Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 commit to setting a target for a 68 per cent recycling rate by 2030 covering all wastes in England in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has committed to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035, with less than 10% municipal waste going to landfill. We set out measures to achieve this target in our 2019 Resources and Waste Strategy and the Environment Bill.
From the combined impacts of consistent recycling collection, Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, we estimate that we will meet this commitment. These three reforms are estimated to deliver over 30 million tonnes of CO2 emissions savings between 2023-2035.
We have also published plans for monitoring and evaluating progress on the Resources and Waste Strategy and will publish annual statistics of recycling as now.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 bring forward to 2025 the ban on biodegradable waste being sent to landfill in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in our Resources and Waste Strategy, we will continue to explore policies to work towards eliminating all biodegradable waste to landfill by 2030. Climate Change Committee advice is taken into account in policy development. We are also continuing to analyse expected future levels of municipal residual waste and infrastructure needs.
Our measures to introduce consistency in household and business recycling collections includes a requirement to collect separately food and garden waste from households that will, once implemented, help to achieve a reduction in the amount of biodegradable waste that is sent for disposal in landfill.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 phase out exports of waste by 2030 in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working with the Department for International Trade on supporting the development of more recycling infrastructure within the UK to reduce the need to export wastes to other countries.
Our Environment Bill will enable us to significantly change the way that we manage our waste. We have recently concluded consultations on using powers in the Bill such as for a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for packaging, and proposals for greater consistency in household and business recycling. These measures will increase the quality and quantity of wastes collected for recycling, drive up demand for recycled materials and provide an incentive for industry to invest in UK reprocessing infrastructure.
We are also taking action to reduce the volume of waste generated in the first place. Our approach is focused on encouraging greater uptake of reusable alternatives and increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. The Resources and Waste Strategy also sets out the Government's plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than we do now.
Where the UK cannot currently recycle materials economically, exports can help ensure those materials are recycled rather than landfilled. Recycling one tonne of plastics reduces emissions by 1.1 - 3.0 tonnes of CO2e, compared to producing the same tonne of plastics from virgin fossil feedstock.
The UK Government is committed to banning the export of plastic waste for recycling or disposal to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). We currently plan to consult before the end of 2022 on options to deliver the proposed ban.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 for local groups or organisations to develop ecology centres or wildlife preserves that serve the local community and meet the broader policies of his Department.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The National Lottery Heritage Fund provides grants through its National Lottery Grants for Heritage, which can support communities to protect, share and enjoy their local natural environment. Since 1994, the Fund has invested more than £1.5bn into projects focused on England’s natural heritage.
Defra’s Countryside Stewardship scheme provides financial incentives for farmers, woodland owners, foresters and land managers to look after and improve the environment through agricultural or woodland land management. It also provides funding for educational access, allowing groups such as school pupils to visit farms to learn, understand and engage with farming and the environment. Among agreement holders in the scheme are a number of charities and organisations who own and manage nature reserves for wildlife.
Defra’s £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund has kick-started a pipeline of nature-based projects to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment. For example, a project led by Gasworks Dock Partnership will deliver extensive habitat creation and restoration while establishing Cody Dock, in Newham, as a flagship centre for community led citizen science and academic ecology studies.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 international partners on ensuring the recognition of UK geographical indications in foreign markets; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that recognition in multilateral trade bodies.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK has successfully signed a number of trade agreements which provide continued protection for iconic UK geographical indications in foreign markets, including with the Andean Community, Canada, Switzerland, Ukraine and Singapore. The UK-Japan Comprehensive Partnership Agreement will also offer new protection for additional UK geographical indications.
We continue to seek the best deal for UK geographical indications in all of our ongoing negotiations with international trading partners and through multilateral trade bodies such as the World Trade Organisation.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 has made an assessment of the effect of geographical indications (GIs) on local economies; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of GIs on the (a) rate of employment in areas with GIs, (b) median wage in areas with GIs compared to areas without GIs and (c) price stability of GI products compared to similar products without GI status.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Whilst the Government has not undertaken an assessment of the impact of geographical indications (GI) on local economies, we are aware from industry partners that they play an important role in retaining jobs and historically important skills in rural areas. For example, we understand that the Cornish Pasty (protected GI) industry employs 2,000 people and contributes over £65 million to the local economy. The Scotch Whisky Association estimates that more than 10,000 people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland and over 40,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry which provides £5.5bn in gross value added to the UK economy.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to meet the UK Government's commitment to moving 22,000 civil servants outside of central London by 2030, and in particular to the East Midlands.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is committed to playing its part in the levelling up agenda and strengthening the Union through a growing presence across the UK. The Department is already geographically dispersed, with over three-quarters of Defra civil servants based outside London, including in our policy hubs in York and Bristol, and 85% of all staff in Defra Group including arms-length bodies. The Department will play its part in the Government’s commitment to move 22,000 civil servant posts outside London by 2030, and base half of all senior civil servant posts outside London by 2030.
In the East Midlands, Defra has 880 staff. We are committed to joining the new Government hub in Peterborough from next year
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to allow farm machinery auctions to resume as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment have been permitted through the present lockdown; however, these auctions should be carried out virtually or by telephone where possible. If an auction cannot go ahead virtually or by telephone, then auction houses should only admit people who need to be there for business purposes, work purposes or if another permitted exemption applies.
The Government has set out its intention to ease the rules on in-person attendance at auctions, no earlier than 12 April. At Step 2, people should only visit indoor auction houses with people from their own household or support bubble, unless they are there for business purposes, work purposes or if another permitted exemption applies. People can visit outdoor auctions, which includes those held on farm premises, in groups of up to six people or with one other household.
Outdoor gatherings must be limited to 6 people or 2 households, and no indoor mixing will be allowed unless otherwise exempt. This does not limit a permitted event to a maximum of 6 people or 2 households in total, it solely limits people from attending the event in a group of larger than 6 people or 2 households.
At Step 3, no earlier than 17 May, people will be able to visit indoor auction houses in a group of up to six or with one other household. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reopening-businesses-and-venues-in-england/reopening-businesses-and-venues.
At all Steps, auction houses should take the necessary measures to ensure they are Covid-19 Secure: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/closing-certain-businesses-and-venues-in-england.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 local police forces in tackling (a) fly-tipping and (b) other rural crime; and how many incidents of fly-tipping have been recorded in England and Wales in the last two years.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fly-tipping is a crime which blights local communities and the environment, and we are committed to tackling this unacceptable behaviour.
Enforcement against fly-tipping is mainly carried out by local authorities, and we expect them to investigate all incidents of fly-tipping, including those incidents on private land. In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping, such as by introducing the power to issue fixed penalty notices and to stop and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. Our 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy set out our strategic approach to prevent, detect and deter waste crime.
Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, which includes representatives from the police force, local authorities, and organisations representing landowners, such as the National Farmers Union, National Trust, and Country Land and Business Association. The National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group shares a common aim to help prevent and tackle fly-tipping and share best practice.
The Environment Bill includes several measures to help tackle waste crime. The Bill will ensure agencies and authorities can work more effectively to combat waste crime through better access to evidence and improved powers of entry. These new powers will help ensure waste criminals, such as illegitimate waste operators reliant on fly-tipping for income, are held accountable for their actions
The Government recognises that there can be particular challenges in responding to rural crime, and so to drive down crime in rural and urban areas, we are recruiting an additional 20,000 officers over the next three years, with 4,000 of these officers already on our streets. To aid with the biggest recruitment drive in decades and to ensure that the criminal justice system can deal with the results, we are investing £85 million in the Crown Prosecution Service.
We also welcome the rural affairs strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in July 2018. This sets out the operational and organisational policing priorities for local police forces in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.
Local authorities reported 975,631 incidents of fly-tipping in England in 2019/20, this was an increase of 2% from the 957,157 incidents reported in 2018/19. These statistics are available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. Waste is a devolved matter and I can therefore only comment on incidents of fly-tipping in England.