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 steps he is taking to support (a) Lakeside EfW and high temperature incinerator and (b) other waste industry organisations in providing services to local authorities and NHS trusts during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government is continuing to work closely with the waste industry, including operators of incineration and EFW plants such as Lakeside, to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the sector and to provide the necessary and appropriate support to ensure the provision of services.
The Chancellor announced unprecedented support for businesses in general, including a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, deferral of VAT payments for firms until the end of June and £330 billion of Government-backed and guaranteed loans including a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Early in the pandemic, Defra worked with the waste industry to develop an online platform to facilitate the sharing of resources between local authorities and commercial operators. The platform, WasteSupport, was launched on 16 April. In addition, the Environment Agency has been taking a proportionate approach to regulation and published a number of COVID-19 Regulatory Position Statements, to address specific concerns around compliance with permit conditions, for instance on exceeding waste storage limits at permitted sites. These can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/covid-19-regulatory-position-statements
Throughout the outbreak, we have worked closely with the NHS to monitor the position in relation to clinical waste. We have clear, sensible contingency plans in place and continue to keep the position under review.
Defra has worked with local government, other Government departments and the waste industry to produce and publish guidance to help local authorities manage their waste collection services and household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) during the Covid-19 outbreak. The guidance on reopening HWRCs was developed in conjunction with Public Health England and the Home Office and sets out how to operate HWRCs in a way that protects human health while?maintaining safe systems of working. The HWRC guidance is available at:
Since publication of our guidance nearly all local authorities are now able to offer a HWRC service and local householders can make trips to these sites as needed.?Weekly surveys indicate that, due to the hard work of those in the sector, nearly all English authorities are operating household waste collections as normal, with only a small percentage reporting minor disruption.
The Minister for Regional Growth and I wrote to local authorities on 5 May to thank those working to deliver waste services during the Covid-19 outbreak for the vital role they are playing in protecting the environment, public amenity and people’s health. We wrote a further letter on 28 June asking local authorities to ensure that as much access as possible is provided to HWRC services where this can be done safely.
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 plans he has to allocate funding from the public purse to flood defences after 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is investing a record £2.6 billion from 2015-2021 to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, and £1bn to maintain existing defences. Since 2015 some 600 new schemes are already providing better protection to over 200,000 homes across the country. The level of funding for flood defences beyond 2021 will be decided as part of a future Budget settlement, and will be informed by a range of evidence and forecasts, including the Environment Agency’s Long Term Investment Scenarios report.
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 plans she has to implement the recommendation in the report by the Environment Agency entitled, Long-term investment scenarios 2019, that flood and coastal erosion risk management in the UK will require an average annual investment of £1 billion until 2065.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is investing a record £2.6 billion from 2015-2021 to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, and £1bn to maintain existing defences. Since 2015 some 600 new schemes are already providing better protection to over 200,000 homes across the country. The level of funding for flood defences beyond 2021 will be decided as part of a future Budget settlement, and will be informed by a range of evidence and forecasts, including the Environment Agency’s Long Term Investment Scenarios report.
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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 Thérèse 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 Thérèse 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 Thérèse 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 Thérèse 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 Thérèse 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.