Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 plans to take to help tackle the impact of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances in the marine environment.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is working closely with domestic regulators and key stakeholders to improve wider understanding and approach to managing the risks from PFAS. This includes working with the Environment Agency (EA) to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources, and potential risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. My department has asked the Health and Safety Executive to consider a UK REACH Restriction on PFAS in firefighting foams, and a proposal is due to be published soon. Internationally, PFAS were added to the OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action in 2023. This list identifies substances considered to be a threat to the marine environment and the actions that OSPAR Contracting Parties (including the UK) should take to minimise those threats.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 plans to take to further restrict the use of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances where there are clear alternatives.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the publication of a Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA) on PFAS in April 2023, my department asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate whether to restrict PFAS in firefighting foams under the UK REACH (Restriction, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals) regime. HSE’s restriction dossier is due to be published for consultation in Spring 2025. Alongside this, my department is also considering further measures on PFAS.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 9 September 2024 to Question 3449 on Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances, when he plans to set out his plans for addressing Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances; and whether he plans to consider this as part of the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The revised Environmental Improvement Plan, which will be introduced in 2025, will set out the Government’s approach to managing PFAS.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 potential impact of beaver reintroductions on flood resilience in areas where they have been trialled.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Yes, the Government has assessed the impact of reintroducing beavers on flood resilience. This includes an evidence review of the impacts of beavers on the natural and human environment in England, which shows beavers can reduce the risk of flooding.
Beavers can bring a range of benefits including contributing to flood risk mitigation, by using their dams and creating complex wetland habitats to slow the flow of water and to store water (a form of natural flood management). Appropriately managing the reintroduction of beavers in England helps to mitigate the impact they can have.
Building on the approach that we have already developed for wild release and management; we will collaboratively develop a management plan for the long-term reintroduction and recovery of beaver populations in England.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 potential impact of wild beaver releases on the (a) economy and (b) environment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Yes, Natural England have conducted assessments on the impact of beavers on the environment. This has primarily been done through the River Otter Beaver Trial and an evidence review of the interactions between beavers and the natural and human environments, published in 2021. The government recognises that beavers can bring many benefits for the environment, including boosting biodiversity, creating and restoring wetland habitats, and reducing downstream flooding.
The Government has not directly assessed the impact of beaver wild release on the economy. However, applications for beaver wild release licences must consider the socio-economic effect of their project, including conducting a risk assessment. Licences will only be granted for projects which are economically feasible and there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 potential merits of making Cornwall a priority location for a wild beaver release.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way. Any wild beaver reintroductions in Cornwall must therefore meet the criteria.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 set a timeline for the approval of wild release licences for beavers in England.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
On 28 February 2025, Defra announced its new approach to beavers, including opening a licensing scheme for beaver wild release.
Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest, which will be assessed by Natural England (NE). Projects likely to meet the licensing criteria will be invited to make a full application.
NE aim to assess Expressions of Interest within 45 working days. Full application assessments are likely to take a minimum of four months. All applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and assessment may take longer for complex projects or if there is high demand.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 adequacy of the timeline for implementing marine net gain.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is assessing the role that marine net gain may play in nature recovery including consideration of timescales for operation of the policy.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential merits of mandating swift bricks in new property developments.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has identified that the lack of nest sites is one of the pressures on species including the swift. Therefore, provision of swift bricks may aid recovery alongside other actions, such as to increase food resources. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published a revised National Planning Policy Framework in December. This expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support species like swifts, such as swift bricks.
Defra policy officials are continuing to work with MHCLG colleagues to consider what action may be appropriate to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 take steps to ensure food and allergy labelling laws are updated to provide clearer and accurate information for consumers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Consumers receiving accurate information about the food they eat is of upmost importance, however any new legislation needs to be carefully considered, taking into account the views of all stakeholders and the balance of costs and benefits, which will take some time
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods, which includes foods made to order in restaurants
In December 2023, the FSA Board agreed that businesses selling non-prepacked foods, such as cafes and restaurants, should provide allergen information to consumers in writing and this should be supported by a conversation. Following the Board’s decision, FSA officials are working to assess the impact of different legislative options for improving the provision of allergen information for non-prepacked foods. Defra officials are being kept closely informed on the progress of this work.
In parallel, taking the steer from the Board, the FSA has created best practice guidance for businesses to provide written information and support this with a conversation, which has just been through a public consultation. This guidance along with tools to assist businesses in following it will be published in the next few days.