Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the site-specific (a) rainfall, (b) flow and (c) network conditions used to check the compliance of sewage spills from (i) Foxton Water Recycling Centre, (ii) Mogden Sewage Treatment Works, (iii) Glebe Road Sewage Pumping Station, Bowness on Windermere, (iv) Ben Rhydding Sewage Treatment Works, and (v) Tiverton Sewage Treatment Works.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) publishes rainfall data from its hydrometric monitoring network. Sewage flow data is available on request from the EA, and network condition is monitored by Ofwat. The EA assesses compliance with permits using a range of information, with enforcement action taken where breaches are identified.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has assessed the potential merits of introducing a regular, scheduled review of the Great Britain list of Species of Special Concern.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The list of Species of Special Concern is statutorily reviewed every six years, with the next review due in 2028. Although we cannot comment on decisions taken by previous administrations, this Government fully intends to list new species and is current in the process of considering additional species as part the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Committee.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 the potential impact of the time taken to update the Great Britain list of Species of Special Concern on efforts to meet Target 6 of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Species listing is an important risk-prevention tool, but listing pace has not affected Target 6 delivery. The UK’s February 2026 Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity assesses progress against national biodiversity targets and records three establishments prevented during its reporting period, meeting the target.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Great Britain list of Species of Special Concern has not been updated recently.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The list of Species of Special Concern is statutorily reviewed every six years, with the next review due in 2028. Although we cannot comment on decisions taken by previous administrations, this Government fully intends to list new species and is current in the process of considering additional species as part the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Committee.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the next update to the Great Britain list of Species of Special Concern will be published.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The list of Species of Special Concern is statutorily reviewed every six years, with the next review due in 2028. Although we cannot comment on decisions taken by previous administrations, this Government fully intends to list new species and is current in the process of considering additional species as part the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Committee.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what warnings were issued to military personnel on endurance or other training exercises about air pollution in the UK between May and August 2026 inclusive.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The single Services have reported no air quality or air pollution incidents between May and August 2026 that required specific warnings or restrictions to be issued to military personnel undertaking endurance or other training exercises in the UK.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 7 September 2026 to UIN 25951, whether additional local monitoring data gathered by cities and towns in England includes monitoring data collected by local authorities and published in their Annual Status Reports in fulfilment of their duties to monitor and assess local air quality.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The additional local monitoring data referred to in the Answer of 7 September 2026 may include monitoring data collected by local authorities in fulfilment of their local air quality duties, including data reported through Annual Status Reports. The precise scope of local authority monitoring data to be incorporated is still being finalised as the new projections are developed and will depend on data availability and modelling requirements.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sign ups there have been to the new air quality alert service since the 30 July 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
From 1 August 2026 to midday on 8 September 2026, there have been 2652 unique sign-ups to the new air quality alert service.