Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat about water companies at risk of bankruptcy.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government and Ofwat take the financial resilience of the water sector very seriously.
Ofwat continues to monitor the financial position of all water and wastewater companies. It sets out its assessment of the financial resilience of each company in its annual Monitoring Financial Resilience report. The Government is prepared for a range of scenarios across our regulated industries - including water - as any responsible government would be.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 consultation on Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses in England, published on 13 June 2023, how many large businesses responded to the consultation; and how many (a) supported and (b) rejected its proposals.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
46 organisations responded to the consultation on improved food waste reporting as large businesses. 30 supported a mandatory approach while 13 supported an enhancement of the voluntary approach. The remainder were unsure or did not have an opinion.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 make it her policy to introduce mandatory food waste reporting for large businesses.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food and drink businesses should report their food waste through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. There are no plans at this time to extend this voluntary scheme to a mandatory one.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which of the substances targeted for a restriction in EU REACH that are not considered a priority in the UK REACH work programme 2022-23 have been assessed as either (a) not used or rarely used in the UK or (b) well controlled in Great Britain; and how existing controls provide an equivalent level of protection to the proposed restriction at EU level for those substances assessed as well controlled in Great Britain.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra and the Scottish and Welsh Governments work closely with the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency and external stakeholders to identify priorities under UK REACH.
We have published our rationale for the priorities identified for the current UK REACH work programme in 2022 to 2023: The Rationale for UK REACH Priorities 2022 to 2023. This explains why particular proposals were not adopted as priorities at this time, for example setting out where substances are already controlled in GB under other regulations and/or not widely used within the UK.
We will continue to review the substances not identified as priorities this year and consider any evidence of risk within GB in developing the REACH work programme for future years.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 adopt EU risk management decisions on hazardous substances during the transitional period given for substances registered under EU REACH and transferred into UK REACH.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As an independent jurisdiction, the UK must make its own assessments of chemical risks and policy options to address them.
We continue to closely monitor international developments, and work with a wide range of stakeholders to establish priorities for further monitoring, evidence-gathering and regulatory action.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 ensure that new additions to the EU’s Substances of Very High Concern Candidate List are assessed promptly UK REACH once added to the EU list.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra, together with the technical specialists at the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency, monitor the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA's) work to introduce new substances of very high concern to the EU REACH Candidate List. Where this work is relevant for Great Britain, we will assess the scientific evidence and ECHA's rationale for taking this regulatory step. If inclusion on the UK REACH Authorisation List would be an effective risk management measure for the substance, we will take action to recommend it for inclusion on the UK Candidate List of substances of very high concern.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to put mechanisms in place to resolve concerns raised by the European Chemicals Agency about hazardous substances registered in the EU that are grandfathered in the UK and subject to transitional data requirements.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
When identifying UK priorities for action under UK REACH, we will look at evidence from the European Chemicals Agency, along with other countries. If the EU is taking action on a substance, this does not mean that there has been a clear demonstration of risk within Great Britain. Where a risk has been identified within Great Britain, we might decide to address the issue in other ways, such as initiating actions under the occupational health and safety regulations or the classification, labelling and packaging regulations. The first two UK REACH Work Programmes have set out work in similar areas to the EU.
Under UK REACH, all chemical substances that are manufactured in, or imported into, Great Britain in quantities of over 1 tonne a year must be notified and registered with the Health and Safety Executive. In addition, manufacturers, importers and downstream users have the ongoing duty to identify appropriate risk management measures, pass them down the supply chain, and apply them when they use a substance.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 a comparative assessment of the adequacy of the protective approach to (a) the environment and (b) human health taken by (i) UK REACH and (ii) the EU.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
UK REACH retains the fundamental approaches and key principles of EU REACH and aims to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment within Great Britain. There is a long-term monitoring and evaluation strategy in place for the implementation of UK REACH, which incorporates the impacts on human health and the environment. Having our own independent regulatory framework for chemicals allows us to identify the most pressing priorities which best reflect the specific circumstances in GB. The decisions we take are based on the best available evidence, including looking at approaches taken by chemical regimes across the world, including the EU.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 compatibility of the Rosebank oil field development with the UK's policy objective to (a) protect 30 per cent of the UK's oceans by 2030 and (b) introduce a net gain approach to infrastructure and development in the marine environment.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning (OPRED) is responsible for regulating environmental and decommissioning activity for offshore oil and gas operations in the UK. OPRED is in the process of considering the environmental statement submitted by Equinor in support of the proposed Rosebank development. As part of this process, OPRED completes an Environmental Impact Assessment; consulting with Statutory Nature Consultation Bodies, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Marine Management Organisation, and will take into account the impact a project may have on the environment within marine protected areas, designated by HM Government and Devolved Administrations under relevant legislation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints operators of the Seasonal Worker Pilot have received from workers employed as part of that scheme.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra works closely with the Home Office and the Gangmasters Labour and Abuse Authority (GLAA) to monitor and evaluate the Seasonal Workers Pilot against its stated aims and ensure that its rules and regulations are being adhered to.
The Government takes the safety and wellbeing of seasonal workers extremely seriously. The Home Office sponsor licencing system places clear and binding requirements and obligations on the operators of the Seasonal Workers Pilot to safeguard seasonal workers.
The Seasonal Workers Pilot requires the operators to ensure all seasonal workers have a safe working environment, are treated fairly and paid properly, and robust systems are in place for the reporting of concerns and rapid action. A prerequisite for becoming an operator is that each organisation must hold and maintain licencing from the GLAA. Defra would be notified should an operator or farm not be meeting the required standards and appropriate action taken.