Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why biomedia released from wastewater treatments plants is not treated as hazardous waste.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Water companies must ensure all reasonable measures are in place to prevent the unauthorised or accidental escape of bio-media from wastewater treatment works to the environment.
The Environment Agency (EA) is working alongside the water sector on an ongoing research project, led by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR), looking at the complex issue of the impact of microplastics generated by wastewater treatment works.
In the event of any escape of bio-media from wastewater treatment works above permitted controls or that may cause significant pollution, Water Companies must immediately report this as a pollution incident to the EA, which will investigate and take necessary enforcement action. The Secretary of State for Defra has written to Water Companies to reiterate how unacceptable the pollution incident at Camber Sands is, and to stress the positive action Water Companies must take to ensure their infrastructure is functioning correctly.
Under waste regulations and mandatory guidance in place, waste bio-media classification depends on the properties of the specific material. Where it is above the relevant thresholds for hazardous properties, then it would be classified as a hazardous waste.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have offered any advice to the Royal Household regarding Royal Warrant Holders Association regarding welfare concerns in salmon farming.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has not offered any advice to the Royal Household regarding animal welfare concerns and salmon farming.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Physician Associate/Assistant Preceptorship Programme for primary care is open to newly qualified physician associates.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of the Leng Review recommendations on 16 July 2025, NHS England has updated the eligibility criteria for the preceptorship in primary care for physician assistants (PAs), which are still legally known as physician associates.
In line with the recommendation that newly qualified PAs should gain at least two years of experience in secondary care, the scheme is only open to qualified PAs already employed in primary care, as of 16 July 2025, who have not undertaken a PA preceptorship.
NHS England has published a frequently asked questions document, a copy of which is attached, to provide further information and guidance on the implementation of The Leng Review. This confirms that the scheme will be honoured and continue for those employers and PAs currently participating in the programme this financial year.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to align the UK’s import policy with forthcoming EU measures prohibiting products from regions where antibiotics are used for growth promotion.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing barriers to trade for British producers and retailers.
The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, key marketing standards and compositional standards - as well as pesticides.
Detail as to what will be included in the scope of the agreement remains subject to negotiations, and we will not be providing a running commentary.
The use of antibiotics for growth promoters has been banned in the UK and the EU since 2006. With good farming practices, the UK does not consider that using antibiotics for growth promotion is necessary and strongly advocates for phasing out the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion globally, in line with Codex standards and WOAH guidelines.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what protocols are in place to monitor the environmental and public health impacts of plastic biomedia or bio-beads in wastewater treatment plants.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bio-beads must comply with all material content regulations and standards when supplied.
The Environment Agency (EA) is working alongside the water sector on an ongoing research project, led by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR), looking at the complex issue of the impact of microplastics generated by wastewater treatment works.
In the event of any escape of bio media from wastewater treatment works above permitted controls or that may cause significant pollution, Water Companies must immediately report this as a pollution incident to the EA, which will investigate and take necessary enforcement action. The Secretary of State for Defra has written to Water Companies to reiterate how unacceptable the pollution incident at Camber Sands is, and to stress the positive action Water Companies must take to ensure their infrastructure is functioning correctly.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data are being gathered to create greater transparency in supply chains under Part 3 of Schedule 6 to the Agriculture Act 2020, for what purposes, and whether they are being published.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Part 3 of Schedule 6 to the Agriculture Act 2020 provides powers for Government to collect and share supply chain data where this would improve transparency and support the functioning of agricultural markets. These powers have not been exercised to date.
These powers were taken largely to replace equivalent EU data-collection powers to ensure that Government retained the ability to collect information should market conditions require it.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the source of large quantities of waste dumped by the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire; what assessment they have made of systematic waste disposal issues; and what plans they have for clean-up of the waste, and to what timescale.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has declared this case as a critical incident and is leading the multi-agency emergency response with the local police, fire services and Oxfordshire County Council following several lines of inquiry. Specialist officers are investigating the site so that the individuals responsible are caught, prosecuted, and made to pay for the damage including the clear up. We cannot commit to a timescale at this stage. While this investigation takes place the EA is taking robust steps to prevent contamination of the River Cherwell.
Separate to the incident in Oxfordshire the Government is making policy and regulatory reforms to close loopholes exploited by criminals - fundamentally reforming the waste carriers, brokers and dealers system, tightening waste permit exemptions and introducing digital waste tracking.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to tighten regulations on the transport and storage of nurdles in line with the EU, and what other measures they will take to reduce the environmental and human health threats of nurdles.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently has no plans to align nurdle transport and storage regulations with those of the EU.
The Government has supported industry-led initiatives such as Operation Clean Sweep, to promote good practice in pellet loss prevention.
As a Contracting Party to the OSPAR Convention, the UK has led work under the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter, resulting in an OSPAR Recommendation on minimum standards for pellet loss certification schemes. The UK also supported development of a British Standards Institution Publicly Available Specification, published in July 2021, which sets out measures for businesses to reduce pellet loss and complies with the OSPAR Recommendation.
Pellet loss is a global issue, and the UK has called for specific provisions in the new international treaty on plastic pollution to address pellet loss throughout the supply chain. Additionally, the UK is working at the International Maritime Organization to introduce mandatory measures for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current staffing level of the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub, and what staffing level they expect that hub to have in 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK's work on conflict and atrocity prevention is vital and valued around the world.
Created in 2022, the Mass Atrocity Hub was integrated into the Conflict and Atrocity Prevention Department in 2024. It provides analytical and advisory support in a range of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's atrocity prevention and response workstreams.
We will continue to adapt to the challenges of the future and remain focused on this area of work.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, regarding Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November, what approach they plan to take to granting licences for (1) pharmacopoeial pyrogen testing, (2) pharmacopoeial adventitious agent testing, (3) skin irritation testing, (4) eye irritation testing, (5) skin sensitisation testing, (6) fish acute toxicity tests for chemicals registered under UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, and (7) other tests not listed in the 'baskets'.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office regulates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) to assure compliance with the robust protections afforded to animals used in science. Licences for animal testing are only granted when applicants demonstrate compliance with the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). This means, animals may only be used where there is no non-animal alternative, the number of animals is minimised, and the most refined methods of testing are used to minimise harms.
On 11 November 2025, the government published “Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods”. This strategy sets out a timeline to phase out specific animal tests including those referenced in the question.
Of these, tests 1-5 are in Basket 1 (where mature replacement technologies exist), and test 6 is in Basket 2 (where alternatives could be developed in the medium term). The strategy provides details on each of these tests. The government is committed to supporting the development and adoption of alternative methods for other tests wherever possible.
Until these deadlines are reached, the Home Office will continue to apply the same rigorous licensing framework to all project licence applications proposing these tests, ensuring animals are only used where no validated non-animal alternative exists.