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 progress his Department has made on improving responsible access to nature in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of access to nature for health and wellbeing and is committed to ensuring it is safe, inclusive and appropriate. We are delivering on our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England while also developing wider policy to improve access to nature in collaboration with other departments and stakeholders.
We are already delivering several initiatives to expand access to green spaces and parks, such as the £16 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which supports inclusive access to protected landscapes, national trailsand green spaces.
The National Planning Policy Framework stipulates planning policies to consider the need for open space and recreation facilities. We have also established the Parks Working Group to find practical solutions to improve the quality and sustainability of parks, with an emphasis on equitable access.
Through the £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods up to £20 million will support 75 communities across the UK over the next decade. This can include improving green spaces, with Chadderton, Ashton under Lyne and Farnworth already selected.
Finally, we own the Green Flag Award scheme, which sets national standards for green spaces. In 2024, 2,227 awards were given, including nine in Manchester.
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 progress his Department has made on improving access to parks and green spaces.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of access to nature for health and wellbeing and is committed to ensuring it is safe, inclusive and appropriate. We are delivering on our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England while also developing wider policy to improve access to nature in collaboration with other departments and stakeholders.
We are already delivering several initiatives to expand access to green spaces and parks, such as the £16 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which supports inclusive access to protected landscapes, national trailsand green spaces.
The National Planning Policy Framework stipulates planning policies to consider the need for open space and recreation facilities. We have also established the Parks Working Group to find practical solutions to improve the quality and sustainability of parks, with an emphasis on equitable access.
Through the £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods up to £20 million will support 75 communities across the UK over the next decade. This can include improving green spaces, with Chadderton, Ashton under Lyne and Farnworth already selected.
Finally, we own the Green Flag Award scheme, which sets national standards for green spaces. In 2024, 2,227 awards were given, including nine in Manchester.
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 discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on aligning the UK-wide bottle return scheme with the planned scheme for Wales.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to deliver a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in England in October 2027 and to realise its benefits of reducing litter, increasing recycling, and creating high quality recyclate that will support the transition to a circular economy.
Following a period of joint development of DRS across all four nations, the Welsh Government made the decision to withdraw from this approach in November 2024.
Defra Ministers remain in close contact with Welsh Government counterparts through bilateral meetings, calls, and written correspondence. Officials remain in close working partnership with the Welsh Government as they take the decisions regarding a DRS in Wales.
The UK Government is keen to keep the door open to provide as much interoperability of schemes across the UK as possible.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing extended producer responsibility collection targets for glass bottles to 90%.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Collection targets are not a feature of the extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging (pEPR). However, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which implement pEPR, set challenging, but achievable, recycling targets for all glass packaging which rise year on year to 85% by 2030.
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 discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) France, (b) Germany and (c) Sweden on reducing plastic waste.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has not held discussions on plastic waste with his counterparts in France, Germany, and Sweden. However, officials have had discussions with their counterparts in other countries to learn lessons on tackling waste, including plastic waste. For instance, officials have had discussions with the German Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) administrator to assist in developing the DRS in the UK.
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 his Department is taking steps to provide financial incentives for businesses engaged in (a) upcycling and (b) the sustainable production of textiles.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has asked his department to convene a taskforce of experts from across the Government, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organisations. The Taskforce will help to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England and a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis. The Taskforce will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and as such the Taskforce will evaluate what interventions, including financial incentives, may need to be made in the textiles sector as it helps to develop the Circular Economy Strategy.
Financial incentives are primarily a matter for the Treasury, and Treasury Ministers will be part of a Small Ministerial Group on the Circular Economy, which is also being convened, along with Ministers from Defra, the Department for Business and Trade, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This group will govern, join up and drive work to promote a Circular Economy across the Government. supporting the Government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.
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, when the recipients of the £6 million air quality grant will be announced for the 2023-24 period.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I had concerns that the Local Air Quality Scheme would not deliver the most positive outcomes for local air quality at this particular time and so I have asked Defra officials to consider redesigning the Scheme in the future, to be able to better deliver those positive outcomes and therefore enhanced value for money for taxpayers.
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 his Department plans to increase the air quality grant for 2024.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I had concerns that the Local Air Quality Scheme would not deliver the most positive outcomes for local air quality at this particular time and so I have asked Defra officials to consider redesigning the Scheme in the future, to be able to better deliver those positive outcomes and therefore enhanced value for money for taxpayers.
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 his Department made an impact assessment before ending the Air Quality Grant Scheme.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I had concerns that the Local Air Quality Scheme would not deliver the most positive outcomes for local air quality at this particular time and so I have asked Defra officials to consider redesigning the Scheme in the future, to be able to better deliver those positive outcomes and therefore enhanced value for money for taxpayers.
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 funding is available to local authorities for clean air programmes.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have allocated over £883 million to help local authorities develop and implement local NO2 reduction plans and to support those impacted by these plans. In addition, the Local Air Quality Grant scheme has supported over 500 projects with a total of over £53 million since 2010. We are currently considering whether the Local Air Quality Grant scheme might be redesigned to better deliver positive outcomes for local air quality.