Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the financial resources required to meet WHO standards for fine particulate matter by 2030; and what assessment he has made of the steps taken by European cities such as Stockholm who have already met those those standards.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Clean Air Strategy outlined a range of measures to meet our emissions reduction commitments to 2020 and 2030. Impact assessments will evaluate the costs and benefits to public health as these specific measures are introduced. Further analysis is ongoing to estimate what additional interventions would be needed to meet World Health Organisation air quality guideline levels of PM2.5 alongside associated costs, and this additional analysis will be published in due course.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the level of plastic particles in rivers.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.
There has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment. However, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their transport to the marine environment. Defra has therefore commissioned evidence reviews to increase our understanding of these issues.
Defra is also working with the Environment Agency and the UK water industry to establish methods to detect, characterise and quantify microplastics entering wastewater treatment works, to evaluate the efficiency of treatment processes for their removal from domestic wastewaters and to assess their fate and biological effects in receiving rivers. In addition, Defra has commissioned the University of Plymouth to carry out research into textiles and tyres which are estimated to be significant sources of microplastics in the marine environment, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate has commissioned research on removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment processes.
The outcomes from these research projects will be used in the development of policy options to help mitigate the impact of microplastics in the aquatic environment.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has a target to reduce the level of plastic particles in rivers.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.
There has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment. However, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their transport to the marine environment. Defra has therefore commissioned evidence reviews to increase our understanding of these issues.
Defra is also working with the Environment Agency and the UK water industry to establish methods to detect, characterise and quantify microplastics entering wastewater treatment works, to evaluate the efficiency of treatment processes for their removal from domestic wastewaters and to assess their fate and biological effects in receiving rivers. In addition, Defra has commissioned the University of Plymouth to carry out research into textiles and tyres which are estimated to be significant sources of microplastics in the marine environment, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate has commissioned research on removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment processes.
The outcomes from these research projects will be used in the development of policy options to help mitigate the impact of microplastics in the aquatic environment.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make it a mandatory requirement that local authorities employ animal welfare inspectors.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, Caroline Lucas, on 21 May 2019, PQ 254174.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will publish his Department’s plans on how to implement EU Equine Passport Regulation – (EU) No. 2015/262; and whether his Department has developed alternative proposals for when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The EU Equine Passport Regulation, (EU) No. 2015/262, applies directly to the UK. Secondary legislation supplements and makes provision for its enforcement. Defra was responsible for introducing The Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018, SI 2018 No. 761, which came into force on 1 October 2018.
Since then, the Equine Identification (England) (EU Exit) regulations 2018 (SI 2018 No. 1409) and The Equine (Records, Identification and Movement)(Amendment)(EU Exit) Regulations 2019 have been introduced in order to make the necessary technical changes to retained EU legislation so that equine records, movements and identification remain operable upon the UK leaving the EU.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government next plans to review compliance with the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Every year 800 to 1,000 people are successfully prosecuted for animal cruelty and poor welfare. The Government has announced that it will increase the maximum penalties for animal cruelty ten-fold from six months’ imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment. The EFRA Select Committee held inquiries into aspects of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in 2010/11 and in 2016, and the Government currently has no immediate plans to further review compliance with the 2006 Act.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its summary of responses to its Consultation on changes to the identification of equines, published in Aril 2017.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra intends to publish a summary of responses to the consultation on changes to the identification of equines shortly.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which of her Department's projects have received funding under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund 2007 to 2013; what the location is of each such project; and how much each such project received.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) is known as Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), composed of direct payments to farmers and market measures. In the UK, from 2007 to 2013, expenditure under the EAGF totalled €23 billion, which is around £17 billion in sterling at current exchange rates. These payments were made to eligible farmers all over the UK.
Details of payments made since 2013 are available on the CAP payments website (http://cap-payments.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx). This is managed by the UK Co-ordinating Body (UKCB) on behalf of the four agricultural paying agencies in the UK.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which of her Department's projects have received funding under the European Marine Fisheries Fund 2007 to 2013; what the location is of each such project; and how much each such project received.
Answered by George Eustice
Details of English projects which have received support under the European Fisheries Fund in the period 2007-13 are publicly available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/448524/European_Transparency_Initiative.pdf.