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Written Question
Forests: Environment Protection
Tuesday 11th March 2025

Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)

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 an assessment of the potential impact of mini forests on (a) improving (i) air quality and (ii) diversity and (b) supporting the UK’s environmental goals.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra, through the Trees Outside Woodlands research programme (funded by the Government), has carried out a study on the Miyawaki Method of planting, sometimes known as tiny or mini forests. The testing has been carried out since 2021. The long-term potential effects of this type of planting compared to typical planting is not yet known, but the study found that the plots that used the Miyawaki Method produced significantly higher early growth and survival rates. It also found early indications that biodiversity levels may be higher than typical planting. Ongoing research aims to understand the carbon implications and longer-term effects of using the method, but these early findings show that the method is a useful tool that can be deployed for tree planting, particularly in urban areas.

A report on the findings after two years of growth can be found here.


Written Question
Marine Protected Areas: Fishing Gear
Monday 10th March 2025

Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)

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 an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of bottom-towed fishing gear within marine protected areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby on 3 February 2025, PQ 26547.


Written Question
Fly-tipping
Monday 10th March 2025

Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)

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 reduce the amount of fly-tipping.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Local authorities have enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping, including fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, and prosecution action which can lead to significant fine or even imprisonment. We encourage councils to make good use of their fly-tipping enforcement powers and we are also taking steps so that we may develop further guidance to support local authorities to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers. 

In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment, and other actions to tackle fly-tipping, in due course.

In the meantime, Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.