Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 conserve biodiversity in canals.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We recognise that the inland waterways across England and Wales are an important national asset forming an important part of our natural environment by providing green and blue corridors along which biodiversity can flourish.
We are committed to recovering nature, including restoring our freshwater habitats, which is why we have now set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. By 2030 we have committed to halt the decline in species abundance and by 2042 we aim to reverse species decline; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. Action towards these targets will drive essential improvements to our freshwater habitats.
Defra is committed to improve at least 75% of our waters to as ‘close to their natural state’ as soon as is practicable, set out in the EIP. In April we published our Integrated Plan for Delivering Clean and Plentiful Water. The actions in the plan aim to restore all types surface waters, for example, river, lakes and canals.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on increasing access to nature through (a) improved maintenance of footpaths, (b) increasing the network of footpaths and (c) expansions of the freedom to roam.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
England already has a fantastic network of paths with some 120,000 miles of linear access through England’s countryside, but we are taking steps to improve this further.
For example, the Bridlington to Filey stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path was recently opened, connecting thousands of people to the Yorkshire coast. Over 850 miles of the path are now open to the public and, when complete, it will be the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world at 2,700 miles.
We are also designating Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route across the north of England as a new National Trail, crossing some of our most precious national landscapes making it accessible to cyclists and horse riders where it is feasible to do so.
We are delivering the £14.5 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive. More than £3.5 million has already been spent on making our protected landscapes more accessible, including on creating and improving footpaths to ensure that the countryside is accessible to everyone.
We are also improving the way in which rights of way are recorded by implementing a package of reforms to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the process for new rights of way to be added to the legal record for everyone to enjoy. Local highway authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of existing public rights of way and are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan to plan improvements to the rights of way network in their area. This must include an assessment of the local rights of way including the condition of the network.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provides for a right to roam across open access land, giving the public a right of access to most areas of mountain, moor, heath, down, registered common land and coastal margin. This means that the public already has the ‘right to roam’ over many areas of wild, open countryside. We have no plans to change this.
We set out our commitment to the provision of safe and appropriate public access in as many woodlands as possible in the England Trees Action Plan. The Environmental Improvement Plan reiterates our commitment to publish our ambition for improving the quantity, quality, and permanency of woodland access.
Through programmes with the Community Forests and Forestry England we are enabling creation of large scale publicly accessible woodlands near towns and cities. For instance, as part of our ‘Access for All’ programme we are providing over £3 million to Forestry England to increase access to green and blue spaces in our most deprived urban areas.
We continue to support land managers to provide woodland access through our Countryside Stewardship and England Woodland Creation Offer schemes.
Under the new Environmental Land Management offer, for woodlands, we are providing societal benefits by bringing people closer to nature, allowing long-term permissive access for recreation and contributing to the rural economy.
The Department for Transport is investing in active travel. This includes delivering thousands of miles of safe, continuous routes for cycling and creating Active Travel England to support local authorities to deliver ambitious and transformational schemes. The Transport Secretary appointed Chris Boardman as National Active Travel Commissioner in June 2022.
This Government has done more than any other when it comes to walking and cycling. Around 250 more miles of walking and cycling routes have been opened since 2020 and we remain fully committed to the ambitious vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled. This is in addition to the objectives outlined in the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2).
This Government absolutely understands the importance of active travel. That is why we are investing more than any other government, over £3 billion, into this area. This includes at least £100 million capital funding over the two-year period 2023/24 to 2024/25 for active travel infrastructure, following on from £850 million investment in the three years up to 2022/23.
We also committed in our 2020 Gear Change plan commits to improve the National Cycle Network (NCN), recognising the vital importance of the NCN in enabling everyone to walk, wheel and cycle safely and easily. Last year Sustrans was awarded £25 million to support and expand the NCN.
Active Travel England will work to ensure that this wider funding supports delivery of the objectives in CWIS2 including the need for projects to conform with national design guidance. Active travel remains at the heart of this Government’s agenda and the Department will continue to ensure that it is given the priority it deserves.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many non-disclosure agreements her Department has signed with (a) companies and (b) trade associations advising the Government on preparations for contingency planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with some private sector organisations. Confidentiality requirements are a common element of contractual obligations and are used by departments to protect commercial considerations; to reflect the sensitive nature of some discussions; and to facilitate conversations that otherwise may not have been able to take place, due to concerns around sensitive information.
The requested information on the number of NDAs is not held centrally by Defra and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 encourage fashion brands to process unsold stock in an environmentally sustainable way.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Destroying usable stock is not condoned by the Government.
In the new Resources and Waste Strategy we have committed to review and consult on measures such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) and product standards for five new waste streams by the end of 2025, two of which we plan to complete by 2022, as well as to explore options for ecolabelling. Textiles is one of the five priority areas identified for this.
In addition, Defra is supporting the voluntary Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP). Signatories, representing nearly 60% of clothes sold in the UK market by volume, are working to minimise waste and reduce the environmental impacts of their products. A number of signatories work with charity partners or donate their unsold stock for reuse.
For the future, as well as exploring the next phase of the SCAP post-2020, we will consider whether any other measures are needed to address this challenge.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 (a) tackle the practice of the destruction of unsold stock by fashion brands and (b) encourage fashion brands to donate or repurpose that stock.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Destroying usable stock is not condoned by the Government.
In the new Resources and Waste Strategy we have committed to review and consult on measures such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) and product standards for five new waste streams by the end of 2025, two of which we plan to complete by 2022, as well as to explore options for ecolabelling. Textiles is one of the five priority areas identified for this.
In addition, Defra is supporting the voluntary Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP). Signatories, representing nearly 60% of clothes sold in the UK market by volume, are working to minimise waste and reduce the environmental impacts of their products. A number of signatories work with charity partners or donate their unsold stock for reuse.
For the future, as well as exploring the next phase of the SCAP post-2020, we will consider whether any other measures are needed to address this challenge.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent the destruction of unsold stock by fashion brands.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Destroying usable stock is not condoned by the Government.
In the new Resources and Waste Strategy we have committed to review and consult on measures such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) and product standards for five new waste streams by the end of 2025, two of which we plan to complete by 2022, as well as to explore options for ecolabelling. Textiles is one of the five priority areas identified for this.
In addition, Defra is supporting the voluntary Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP). Signatories, representing nearly 60% of clothes sold in the UK market by volume, are working to minimise waste and reduce the environmental impacts of their products. A number of signatories work with charity partners or donate their unsold stock for reuse.
For the future, as well as exploring the next phase of the SCAP post-2020, we will consider whether any other measures are needed to address this challenge.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.
Answered by George Eustice
The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018.
The government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a ‘new customs partnership’ and a ‘highly streamlined customs arrangement’. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.
Significant analysis has been undertaken of both models, and this has been factored into policy development.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will include a target on reducing premature deaths from air pollution in its new clean air strategy.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse, Jim Fitzpatrick, on 16 February 2018, PQ 126553.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government’s planned clean air strategy will include a commitment to reaching WHO limits for particulate matter.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse, Jim Fitzpatrick, on 16 February 2018, PQ 126553.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff of her Department work on Local Air Quality Management support matters.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As of 13 September this year there were five staff working on local air quality management in Defra. The Environment Agency also has a team of two people in its Local Authority Unit who provide technical advice to local authority environmental regulators and an environmental permitting Helpdesk service for local authorities.