Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent endangered plant and animal species coming into the UK.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government is committed to the conservation and protection of wildlife and we play a leading role internationally in addressing threats to endangered species; for instance through our membership of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Under our obligations as a party to CITES, the Government regulates trade in listed endangered species into the UK under a permitting regime; safeguarding such species from over-exploitation and with the aim of ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Defra coordinates across policy, scientific authorities and enforcement authorities, and engages closely with stakeholders in the UK, to ensure we continue to deliver on our international commitments to protect endangered species under CITES.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings she has had with her international counterparts on tackling wildlife crime.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Defra Ministers have had numerous meetings with their international counterparts in the last year to discuss efforts to protect endangered species from unsustainable and illegal trade and to follow up on commitments made at the international illegal wildlife trade conference held in London last October.
I look forward to continuing discussions on this important issue when I meet with my international counterparts in the future.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
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 representatives from the Environment Agency on the use of UK produced steel in projects funded by that Agency.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
There are regular discussions between Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) on the use of UK produced steel in EA projects. The EA adheres to the Procurement Policy Note regarding 'Procuring Steel in Major Projects' dated 30 October 2015. This was issued to support the UK government's commitment to implementing measures that address any barriers preventing UK suppliers of steel from competing effectively for public sector contracts. It provides guidance on how to take account of steel throughout the procurement process and is in line with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to put in place year-long environmental campaigns in 2020 similar to the Year of Green Action in 2019.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The aim of the 2019 Year of Green Action is to encourage more individuals, communities and businesses to take action to protect, enhance and connect people with the natural environment. By fostering new practice, partnerships and leadership in green enterprise we want to create a legacy of long term environmental action.
This Year of Green Action marks the start of our commitment to increase engagement with the environment and encourage behaviour that will support the achievement of our 25 Year Environment Plan goals. We are actively considering how we can encourage green action beyond this year.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of homes have water meters in (a) England, (b) the Bywater region and (c) the North Lincs and East Riding local authority areas.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
From observed data over the 2018/19 financial year period:
a) 55.7% of household properties in England are metered.
b) The ‘Bywater region’ is not known to us.
c) North Lincolnshire local authority is located within Anglian Water’s Central Lincolnshire resource zone. It is not possible to split the data further within this zone. From observed data over the 2018/19 period, 85.9% of household properties are metered.
East Ridings local authority is completely within Yorkshire Water’s strategic Grid resource zone. It is not possible to split the data further within this zone. From observed data over the 2018/19 period, 51.9% of household properties are metered.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
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 reduce cigarette end littering.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has made no specific assessment of the effects of discarded cigarettes on ocean plastic pollution. However, there is some evidence that in marine environments cigarette butts contribute to microplastics. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science is working to look at the impact of cigarette butts in the marine environment. This project is due to be completed next year.
The Litter Strategy for England was published in April 2017.
We are considering how we can ensure that manufacturers are held responsible for covering the costs of clearing up litter from cigarette butts.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
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 discarded cigarettes on ocean plastic pollution.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has made no specific assessment of the effects of discarded cigarettes on ocean plastic pollution. However, there is some evidence that in marine environments cigarette butts contribute to microplastics. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science is working to look at the impact of cigarette butts in the marine environment. This project is due to be completed next year.
The Litter Strategy for England was published in April 2017.
We are considering how we can ensure that manufacturers are held responsible for covering the costs of clearing up litter from cigarette butts.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
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 EU counterparts on an EU-wide ban on shark fin imports.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We have raised the issue of an EU-wide ban on shark fin imports with the EU Commission on a number of occasions and continue to push for stronger controls. We also successfully led the charge to ban shark finning across the EU.
Leaving the EU will present us with the opportunity to consider whether the UK can go further in controlling the quantity of dried shark fins permitted for personal consumption.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
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 potential merits of banning shark fin imports.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The UK has a strong track record in marine conservation. We successfully led the charge to ban shark finning across the EU, and we continue to press for stronger international controls. When sharks are caught we support the EU position of landing the full body.
While we are a member of the EU it is not possible to introduce additional restrictions on the import of shark fins. When we leave the EU there will be an opportunity to consider the case for going further than current arrangements, consistent with our World Trade Organisation obligations.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
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 further to help reduce dependency on single-use plastics items.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
We published our 25 Year Environment Plan on 11 January that stated our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste and, in particular, the waste from single-use plastics. The steps we will be taking to do this include introducing a DRS subject to consultation; exploring the introduction of plastic-free aisles by retailers; exploring how we can develop our producer responsibility schemes to give producers more incentives to design more resource efficient products; and looking at the compulsory extension of the carrier bag charge to small retailers.
In addition the Treasury published a call for evidence on 13 March that is seeking views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use and, as a consequence, the waste that arises from that use by reducing the unnecessary production of these items; increasing reuse wherever feasible; and improving the levels of recycling.