Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 20 April 2023 to Question 181086 on Housing: Sewers, on what date the Department will launch its public consultation on its proposals to implement Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A public consultation on the implementation proposals for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in new developments is expected to take place in Spring 2024.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 had discussions with (a) the Environment Agency and (b) local authorities on the effectiveness of mechanisms to enforce the responsibilities of riparian owners for the maintenance of river banks.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers regularly meet with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to discuss flood and water management matters.
Riparian landowners, those whose land adjoins a watercourse, are required under common law to maintain watercourses, including the removal of debris and blockages, which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away, as well as maintenance of the bed and banks, and any trees or shrubs growing on the banks. Where a stream or culvert becomes silted up, choked with weeds, or the flow of water has been obstructed causing flood risk to others, the Environment Agency and local authorities have statutory powers to require the relevant person to maintain the flow of the watercourse. The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK. By April 2024, new engagement guidance will be published to help Risk Management Authorities, Environment Agency staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.
The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Policy Statement sets out what we expect from those responsible for all assets and watercourses – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance and ensure timely repairs where necessary.
Defra has commissioned an independent review of statutory powers and responsibilities associated with FCERM assets across all flood risks and coastal erosion. The review started work in 2021 and is expected to report this spring. This will review whether current mechanisms and legal powers are clear and effective and relevant expertise is shared; this includes the non-statutory powers and responsibilities of riparian landowners and asset owners. The review team is working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that it considers good practice and practitioner concerns, within the sector. Defra will consider its findings after publication.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 Answer of 4 October 2022 to Question 46153 on Parrots: Non-native Species, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of ring-necked parakeets on other native wildlife.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An assessment carried out in 2021 concluded there was sufficient evidence to warrant the inclusion of ring-necked parakeet as a target species on the General Licence to kill or take wild birds for conservation purposes.
A prior risk assessment for ring-necked parakeets was published by the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat in March 2011 (See risk assessment here: RA_Psittacula_krameri_(Ring-necked_Parakeet) (nonnativespecies.org)). The conclusion of this assessment was that this species posed a medium risk (with low uncertainty), with the potential to negatively impact populations of cavity nesting birds.
These risk assessments may be updated when substantive new scientific evidence is made available that could alter the outcome of the risk assessment. The assessment has already concluded that this species poses a conservation threat. Defra is not aware that there is new evidence currently that would alter the conclusion of the risk assessment. Therefore, there are no immediate plans for a re-assessment of ring-necked parakeets.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 a recent assessment of the adequacy of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s welfare arrangements regime for the live export of (a) horses, (b) donkeys and (c) ponies.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No such recent assessment has been made. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, will ban the live export of horses, donkeys and ponies for slaughter from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury caused by this trade.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 24 November 2022 to Question 86609 on Recycling: Standards, when she plans to publish the results of the consultation on Consistency in Household and Business Recycling Collections in England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We published our response to the 2021 consultation Consistency in Household and Business Recycling in England on 21st October 2023. It is now available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) enabling local authorities to set tariffs for the unnecessary felling of trees and (b) using the monies raised for (i) replacement tree planting and (ii) other relevant schemes.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The felling of trees in England is a legally controlled activity regulated by the FC, which, with some exceptions, requires a Felling licence. If a licence is not acquired the felling is an offence and the individual can be subject to a fine. The amount individuals can be fined for illegal felling recently increased, and Forestry Commission can now issue an unlimited fine for felling they deem in breech of regulations.
In many instances it is also possible for the Forestry Commission to serve a Restocking Notice, which compels the offender to restock the land with trees. Recent changes ensured restocking notices are now considered land charges, which means replanting trees will be required on land where trees were wrongly felled, even if the land is sold or new planning permissions are applied for on the land.
Local planning authorities also already have the power to serve Tree Preservation Orders which protect individual trees or areas of trees, even where they are exempt from the need for a felling licence.
Anyone who contravenes an Order by damaging or carrying out work on a tree protected by an Order without getting permission from the local planning authority is guilty of illegal felling and subject to the fine described. No assessment has been made in regard to adding any additional tariffing system, however, we committed to reforming our felling licence system and controls in the England Trees Action Plan; and indeed, strengthened the enforcement provisions of the felling licence regime through the Environment Act 2021.
Further work has begun investigating potential future legislative reforms to the system that would primarily involve the introduction of greater flexibility to licence conditions, improved clarity around felling controls and UK Forestry Standard requirements.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 routinely undertakes assessments of the potential impacts of restrictions to water for the (a) agriculture and (b) horticulture sectors by water companies on the availability of food.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Restriction of water by water companies are primely targeted at households and reducing demand to help conserve supplies. Water companies will impose restrictions on a tiered approach, starting with a temporary use ban and if the drought continues then apply for a drought order to ban non-essential use of water (such as window cleaning). Neither will impact the availability of food production. Only in the most severe droughts, where water supplies are threatened, would this become an issue. To impose this level of restrictions would require an emergency drought order from the Secretary of State.
Farmers involved in food production will usually take water direct from the environment. This is regulated by the Environment Agency using its abstraction licensing regime. The NFU are part of the National Drought Group, who monitor droughts and work collaboratively to manage water.’
During periods of exceptional drought, the Environment Agency has the power to apply restrictions on spray irrigation users through S57 of the Water Resources Act 1991. This is done to protect the environment. The Agency needs to have “regard to costs and benefits in exercising powers” before implementing them as outlined in Section 39 of the Environment Act 1995.
Food is produced and grown across the country. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response and is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.
Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.
UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.
We continue to keep weather situations and any impact on our agri-food sectors under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG). This was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market situation across all key agricultural commodities whilst also considering that the situation will vary by region, area, crop and soil type. We have also increased engagement with our valued industry colleagues to supplement Government analysis with real-time intelligence.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 implications for her policies on a fully integrated, multi-sector, catchment based approach to water systems planning of the conclusions of the report by the National Farmers Union Integrated Water Management published in January 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In April we published our Plan for Water, which sets out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The Plan set out how we will take a systematic, local, catchment-based approach, in a coordinated and collaborative way to improve water management.
The Environment Agency and Defra are working closely with the agricultural sector on water resource management, water quality and flooding issues via multi-sector groups. For example, we are also supporting the creation of water resources management plans for agriculture, that will inform local catchment and wider regional water resources plans on our future water needs and help farmers improve drought resilience. We will also support farmer-led groups to identify local water resource schemes building on the success of projects like Felixstowe Hydrocycle.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 (a) make it his policy to require local authorities to provide blister pack recycling services and (b) issue guidance to local authorities on blister pack recycling.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following support at public consultation, the Environment Act 2021 introduced new requirements for all local authorities in England to make arrangements for a core set of materials to be collected for recycling from all households: paper and card; plastic; glass; metal; food waste and garden waste. In 2021 we consulted on the detail of this policy, including implementation dates and materials in scope of collection – we will publish a consultation response shortly.
Regarding blister packs, these are difficult to recycle due to the mix of different materials they are made from and, as such, tend not to be collected through kerbside recycling services. Take-back recycling schemes, such as the Terracycle scheme, can accept more complex packaging materials at dedicated recycling facilities.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging will provide a strong financial incentive for businesses to make better, more sustainable decisions in their design and use of packaging, and to take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of the packaging they use. As part of this policy producers of hard to recycle packaging, such as medical blister packs, who take back this packaging and have it recycled, will be eligible for a discount on their EPR disposal cost fees.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 work with the Environment Agency to develop a service level agreement with water abstraction licence holders on time for adaption when licences are changed.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In April we published our Plan for Water, which sets out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply, including environmentally sustainable water abstraction. I expect the Environment Agency to take what action is needed to reduce the environmental damage caused by abstraction – this will include changing abstraction licences.
The Environment Agency has indicated that it will consider giving abstractors time to adapt to licence changes on a case-by-case basis. Management options could include, for example, building a storage reservoir to replace a summer spray irrigation licence to abstract from a river. The Environment Agency is currently developing its approach, but current thinking is that it will be up to abstractors to justify why they need time to adapt. There will not be any fixed adaptation time but instead the period of time will be consistent with the environmental risks, the proposed adaptation and how much notice an abstractor has already had of the changes. Where an abstraction is already damaging the environment then it may not be possible for the Environment Agency to allow any time to adapt, especially where an abstraction is damaging a designated site or species. The Government also supports the agricultural sector with its Farming Transformation Fund grants for the construction of new on-farm reservoirs. We are also supporting the creation of national and regional Water Resource Management Plans for agriculture, which will help farmers plan their water resources and ensure better resilience to drought.