Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1691839

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Fish Products: Norway
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the products of the Norwegian fish farming industry imported into the UK on global health insecurity and food shortage as a result of the industry's use of feed and fish oil from Mauritania.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Addressing the ongoing global food security crisis and delivering sustainable food security for countries struggling with hunger and malnutrition is a priority for His Majesty’s Government. In 2022 the UK was one of the top 6 countries donors to the World Food Programme (over $400 million). Between 2016 and 2021, the UK spent £2.6 billion on longer-term food and agriculture programmes.</p><p>We are aware of recent reports that have suggested that the fishmeal industry based in Mauritania which supplies, among others, the Norwegian aquaculture sector is contributing to loss of livelihoods and malnutrition in West African nations. Assessments on the impact of supply chains to the Norwegian aquaculture sector are the responsibility of the Norwegian government.</p><p>The UK works directly to support food security and sustainable Ocean Management in West African countries affected by declining fish stocks. For example, as part of the £500 million Blue Planet Fund, the UK formalised a bilateral Ocean Country Partnership with Senegal in 2023. This partnership aims at reducing marine pollution, preserving marine biodiversity as well as helping fishing to be more sustainable.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 11/03/2024 17:07:55 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1691280

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
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	AquaCultured Seafood: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have provided public funds towards Aquacultured Seafood Limited for its on-land fish farm in Grimsby; and, if so, how much.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>Having reviewed our records, we can confirm that Aquacultured Seafood Limited has not received public funding from Defra-managed fisheries funding schemes. Fisheries funding schemes comprise the UK Seafood Fund, the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 12/03/2024 14:23:21 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1690589

registered interest
date	20/02/2024
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	Sanitary Products: Safety
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of the use of silver in period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, in the light of concerns among the scientific community regarding the safety of the wearer and environmental impacts, particularly on aquatic life.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2608
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market. Period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This provides a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be placed on the market. The law places obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure consumers are provided with safety information, including instructions for safe use. This includes risks that are not immediately obvious to consumers without adequate warnings, such as the use of additives and antimicrobial substances and the presence of silver in these products.</p><p> </p><p>Period products are not classed as biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation but are instead articles which contain or are treated with a biocidal product (such as a silver compound). A number of silver active substances are currently waiting to be assessed for safety and efficacy as biocides under the GB review programme of existing active substances. While this is the case they can be legally used in treated articles including period products.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continues to monitor research on chemicals in period products as part of the UK REACH Work Programme, working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. This ongoing work covers all risks, including those relating to aquatic life. Studies carried out in the EU found that the chemicals identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence of significant risks to human health.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2622 question first answered 06/03/2024 17:13:24 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1690603

registered interest
date	20/02/2024
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	Sanitary Products
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take action to prevent the unnecessary use of additives and antimicrobial substances in period products claiming ‘anti-odour’ or ‘antimicrobial’ properties.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2622
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market. Period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This provides a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be placed on the market. The law places obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure consumers are provided with safety information, including instructions for safe use. This includes risks that are not immediately obvious to consumers without adequate warnings, such as the use of additives and antimicrobial substances and the presence of silver in these products.</p><p> </p><p>Period products are not classed as biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation but are instead articles which contain or are treated with a biocidal product (such as a silver compound). A number of silver active substances are currently waiting to be assessed for safety and efficacy as biocides under the GB review programme of existing active substances. While this is the case they can be legally used in treated articles including period products.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continues to monitor research on chemicals in period products as part of the UK REACH Work Programme, working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. This ongoing work covers all risks, including those relating to aquatic life. Studies carried out in the EU found that the chemicals identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence of significant risks to human health.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2608 question first answered 06/03/2024 17:13:24 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1688753

registered interest
date	09/02/2024
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	Glyphosate
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission or gather evidence about the real-world impacts of glyphosate on human health and the natural environment, ahead of the decision on whether to renew approval of glyphosate in 2025.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>Glyphosate is currently approved as an active substance for use in pesticide products in Great Britain. As part of its renewal assessment the Health and Safety Executive, as the Government’s expert regulator for pesticides, will conduct a thorough and robust scientific risk assessment to determine if the approval of glyphosate should be renewed in line with assimilated Regulation 1107/2009 of the GB plant protection products legislation.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this assessment HSE will consider all data required by the legislation and can request additional data from the approval holder should this be required before reaching its decision.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2355 question first answered 23/02/2024 11:24:45 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1688754

registered interest
date	09/02/2024
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	Glyphosate
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the acknowledgement by the European Food Safety Authority when assessing glyphosate in the EU of concerns regarding impacts on both human health and the environment which were not addressed due to missing data and a lack of guidelines, what steps they plan to take to address these information gaps in the run up to, and during, the renewal process for glyphosate.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>Glyphosate is currently approved as an active substance for use in pesticide products in Great Britain. As part of its renewal assessment the Health and Safety Executive, as the Government’s expert regulator for pesticides, will conduct a thorough and robust scientific risk assessment to determine if the approval of glyphosate should be renewed in line with assimilated Regulation 1107/2009 of the GB plant protection products legislation.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this assessment HSE will consider all data required by the legislation and can request additional data from the approval holder should this be required before reaching its decision.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2354 question first answered 23/02/2024 11:24:45 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1687656

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
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	West Africa: Timber
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the amount of rosewood timber that is exported from West African countries such as Mali, The Gambia and Senegal; what steps they have taken to ban or control within UK markets the sale of products made from West African rosewood; and what steps they have taken to protect endangered wild species, including rosewood in West Africa.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2024 answer text <p>The UK is currently contributing funding towards a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) study on the conservation and trade in rosewood tree species but does yet not have an assessment of rosewood timber exports. We have robust mechanisms in place through the UK Timber Regulations (UKTR), which prohibit the placing of illegally harvested timber and timber products on the GB market and require operators - those first placing timber products on the market - to exercise due diligence. Those who trade in timber and timber products after they have been placed on the market are required to keep records of who they buy timber products from and any traders they sell them to. This enables timber and timber products to be traced.</p><p> </p><p>The primary objective of the UKTR is to tackle illegal logging and to create a demand for legally harvested timber. Implementing the Regulations enables the protection of forests around the world, supporting the Government’s ambition to lead the world in environmental protection, end extreme poverty, and be at the forefront of action against global climate change.</p><p> </p><p>The requirement to exercise due diligence under UKTR does not apply where a valid CITES permit accompanies the timber.</p><p> </p><p>Rosewood species (Dalbergia and Guibourtia spp.) are listed on the CITES Appendices and so most rosewood timber imports into the UK will need a valid permit. Permit applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis by the UK CITES Management Authority, which will only issue permits if it has been possible to determine that the specimens to be imported were legally acquired and sustainably harvested.</p><p> </p><p>The Government provides grants to a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to the protection of endangered wild species, including tackling illegal wildlife trade in West Africa, through the Biodiversity Challenge Funds. While these do not address rosewood in West Africa specifically, this has included empowering communities to protect their forests by the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, and supporting Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to monitor and halt illegal timber trade through DNA barcoding in Gabon and Congo (Brazzaville).</p><p> </p><p>Further information on these examples and other projects supported by the Biodiversity Challenge Funds can be found at the websites of the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 13/02/2024 11:51:40 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1682796

registered interest
date	17/01/2024
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	Forests: Commodities
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that regulated persons in relation to forest risk commodities establish and implement due diligence systems in relation to those commodities, as required under the Environment Act 2021.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1678
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The UK Government introduced new legislation through the Environment Act to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. Recent research estimates that around 70% of global tropical deforestation for commercial agriculture between 2013 and 2019 was conducted in violation of national laws.</p><p> </p><p>The Government announced further details of our Forest Risk Commodities regulations at COP28 in December. The new law will make it illegal for larger organisations, with a global annual turnover of more than £50m, to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used. Initial secondary legislation will focus on four commodities identified as key drivers of deforestation: cattle products (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy.</p><p> </p><p>Organisations in scope will also be required to undertake a due diligence exercise on their supply chains and to report on this exercise annually. To ensure transparency, information about businesses' due diligence exercises will be published.  Businesses in scope that do not comply with these requirements may be subject to fines and other civil sanctions. The secondary legislation required to operationalise the Environment Act provisions will be laid as soon as parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 23/01/2024 15:31:28 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1672487

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Fishing Catches: Cetaceans
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many cetaceans were caught in UK waters in 2022; and how that number compares to estimates of cetacean bycatch.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL504
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>All cetaceans are fully protected in UK waters under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations. In the UK, it is an offence to deliberately disturb, harm, capture or kill wild cetaceans. We are not aware of any cetaceans being caught illegally in UK waters in 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The UK introduced new rules in 2021 making it mandatory under fishing vessel licence conditions for fishers to report any marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). On the introduction of this requirement, communications were sent out by Defra, the Devolved Administrations and the MMO to ensure that industry understood the new obligations.</p><p> </p><p>This reporting is complemented by a range of other monitoring programmes.</p><p> </p><p>The Government funds the UK Bycatch Monitoring Programme which uses onboard observers to estimate bycatch rates and high-risk gear types. The 2022 annual programme report will be completed and published, once fishing effort figures for 2022 are finalised and can be integrated into bycatch estimates.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, both the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) and the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme investigate the causes of death of stranded cetaceans around the UK coast to improve our understanding of, and ability to tackle, key threats like bycatch. CSIP strandings data are published in annual reports. Due to unprecedented events, including the coronavirus pandemic and the UK’s largest ever outbreak of avian influenza, the delivery of project reports has been delayed. The 2022 annual report will be finalised shortly and released in due course, following publication assurance processes.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2020, Defra has also funded Clean Catch UK, a research programme which is developing and trialling a range of bycatch monitoring and mitigation measures. This programme has developed a bycatch self-reporting mobile application and an online ‘Bycatch Mitigation Hub’ with information on different approaches to reduce bycatch.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that accidental bycatch in fisheries is one of the greatest threats faced by cetaceans, and we remain fully committed to tackling this and addressing monitoring gaps. In 2022, the UK Government and Devolved Administrations published the UK Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI). This outlines how the UK will achieve its ambitions to minimise and, where possible, eliminate the bycatch of sensitive marine species. As a core objective of the BMI, the Government will continue to build on existing monitoring work to improve our understanding of bycatch and entanglement of sensitive marine species.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 29/11/2023 14:44:54 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1672488

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Fisheries: Monitoring
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether footage captured through remote electronic monitoring of fishing will be available to the public or just to designated observers; and if just to designated observers, how this will be monitored.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>We do not anticipate making raw footage available to the public. How remote electronic monitoring (REM) data would be reviewed would depend on the data objectives for that fishery. We consulted on the data objectives in our recent consultation on REM in English waters. We are considering responses to this consultation and will publish a response in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 29/11/2023 14:24:45 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle