Asked by: Julian Huppert (Liberal Democrat - Cambridge)
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 implement the Natural Capital Committee's Third Report's (a) recommendations on a 25-year plan to improve and protect natural capital and (b) other recommendations.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Government will be providing a response to the Natural Capital Committee’s third State of Natural Capital report in the second half of 2015. Government officials are now analysing the package of recommendations put forward by the Natural Capital Committee so ministers can be comprehensively briefed post-election.
Asked by: Julian Huppert (Liberal Democrat - Cambridge)
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 an assessment of the merits of introducing an exemption for compostable plastic bags from the single use carrier bag charge; and if she will meet representatives from the compostable plastic bags industry to discuss such an exemption.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The draft legislation on the carrier bag charge includes a requirement to review existing standards for the biodegradability of lightweight plastic material. The review will report to Parliament by 5 October this year on whether there is an appropriate industry standard for an exemption from the charge, and if so, how it would be implemented. Industry and academic experts are working with the Department on this review. The Government is looking for a standard that will tackle biodegradability in different littered environments as well as in managed waste streams. The composting industry is represented on the Stakeholder Advisory Group and we will be taking account of their views along with those of other stakeholders.
Asked by: Julian Huppert (Liberal Democrat - Cambridge)
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 potential effect of the loss of state funding by the ACRE Network on that organisation's ability to deliver support to rural communities.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
We value the work that the ACRE Network does at the local level to ensure the rural voice is heard and to inspire community action. Future funding is being carefully considered and no final decision has yet been made. No assessment has therefore been prepared.
Asked by: Julian Huppert (Liberal Democrat - Cambridge)
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 consult representatives from the compostable plastic bags industry as part of her Department's review of industry standards for the biodegradability of plastic material; and on how many occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have met representatives of (i) oxo-biodegradable and (ii) compostable plastic bag companies in the last 12 months.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Neither I nor any of my Defra Ministerial colleagues have met representatives of either the oxo-biodegradable or compostable bag industries in the last 12 months.
At the official level, I set up a Stakeholder Advisory Group in September last year, which will be consulted as part of the review of industry standards for the biodegradability of plastic material. The Stakeholder Advisory Group met twice last year and includes Government officials as well as representatives of the Renewable Energy Association (who represent the compostable bag companies), the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association, academics and a number of other industry stakeholders such as the British Plastics Federation and the Plastics and Films Association. We expect that this group will meet on three further occasions this year.
In addition, officials have met representatives of oxo-biodegradable firms on two occasions in the last 12 months to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications for funding under the Small Business Research Initiative. Officials have also met representatives of companies manufacturing compostable bags on three occasions in the last 12 months.