Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) port and harbour authorities, (2) devolved administrations, and (3) producers, on ensuring there are free disposal facilities for end-of-life fishing equipment waste in every UK port and harbour.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been assessed, including through a study commissioned by Defra and the devolved governments, available here, which indicated EPR could be a complex and costly intervention.
Defra officials have previously engaged industry stakeholders and work closely with devolved governments, with discussions covering end-of-life fishing gear management in ports and harbours, as well as wider marine litter issues in line with the Joint Fisheries Statement.
The UK is committed to working with international partners to agree a new global treaty to end plastic pollution, including provisions addressing fishing and aquaculture gear across its full lifecycle.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - 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 merits of introducing an extended producer responsibility scheme for fishing equipment.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been assessed, including through a study commissioned by Defra and the devolved governments, available here, which indicated EPR could be a complex and costly intervention.
Defra officials have previously engaged industry stakeholders and work closely with devolved governments, with discussions covering end-of-life fishing gear management in ports and harbours, as well as wider marine litter issues in line with the Joint Fisheries Statement.
The UK is committed to working with international partners to agree a new global treaty to end plastic pollution, including provisions addressing fishing and aquaculture gear across its full lifecycle.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Ministers will attend the forthcoming Review Conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament; and what their priorities will be.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
On priorities for the Conference, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided by Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords, Lord Coaker, on 10 December 2025, Official Report, vol. 851, cols. 235-238. We will confirm details of representation at the conference in the usual way in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation of environmental and land defenders in Colombia, following the Ombudsman's Office of Columbia's early warning alert issued in December 2025 regarding the security situation for leaders in la Guajira and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains concerned about threats and attacks against human rights defenders in Colombia. We note the December 2025 early warning alert for La Guajira and Sierra Nevada and urge Colombian institutions to act swiftly. UK officials consistently raise threats against human rights defenders with Colombian counterparts and at the UN Security Council. We support at risk defenders through UK-funded protection mechanisms and human rights programming, including on early warning systems with the Colombian Ombudsman office. We continue pressing all authorities to respond to early warnings and strengthen security guarantees for threatened communities.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to deliver the guiding principles on supporting human rights defenders in Colombia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains concerned about threats and attacks against human rights defenders in Colombia. We note the December 2025 early warning alert for La Guajira and Sierra Nevada and urge Colombian institutions to act swiftly. UK officials consistently raise threats against human rights defenders with Colombian counterparts and at the UN Security Council. We support at risk defenders through UK-funded protection mechanisms and human rights programming, including on early warning systems with the Colombian Ombudsman office. We continue pressing all authorities to respond to early warnings and strengthen security guarantees for threatened communities.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consolidate the legislation governing the Canals and Rivers Trust.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Consolidation of the legislation governing the Canal and River Trust is one of the 36 recommendations made by the independent Commission that reviewed the Trust’s boat licensing regime. The Trust accepted all the recommendations and recently announced plans for their phased implementation, including regular engagement and consultation with the boating communities. It will be for the Trust to bring forward proposals for legislative consolidation, and the Government stands ready to assist in that process as appropriate. Defra engages regularly with the Trust on a range of issues.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what issues the review of the existing protections of open spaces will examine; and whether there will be a public consultation before changes are proposed to those protections.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.
We intend to analyse the effectiveness and usability of existing protections, to simplify the system, ensure consistency for developers and local authorities and empower communities to protect valued spaces.
We intend to engage widely to ensure stakeholder views are considered before recommending any changes are made to these protections.
Further details about the review will be released in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what criteria they plan to use to decide which categories of open space should be included in the review of the existing protections of open spaces, and whether they will include covenanted land or land held in trust.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.
Further details on the review of protections for public recreational green spaces, and on the timetable of the review will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what is the timetable for the review of the existing protections of open spaces.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.
Further details on the review of protections for public recreational green spaces, and on the timetable of the review will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Coaker on Wednesday 10 December (HL Deb col 236), whether they plan to review their decision not to join the UN panel on the physical and societal effects of a nuclear war; and if so when.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer given on 17 February 2025 to Question 28881, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The UK voted against the United Nations General Assembly Resolution "Nuclear War Effects and Scientific Research", which proposed establishing an independent scientific panel on the effects of nuclear war, because the devastation that would be caused by nuclear war has been long understood. The UK questioned the benefit of further research in that area, which could not change our collective understanding of the horror of a nuclear war.