Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the long-term environmental impacts for the Thames Valley region following the construction of the proposed north-west runway at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Natural England has a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), to provide them with pre-application advice in relation to the proposed airport expansion. The advice being provided to Heathrow is being led and coordinated by the Thames Area Team.
The potential impacts from the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport, to the Thames Valley, and the avoidance, mitigation, and compensation measures required to address them, are the focus of Natural England’s detailed advice to HAL. This advice can be broadly categorised into the following:
Natural England are working closely with Heathrow Airport Limited to ensure they submit sufficient information as part of their Development Consent Order application, to enable the Secretary of State to take a view as to the environmental impacts of the proposed expansion.
Additionally the Environment Agency (EA) has provided a response to HAL’s Preliminary Environmental Information report and continue to be in discussion over their proposals as they form their EA and Statement of Common Ground.
The application stage for the Development Consent Order is expected in Autumn 2020. We expect more details about HAL’s proposals to be shared with the EA at this stage which will enable them to make an informed judgement.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the contribution that green bridges make to biodiversity.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Green bridges are structures designed to provide wildlife and non-motorised users with easy and safe crossing of main roads and railways.
In 2015, Natural England published a review of the literature on green bridges. The review looked at 53 case studies from Europe and North America and found evidence that, in the majority of cases, green bridges were utilised by wildlife, although an assessment of their effectiveness in conserving wildlife populations was limited by the lack of long-term monitoring data. Guidance on the design of green bridges was also published by the Landscape Institute based on research undertaken by Natural England.
In 2015, the Government published research which included an assessment of the A21 Scotney Caste Green Bridge, constructed by the then Highways Agency, which found that of all incidences of bats crossing the road to and from the Scotney Castle Estate, 97 per cent used the green bridge. At least five bat species were recorded foraging over the bridge which was also used by deer, badger and breeding dormice.
The Government will keep the evidence for the effectiveness of these structures under review as new green bridges are planned and implemented.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which key performance indicators his Department uses to assess progress in improving the UK’s biodiversity.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter. The UK government has a range of performance indicators for England, although we do also work with the devolved administrations to compile indicators at UK scale for international reporting.
In June 2019 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published its Single Departmental Plan which includes biodiversity performance indicators for England, including: extent of marine protected areas and condition of protected sites and priority habitat.
In May of this year, the Government published a new indicator framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan, setting out a transparent, comprehensive framework that shows how the environment in England is changing and whether it is improving over time. These indicators include diversity and health of our seas, wildlife and wild places, and nature on land and water.
To support reporting of progress across the whole of the UK, the government publishes a set of UK Biodiversity Indicators, updated annually. These measure long term trends in the UK’s biodiversity and progress against our international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of cellular agriculture on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Cellular agriculture has the potential to transform how we produce some foods. Advances in science may allow us to create traditional animal products away from traditional farm settings, from gelatine and egg whites to milk and even meat. Such methods of production also have the potential to reduce climate emissions, especially when harnessing renewable energy supplies. Whilst Defra has not yet assessed the potential of this technology on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, through the £90 million Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Transforming Food Production challenge we will focus on innovation and research around agriculture, productivity and sustainability.
The environmental impacts of food are complex and span the whole supply chain. Defra undertakes and coordinates research across the whole food system to enhance productivity, enhance food quality, increase efficiency, and reduce waste, from primary production through to manufacturing, retail, distribution and the consumer.
The Government is committed to publishing a National Food Strategy when we leave the European Union. This will help ensure that our food system delivers healthy and affordable food for all people, and is built upon a resilient and sustainable agriculture sector which considers its climate impact.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incinerators of anatomical and cytotoxic waste operate in the UK; what the volume of capacity of each incinerator is; and where each incinerator is located.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
These data are for England only - waste management is a devolved matter and the Devolved Administrations should be contacted for figures in those nations.
The table below gives a list of all of the incinerators in England that are permitted to dispose of anatomical and cytotoxic waste, their maximum permitted annual throughputs and location.
The actual capacity of each incinerator will vary from year to year according to the mixture of waste types it receives for disposal and the number of shutdowns that are needed for maintenance and repairs.
Permit number | Operator | Site | Site Address | Maximum permitted throughput (tonnes/year) |
WP3935SM | Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Addenbrooke's Hospital Incinerator | Addenbrookes Hospital | 4500 |
YP3934SM | Peake (GB) Ltd | Peake (GB) Ltd | Peake GB Ltd | 5241 |
GP3236AX | Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust | Derriford Incinerator EPR/GP3236AX/T001 | Derriford Hospital | 4270 |
EP3530XY | SRCL Ltd | Ipswich Waste to Energy Facility | Ipswich Waste to Energy Facility | 8500 |
ZP3230XC | SRCL Limited | Oldham Clinical Waste Incinerator | Royal Oldham Hospital | 7884 |
ZP3730XJ | SRCL Limited | Bolton Clinical Waste Incinerator | Royal Bolton Hospital | 6570 |
BT2866IG | Grundon Waste Management Ltd | GRUNDON INCINERATOR COLNBROOK | Lakeside Clinical Waste Incinerator | 10000 |
LP3037UU | SRCL Ltd | Hillingdon Clinical Waste Incinerator | The Incinerator | 8000 |
JP3133XP | SRCL Ltd | Sidcup Waste to Energy Facility | Queen Mary's Hospital | 8000 |
HP3230XA | SRCL Ltd | Ashford Clinical Incinerator | William Harvey Hospital | 8500 |
VP3130EF | SRCL Limited | Avonmouth Clinical Waste Incinerator | Avonmouth Clinical Waste Incinerator | 6570 |
PP3530XK | SRCL Ltd | Bournemouth Waste To Energy Facility | The Incinerator Complex, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Dorset | 8000 |
CP3930XL | SRCL Ltd | Knostrop Clinical Waste Incinerator | Knostrop Treatment Works | 17000 |
VP3136ZD | Tradebe Healthcare National Limited | Redditch Clinical Waste Treatment Facility | The Incinerator, Alexandra Hospital | 10000 |
WP3239SJ | Veolia ES Birmingham Limited | Tyseley Energy from Waste Plant | Tyseley Waste Disposal Ltd | 5250 |
BS5193IE | Veolia ES Cleanaway (UK) Limited | Ellesmere Port Incinerator | BRIDGES ROAD | 100000 |
UP3034CN | Augean Treatment Ltd | East Kent Waste Recovery Facility EPR/UP3034CN/V003 | East Kent Waste Recovery Facility | 13140 |
FP3935KL | Tradebe Fawley Limited | Tradebe Fawley HTI EPR/FP3935KL/V005 | Tradebe Fawley Limited | 45000 |
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will estimate how much (a) anatomical and (b) cytotoxic waste the UK (i) produced in (A) 2017 and (B) 2018 and (ii) will produce in (A) 2025 and (B) 2030.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The table below shows the information reported to the Environment Agency by waste management operators through its waste returns system. Figures shown are for the amount of waste incinerated for each of the different types.
These data are for England only - waste management is a devolved matter and the Devolved Administrations should be contacted for figures in those nations.
The Environment Agency is not in a position to estimate arisings of the specified wastes in 2025 and 2030.
Waste type | 2017 | 2018 year to date |
Non-infectious anatomical | 160 tonnes | 148 tonnes |
Cytotoxic and cytostatic | 1730 tonnes | 1397 tonnes |
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to expand Heathrow airport on the (a) environmental and (b) financial cost to operators and owners of waterways and canals in the areas surrounding Heathrow.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Environment Agency (EA) has not yet made a detailed assessment of the effect of proposals to expand Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) is currently working on its detailed proposal and once this is submitted the EA will assess it. The EA will be responding to the first phase of HAL’s public consultation which was launched on 17 January 2018. The EA will not be able to assess the detailed proposals until HAL submit their application for a Development Consent Order, which they expect to do by the end of 2019.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential benefits to waterways management of the proposals by the Inland Waterways Association to transfer management of the waterways from the Environment Agency to the Canal and River Trust.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Defra has not received proposals from the Inland Waterways Association for the transfer of the management of the waterways from the Environment Agency to the Canal and River Trust.