Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - 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 decline of microbiome on the planet.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No assessment has been made regarding any decline of soil microbiomes in England.
On 31st January 2023 the Government published its second statutory Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23), as committed to in the Environment Act. The EIP23 builds on the Government’s commitment to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. It is delivery focused and sets out the actions that will drive us towards reaching our long-term environmental targets and goals, including improving and protecting soil health.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - 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 supply of water and measures taken to conserve it.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Despite the dry summer of 2022, water companies in England have assured us that essential water supplies remain resilient across the country. It is their duty to maintain those supplies. Defra Ministers expect water company action in accordance with their pre-agreed drought plans.
Defra recently published its Plan for Water which sets out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England to 2050 and beyond. The Government is requiring water companies to plan to deliver resilience to a one in 500-year drought, that is not needing to resort to emergency measures, such as standpipes and rota cuts.
Regional water resources groups and water companies are now consulting on their new Water Resources Plans. These plans will set out how each company will meet water supply needs over at least a 25-year period. In addition to their Water Resources Management Plans, water companies are using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2019-24) to progress the infrastructure required.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - 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 threat to livestock from dogs not under control of their owners.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals as well as the financial implications, which can be very significant.
Following recent reports on the issue, including by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, we are taking forward recommendations to modernise the relevant legal framework (the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953) for dealing with incidents of dogs attacking or worrying livestock.
We have carried out targeted consultation with key stakeholder groups representing interested parties, including roundtable events. This approach has allowed us to build consensus and reach a significant level of technical detail in terms of our policy development and consultation. Representatives from the police, farming and livestock associations, veterinary bodies and dog welfare groups have all been engaged in this process.
We have introduced these changes in the current Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. Through this Bill we are enhancing the enforcement mechanisms available to the police and expanding the scope of livestock species and locations covered by the law. These improved powers will enable the police to respond to livestock worrying incidents more effectively – making it easier for them to collect evidence and, in the most serious cases, seize and detain dogs to reduce the risk of further incidents.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the risk of (1) fire, and (2) other serious issues, caused by sky lanterns being released in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Local authorities have powers to restrict or ban the use of sky lanterns on council or public land. Councils in England, Scotland and Wales can choose to apply such a ban where a local need exists.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to ban the sale of fur products in England.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government shares the British public’s high regard for animal welfare. There are restrictions on some skin and fur products which may never be legally imported into the UK. These include fur from cats and dogs and seal skins and products from commercial hunts. Fur farming has been banned in England and Wales since 2000 (2002 in Scotland and Northern Ireland).
In addition, we do not allow imports of fur from wild animals caught using methods which are non-compliant with international humane trapping standards. Where fur is from an endangered species protected through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), its import or trade will be subject to CITES controls.
During the transition period it is not possible to introduce restrictions relating to the fur trade. Once our future relationship with the EU has been established there will be an opportunity for the Government to consider further steps it could take in relation to fur sales.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there will be no change to current pesticides protections resulting from any trade deals negotiated; and what plans they have to ensure that pesticides that are currently banned from use in the UK will remain so.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We will maintain our high human health and environmental standards when operating our own independent pesticides regulatory regime, after the Transition Period. We will ensure decisions on the use of pesticides are based on careful scientific assessment and will not authorise pesticides that may carry unacceptable risks. The statutory requirements of the EU regime on standards of protection will be carried across unchanged into domestic law. Decisions on standards are a matter for the UK and will be made separately from any Free Trade Agreement.
This Government stood on a clear manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. The Government will stand firm in trade negotiations to ensure any future trade deals live up to the values of farmers and consumers across the UK. We will not lower our standards nor put the UK’s biosecurity at risk as we negotiate new trade deals.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to stop overcrowding as a result of tourism in National Parks in England.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The ‘Sandford Principle’ was enshrined in the law through the Environment Act 1995. That principle requires the National Park Authorities to attach greater weight to their statutory purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage than their other statutory purpose of promoting opportunities for public enjoyment where there appears to be a conflict between the two. For example, should tourism or recreational activities potentially lead to overcrowding that could damage the conservation and enhancement of a National Park’s natural beauty, the National Park Authority should take steps to prioritise the latter. In most cases, it is possible to avoid potential conflicts through negotiation, planning and sensitive management strategies; the Government expects the National Park Authorities to take the lead in encouraging mediation, negotiation and cooperation.
As part of our 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government commissioned an independent review of designated landscapes in England, led by Julian Glover. We welcome the independent review and are now considering its findings, including its proposal on sustainable tourism.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support schemes that aim to make use of fresh food as it reaches its best before date rather than have it destroyed.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government continues to work with key stakeholders across the food chain, including redistribution organisations, in exploring the barriers to increasing surplus food redistribution and developing solutions.
The Secretary of State announced in October 2018 a £15 million pilot fund for 2019/20 to support the further redistribution of surplus food and reduce food waste. We are looking to make announcements on the successful applicants to the first tranche of funding shortly and announce new opportunities for funding in the next few months.
The projects supported by the £500k fund announced in January 2018 are already bearing fruit, with His Church officially opening their new walk in freezer in March.
In November 2017, the Government with the Waste and Resources Action Programme and the Food Standards Agency published step by step best practice guidance on date labels to get the right information and advice put on packaging conveyed clearly and consistently to help consumers reduce waste and ensure food is safe and fit to eat.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to combat the illegal dumping of waste.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Illegal dumping of waste is a serious crime which damages the environment and causes misery to local communities. The government is committed to bearing down on the perpetrators and tackling all forms of waste crime is a government priority. We ensure that the Environment Agency (EA) and local authorities (LAs) have the necessary powers to tackle crime effectively across the waste sector. We brought in regulations earlier in the year to give the EA two additional powers to tackle problem waste sites. This enables the EA to restrict access to a waste site by locking the gates or barring access, and requiring all the waste to be removed from a site, not just the illegally deposited waste.
We have also recently given LAs the power to issue £400 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences and have enhanced the powers available to LAs and the EA, such as the ability to search and seize the vehicles of suspected waste criminals.
Earlier this year we published our consultation on proposals to introduce a new fixed penalty for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. We also intend to provide updated guidance for householders about how to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly. We are currently analysing consultation responses. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, we will seek to implement the changes later this year. As two thirds of fly-tipping is household waste, these additional measures will help tackle fly-tipping.
We have also committed £30million in additional funding to the EA for waste crime enforcement until March 2022. This means that since 2014, an additional £60million in funding has been committed to the EA.
With effect from April this year HMRC have introduced two changes to the Landfill Tax regime. These changes will further help tackle illegal dumping by making the disposal of waste less profitable.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from industry groups and local authorities regarding proposals to increase plastic recycling.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In January this year, the Government published its 25 Year Environment Plan. It sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by taking action at each stage of the product lifecycle – production, consumption and end of life. At the production stage, we will encourage producers to take more responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and make sure plastic items are more carefully designed. At the consumer stage, we want to reduce demand for single use plastic. At the end of life stage, we will make it easier for people to recycle and increase the amount of plastic being recycled.
We have actively engaged with a wide range of industry groups and local authorities on measures to increase plastic recycling as part of developing our 25 Year Environment Plan, including seeking their ideas on improving current policies. We will continue to work with industry groups and local authorities in taking forward the actions needed to deliver the Plan.