Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help protect people in Stockport from regular flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) carries out routine inspections of all main watercourses across Stockport. The primary purpose of these inspections is to ensure that flood‑risk infrastructure is properly maintained and that any emerging issues are identified at an early stage. Inspectors also monitor anything that could increase flood risk, including fallen trees or debris that may cause blockages.
EA operational teams are on call 24/7, 365 days a year to operate flood defences and respond to incidents. This includes clearing debris from watercourses, supported by remote monitoring through telemetry systems. Across the Stockport constituency, the teams manage and clear a total of three debris screens.
Recent community drop‑ins were held for Stockport residents. The purpose of these was to help residents register for flood warnings so they can better prepare for and respond proactively to potential flooding.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to decrease the time taken to provide Environment Agency accreditation approvals.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is committed to reducing the time taken to determine accreditation applications. While the Packaging Regulations set a 12‑week statutory determination period, the new regulations now require more detailed information from operators. The EA has expanded its resources dedicated to assessing these more comprehensive applications.
To support quicker and higher‑quality submissions, the EA has also updated its guidance, increased pre‑application support, and engaged extensively with industry through events and webinars. These steps are already helping to reduce avoidable delays caused by incomplete or low‑quality applications.
The EA will continue to refine its processes, streamline assessment where possible, and work with industry to ensure applications can be determined as quickly as the regulations allow.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of air pollution on different groups by ethnicity.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
While air pollution impacts many people’s health, the department recognises that these impacts are not felt equally. This is an issue that Defra takes seriously, which is why the Government commissioned the independent Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to examine the evidence on air pollution disparities across different communities and regions in the UK.
Their report demonstrates spatial differences in pollution emissions and concentrations. There is evidence of higher air pollution concentrations being experienced by certain minority ethnicity groups.
The report provides a number of recommendations to address this complex challenge, which the department is now considering and have fed through to commitments in the NHS 10 Year Plan and the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of providing financial support or temporary relief for recyclers affected by the loss of PRN income.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As the PRN/PERN market remains operational and has not closed, our focus is on delivering functionality of a new digital system as soon as possible. The Government is working closely with affected businesses to understand the impact of the delay to delivery of the new PRN digital system and are committed to continuing to work closely with them to resolve the issue.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether staffing levels at the Environment Agency are adequate to manage the transition to the new PRN system.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has increased staffing to ensure it can manage the transition to the new PRN system and deliver its regulatory duties under the new packaging regulations. Additional resource has been allocated to support both the new operational requirements and the bedding‑in of the updated IT system.
The EA will continue to monitor resourcing levels closely and adjust as necessary to ensure a smooth transition for industry and effective regulatory oversight.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking in response to the findings of the Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published on 26 January 2026.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nature underpins our security, prosperity, and resilience, and understanding the threats we face from biodiversity loss is essential to addressing them effectively. The UK is already taking action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas.
The Nature Security assessment is a strategic analysis designed to help government plan for potential shocks that are credible enough to warrant preparation and will inform policy and decision-making. This approach ensures the UK is equipped to anticipate and manage risks should they arise. Publishing the assessment also supports international cooperation on shared biodiversity challenges.
In the UK, the Government is investing in sustainable farming, restoring peatlands, improving water quality, and protecting pollinators. The government has introduced landmark legislation to protect our oceans and is working to restore over half of all plantations on ancient woodland sites by 2030.
Internationally, the UK is investing significantly in forest and ocean protection and is supporting the transition to more sustainable food and land use globally, to help ensure the future of our global supply chains.
Together, these measures form part of the UK’s wider strategy to reduce the security risks of biodiversity loss, protect livelihoods, and promote global stability through nature recovery.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether an impact assessment on recycling companies was conducted prior to the closure of the existing PRN/PERN system in January 2026.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Risks to delivery of the new PRN/PERN system were assessed and a broad range of delivery options were considered. The previous system (the National Waste Packaging Database) does not have the capability to support delivery of new regulatory requirements which take effect for 2026. It is not feasible to run two systems in parallel during the year, given that the PRN market operates on a calendar year basis. Defra is working hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to businesses.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of non-compostable fresh produce stickers on the bio-waste industry and soil health; and whether she plans to take steps to discourage the usage of non-compostable stickers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department has not considered the potential impact of non-compostable fresh produce stickers on the bio-waste industry and soil health and does not currently have plans to discourage or ban the use of these stickers.
However, we remain committed to supporting sustainable packaging solutions and continue to monitor developments in this area.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the usage of non-compostable fresh produce stickers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department has not considered the potential impact of non-compostable fresh produce stickers on the bio-waste industry and soil health and does not currently have plans to discourage or ban the use of these stickers.
However, we remain committed to supporting sustainable packaging solutions and continue to monitor developments in this area.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has plans to improve public awareness and participation in recycling schemes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Over the Christmas period, and continuing over the run up to April, Defra have been utilising a range of social media channels to promote new food waste recycling services. This has included location targeted campaigns alongside the use of influencers popular with our targeted audiences. Examples can be found at:
(1835) Food Waste Recycling: Big Wins From Little Bins - YouTube
Vox Pop on food waste recycling
Minister Creagh Food waste Instagram
Discover the Magic of Food Waste Recycling Techniques | TikTok
Shef Phoenix (@shef_phoenix) | TikTok
Defra is also working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to provide guidance on best practice to help local authorities deliver services to all households. WRAP recently published communications guidance for local authority household food waste collections: https://www.wrap.ngo/taking-action/citizen-behaviour-change/recycle-now/campaign-assets/household-food-waste-collections-communications
To support local authorities, we have provided transitional resource funding for food waste communications to support citizens in understanding how to make full use of the new services.
In addition, PackUK will issue communications and explore behaviour change initiatives to promote the correct recycling and disposal of packaging waste. pEPR fees that producers pay will include a contribution to the costs of this work.