Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 (a) amend and (b) repeal assimilated EU law on the Habitats Directive on (i) newts and (ii) other protected species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
As the Prime Minister said in his speech on 5 December the Government will streamline development processes to meet new and ambitious targets to build 1.5 million homes and advance 150 major infrastructure projects.
The Government will also use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to establish a more efficient and effective way for obligations related to our most important sites and species to be discharged at a scale that has the greatest environmental benefits.
The Government has committed to only act in legislation where we can confirm to Parliament that the steps we are taking will deliver positive environmental outcomes. Necessary amendments may be made to assimilated EU law on the Habitats Directive to secure the operability of the proposed new approach.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 impact of the requirements set out in the interim planning guidance on the consideration of the Environment Act PM2.5 targets in planning decisions, published in November 2024, on the (a) viability and (b) cost of new developments.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The interim planning guidance is expected to have minimal impact on the viability and cost of new developments. It is interim guidance whilst Defra develops substantive technical guidance, and as such an assessment is not required.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to issue guidance on issuing of litter fines to householders.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 November 2024 to the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Question 14343.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 (a) take steps to allow local authorities to set unlimited fines for littering and fly-tipping offences and (b) make an assessment of the financial resources local authority refuse departments have available to collect fly-tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently not considering further increases to the maximum levels of fixed penalty notices that can be issued by local authorities. At present these stand at £500 for littering and £1000 for fly-tipping. Local authorities must spend this income on enforcement or clean up.
Local authorities also have powers to prosecute anyone suspected of littering or fly-tipping. This can lead to potentially higher fines, criminal records or, for fly-tipping, a community sentence or even imprisonment
The Government is not planning to make an assessment of local authority resources to collect fly-tipping. We recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. The Government have listened to voices across the sector, and we prioritised local government at the Budget, where we announced over £4 billion in additional funding for local government services, including £1.3 billion which will go through the Settlement.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of hazardous waste was exported by the type of hazardous waste in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The regulation of hazardous waste is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Waste exports are reported using a different classification system to domestic movements of hazardous wastes. The two datasets are therefore not directly comparable meaning the precise information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
In 2023, 6,017,823 Tonnes of Hazardous waste were produced in England. Of this, 256,518 Tonnes (4%) was exported for treatment and recovery overseas. There are robust systems and processes in place to ensure that these wastes go to the right place and are treated appropriately.
The top 5 categories of hazardous waste exported overseas from England are as follows:
Waste type | Tonnage exported |
Waste mineral oils unfit for their originally intended use | 97,846 Tonnes |
Waste lead-acid batteries, whole or crushed | 31,490 Tonnes |
Wastes from the production, formulation and use of inks, dyes, pigments, paints, lacquers, varnish | 20,894 Tonnes |
Wates containing Heavy metals | 14,769 Tonnes |
Wastes from production, formulation and use of resins, latex, plasticisers, glues/adhesives | 10,540 Tonnes |
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 implications for his policies of EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 on shipments of waste.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In May 2024, Defra officials were asked by the previous Government to prepare a briefing note for the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Democratic Scrutiny Committee on the implications for Northern Ireland of EU Regulation 2024/1157 on shipments of waste. The briefing note is published here:
Defra officials continue to assess the implications of EU Regulation 2024/1157 for businesses in Great Britain that trade with the EU.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether class 3B agricultural land is classified as best and most versatile land in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Best and most versatile agricultural land (BMVAL) is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework and Natural England’s ‘Guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land’ as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it his Department's policy to reach a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) remains the starting point for our new relationship. The sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) chapter of the TCA puts in place a framework that allows the UK and the EU to take informed decisions to reduce their respective SPS controls, with a commitment to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade.
We are open to discussions with the EU on steps we can take to reduce trade friction; however, these cannot be on the basis of dynamic alignment with EU rules, as this would compromise UK sovereignty over our own laws.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Canal & River Trust on securing the long-term future of canals and waterways and the wider benefits they provide.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Defra is working with the Canal and River Trust on the current review of the Government’s annual grant funding for the Trust, as required by the 2012 Grant Agreement. The review will inform a decision about any future grant funding from 2027.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the management costs of bin and ground packaging litter incurred by (a) local authorities, (b) other duty bodies, (c) litter authorities and (d) statutory undertakers.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We remain committed to making packaging producers responsible for the costs of managing packaging waste. We are reviewing responses to the consultation on Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, and will publish a Government response in early 2022. This will detail our final policy positions, including on the approach to managing packaging deposited in bins and littered on the ground.
The Impact Assessment, that was published alongside the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging consultation, provides details on our estimates of the costs associated with managing binned waste and ground litter. That is available here: (https://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/supporting_documents/Extended Producer Responsibility Impact Assessment.pdf), and will be updated as part of the Government response to the consultation.