Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that financial support to fossil fuel-intensive and high carbon producing industries is in line with (1) their Paris Agreement obligations, (2) their target for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; and (3) their commitment to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government continues to take its environmental responsibilities very seriously and is committed to meeting its climate change targets.
The UK is a world leader in clean growth. Spring Budget 2020 reinforce the UK’s strong track record in this area with at least £800m for carbon capture and storage, over £1bn of further support for ultra-low emission vehicles, at least doubling funding for energy innovation, and tax measures to encourage greater energy efficiency and tackle plastic waste.
We recognise the importance of a strong economy to support the transition to net zero, meet our Paris Agreement obligations and continue the UK's leadership in clean growth.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India to (1) discourage financial assistance to the coal industry, and (2) encourage renewable energy development, following reports of a drop in non-renewable energy usage and carbon emissions for the first time in four decades.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK and Indian governments are closely engaged in regular dialogue on issues of clean energy transition, including rapid development of renewables. UK partnership with India in support of these objectives includes technical collaboration, joint research, and support for investment and commercial partnerships in renewables. Bilateral engagement is backed by a Ministerial Energy Dialogue, which includes discussion of alternatives to coal, and accompanied by support for clean energy transition through multilateral channels. The UK also supports India-led initiatives like the International Solar Alliance. The UK is committed to close engagement with India as a long term partner on this issue, including through engagement with the COP26 Energy Transitions campaign.
Through the Powering Past Coal Alliance initiative we have also actively engaged with a number of Indian states: Chhattisgarh and Gujarat have committed to no new coal for the next few years. India currently still requires coal as a baseload and to manage intermittent renewables; plans for new coal production are in line with this need and no further. Representations to the Government of India are mindful of this fact.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any link between climate change and migration.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK government has been at the forefront of assessing the link between climate change and migration. In 2011, UK Government Office for Science published the Foresight report on Migration and Global Environmental Change, which used cutting-edge science to assess how environmental changes such as flooding, drought and rising sea levels may influence global human migration. The government continues to assess emerging science and evidence in this area.
The UK is a leader in ambitious climate action and delivering success at COP26 is the government’s top international priority. We were the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050 and we are committed to helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change that are already happening, particularly in the most vulnerable countries. This includes supporting sustainable livelihoods and reducing the risk and impact of disaster, which will help ensure that people are not forced to leave their homes and communities while delivering on the Global Goals.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of how waste that is returned to its site of origin following inspection, or prevented from reaching ports, is (1) managed, and (2) processed, once returned to its site of origin.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Environment Agency (EA) is the competent authority for waste shipments for England. The actions taken by EA officers when they prevent a proposed waste shipment leaving a site or leaving a port will be determined on a case by case basis. When EA officers stop a shipment of waste at port, they oversee the return of the waste to either the site of origin or to an appropriately permitted waste facility. Waste can be held at port until the EA are satisfied that those responsible for the shipment have put appropriate measures in place to manage the waste in accordance with the relevant waste legislation. EA intervention at sites of loading will include officers explaining to businesses why waste cannot be exported, for example if there is evidence of poor waste quality or paperwork issues, and this intervention activity prevents thousands of tonnes of waste from being illegally exported each year. The EA addresses the illegal export of waste using an intelligence-led approach and EA officers will continue to monitor the compliance of those deemed at risk of illegal export, ensuring improvements are made and future shipments are compliant with the regulations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of the proportion of shipping containers being returned following inspection; and what action they intend to take as a result.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Of the 42 improperly documented containers of plastic waste referred to in the written answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226) 38 containers have been returned to the UK. The Environment Agency (EA) are awaiting the return of 4 containers from Malaysia and these are due to return to England by the end of March 2020. The EA, as the competent authority of England, is overseeing the voluntary return of all 42 containers of waste however the return of the containers is being managed and financed by the parties involved in the original export to Malaysia as it is their responsibility. The EA continues to closely monitor the return to England and subsequent lawful recovery or disposal of the waste in the UK. The circumstances relevant to the export of these containers is currently being investigated and it is not possible to comment any further at this time.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of sanctions as a means of discouraging the export of illegal waste shipments.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The four UK regulators have a range of enforcement tools and sanctions available in respect to waste exports offences. The Environment Agency (EA) has published an Enforcement and Sanctions Policy and it details how the EA make enforcement and sanctioning decisions including the decision to prosecute. The EA also have internal enforcement governance procedures to ensure consistency, transparency and accountability for all enforcement recommendations or decisions they make. These procedures enable the EA to monitor offending and the sanctions and other interventions they use.
The Government has committed in the Resources & Waste Strategy to review the regulatory framework covering waste exports. We will consult this year on actions to better manage and control waste exports, including through tighter monitoring and enforcement of the existing regulations and we will seek views on the effectiveness of sanctions as part of that consultation.
The Environment Bill also includes a power to introduce electronic tracking of waste to help tackle waste crime here in the UK and prevent illegal waste from being shipped abroad.
Recognising the difficulties experienced by some countries in managing imports of plastic waste, the Queen’s Speech on 19 December last year included a commitment to ban the export of plastic wastes to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. We will consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), how many successful prosecutions there were for breaches of waste shipment legislation in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for enforcing waste shipments legislation in England. The EA aims to make sure its enforcement response is proportionate and appropriate to each situation and the EA has a range of enforcement powers and sanctions available to it to secure compliance. The EA’s first response is usually to give advice and guidance to bring an offender into compliance where possible. Where a criminal offence has been committed, in addition to any other enforcement action, the EA will consider instituting a prosecution, administering a caution or issuing a warning. Any UK operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face severe sanctions – from financial penalties up to imprisonment for a period of up to two years. The table below details the range of EA enforcement action over the past five years, including successful prosecutions.
Illegal Waste Export Enforcement 2015 – 2020 (to date) | |||||||||
Financial Year | Total Prosecutions | Court Fines | Imprisonment | Suspended Custodial Sentences | Cautions issued by EA | EA Warning Letters | Fixed Penalty Notices1 | Civil Sanctions1 | Stop/ Prevention Notices |
2015-16 | 3 | £30,450 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 168 |
2016-17 | 1 | £1,800 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 150 |
2017-18 | 0 | £0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 160 |
2018-19 | 0 | £0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 238 |
2019-20 to date | 1 | £350,000 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
Totals | 5 | £382,250 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 716 |
[1] Issued by the Environment Agency
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards reducing the production of unnecessary plastic and encouraging the development of alternatives to plastic.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) for England, published in December 2018, sets out our plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more plastic than we do now. Our target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - that is why we are working towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
We have already made good progress. The Government’s 5p plastic bag charge has led to a 90% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags in the main retailers, and last year we consulted on plans to extend the charge to all retailers and on increasing the minimum charge to at least 10p. A summary of responses will be published soon. We have also introduced a world-leading ban on the sale of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products.
In 2019, the Government consulted on a number of key policy measures set out in the RWS: reforming existing packaging waste regulations; exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers; increasing consistency in the recycling system; and introducing a tax on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content. These measures will help reduce the production of unnecessary plastic and encourage the development of alternatives to plastic. In July 2019, the Government published its responses to these consultations; more detailed consultations on these measures will be published this year. As announced in the Queen’s speech the forthcoming Environment Bill will include powers to enable Government to deliver these measures.
The Government has also announced £60 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £150 million investment from industry, towards the development of smart, sustainable plastic packaging, which will aim to make the UK a world-leader in sustainable packaging for consumer products. To better understand some of these new and emerging materials, the Government published a call for evidence on the development of standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics last year. We recognise the role these materials could play in reducing the impact of plastic waste, however we must be wary of unintended consequences. A Government response to this call for evidence will be published in spring.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the illegal shipment of plastic waste from the UK to Malaysia, following the decision by the government of China to ban any international plastic waste being processed within mainland China.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government is deeply concerned about the illegal trade in waste, including reports of illegal plastic waste exported from the UK to Malaysia. Recognising the difficulties experienced by some countries in managing imports of plastic waste, the Queen’s Speech on the 19 December included a commitment to ban the export of polluting plastic wastes to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). We will consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.
We are working closely with the Malaysian Government to support the return of 42 improperly documented containers of plastic waste. In addition, the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is currently supporting the Malaysian Government in tackling the wider plastic waste problem. This includes sharing UK experience as well as collaborating with the Malaysian Government in developing a Malaysian version of a Plastics Pact (a cross stakeholder grouping) to drive more effective management of plastic and plastic wastes. My department and the British High Commission also facilitated a technical meeting in Kuala Lumpur between UK and Malaysian enforcement authorities to improve plastic waste export/import protocols.
While we acknowledge that there is a legitimate export market for plastic waste as a secondary raw material, we take firm action to enforce against those engaged in the illegal export of contaminated, low quality and unrecyclable plastic wastes.
Compliance with the legislation on waste shipments is monitored by the UK’s four environmental regulators[1]. In England in 2018/19 the Environment Agency inspected almost 1,000 shipping containers at ports and returned over 200 of those to sites. During this period, the Environment Agency also prevented 12,000 tonnes of waste from reaching ports which may have otherwise been exported illegally. Any operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face severe sanctions – from financial penalties to imprisonment for a period of up to two years.
[1] The Environment Agency in England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have contributed to International Climate Finance in each year since 2016; what percentage that amount constitutes of the £5.8 billion they pledged to that fund; and whether the full amount pledged will be provided by 2020 as stated in the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Department for International Development (DFID), the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) are together responsible for spending the £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) pledged by the Government in the period 2016/17 to 2020/21. The funding is earmarked within departmental budgets.
In total these three departments have spent ICF of £1,119 million in 2016/17 and £958 million in 2017/18, representing 36% of the £5.8 billion commitment. The amount spent in 2018/19 is not yet available.
The Government remains committed to delivering the £5.8 billion pledge in full by 2020/21, recognising the vital importance of supporting developing countries to tackle climate change. Each department has plans in place to deploy this funding over the remaining period to achieve the maximum impact possible.