Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
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 tackle littering; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging companies to increase (a) customer education on littering and (b) development of biodegradable packing.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Litter is a blight on our communities and the environment. Local councils are responsible for keeping streets clear of litter and have been given enforcement powers to help them do so.
The Government is targeting some of the most commonly littered items to reduce the presence of these on our streets. The sale of single-use vapes was banned on 1 June and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers which can be redeemed when the empty container is returned. Litter composition data indicates that 55% of litter by volume is made up of containers in-scope of DRS. DRS will significantly reduce this form of litter.
The UK is a leading voice in the negotiations for a new international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution and has taken an ambitious stance at all sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). We have called for an agreement that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics, in order to end plastic pollution by 2040. The UK will continue to work with other countries, including as a member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, to reach an ambitious agreement at the resumed session in August 2025.
We have not made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging companies to increase customer education on littering or on developing more biodegradable packaging. We remain concerned that many types of plastic labelled as biodegradable do not actually break down in the natural environment, and that people may be more likely to litter these items.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of border checks on the cut flower industry.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to protecting our biosecurity and we are using a risk-based approach to maintain the appropriate level of controls.
Defra will continue to monitor for new and emerging risks and review the border control checks introduced under the Border Target Operating Model.
GB plant health services have increased the number of plant health inspection staff to service the demand for import checks in England and Wales of EU plants and plant products.
Inspector levels are being monitored to ensure these meet demand and deliver checks in line with set Service Level Agreements and ensure minimal trade disruption.
Certain EU Medium Risk cut flowers have been subject to pre-notification since 1 January 2022. EU Medium Risk cut flowers have required a Phytosanitary Certificate since 31 January 2024, but there are now inspections for EU Medium Risk goods at the border since 30 April 2024.
To reduce and prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive non-native species (INNS) we have prioritised horticulture as one of the top 5 pathways of introduction. We have developed a Horticulture Pathway Action Plan, available here: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/biosecurity/pathway-action-plans/horticulture-pap-for-great-britain/ which aims to address the most likely routes by which INNS can get into the country.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
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 support the improvement of flood (a) defences and (b) resilience in Sherwood Forest constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting communities around the country from flooding and coastal erosion is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities.
This Government will improve resilience and preparation across central government, local authorities, local communities and emergency services to better protect communities across the UK. We will launch a new Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the delivery of new flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes.
The Environment Agency (EA) currently have no flood defences within the constituency except a section of flood bank in Lowdham.
The EA and partners are in the process of constructing a larger flood storage reservoir upstream of Lowdham to reduce the risk of flooding to 191 properties in the village. The scheme is projected to have £50 million in whole life benefits and to be delivered by early 2027.
The EA also carry out maintenance on parts of the River Leen, Bakerlane Brook, Cocker Beck and Dover Beck, and continue to monitor river levels, issuing flood warnings when required. The EA are working with partners to raise community awareness, plan for and respond to incidents, and support communities, alongside Local Authorities, in running Flood Warden schemes.