Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will extend 'right to repair' legislation (1) further to encourage reuse and repair practices, and (2) to ensure that manufacturers provide appropriate parts and service information.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will map our transition to a circular economy, supported by a series of roadmaps that detail the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis.
Defra recognises that reuse and repair are fundamental tenets of any circular economy and will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy as we develop the Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that commonly discarded goods are instead reused to generate economic, environmental and social value.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will map our transition to a circular economy, supported by a series of roadmaps that detail the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis.
Defra recognises that reuse and repair are fundamental tenets of any circular economy and will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy as we develop the Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to encourage the uptake of reuse and repair as drivers of a circular economy.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will map our transition to a circular economy, supported by a series of roadmaps that detail the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis.
Defra recognises that reuse and repair are fundamental tenets of any circular economy and will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy as we develop the Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper 30by30 on land in England: confirmed criteria and next steps, published on 29 October, what role they intend Local Nature Recovery Strategies to have in achieving their '30 by 30’ targets.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Delivering the UK’s 30by30 target on land in England will require a strategic approach, to address the scale of action needed, and ensure a diverse and well-connected network of 30by30 areas. Over the coming months, we will be developing a delivery strategy for 30by30, to ensure we make good on this important commitment. This will confirm the key levers that will help us to achieve this target and set out the pathway to 2030. We hope to finalise and publish this strategy this year.
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are currently being prepared across England. Each LNRS will agree priorities and propose practical actions in the best locations for nature recovery and wider environmental benefits, such as water quality, flood risk management and climate mitigation. Where appropriate action is then taken, some of these areas could go on to contribute towards 30by30 where landowners/land managers are willing.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish an Access to Nature White Paper and whether they will engage with stakeholders representing public access and recreation.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and we are working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. This is why we have set out our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, expanding access to the great outdoors.
We are considering our approach to improving access to nature and are committed to working with our stakeholders as we develop this thinking. We will provide a further update in due course.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will commence the operation of marine net gain.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to nature recovery. Work is underway to develop options for the role marine net gain may play including consideration of timescales for operation of the policy.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional guidance to local planning authorities would be appropriate in order to ensure that exemptions to biodiversity net gain can be properly and confidently assessed.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, while being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are monitoring the success and roll-out of biodiversity net gain policy; and whether they have plans to review the current system of exemptions.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, while being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initial assessment they have made of the implementation of biodiversity net gain to date.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, while being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which public body, or bodies, will be given the responsibility for the delivery of the Local Nature Recovery Strategies once they have been agreed.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
Local Natural Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) will identify and map the best locations to create, enhance and restore nature and provide wider environmental benefits across the whole country. The Government has committed to funding LNRS preparation and recognises the need for them to have weight and meaning across a range of government policies to support and incentivise their delivery.
No one body can therefore be solely responsible for the delivery of LNRSs. Recovering nature will require public, private and voluntary sectors to work closely together to deliver the priorities identified in the strategies. All public bodies must have regard to LNRSs as part of their strengthened statutory duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity (attached).
The Government will publish guidance shortly on how planning authorities will have to have regard to and in time take account of LNRSs in their plans. LNRSs will help to target biodiversity net gain actions and as the strategies become available, the Government will continue to explore join-up between elements of Environmental Land Management schemes and LNRS, as committed to in the January 2024 Agricultural Transition Plan (attached).
We are in discussions with LNRS responsible authorities about their role in helping to coordinate activities in their areas.