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1644245

registered interest
date	13/06/2023
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	Sewage: Waste Disposal
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 has had recent discussions with United Utilities on preventing sewage discharge at Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment works.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	189359
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2023 answer text <p>The Secretary of State and I frequently meet representatives from water companies and the wider water industry to discuss environmental performance. United Utilities are undertaking an urgent repair to a burst pipe at the Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment site. They are working with local teams, including the Environment Agency and local councils to minimise impacts. Defra is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates on progress.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 19/06/2023 11:09:52 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1644246

registered interest
date	13/06/2023
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	Beaches: Fleetwood
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 quality of bathing water in Fleetwood.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	189360
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency samples bathing waters, including Fleetwood, 20 times between May and September. Samples are tested for elevated levels of bacteria (E. Coli) which would indicate a presence of organic pollution such as sewage.</p><p> </p><p>Fleetwood wastewater treatment works (WwTW) serves towns on the Fylde Coast, Lancashire, including Fleetwood. On 11 June 2023 there was a failure of a discharge pipe at Fleetwood WwTW that is now restricting the outlet from the WwTW. As a result, sewage is backing up at the WwTW and in the sewerage network.</p><p> </p><p>In response to the reduction in capacity at the WwTW, and some rainfall, untreated sewage overflowed at various points on the network overnight on 12 and 13 June. This included screened sewage onto the beach at Blackpool. There are eight designated bathing waters that could be impacted in the area, including Fleetwood.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency is the regulator of Fleetwood WwTW and is gathering evidence for any potential compliance or enforcement purposes. The Environment Agency continues to maintain an operational presence in the area and is actively involved in multi-agency liaison and response through the Lancashire Resilience Forum.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 19/06/2023 10:41:56 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1623973

registered interest
date	26/04/2023
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	Pets: Shops
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 her Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of (a) online competition, (b) rising costs and (c) licensing requirements on pet shops.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	182883
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2023 answer text <p>Under the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations), anyone who is in the business of selling animals as pets needs a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Online sellers and traditional pet shops are accordingly held to a fair regulatory standard.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has been providing energy cost support to businesses, including pet shops; first through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme and now through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS). The EBDS will run until 31 March 2024 for eligible non-domestic consumers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>My Department is currently conducting a post implementation review of the 2018 Regulations. Among other things, this will assess whether there could be scope for improvements to the regulation of the sale of pets.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/05/2023 12:01:43 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1623797

registered interest
date	25/04/2023
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	Pets: Sales
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 prevent online retailors selling pets in breach of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	182617
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, license holders must meet strict license conditions which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences. It is an offence to breach a license condition or carry on a licensable activity without a license and Local authorities are afforded powers to prosecute such cases under the 2018 Regulations. To assist local authorities in their application of the licensing regime, the Government maintains statutory guidance which they must have regard to. This aims to improve consistency in interpretation and application of the licensing regime across England.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 03/05/2023 12:21:26 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1602028

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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	River Wyre: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances
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 address the presence of toxic perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in the River Wyre.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	160315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) is continuing its extensive programme of PFAS monitoring across England including the River Wyre and in surrounding areas.</p><p> </p><p>In the UK REACH Work Programme for 2021-22, Defra asked the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to examine the risks posed by PFAS and develop a 'Regulatory Management Options Analysis' (RMOA). The RMOA will be published in spring 2023 and will make recommendations for risk management measures, building on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to tackle chemicals of concern. Defra and the Devolved Administrations will carefully consider its recommendations to inform future PFAS policy.</p><p> </p><p>The EA is working with key partners including Defra, the UK Health Security Agency (former Public Health England), the Food Standards Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the HSE to inform local plans.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 14/03/2023 15:05:41 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1580690

registered interest
date	25/01/2023
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	Fish Farming: 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, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40832 on Fish Farming: Animal Welfare, when she expects to receive the advice of the Animal Welfare Committee on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	132451
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2023 answer text <p>We expect to receive the Animal Welfare Committee’s advice by the end of March this year.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 30/01/2023 12:21:05 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1566232

registered interest
date	12/01/2023
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: Subsidies
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 estimate she has made of the number of payments made to farmers by the Rural Payments Agency.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	902965
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2023 answer text <p>By 31 December, the Rural Payments Agency had made over 107,000 payments worth more than £1.6 billion across the Basic Payments, Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship schemes. This means that 97.9% of farmers had received at least one payment during the first month of the opening of the payment window.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/01/2023 15:10:44 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1544356

registered interest
date	22/11/2022
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	Eggs: Marketing
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 the 16-week protection period for the marketing of free-range eggs following the imposition of Government measures to control the spread of avian influenza on poultry farmers that are complying with those marketing rules.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	93570
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2022 answer text <p>Egg Marketing Standards provides a 16-week derogation period during which the free-range description can be retained on eggs even if hens have been housed.</p><p>Defra currently has no plans to review this derogation period. However, in recognition of the pressures the egg sector is currently facing, particularly rising input costs alongside the impacts of Avian Influenza, Defra has granted a concession which will apply if the housing orders that are currently in place in England exceed the 16 week derogation period. This concession will allow producers and packers, on a one-off basis, the option to use either direct print to pack or an affixed label on free-range boxes. Accompanying clear and transparent point of sale signage should also be in place to ensure consumers are not misled and to avoid undermining consumer confidence in the free-range industry.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 30/11/2022 16:33:49 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1543957

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
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	Poultry: Avian Influenza
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 ensure that the compensation protocol and payment scheme for poultry farms found to be affected by avian influenza provides sufficient economic support to those farmers.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	92250
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Upper Bann, on 18 November 2022, <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquestions-statements.parliament.uk%2Fwritten-questions%2Fdetail%2F2022-11-03%2F78897&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cce2ba308dcaa4d1ec58808dad225efc8%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638053357616769793%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vxZvl%2F7CZ6%2F1%2BT9YccbyRQqkBmuCLc5zx532m7RNy6Q%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">PQ UIN 78897</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/11/2022 17:35:27 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1543958

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
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	Animal Housing: Avian Influenza
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the context of the avian influenza outbreak, if she will hold discussions with her counterparts in devolved governments to encourage the expansion of mandatory housing measures to all poultry and captive birds in Great Britain.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	92251
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2022 answer text <p>Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved administrations to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. However, the UK Government works with the devolved administrations to seek a coordinated response wherever possible to control disease. All four administrations are an integral part of the UK-wide decision-making processes for animal disease outbreaks.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 28/11/2022 13:17:16 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith