Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the ruling of Mr Justice Akenhead in the case of Corby Group Litigation v. Corby Borough Council, if he will conduct a review of the incidence of birth defects and rare cancers recorded in children by hospitals serving the population around Corby and the sites where spoil was deposited.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are aware of this issue, which is currently being looked at by the local Director of Public Health. The UKHSA will offer support if needed, and the Department is awaiting the findings before further action.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the independent evidence review commissioned by the previous government and undertaken by scientists from the British Geological Survey, National Oceanography Centre, and Heriot-Watt University will be taken into account in his determination of the sponsored exploration licences for Deep Sea Mining.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2021 independent evidence review, commissioned by the previous government, remains a valuable contribution to our understanding of the environmental impacts of deep sea mining. The government will take all relevant information into consideration when reviewing its sponsorship of exploration licences.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance he has issued to the UK delegation to the International Seabed Authority about the establishment of a global moratorium on deep sea mining following recent legal analysis of President Trump's Executive order on deep sea mining.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation contracts for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). We will not sponsor or support the issuing of any such exploitation contracts for deep sea mining by the ISA until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems and strong enforceable environmental regulations, standards and guidelines are in place. This is a matter for each ISA member State to consider carefully.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to assess the suitability of Glomar Minerals Ltd as a licence holder for deep sea exploration.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Seabed Resources Limited remains the holder of the UK’s two deep sea mining licences following its sale to Glomar Minerals Ltd. The UK government is carrying out a thorough review of Glomar Minerals Ltd and the UK’s sponsorship of UK Seabed Resources Limited under UNCLOS and the Exploration Regulations.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish the records of all the sites where waste was deposited following the site reclamation of the Corby Steelworks in the 1980s.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Records of all the sites where waste was deposited following the reclamation of the Corby Steelworks site should be held by the local authority that managed the reclamation, in this case North Northamptonshire Council.
The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information.
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 his Department adopted the features-based approach for the assessment method for the stage 3 Marine Protected Area byelaws.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation uses a feature-based approach for developing fisheries management measures in England’s Marine Protected Areas, including the proposed stage 3 byelaws. Sometimes these management measures will involve restrictions across the whole of a site, where the features to be protected cover the whole site.
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 his planned timeline is for implementing measures in Inshore Marine Protected Areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The responsibility for developing byelaws lies with the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). We are encouraging the IFCAs to complete as soon as possible the good work they have already done to ensure our MPAs are effectively protected.
Inshore MPAs located between 6 and 12 nautical miles from the coast are the responsibility of the Marine Management Organisation and it launched a consultation in June 2025 on stage 3 of its programme of MPA fisheries management measures.
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 his planned timeline is for the implementation of the stage 3 offshore MPA byelaws once the consultation has been concluded.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We aim to implement any necessary byelaws quickly. However, this will depend on the number and complexity of responses received to the consultation.
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 proportion of England's waters would be closed to bottom trawling when the proposed stage 3 byelaws are implemented.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We cannot pre-judge the outcome of the stage 3 byelaw consultation, which is currently in progress.
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 he plans to publish an implementation plan for the Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since the publication of the Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative, we have continued our work to minimise and, where possible, eliminate the bycatch of sensitive marine species. That has included renewing Clean Catch for a further 3-year period. This flagship programme will be focused on collaborative trials with the fishing industry to establish practical ways to minimise bycatch, delivery of research on potential bycatch hotspots and of best practice guides tailored to fishermen’s needs, and critical knowledge exchange both within and beyond the UK.
In addition to that, in 2025, we are considering further measures to reduce bycatch of seabirds. We have not published an implementation plan but will consider the need for this when working with stakeholders to identify and implement these measures. This builds on wider work done under the English Seabird Conservation and Recovery Pathway. For more information see: English Seabird Conservation and Recovery Pathway (ESCaRP) - ME6044.