Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to abide by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The package agreed at COP15, including the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, represents a historic step forward towards addressing the biodiversity crisis. Setting a clear mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, the commitments expected under its 23 targets, notably to protect 30% of global land and 30% of global ocean by 2030, to end human induced-species extinctions of known threatened species by 2030, alongside the package of international nature finance agreed to support its implementation – put us on the path to nature recovery. The key is now to fully implement this ambitious framework across all Parties.
In England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the efficiency of export and import supply chains for UK-based food and drink business in the context of HGV driver shortages.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources, including robust supply chains domestically, and from a diverse range of other stable countries.
On 20 July, the Government announced a package of measures to help the road haulage industry tackle the issues caused by the HGV driver shortage. These measures consist of support for the recruitment and retention of drivers, proposals to streamline the process to obtain a licence, increasing the number of driving test slots available, offering financial assistance for training, and backing industry-led initiatives to improve the working conditions for drivers and the image of the industry.
We announced further measures on 25 September. These include training up to 4,000 new HGV drivers through skills bootcamps and the adult education budget. Alongside this, 5,000 HGV drivers will be able to come to the UK in the run-up to Christmas, providing short-term relief for the fuel and food haulage sectors.
Nearly one million letters have been sent to drivers who currently hold an HGV driving licence, to thank them for their vital role supporting the economy, and to encourage those who have left the industry to consider returning. We will continue to work closely with industry to address the HGV driver shortage and to explore all avenues which will help the sector recover and help the economy thrive.
The Government has launched a short consultation on 14 October setting out proposals to temporarily extend so-called “cabotage” rights. This would allow overseas haulage operators delivering goods to the UK to make further unlimited collections and deliveries within a 14 day period, as opposed to the current limit of two such trips within seven days.
Subject to the outcome of the one-week consultation, these temporary measures would come into force towards the end of this year for up to six months, helping secure supply chains in the medium term alongside the wider package of measures the Government has put in place to address the shortage of drivers more broadly.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
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 made an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the dog and cat boarding sector.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
Defra has been monitoring the impact that coronavirus restrictions have been having on the companion animal sector and has maintained a regular dialogue with the pet industry, welfare charities, local authorities and the veterinary sector.
We understand that lifestyle changes resulting from measures put in place to control the spread of coronavirus, including cancelled holidays, have affected occupancy rates in boarding establishments as people spend more time at home with their pets. However, the sector continues to provide a valued service for many people, including looking after the pets of key workers, people hospitalised as a result of coronavirus and vulnerable people, all of whom may need their services at this current time.
We have worked with the Canine and Feline Sector Group to agree guidance for pet businesses, including boarding establishments, to enable them to undertake core operations as far as possible, while maintaining compliance with the social distancing rules and need for hygiene precautions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. We remain committed to engagement with the animal boarding sector to monitor any concerns they have and offer appropriate advice.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environmental Audit Committee's first report of Session 2019 entitled, Invasive Species, if her Department will establish a biosecurity citizens' army to (a) improve public understanding of invasive non-native species and (b) help identify emerging biosecurity threats.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
Partnership working is vital to deliver long-term management of invasive non-native species (INNS). The Great Britain INNS Strategy aims to guide a strong partnership approach with non-Governmental organisations, businesses, Government and the general public working together to improve biosecurity and reduce the risk from INNS.
Defra funded 29 Non-native Species Local Action Groups (LAGs) between 2011 and 2015 to support their start-up and give them time to become self-sustaining. Defra continues to provide advice to the LAGs and hosts an annual workshop for LAGs to meet and share progress. Non-native Species LAG coordinators and volunteers work with land owners to control INNS in catchment areas to reduce the risk of reinvasion. LAGs provide a key resource to help manage many species and raise awareness and they have mobilised a large number of volunteers in the fight against INNS. Other stakeholders also play a key role, such as Angling Trust members undertaking clearance of Himalayan balsam on river banks and trapping signal crayfish in their ponds. British Canoeing participates in our strategic approach to floating pennywort control and its members are engaged in organised control work alongside the Environment Agency and the Canal and River Trust.
We will examine the Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendation, and in particular the New Zealand model that it promotes for the mobilisation of large numbers of people. Citizen science is a vital addition to Government surveillance, providing more eyes on the ground and shared responsibility, which improves our overall biosecurity culture. We are assessing the options to facilitate the expansion of current local action into a ‘biosecurity citizens’ army’.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will fund a public awareness campaign on invasive non-native species in 2020.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
Increasing levels of public awareness is critical to tackling invasive species. Extra resources will be considered as part of departmental business planning and future Government spending reviews, including Spending Review 2020.
The Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat (GBNNSS), on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, is currently reviewing the Be Plant Wise campaign. We will be revising the messaging and extending it to cover terrestrial as well as aquatic plants. The GBNNSS is in discussion with some of the English water companies about extending the very successful partnership work on the Check Clean Dry campaign with them for a further five years beyond 2020 and expanding the campaign to the near Continent.
We launched the first Invasive Species Week in 2015, to bring together a wide range of organisations to raise awareness of invasive non-native species, to highlight work going on to tackle them and to inspire people to get involved and help prevent their spread. Over 320 organisations were involved in last year’s Invasive Species Week with 93 events held across the country. Invasive Species Week 2020 will take place from 18-22 May and I would encourage all hon. Members to look for ways to get involved in their constituencies.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of (a) the contribution of the commercial crayfish industry to the UK economy and (b) the cost to the UK economy of signal crayfish damage and control.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
We have made no specific assessment of the contribution of the crayfish industry to the UK economy. As part of the development of the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, we engaged with representatives of the crayfish industry to understand the impact of the Order on their businesses.
The 2010 technical report “The economic cost of invasive non-native species on Great Britain” investigated the cost of signal crayfish to the GB economy in regard to management, riverbank restoration, angling and research. The total cost to GB was found to be £2,689,000 annually (England: £1,538,000; Wales: £576,000; Scotland: £575,000. Northern Ireland has no populations of signal crayfish).
Defra recently published the results of a scoping study documenting the current evidence in relation to the ecosystem service impacts of invasive non-native species (INNS) in the UK. This study[1] sought to determine the feasibility of expanding on the 2010 report by estimating natural capital costs resulting from INNS, alongside the direct economic costs which were the focus of the 2010 report. This found that the costs of control were higher than the reported economic impacts, but these did not include river bank damage or wider ecosystem costs.
[1] Scoping study: ecosystem services and natural capital costs of invasive non-native species in the UK - BE0162 http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=1&ProjectID=20315
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Policy Connects report entitled Plastic Packaging Plan: achieving zero 'waste' exports, published January 2019, that highlighted UK exports of plastic packaging overseas stood at 4.15 million tonnes between 2010-2017, what steps her Department are taking to ensure the UK is a net-zero exporter of plastic packaging by 2030.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
We have made no formal assessment of becoming a “net-zero exporter of plastic packaging”.
The Resources and Waste strategy sets out Governments aim to significantly increase UKs reprocessing capacity, including for plastics. This will be achieved by providing a large and stable supply of recyclable waste materials, increasing the quality of the waste materials to be recycled, improving demand for recycled materials and levelling the playing field for UK reprocessors through minimising illegal waste exports.
Government has recently consulted on wide ranging reforms to support these aims through greater consistency in household and business recycling, reform of packaging producer responsibility, and the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the merits of the UK becoming a net-zero exporter of plastic packaging by 2030.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
We have made no formal assessment of becoming a “net-zero exporter of plastic packaging”.
The Resources and Waste strategy sets out Governments aim to significantly increase UKs reprocessing capacity, including for plastics. This will be achieved by providing a large and stable supply of recyclable waste materials, increasing the quality of the waste materials to be recycled, improving demand for recycled materials and levelling the playing field for UK reprocessors through minimising illegal waste exports.
Government has recently consulted on wide ranging reforms to support these aims through greater consistency in household and business recycling, reform of packaging producer responsibility, and the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the UK meets targets as set out under the European Union Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and Circular Economy Package to (a) recycle 70% of packaging waste by 2030 and (b) recycle 65 per cent of municipal waste by 2035.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government has recently consulted on a package of measures to overhaul the waste and recycling system. This included reforms to the packaging producer responsibility system to incentivise producers to use easier to recycle packaging and ensure the UK achieves a 70% recycling rate for packaging waste by 2030.
This consultation also proposed a system of modulated fees to incentivise design for recyclability to ensure that the majority of packaging can be easily recycled.
In addition, we have consulted on measures to achieve greater consistency in recycling provision across England. Following support at consultation, we will legislate so that all local authorities in England collect the same core set of dry, recyclable materials and provide a weekly, separate food waste collection service to households, from 2023. We will also legislate so that businesses and other organisations separate dry recyclable materials and food waste from residual waste streams to be recycled also from 2023.
These measures, together with packaging reforms, will contribute towards achieving an overall 65% recycling rate of municipal waste by 2035.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to ensure that 80 per cent of packaging produced can be recycled.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government has recently consulted on a package of measures to overhaul the waste and recycling system. This included reforms to the packaging producer responsibility system to incentivise producers to use easier to recycle packaging and ensure the UK achieves a 70% recycling rate for packaging waste by 2030.
This consultation also proposed a system of modulated fees to incentivise design for recyclability to ensure that the majority of packaging can be easily recycled.
In addition, we have consulted on measures to achieve greater consistency in recycling provision across England. Following support at consultation, we will legislate so that all local authorities in England collect the same core set of dry, recyclable materials and provide a weekly, separate food waste collection service to households, from 2023. We will also legislate so that businesses and other organisations separate dry recyclable materials and food waste from residual waste streams to be recycled also from 2023.
These measures, together with packaging reforms, will contribute towards achieving an overall 65% recycling rate of municipal waste by 2035.