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.