Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 consider the potential merits of launching a pilot project in Poole to recover (a) stranded and (b) sunken glass fibre boats to help ensure that they do not pollute local waters.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sunken or stranded boats within Poole Harbour, and pollution arising from them, fall within the responsibility of the Poole Harbour Master’s Office. We encourage the public to report pollution via our incident hotline, by calling 0800 80 70 60 at any time.
The UK is leading action under the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter to improve the management of end-of-life recreational vessels. This includes work with contracting parties: to develop a methodology to estimate the quantity, distribution and material composition of these vessels; to collate an inventory of end-of-life vessels; and to develop guidance to support their waste management.
The OSPAR Convention is the Regional Seas Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic and, as a Contracting Party, the UK participates in monitoring programmes to assess regional trends in marine litter and implements actions under the Regional Action Plan.
The UK also commissioned Resource Futures to undertake research to inform policy development to discourage abandonment and improve waste management of end-of-life recreational vessels, focused on establishing volume, location and type of materials in the waste stream and understanding current disposal options and barriers in the UK and across the OSPAR Maritime Area.
This research is published online: Marine litter from end of life recreational vessels - ME5247.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the recycling of glass fibre boats.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In our manifesto, the Government committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy. A circular economy is a system that decouples economic activity from new resource extraction, using a systemic approach across the full material and product lifecycle to maintain the value of our resources for as long as possible. Recycling has a role to play in the circular economy, but where possible the approach will mean moving materials and products further up the waste hierarchy by encouraging better design, reuse and repair.
The UK is leading action under the OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter to improve the management of end-of-life recreational vessels. The OSPAR Convention is the Regional Seas Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic. This includes work with other Contracting Parties: to develop a methodology to estimate the quantity, distribution and material composition of these vessels; to collate an inventory of end-of-life vessels; and to develop guidance to support their waste management.
The UK also commissioned Resource Futures to undertake research to inform policy development to discourage abandonment and improve waste management of end-of-life recreational vessels, focused on establishing volume, location and type of materials in the waste stream and understanding current disposal options and barriers in the UK and across the OSPAR Maritime Area. This research is published online: Marine litter from end of life recreational vessels - ME5247.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 has commissioned recent research into the potential impact of glass fibre boats on ecology.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
End of life recreational vessels are often made from glass reinforced polymer, or fibreglass, and are recognised as a source of marine litter when abandoned offshore or on shorelines where their degradation can lead to macro and micro litter.
Defra has not commissioned research into the potential impact of glass fibre boats on ecology directly, but the UK is leading action under the OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter to improve the management of end-of-life recreational vessels. This includes work with contracting parties: to develop a methodology to estimate the quantity, distribution and material composition of these vessels; to collate an inventory of end-of-life vessels; and to develop guidance to support their waste management.
The OSPAR Convention is the Regional Seas Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic and, as a Contracting Party, the UK participates in monitoring programmes to assess regional trends in marine litter and implements actions under the Regional Action Plan.
The UK also commissioned Resource Futures to undertake research to inform policy development to discourage abandonment and improve waste management of end-of-life recreational vessels, focused on establishing volume, location and type of materials in the waste stream and understanding current disposal options and barriers in the UK and across the OSPAR Maritime Area. This research is published online: Marine litter from end of life recreational vessels - ME5247.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 merits of banning greyhound racing in England.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eastleigh, Liz Jarvis, on 18 September 2024, PQ 5214.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 plans to issue new guidance on the handling of chickens by their legs.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are carefully considering the recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s report on the welfare implications of carrying methods for poultry to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare and will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to end trail hunting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter with regard to Scotland and NI; hunting with dogs is a reserved matter with respect to Wales and therefore, the information provided relates to England and Wales.
The Government is committed to enacting a ban on Trail Hunting, and work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 help tackle sewage discharges by Wessex Water in Poole constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Wessex Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to cut sewage dumping and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.
The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.
I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.