Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2025 to question 98902 on the Environmental Improvement Plan, whether her Department plans to publish a formal consultation on domestic combustion.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As outlined in the EIP, we will consult on further measures to reduce emissions from domestic burning.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration she has given to designating the Trans Pennine Trail a National Trail.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to increasing access to nature and leaving a lasting benefit for future generations.
Although we do not currently plan to designate the Trans Pennine Trail as a National Trail, we remain committed to improving safe and appropriate access to green and blue spaces. In 2026 we expect to launch both the 2,700-mile King Charles III England Coast Path and Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route across the north of England as a National Trail. We are also progressing plans to deliver nine new National River Walks across England, one in each region and will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of consulting on reforms to Smoke Control Areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We continuously review the evidence around emissions and the most effective way to tackle smoke controlled areas.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environmental Improvement Plan, when her Department plans to publish the consultation on measures that cut emissions from domestic wood combustion.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently developing proposals for measures to tackle emissions from Domestic Combustion.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is considering proposals to introduce a national social tariff on water bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Independent Water Commission made a recommendation to consult on a National Social Tariff which Government is taking into consideration and will provide a response to later this year in a White Paper.
The Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported and expects water companies to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. Companies have therefore more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through existing social tariffs – from 4% to 9%.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the sale of commodities produced by illegal deforestation.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is actively considering the best regulatory approach to address de-forestation in UK supply chains; we will set out this approach in due course.
Significant progress is already being made in relation to timber through the UK Timber Regulation (UKTR), which prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the UK market. Under UKTR, businesses are required to exercise due diligence to ensure that timber products have been legally harvested in accordance with the laws of the country of origin. The regulation helps ensure that UK timber imports do not contribute to illegal deforestation and supports the broader goal of promoting sustainable forest management.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 potential contribution of the (a) horticulture, (b) landscape and (c) garden retail sectors to green (i) growth and (ii) jobs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our environmental horticulture sector. The Department regularly meets the Environmental Horticulture Group, as well as a wide range of stakeholders and businesses to discuss specific issues facing the sector. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive. In addition, we work across Government to ensure other Government departments are aware of issues that impact the sector.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure accuracy of method-of-production labelling for (a) domestic producers and (b) importers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.