Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
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 promote the proper disposal of disposable vaping products.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Householders can take unwanted vapes (and other electrical equipment) to designated collection facilities (typically household waste recycling centres operated by local authorities) or retailers on purchase of new vapes free of charge. The cost of the collection, transport and subsequent treatment and recycling of that waste is financed by manufacturers and importers of those products. Householders can also take their used vapes to retailers when they buy new ones. Retailers are required to provide take-back systems to customers and ensure they are sent for onward treatment.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is his Department's policy to reduce the availability of disposable vapes.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government, Scotland and Wales are considering restrictions on the sale and supply of disposable vaping products (including non-nicotine vapes), including prohibiting the sale of these products, due to the environmental impacts of disposable vapes. Northern Ireland will consider measures relating to disposable vapes following this consultation. The consultation closed on 6 December and we are currently analysing the feedback we received. We will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
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 environmental impact of disposable vaping products.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 12 October 2023 the Government launched a consultation on smoking and youth vaping. As part of this consultation, the UK government and devolved administrations considering restrictions on the sale and supply of disposable vape products (including non-nicotine vapes) – including prohibiting the sale of these products – due to the environmental impacts of disposable vapes. The consultation has now closed and we are currently analysing the feedback we received. We will be publishing our response in due course.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he last met with representatives from the vaping industry.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No meetings with Defra Secretaries of State or Ministers have taken place with representatives of the vaping industry. Defra officials attended a conference organised by the Independent British Vaping Trade Association on 26 October 2023.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that men who experience incontinence are able to dispose of their incontinence products in specialist bins in male toilets.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra oversees policy and legislation with respect to the safe management of waste and of litter. However, Defra has no powers to compel the provision of sanitary bins as the maintenance of public toilets is usually a matter for the relevant local authority, and I would encourage the hon. Member to raise the issue locally. Councils have a duty to make arrangements for the regular emptying and cleansing of any litter bins that they provide or maintain. They also have the power to clean and empty litter bins provided in any street or public place.
The emptying of litter bins must be sufficiently frequent to ensure that no such litter bin or its contents becomes a nuisance or gives reasonable grounds for complaint. Sewer blockages can also lead to flooding inside homes and businesses and are expensive to clear. There are measures in current water industry legislation to protect drains and sewers from damage due to misuse including pouring damaging substances down drains and sewers. Damaging these infrastructures is an offence punishable by a fine or, in more serious cases, imprisonment for a maximum of two years.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to update the (a) Waste Duty of Care and (b) other relevant legislation to help ensure it supports the provision of incontinence bins in male toilet facilities.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Waste Duty of Care legislation makes provision for the safe handling of waste to protect public health and the environment but does not extend to types of waste receptacles and their placement. Where public sanitary bins are provided in local authority provided toilets, the relevant local authority must ensure that bins are managed in accordance with the relevant waste legislation, including the Waste Duty of Care.
Regulation 2(3) of the Workplace Regulations aims to ensure that workplaces meet the health, safety and welfare needs of each member of the workforce. The Health and Safety Executive believes the current Workplace Regulations are fit for purpose in this respect although it intends to consider whether the guidance regarding disposal of sanitary dressings in toilets fulfils that aim.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure producers of electronic equipment fulfil the obligations of section 74(2b) of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Regulation 74(2) of these regulations seeks to ensure eco-design of products to encourage reuse. The Eco Design Regulations provides the framework that sets minimum eco-design requirements for electrical and electronic equipment. Through proposed reforms of the WEEE and batteries regulations the Government is looking to drive up levels of collection of WEEE for re-use and to build on existing requirements in relation to the removability of batteries from electrical equipment.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with producers of electrical equipment on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has not had recent discussions with producers of electrical equipment. Defra officials regularly and proactively engage with producers of electrical and electronic equipment on matters related to these Regulations. The Government will consult later this year on reforms that aim to drive up levels of collection of waste electricals for reuse and recycling. Producers of electrical equipment have been engaged throughout the development of these proposals and will be invited to respond to the consultation when it is published.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timescale is for prohibiting the import of hunting trophies.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill passed Report stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons on Friday 17 March. The Bill will now move to the House of Lords and the timetable for the Lords stages will be announced in the usual way. The prohibition will come into force following Royal Assent of the Bill.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to conclude the call for evidence on the fur trade launched on 31 May 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra published a formal call for evidence on the fur trade in Great Britain, which has now closed.
We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector, which will be used to inform any future action on the fur trade.