Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 introducing specific (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish options for a person’s ethnic group in data collection conducted by his Department.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the independent Office for National Statistics.
The current harmonised standard is based on the 2011 Census questions used across the UK; those questions were updated for the 2021 and 2022 Censuses. The current standard does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group.
The ONS is reviewing the harmonised standard to ensure this remains appropriate and meets the needs of both data users and respondents. This will include a public consultation later this year.
We await the outcome of this review.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on developing a food strategy that addresses both (a) public health and health inequalities and (b) affordability.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Our ambitious food strategy will set and deliver clear long-term outcomes that create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system, and in doing so will consider elements of the food system that can contribute towards those outcomes.
In developing the strategy, we are establishing a new way of working with the sector and building on strong partnerships across the food system to pool our expertise, influence and effort and develop collective commitments, backed by a clear vision and framework for change from the Government, to improve the outcomes the food system delivers. We will provide details of process, engagement and milestones in the coming months.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 potential merits of including (a) the Cane Corso and (b) crossbreeds between a Cane Corso and a Rottweiler under S.1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government currently have no plans to add these breed types to Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Owners of any breed of dog which is dangerously out of control are breaking the law. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vaping products were registered with the Environment Agency; how much was received by Government in UK WEEE Regulations Compliance Fees for vaping products; and if he will make an estimate of how many vaping products were (a) recycled and (b) incorrectly disposed of in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Vape producers need to register with the Environment Agency under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations and report the tonnage of vapes that they place on the market each year. Prior to 2022, vapes were not reported at a product specific level; they were reported as Category 7 EEE, which encompasses all Toys, Leisure, and Sports Equipment. Therefore, within the data the Environment Agency received from registered producers, it is not possible to identify the types of products that a company handles and thus it is not possible to determine how many vaping products were reported as being placed on the market.
For 2022 and 2023, the Environment Agency requested Compliance Schemes in England to submit data on the tonnage of vapes that their producer members placed on the market. For 2022, the total is 1,637 tonnes. The 2023 data is pending. Producers that register directly with the Environment Agency rather than with Compliance Schemes still include vapes within their Category 7 data, meaning the Environment Agency does not collect or hold vape specific data for direct registrants.
The Government does not hold detailed data on compliance fee payments under the UK WEEE Regulations, as this is managed independently of government. Compliance fee payments are broken down by categories, laid down in the WEEE Regulations and not by individual product level.
Treatment sites that recycle WEEE submit recycling data to the Environment Agency. This data is also not product specific and thus it is not possible to determine how many vaping products have been recycled. The Environment Agency does not collect or hold data on incorrect disposal of vapes.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 support disabled people who own assistance dogs which are (a) XL Bullies or (b) dogs which may be misidentified as XL Bullies.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We have engaged with stakeholders on this issue and we are not aware of any assistance dogs that are XL Bully type dogs. All XL Bully owners will be able to keep their dogs as long as they have applied for a Certificate of Exemption since 31 January 2024 and adhere to strict rules such as the dog being microchipped and kept on a lead and muzzled when in public.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 help support large local authorities to introduce food waste collections by 2026.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Any new financial burdens introduced through new statutory duties on local authorities will be assessed in accordance with the New Burdens Doctrine and the net reasonable cost covered by the Government. Given the additional costs involved in separate food waste collection, the Government will ensure that local authorities are resourced to meet any reasonable new burdens arising from this policy. We will work with the Waste and Resources Action Programme and other partners to provide guidance on best practice, and work with local authorities to help them to deliver services to all householders.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the proposed ban on the sale of horticultural peat in England will apply to imported peat from non-UK countries.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We intend to apply the same restrictions, and exemptions, to imports and domestically produced products containing peat.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 prevent unlicensed waste disposal companies using social media to advertise their services.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government recently consulted on reform of the waste carrier, broker, dealer regime in which we asked whether permit numbers should be required to be shown in advertising and also on vehicles that collect and transport waste. The government response to the consultation will be published soon. In addition to this, between April 2022 and March 2023 the Environment Agency via the Governments joint unit for waste crime, undertook a project to look at the use of social media and other digital platforms by individuals or companies operating illegal waste businesses over the internet. This project is now being adopted longer term and a specific officer to target this is being recruited.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help tackle waste crime in Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, which is a blight on our local communities and the environment and damages legitimate businesses. We have strengthened regulators' powers, are tightening the law and have increased the Environment Agency's budget by £10 million per year to make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. We are also providing grants to councils across the country to help them purchase equipment to tackle fly-tipping. Recipients include Birmingham City Council.
Between 2013 and 2023 the Environment Agency stopped 52 illegal sites within the Birmingham area. From April 2022 to March 2023 the Environment Agency dealt with 384 incidents relating to suspected illegal waste sites/activities across the West Midlands. Around 84% of these reports which were substantiated were closed down within 90 days.
In the same year, the Environment Agency closed down 15 illegal waste sites classified as high risk. This protected 20,582 properties (located within 1km of the site) and removed of 148,982 tonnes of waste. Four of these sites were in the Birmingham area.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many new waste handler licence applications were refused in Birmingham in the last twelve months.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Environment Agency National Permitting Service refused no new waste or installations permit applications in Birmingham from the period of June 2022 to June 2023.