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1010594

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Incinerators: 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 steps he takes to assess the potential effects on human health of proposed waste incinerators.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	193367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>In order to be allowed to operate, waste incinerators must obtain an environmental permit from the Environment Agency. Under environmental permitting, the Environment Agency is responsible for ensuring that the proposed plant will comply with all relevant legislation and that it will not cause significant harm to the environment or human health.</p><p> </p><p>Checks that the Environment Agency carries out to assess the potential health effects of proposed waste incinerators include:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>Making sure that the proposed plant will meet the requirements of relevant European directives, including emission limits and the use of best available techniques to prevent or minimise emissions.</p></li><li><p>Carrying out an environmental impact assessment of emissions from the plant to ensure that it will not give rise to significant pollution or cause environmental standards to be exceeded, and a specific human health risk assessment for dioxin emissions.</p></li><li><p>Taking into account scientific opinion, including advice provided by Public Health England (PHE) on the health effects of incinerators. The Environment Agency also consults PHE, the Food Standards Agency and the relevant local authority’s Director of Public Health for their views on every EfW plant application they receive.</p></li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 27/11/2018 17:35:33 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1010610

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Wild Boar: African Swine Fever
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 African swine fever in wild boar entering the UK.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	193430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>Defra has robust contingency plans in place to respond to outbreaks of disease such as African swine fever (ASF) and these plans are regularly tested. The disease control measures are set out in the Great Britain African and Classical swine fever control strategy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In response to the spread of ASF in Eastern Europe, and confirmation of the disease in feral pigs in Belgium, Defra’s risk assessment level has been raised to medium. This has been widely communicated to the industry and pig keepers. Disease control measures put in place in affected countries in Europe should ensure that no live pigs or wild boar, meat or products reach the UK through legal trade. It is already illegal to import any wild boar into the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An ongoing communications campaign organised by Defra, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and DAERA in Northern Ireland, together with the pig industry and veterinary bodies, has been raising awareness of the risks of the introduction of ASF to the UK. Messages have been communicated using a variety of channels and have targeted key audiences, including all pig keepers, smallholders, vets, slaughterhouses, hunters and transport operators. These included measures that pig keepers can take to protect their pigs, reminding them of the ban on swill feeding, reporting clinical disease promptly, not allowing people on farm who have had a history of recent travel to ASF affected areas, as well as the risks posed by personal imports of meat from these areas.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hunters and hauliers were also reminded to clean their equipment and vehicles before returning to the UK from affected countries to help prevent the spread of ASF, not just to the UK, but also to other EU countries. Other messages and signs have been targeted at the public more widely.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 28/11/2018 15:31:15 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1010734

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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: Children
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 protect children from the health effects of toxic air.
tabling member constituency	North West Norfolk
tabling member printed	Sir Henry Bellingham
uin	193406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2018 answer text <p>The government’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities; funding projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions affecting schools, businesses and residents. Local authorities have a duty to monitor and assess air quality and to take action to reduce pollution where these breach statutory limits, and are best placed to determine local priorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra awarded a total of £2.4 million to local authorities in England from the 2017/18 air quality grant fund; £3.7 million was awarded in 2016/17, and £0.5 million in 2015/6. £3 million has been allocated for 2018/19.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>While all measures which reduce air pollution will reduce exposure of children to these harmful pollutants, some projects have elements that are specifically targeted at children. For example:</p><p> </p><p>In 2016-17, the London Borough of Islington were awarded £50k to run a local school focused awareness and engagement campaign through the air quality grant; and</p><p> </p><p>In 2017/18, Spelthorne Borough Council were given £145,188 to run an awareness campaign in schools across Surrey.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Details of further funding from the Air Quality Grant Programme, including funding specifically directed at children can be found on the Air Quality Grant Programme webpage here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/air-quality-grant-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/air-quality-grant-programme</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government has also put in place a £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions, which includes £495 million for councils to improve air quality. Councils with serious air quality problems may bid for a share of these funds. We have consulted on our new world leading Clean Air Strategy, which includes new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies which will help us to clean up our air faster and more effectively.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 26/11/2018 18:55:14 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1441 label Biography information for Lord Bellingham

1010763

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Farmers
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 assessed the economic effect on farmers of articles 40 to 46 and 92 to 97 of the Government's EU withdrawal agreement.
tabling member constituency	Bishop Auckland
tabling member printed	Helen Goodman
uin	193411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government is undertaking a wide range of continuing analysis in support of our negotiations and preparations for leaving the EU. We will ensure that Parliament is presented with appropriate analysis ahead of the vote on the final deal, and in Impact Assessments accompanying legislation, where appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 28/11/2018 15:43:54 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1484 label Biography information for Helen Goodman

1010771

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Environment Agency: Reorganisation
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 reasons the (a) finance, (b) human resources and (c) communications functions of the Environment Agency have been moved into the centrally-managed work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	193464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>A total of 937 staff members have been transferred from the Environment Agency to Defra since July 2016. All of these staff members were in Corporate Services teams including finance, human resources and communications. IT, commercial, estates, facilities management and shared services staff transferred on 1 November 2017 as part of the Defra Group Corporate Services transformation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Corporate Services enable the Defra group to operate by providing critical IT systems, HR and finance support, property management, legal advice, and procurement and communications services. Historically, teams have been fragmented across the Defra group, with each delivery body running their own corporate services, working to different policies, processes and systems. Having recognised the cost of complexity from this way of working, we have integrated functional teams across the group in order to drive out inefficiency and improve support to the business. Through this approach we are on track to deliver £124m of savings over the Spending Review 2015 period. At the same time we expect corporate services teams to remain an integrated and integral part of the organisations they support through our business partner-led model.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 193465 question first answered 27/11/2018 18:23:11 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1010772

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Environment Agency: Reorganisation
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 staff have been transferred from the Environment Agency to his Department in each month from July 2016 to October 2018; what the reasons were for each of those transfers; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	193465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>A total of 937 staff members have been transferred from the Environment Agency to Defra since July 2016. All of these staff members were in Corporate Services teams including finance, human resources and communications. IT, commercial, estates, facilities management and shared services staff transferred on 1 November 2017 as part of the Defra Group Corporate Services transformation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Corporate Services enable the Defra group to operate by providing critical IT systems, HR and finance support, property management, legal advice, and procurement and communications services. Historically, teams have been fragmented across the Defra group, with each delivery body running their own corporate services, working to different policies, processes and systems. Having recognised the cost of complexity from this way of working, we have integrated functional teams across the group in order to drive out inefficiency and improve support to the business. Through this approach we are on track to deliver £124m of savings over the Spending Review 2015 period. At the same time we expect corporate services teams to remain an integrated and integral part of the organisations they support through our business partner-led model.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 193464 question first answered 27/11/2018 18:23:11 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1010181

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the global rate of biodiversity loss; and what effect that assessment has had on the formulation of his Department's policies.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	192825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK is a signatory to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a global endeavour to halt biodiversity loss. As a party to the CBD, the UK collaborates in assessments of biodiversity change, which are published in the Global Biodiversity Outlook series, the flagship publication of the CBD. As such, the government does not do its own assessment of the global rate of biodiversity loss, but it does an assessment of biodiversity loss in this country.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK is also a member of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which in March adopted four regional assessments that evaluate biodiversity and ecosystems services. These assessments provide vital evidence on which to make informed decisions balancing the needs of people and nature in four world regions. In May 2019 the Platform will adopt a new global synthesis of the state of nature and ecosystems, the first such report since the landmark Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was published in 2005.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 27/11/2018 17:11:47 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1010192

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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: Children
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 outcomes of projects reducing children’s exposure to air pollution in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh West
tabling member printed	Christine Jardine
uin	192831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter. In England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs sets out the national policy framework for tackling harmful air pollution. Local measures, such as those aimed at reducing exposure around schools, are taken by local authorities to whom air quality actions are delegated. Whilst Defra has provided funding for local authorities through the Air Quality Grant, including for some schemes specifically aimed at schools, it is for local authorities to assess the outcomes of projects they run.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 22/11/2018 16:54:11 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4634 label Biography information for Christine Jardine

1010259

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to which schemes and projects with the specific purpose of reducing children’s exposure to air pollution his Department has allocated funding to local authorities from the air quality grant in (a) 2018- 19, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2016-17 and (d) 2015-16; and how much such funding was allocated to each of those schemes and projects in each of those years.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	192868
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>Defra’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions affecting schools, businesses and residents. Local authorities have a duty to monitor and assess air quality and to take action to reduce pollution where these breach statutory limits, and are best placed to determine local priorities.</p><p>Defra awarded a total of £2.4million to local authorities in England from the 2017/18 air quality grant fund; £3.7million was awarded in 2016/17, and £0.5million in 2015/6. £3million has been allocated for 2018/19.</p><p>Whilst all measures which reduce air pollution will reduce children’s exposure to these harmful pollutants, some projects have elements that are specifically targeted at children. For example:</p><ul><li><p>In 2016-17, the London Borough of Islington were awarded £50,000 to run a local school focused awareness and engagement campaign through the air quality grant.</p></li><li><p>In 2017/18, Spelthorne Borough Council were given £145,188 to run an awareness campaign in schools across Surrey.</p></li></ul><p>Details of further funding from the Air Quality Grant Programme, including funding specifically directed at children can be found on the Air Quality Grant Programme webpage here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/air-quality-grant-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/air-quality-grant-programme</a>.</p><p>The Government has also put in place a £3.5billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions, which includes £495million for councils to improve air quality. We have consulted on our new world leading Clean Air Strategy, which includes new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies which will help us to clean up our air faster and more effectively.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 27/11/2018 17:19:40 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1010267

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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: Staff
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 were employed by his Department on 19 November 2018.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	192873
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2018 answer text <p>The number of staff employed by the department as at 31 October 2018 was 4146. This will be consistent with data due to be published by 7 December 2018 at <a href="https://data.gov.uk/dataset/workforce-management-information-defra" target="_blank">Data.Gov.UK - Dataset Workforce Management Information Defra</a>, in line with Cabinet Office arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>We are unable to provide this data as at 19 November 2018 without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 26/11/2018 19:00:02 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson