Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to develop a strategy to reduce waste from single use nappies following the publication of her Department's assessment of the environmental impacts of disposable and reusable absorbent hygiene products.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work on the environmental assessment of disposable and reusable nappies is nearly complete and peer review of the work is being finalised. No date has been set for publication. This work will help inform any future action by government and industry.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will publish her Department's assessment of the environmental assessment of disposable and reusable absorbent hygiene products.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work on the environmental assessment of disposable and reusable nappies is nearly complete and peer review of the work is being finalised. No date has been set for publication. This work will help inform any future action by government and industry.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
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 make it his policy to bring forward a green paper banning the importing and selling of animal fur in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Fur farming has been banned in England and Wales since 2000, and 2002 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Now we have left the EU, the Government is able to explore potential action in relation to animal fur.
We recently concluded a call for evidence on the fur trade in Great Britain which provided both stakeholders and the public the opportunity to provide evidence and views on this important matter, which received around 30,000 responses. A summary of responses setting out the key findings will be published in due course.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
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 undertake a review of the adequacy of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and related breed specific and dog control legislation to increase protections for the public and animal welfare.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Defra commissioned Middlesex University to examine measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible ownership of all breeds of dogs. The research, which will be published shortly, considers different approaches and the effectiveness of current dog control measures.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the change in the average age of potty training on the consumption of single-use nappies.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The independent analysts carrying out the environmental assessment of disposable and reusable absorbent hygiene products have taken into consideration the recent YouGov survey to establish current ages for potty training. The sources of the information used in the study, as well as an explanation of the methodology and assumptions made, will be included in the final report which will be published later this year following peer review.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the increase in the average age at which children potty train from 2.5 to 3.5 years on the (a) volume of plastic waste generated from more single-use nappies being used and (b) burden on local authorities tasked with dealing with those nappies through landfill or incineration.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The independent analysts carrying out the environmental assessment of disposable and reusable absorbent hygiene products have taken into consideration the recent YouGov survey to establish current ages for potty training. The sources of the information used in the study, as well as an explanation of the methodology and assumptions made, will be included in the final report which will be published later this year following peer review.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
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’s life cycle assessment of disposable and washable absorbent hygiene products will take account of the results of the YouGov survey finding that the average age for potty training has increased from 2.5 to 3.5 years old.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The independent analysts carrying out the environmental assessment of disposable and reusable absorbent hygiene products have taken into consideration the recent YouGov survey to establish current ages for potty training. The sources of the information used in the study, as well as an explanation of the methodology and assumptions made, will be included in the final report which will be published later this year following peer review.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress he has made on his assessment of the life cycle of disposable and washable absorbent hygiene products.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work on the environmental assessment of disposable and washable absorbent hygiene products is still in progress. It has taken longer than originally anticipated to enable relevant data to be collected. We intend to publish the final peer reviewed report later this year.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
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 is taking to increase the sustainability of fisheries.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Fisheries Act’s objectives, together with the strong legal framework of the Joint Fisheries Statement and Fisheries Management Plans, set out our commitment to achieving sustainable fishing and protecting the marine environment. We will also work closely with neighbouring countries to ensure our seas are managed sustainably, to secure a fair share of quota for UK fishers, and to enable a thriving industry for current and future generations. Our ambition remains to have world-class fisheries management that delivers sustainable fisheries, safeguards stocks and the environment for the long-term.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
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 is taking steps to increase the public's awareness of how to dispose of single-use nappies.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We would advise members of the public to carefully read and follow the disposal instructions provided by the manufacturers of single use nappies. Used nappies should be disposed of in the residual waste bin and not placed in recycling bins where they can contaminate other material.