance indicators for England, although we do also work with the devolved administrations to compile indicators at UK scale for international reporting.</p><p> </p><p>In June 2019 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs-single-departmental-plan/department-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs-single-departmental-plan-may-2018" target="_blank">Single Departmental Plan</a> which includes biodiversity performance indicators for England, including: extent of marine protected areas and condition of protected sites and priority habitat.</p><p> </p><p>In May of this year, the Government published a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan" target="_blank">new indicator framework</a> for the 25 Year Environment Plan, setting out a transparent, comprehensive framework that shows how the environment in England is changing and whether it is improving over time. These indicators include diversity and health of our seas, wildlife and wild places, and nature on land and water.</p><p> </p><p>To support reporting of progress across the whole of the UK, the government publishes a set of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/biodiversity-indicators-for-the-uk" target="_blank">UK Biodiversity Indicators,</a> updated annually. These measure long term trends in the UK’s biodiversity and progress against our international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:52:58 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1130364

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	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	Air 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 the total emissions were in England of (a) PM2.5, (b) PM1 and (c) PM0.1 in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	261096
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Defra publishes the report: ‘Air Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’ in the autumn each year. This report provides the total annual emissions in England of PM<sub>2.5</sub>. 2018 total emissions of PM<sub>2.5</sub> in England will be published in autumn 2020, and 2017 total emissions of PM<sub>2.5</sub> in England will be published in autumn 2019. The URL for the latest report is:</p><p><a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1810160958_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2016_Issue1.pdf" target="_blank">https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1810160958_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2016_Issue1.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Emissions of PM<sub>1</sub> and PM<sub>0.1</sub> are not estimated for England, however they are estimated for the UK. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) website holds the database of UK annual emissions for a wide range of air pollutants including PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>1</sub> and PM<sub>0.1</sub>.</p><p> </p><p>The database for UK emissions of particulate matter from 1970 to 2017 can be accessed from the following URL: <a href="http://naei.beis.gov.uk/data/data-selector?view=pms" target="_blank">http://naei.beis.gov.uk/data/data-selector?view=pms</a>.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 10:47:54 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1131196

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit
	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 separate workstreams his Department has established to develop (a) agricultural policy and (b) operational delivery after the UK leaves the EU; what processes are in place for (i) cross-team integration and (ii) co-ordinated stakeholder engagement to deliver integrated and efficient schemes and avoid duplication and complexities for end users; and how much budget has been allocated for the development of each workstream in (A) 2019-20, (B) 2020-21, (C) 2021-22.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	263043
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>Defra has established the Future Farming and Countryside Programme to develop agricultural policy. Operational delivery after the UK’s departure from the EU has been organised as a Department Portfolio containing seven programmes, with a number of cross-cutting enablers providing cross-team integration.</p><p> </p><p>Coordinated stakeholder engagement is provided through an Operations Centre and the running of Management Board and Portfolio Board meetings.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has been allocated a budget of £410 million for 2019-2020, with no further allocations made as the spending review has not taken place yet.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 19/06/2019 14:58:28 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1130431

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	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	Bees
	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 recent trends in the UK bee population.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	261132
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Each year the Government publishes an indicator of trends in populations of wild bees and other pollinators in the UK. The indicator measures changes in the distribution of almost 400 species of bees and other insects since 1980 and shows that, for all pollinating insects, the indicator has declined by 22% since 1980 although it has stabilised in recent years. For bees, the indicator has declined by 17% since 1980 although it shows evidence of a recovery since 2013.</p><p> </p><p>Trends are also available for managed honey bees. The number of beekeepers registered on BeeBase, the National Bee Unit’s biosecurity system which underpins the Government inspectorate’s actions for bee health, has increased significantly over the last 10 years from 12,000 to over 40,000 today.</p><p> </p><p>Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. Since 2014 we have been working with a range of partners to implement a National Pollinator Strategy to address declines in wild pollinators and concerns about bee health, including establishing a pollinator monitoring and research partnership to gather further data and strengthen the evidence base.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:47:25 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130433

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	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	Biodiversity: South East
	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 increase biodiversity in (a) London and (b) the South East.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	261133
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has implemented a range of measures to both protect and increase biodiversity across the country. In London 6,000 hectares have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with some 141,000 hectares designated as SSSI across the south east. These protected sites host habitats and species of international importance for wildlife conservation. Examples include Walthamstow Reservoirs SSSI which is Europe’s largest urban wetland, and the New Forest, the largest area of semi-natural habitat in England covering 29,000 hectares of heathland, grassland and ancient woodland.</p><p> </p><p>We provide substantial public funding for increasing biodiversity, spending £2.9 billion on agri-environment schemes in England through our seven year Rural Development Programme. Schemes are tailored to the specific biodiversity interests in London and the south east through our local targeting statements. In London priorities include wood pasture and parkland as well as wetland habitats such as reedbeds. In the south east there are a number of statements reflecting the diverse landscapes of the region including the heathlands of the Thames Basin, chalk grasslands of the North Downs and South Downs and wetlands of the Kent coast.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also supports a range of partnership activities. For example in London, at Walthamstow, Natural England has worked closely with a range of partners over ten years on a partnership project to expand wetlands and open them to the public. In the south east, Natural England is working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the RSPB and over 100 farmers and landowners to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee to Dungeness. The success of the project in creating extensive, wildflower-rich habitat has led to the recording of rare bee species in areas where they have not been seen for 40 years.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:31:04 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130493

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	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	Biodiversity: Gardens
	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 increase biodiversity in UK gardens.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	261155
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Under the National Pollinator Strategy the Government works with research, voluntary and private sector partners to develop advice so everyone can provide and manage nesting and feeding habitat for bees and other insects in their gardens, window boxes, allotments or community gardens. We promote this advice through the Bees’ Needs website and through the Defra-coordinated, annual Bees’ Needs Week campaign to celebrate and encourage nationwide action. Advice includes Five Simple Actions, detailing steps that gardeners can take to help pollinators and garden biodiversity.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also addressing the needs of biodiversity in urban areas through its plans to introduce a mandatory biodiversity net gain requirement for development in England. This will help to ensure that new developments include wildlife-friendly green spaces.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to work in partnership with scientists and practitioners to review and improve the evidence base, to inform our policy and we will be sharing examples of nature-friendly gardening during the 2019 Year of Green Action. This will include a garden, developed in partnership with the Sensory Trust, at this year’s Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, which will showcase the many ways in which gardens can contribute to increased biodiversity.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 10:37:01 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1131106

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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	Plastics: Seas and Oceans
	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 prevent plastic waste from the UK entering the world's oceans.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	262282
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK is making significant progress in addressing the issue of plastic in the oceans, and is taking measures to stop plastic from entering the oceans in the first place. Our ban on microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, one of the strongest in the world, came into force in June 2018. Our plastic bag charge has led to an 86% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags and last year alone raised over £51 million for environmental causes. We have consulted on plans to extend the charge to all retailers and on increasing the minimum 5p charge to at least 10p, and last month announced that a ban on the distribution and/or sale of plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds will come into force from April 2020. A full response to this consultation can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove-takes-action-to-ban-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove-takes-action-to-ban-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds</a>.</p><p>These policies are helping to deliver the Resources and Waste Strategy for England, our framework for eliminating all avoidable plastic waste. It builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to maximise the value we get from resources, minimise waste, promote a circular economy and protect the environment better.</p><p>Earlier this year we published consultations on a number of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste, and in doing so, prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans in the first place: reforming existing packaging waste regulations, exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and increasing consistency in the recycling system, along with a parallel consultation on the plastic packaging tax that the Chancellor announced in the Budget last year. We will publish the Government’s responses to these consultations on GOV.UK in due course.</p><p>Although 80% of plastic waste comes from land, 20% comes from ocean sources. Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) accounts for 10% of all plastic waste in the ocean and presents acute threats to marine life. Through the forthcoming International Ocean Strategy the UK is committed to spearheading international collaboration to establish a detailed understanding of the ocean, with the aim of significantly reducing the contribution of ALDFG to the problem of marine litter. The UK also signed up to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative in 2016, a pioneering scheme tackling lost and abandoned fishing gear on a global scale. Through this initiative we are committed to working with our partners to address the management of existing ALDFG and the mitigation of potential ALDFG.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the benefits and importance of youth outreach and education programmes in tackling this issue. In 2018 a new partnership between the UK Scouts and the Government was set up to help young people better understand the importance of reducing plastic consumption and marine litter. The UK is also working in partnership with UN Environment, collaborating internationally with young people across the Commonwealth to support them in becoming leaders and advocates for behaviour change.</p><p>We are committed to our international work to lead action on the global threat of marine litter. We continue to actively engage internationally through OSPAR, the G7 and the G20, and the UN. In April 2018, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance, a ground breaking initiative working with our Commonwealth partners to reduce marine plastic pollution. To help deliver this, we committed an ambitious package of up to £70 million of UK Aid to drive research and innovation.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/06/2019 11:37:28 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1131116

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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	Circuses: 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 representations his Department has received on the effect of the Wild Animals in Circuses Bill on human rights.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	262292
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has examined the compatibility of the provisions in the Wild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill with the European Convention on Human Rights, and believes that the Bill’s provisions are compatible with the Convention. The Government has not therefore sought any other views on the Bill’s compatibility with the Convention.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 18/06/2019 12:49:44 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1131083

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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	River Thames: Cocaine
	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 7 February 2019 to Question 216371 on River Thames: Cocaine, what progress his Department has made on tackling the level of cocaine found in eels in the Thames.
	tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
	tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
	uin	262457
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) does not have a remit to tackle illegal use of drugs but is involved in a number of initiatives which may help reduce their entry into the River Thames.</p><p> </p><p>The Thames Tideway Tunnel, which is currently in construction and will be operational by 2023, will significantly reduce the frequency and volume of discharges of storm sewage and improve water quality in the tidal Thames. This will reduce levels of associated chemicals in the tidal river.</p><p> </p><p>The EA is working with Thames Water and other water companies to undertake extensive investigations, to assess a wide range of chemicals entering rivers through wastewater treatment works. The investigations have shown that wastewater treatment works significantly reduce the concentrations of many chemicals before they are discharged to rivers. Although cocaine is not part of these investigations, it is likely that it will be similarly affected by wastewater treatment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/06/2019 11:42:51 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard