Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many regulations were repealed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra introduced a total of 217 statutory instruments and revoked a total of 353 statutory instruments in calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016; the breakdown is presented in the table below. The large number of revocations in 2015 were predominantly of already redundant regulation identified through the Red Tape Challenge programme.
Year | Introduced | Revoked or otherwise no longer in force |
2014 | 70 | 79 |
2015 | 97 | 268 |
2016 | 50 | 6 |
Total | 217 | 353 |
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many regulations were introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra introduced a total of 217 statutory instruments and revoked a total of 353 statutory instruments in calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016; the breakdown is presented in the table below. The large number of revocations in 2015 were predominantly of already redundant regulation identified through the Red Tape Challenge programme.
Year | Introduced | Revoked or otherwise no longer in force |
2014 | 70 | 79 |
2015 | 97 | 268 |
2016 | 50 | 6 |
Total | 217 | 353 |
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to supporting more sustainable, low emission agriculture.
Answered by George Eustice
In October 2017, the Government published its emissions reduction plan, the Clean Growth Strategy. The Strategy sets out the Government’s ambition for reducing greenhouse gas emissions whilst growing the economy. The land and agriculture sector plays a significant role in low carbon growth, supported by a system of incentives to increase efficiency and improve our natural environment.
The approach to mitigating emissions from agriculture currently focusses on industry voluntary initiatives brought together under the umbrella of the Greenhouse Gas Action Plan. The Plan has delivered a saving of around 1 Million Tonnes of CO2 per year, with a target to achieve a 3 Million Tonnes CO2 per year saving by 2022. As we leave the EU we will design a new system of future agricultural support to focus on delivering better environmental outcomes, including lower emissions.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other support the UK has provided to rainforest preservation efforts in each year since 2010.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK has pledged at least £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) from 2016 until 2021 to support ambitious action by developing countries to mitigate and adapt to the worst impacts of climate change. This includes reducing emissions from deforestation and tackling poverty through the creation of sustainable livelihoods for forest dependent communities.
Since the start of the ICF in 2011, the UK has spent just over £800 million on forest and land use programmes, which includes projects that aim to preserve tropical rainforests and combat deforestation. The breakdown of funding each year is: £50 million in FY11-12, £64 million in FY12-13, £120 million in FY13-14, £248 million in FY14-15, £193 million in FY15-16, and £150 million in FY16-17.
The UK also undertakes long term research collaboration with tropical forest countries through the Newton Fund. For example, scientists in the UK and Latin America are working together on a new £1.5 million (2017-20) project to develop new biotechnologies through the region’s flora and fauna.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
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 tackle the effect of palm-oil production on endangered rainforests.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK is committed to supporting implementation of zero-deforestation supply chains for key commodities, including palm oil.
We are signatory to the Amsterdam Declarations; have endorsed the New York Declaration on Forests; and are a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. All of these support action to prevent deforestation and encourage the sustainable production of key commodities.
Through our international climate finance, the Government funds a number of programmes in Indonesia and West and Central Africa. These programmes support sustainable palm oil production through strengthening governance, promoting market-based solutions and putting in place the incentives, policies and actions that support sustainable production alongside forest protection.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
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 strengthen animal welfare protection after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The UK already has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and our ambition as we leave the EU is not only to maintain but enhance these standards. We have already set out our plans to introduce mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses, increase sentences for animal cruelty to five years, ban microbeads which damage marine life, and ban the ivory trade to help bring an end to elephant poaching.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other support the UK has provided to rainforest preservation efforts in each year since 2010.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK has pledged at least £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) from 2016 until 2021 to support ambitious action by developing countries to mitigate and adapt to the worst impacts of climate change. This includes reducing emissions from deforestation and tackling poverty through the creation of sustainable livelihoods for forest dependent communities.
Since the start of the ICF in 2011, the UK has spent just over £800 million on forest and land use programmes, which includes projects that aim to preserve tropical rainforests and combat deforestation. The breakdown of funding each year is: £50 million in FY11-12, £64 million in FY12-13, £120 million in FY13-14, £248 million in FY14-15, £193 million in FY15-16, and £150 million in FY16-17.
The UK also undertakes long term research collaboration with tropical forest countries through the Newton Fund. For example, scientists in the UK and Latin America are working together on a new £1.5 million (2017-20) project to develop new biotechnologies through the region’s flora and fauna.