Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to (1) maintain the total prohibition on the use of asbestos, and (2) rule out any instance of permitting products containing up to one per cent of asbestos as per regulations in the United States, after December 2020.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
At the end of the transition period, the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020) will convert the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation into domestic law. All existing EU REACH restrictions will be carried over to UK REACH at that point, including those relating to asbestos.
The Government has no plans to revise these restrictions or alter the way asbestos is regulated in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a lower carbon footprint than other forms of alternative packaging; why there is only one site in the UK able to recycle PET for use in food grade products; and what assessment they have made of the absence of such facilities on the amount of waste exported for recycling.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has assessed the carbon footprint of different types of packaging as part of its carbon ready reckoner, which assesses the carbon impacts of design changes to a packaged product. WRAP analysis suggests that in assessing polyethylene terephthalate (PET), compared with other forms of packaging, it is not the material that is the determining factor of its carbon footprint, but rather other considerations such as packaging weight, recycled content, performance, and management of the packaging at end of life. The carbon footprint of all packaging materials can be reduced through optimising recycled content and weight.
The number of recycling facilities in the UK is driven by demand from industry in meeting their packaging recycling and recovery obligations, as part of a market-based form of producer responsibility. The decision by manufacturers whether to use recycled content in their products is a complex one. New Government policies, that will shortly be consulted on, such as reform of the packaging waste producer responsibility system and introducing a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers, will help to increase the quality and quantity of materials available to recyclers and stimulate demand for secondary materials. The Government has also announced the introduction of a new tax from April 2022 on any produced or imported plastic packaging that does not include at least 30% recycled content, which will further drive up demand.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many plastic bottles they estimate are used in the UK each year; what proportion of these plastic bottles is recyclable; and whether cans and glass bottles do more harm to the environment than plastic bottles.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Evidence received as part of a Government Call for Evidence suggests that UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles a year, all of which are recyclable. Whether they are actually recycled depends on the local collection service and demand in end markets.
The aim of good waste management is to maximise recovery of useful materials and minimise impacts on the environment. There is evidence of the gradation of harm to the environment from the presence of different materials, however the Government has not carried out any assessment of the relative impacts of different types of litter on the environment.
WRAP’s (Waste and Resources Action Programme) carbon ready reckoner assesses the carbon impacts of different types of packaging. WRAP analysis suggests that it is not the material that is the determining factor of its carbon footprint, but rather other considerations such as packaging weight, recycled content, performance, and management of the packaging at end of life. The carbon footprint of all packaging materials can be reduced through optimising recycled content and weight.
Different materials have different environmental costs and benefits and, as set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, our goal is to maximise the value of the resources we use whilst minimising waste and its impact on the environment.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the Living Planet Report 2018, published by the World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London, that (1) there has been a decline of 60 per cent in species population sizes between 1970 and 2014, and (2) species population declines are especially pronounced in the tropics; and what strategy, if any, they have to address these findings.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government recognises that there have been declines in species populations across the world since 1970 and that declines have been pronounced in many tropical ecosystems. This downward trend and the impact it has on peoples’ economic and social wellbeing highlights the need to strengthen international efforts to tackle biodiversity loss.
The Government is committed to being the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it. We are already working worldwide, including in the tropics, to tackle biodiversity loss, by:
Investing more than £36 million between 2014 and 2021 to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, and hosting the fourth international Illegal Wildlife Trade conference last month in London. The conference represented a significant step forward in the global fight to eliminate this trade;
Committing £210 million of Defra’s International Climate Finance to support projects that aim to protect and restore more than 500,000 hectares of the world’s most biodiverse forests. For example, we are supporting communities in Madagascar to protect mangrove forests, which are important habitats for the protection of many species, some of which are found nowhere else on earth;
Ambitious plans under the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to reverse the decline of many species and help wildlife survive and thrive. We are committed to protecting the oceans, and have called for at least 30 per cent of the oceans to be in Marine Protected Areas by 2030. The UK is also leading the fight against plastic pollution; and
Introducing one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales to protect the elephant.
We are also committed to developing an ambitious post-2020 strategic framework for biodiversity and are working with countries around the world to achieve this under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which the cost of plastic recycling has increased, and (2) the impact such an increase has had on local authorities; what are the reasons for any such cost increase; and what steps they are taking to mitigate the consequences of that increase.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government works with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to monitor recycling costs and WRAP publishes an annual Gate Fees report on costs of waste treatment. The latest report was published in July. Some local authorities (LAs) have indicated that the changing demand for waste may have caused additional pressures but that these are not universal and differ according to recycling arrangements and treatment contracts. We continue to monitor how markets might evolve in the coming months.
WRAP data shows that 99% of LAs collected plastic bottles for recycling in 2017/18, while 77% collected rigid mixed plastics (pots, tubs and trays). Councils will come to different decisions about which materials they collect for recycling, depending on local factors and the ability to sell these materials on to recycling companies.
The UK Government wants want to create a vibrant market for recycled materials in the UK, including plastic, and to improve recycling.
Our Resources and Waste Strategy will set out measures to deliver these ambitions.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Food Research Collaboration, Feeding Britain: food security after Brexit, published on 23 July; and how they intend to respond to each of its 15 recommendations.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government has noted this report. The Government regularly assesses the UK’s food security through its own channels, including through the UK Food Assessment.
The UK Food Assessment is a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of food security. It draws on a wide range of indicators which are updated with varying frequency and which we monitor on an ongoing basis. We have commenced a review of the overall assessment which will be published in 2019.
The UK has a high degree of food security with access to a diverse range of sources of supply, including domestic production. This will continue to be the case after we leave the EU. Food supply is highly resilient with diversity and flexibility throughout the supply chains, and industry can respond quickly to ensure ongoing supply.
Leaving the EU provides us with a major opportunity to set up new frameworks for supporting our farmers to grow more, sell more and export more great British food. We will work with all those who have an interest in the future of food and farming as we develop a new approach that works for our industry.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when, and how, they intend to respond to the projection by the Government Office for Science that plastic in the ocean is set to treble by 2025.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Future of the Sea report shows that tough global action is needed to protect our oceans and marine life, and the UK is leading the way by tackling plastic waste. That’s why our 25 Year Environment Plan stated our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We want to be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it.
We have recently introduced one of the world’s strongest bans on harmful microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, and have now commissioned the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee to review the evidence on microplastics in leave-on cosmetics and domestic cleaning products, and their chances of reaching our seas and causing harm to marine life. We will review our position in light of their advice.
Our 5p carrier bag charge has taken nine billion bags out of circulation. A beach clean survey in 2016 reported a 40% reduction in the number of plastic bags found. We will consider extending this charge to small retailers, exploring whether compulsory options are needed if voluntary agreements prove ineffective.
Single use items are a major issue for marine litter and frequently in the top 10 of items found during beach cleans. In his Spring Statement, the Chancellor launched a call for evidence seeking views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the waste from single use plastics.
We will introduce a deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates and slash the amount of waste polluting our land and seas, subject to consultation later this year.
As marine litter is a transboundary problem we also work productively with other countries to address it, particularly through the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR), G7, G20 and the UN Environment Programme.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) environmental impact assessments, (2) child rights impact assessments, (3) regulatory impact assessments, and (4) equality impact assessments, have been conducted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in each of the last two financial years; and of those, how many have resulted in published assessments.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra Group FM Estates has made one environmental impact assessment in the last two years. The environmental impact assessment would have become public during the planning application process.
To date, Defra has not carried out any Child’s Rights Impact Assessment in relation to any of its policies. Defra has not had any cases where the family test has identified impacts on the family in the last two years.
The number of regulatory impact assessments conducted and published by calendar year is provided in the table below.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
Number of regulatory impact assessments conducted | 70 | 34 | 49 |
Number of regulatory impact assessments published | 30 | 12 | 13 |
Regulatory Impacts Assessments are required for all new primary legislation. In line with Government policy IAs for secondary legislation only need to be published where these impacts are above certain thresholds. In 2017, this threshold was increased from £1m to £5m annual net costs to business. Where a full IA is not published an explanatory memorandum explaining why impacts are expected to be below the threshold is published alongside the proposed legislation. Defra IAs are published at DefraLex - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/defralex
Equality impact assessments are included where relevant in the regulatory impact assessments. The number of equality impact assessments to which this applies is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the East of England Co-op to sell food after the best-before date, in order to help reduce food waste; and whether they intend to encourage other supermarket chains to do the same.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Selling food beyond its best before date is not a food safety issue. The Government encourages all food businesses, large and small, to use the updated Waste & Resources Action Programme guidance to help them put the right date mark on food and help to guide people on the refrigeration and freezing of products which are crucial to reducing the amount of edible food thrown away.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the latest evidence of the harm to bees from certain pesticides; and whether, in the light of such evidence, they plan to reject the emergency authorisation for use of neonicotinoids this autumn and press for the current restrictions to be made permanent and expanded to cover all crops.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Decisions on the approval of pesticide active substances are made at European level. Since December 2013, three of the five neonicotinoids currently approved are not permitted for use on a wide range of crops considered “attractive to bees”. A number of other uses remain permitted under the EU approval. The restrictions currently in place for neonicotinoids are not time-limited. They will remain in place until and unless the European Commission decides to change them.
The Commission has begun a review of the science relating to neonicotinoids and bees. This will include effects on bees from seed treatment and granule uses of the restricted neonicotinoids on any crop. The Government will contribute fully to this review and will base its view on future regulation of neonicotinoids on all the available scientific evidence.
EU legislation allows Member States to consider applications for the authorisation of products to deal with emergency situations that are temporary, limited in scale and controlled.