Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
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 potential cost to UK musicians of placing Pernambuco wood on Appendix 1 of the CITES protected list.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are working closely with representatives from the music sector, including the Musicians' Union, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, and the Association of British Orchestras, to understand the potential impact of the proposal submitted to the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to CITES to include Pernambuco wood in Appendix I.
While the proposal outlines the threats this species faces, we recognise too that this proposal could create significant burdens for industry and UK CITES Authorities. We will continue to engage with the sector and other Parties to ensure that any additional burdens are proportionate to the conservation benefits of the measures agreed.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
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 seeks references for candidates appointed to public positions which fall under the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra always takes appropriate steps to ensure the suitability of candidates for regulated public appointments in line with the Governance Code. Candidate references are sought on a case-by-case basis as one of a range of assessments.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many items of written correspondence from hon. Members sent to Ministers in his Department have been (a) received and (b) replied to since 1 April 2020; and how many of those responses were responded to by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government recognises the great importance of the effective and timely handling of correspondence.
The Cabinet Office is currently compiling data on the timeliness of responses to Hon. and Rt Hon. members from Government Departments and Agencies. This data will be released, and made available to Members, in due course.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff 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 introduce regulations for the compulsory microchipping of cats by 31 March 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport on 29 October 2020, PQ UIN 107106.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
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 merits of delaying the proposed introduction in 2020 of charges for Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) where instruments contain Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)-listed materials.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are expecting to introduce a new fees and charges structure for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permitting in 2020. This new structure seeks to standardise and simplify the existing charging criteria, and bring CITES Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) in-line with other permit costs. This will be based on a cost recovery model and supported by a full public consultation and impact assessment. The consultation will consider the timing of implementation as well as the fee structure.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to include transitional arrangements for CITES-listed materials in (a) any withdrawal agreement made with the EU and (b) in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has been working hard to ensure we maintain continuity and minimise disruption for those who trade and move CITES listed species after the UK leaves the EU.
With regard to a withdrawal agreement, current CITES controls and procedures in place between the UK and EU27 will continue during the implementation period. The UK will inherit the current EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, which at present implement CITES across the EU, with necessary deficiencies corrected. On an ongoing basis we will consider amendments necessary to continue to meet our obligations under the Convention in a UK context.
As a committed Party to CITES in its own right, the UK will continue to honour its international commitments under the Convention and implement the necessary controls accordingly.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff 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 will take to reduce the use of single-use plastic.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government published the Resources and Waste Strategy for England in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution and to move towards a more circular economy. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.
We have already made good progress, banning microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and removing 15.6 billion plastic bags from circulation with our 5p charge.
We have consulted on banning plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and are currently consulting on extending the carrier bag charge. We will shortly consult on reforming existing packaging waste regulation, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and increasing consistency in the recycling system. Legislative proposals will be developed taking account of the consultation responses.
The Government is also committed, subject to consultation, to introducing a tax on plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled context. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.
A number of Departments, including Defra, have already taken steps to eliminate single-use consumer plastics from their operations. The 25 Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to remove all single-use consumer plastics from central Government offices and the Resources and Waste Strategy has confirmed that the Government will do this by 2020.
Waste and recycling policy is a devolved matter, and the Government continues to work with the Devolved Administrations in delivering our shared ambitions to improve waste and recycling outcomes and promote resource efficiency in the UK.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to include provisions on heritage and the historic environment in the forthcoming agriculture Bill; and what representations he has received on that topic.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government published “Health and Harmony: The future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit” on 27 February.
At the heart of our proposals is a new system of paying farmers and land managers “public money for public goods”. Amongst the public goods we are consulting on are the preservation of environmental goods including enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment. Other public goods could include the preservation of traditional farming and landscapes in certain areas, and public access to the countryside. The consultation also seeks views on what other public goods the Government should support.
We are currently analysing the responses received to the consultation so far. The consultation closes on 8 May and we will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on human health of glyphosate.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently reassessed glyphosate to take into account scientific developments since it was approved. EFSA’s scientific assessment has concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to be carcinogenic, and that it does not pose a risk to human health.
The Government believes that pesticides should be authorised where scientific evidence shows that they do not pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. UK experts agree that glyphosate meets these standards, and we therefore consider that glyphosate should be approved.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in EU member states and officials in the European Commission on the revision of the European School Milk Scheme.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra officials have been fully engaged with the EU Commission’s proposal to reform the EU School Milk Scheme and have participated in a number of technical working groups.
Work on this dossier has become bogged down on a number of important issues, including Member State concerns about the legal basis for the proposals, the nature of their objectives and scope, and the main financial provisions. The Commission is currently carrying out a review and the department will engage constructively with this process. In the meantime, the existing arrangements for EU school milk – agreed during CAP reform and set out in Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 – will continue to apply.