Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 will consider the potential merits of (a) exemptions and (b) reduced thresholds for small and medium sized housebuilders under biodiversity net gain regulations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has recently consulted on how to improve biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This included options on exemptions and potential reduced thresholds for minor development. The Government is considering responses and will publish a summary of responses received as well as a Government response in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the viability of small and medium-sized housing schemes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has recently consulted on how to improve biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This included options on exemptions and potential reduced thresholds for minor development. The Government is considering responses and will publish a summary of responses received as well as a Government response in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of puppy smuggling.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Due to the illegal nature of this activity, we cannot know the true extent of puppy and kitten smuggling operations. The Animal and Plant Health Agency plays a critical role in monitoring and intercepting animals that do not meet legal importation standards including those that are underage.
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through the House of Lords as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the animal welfare strategy will include a commitment to help end the illegal puppy smuggling trade.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 review the proportionality of biodiversity net gain survey requirements for small urban sites, in cases where (a) survey and (b) finance costs exceeded £30,000 for a compliance fee of under £500.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The recent consultation looked at a range of options to make it quicker, cheaper and easier for these businesses to deliver their BNG obligations, including small urban sites.
The recent consultation also looked at options for increasing flexibility for small developers to purchase off-site units, when BNG is not possible or viable to achieve on-site. Natural England maintains a national register of all off-site BNG land which continues to grow, increasing options and reducing costs for developers.
A Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.
We are also on improving the operation of BNG for local planning authorities and SME housebuilders. We will continue to keep the wider local authority biodiversity administration and ecological requirements on SME housebuilders through the planning system under review.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 review the potential impact of variation in (a) local authority biodiversity administration and (b) ecological requirements on the ability of SME housebuilders to (i) forecast costs and (ii) deliver housing.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The recent consultation looked at a range of options to make it quicker, cheaper and easier for these businesses to deliver their BNG obligations, including small urban sites.
The recent consultation also looked at options for increasing flexibility for small developers to purchase off-site units, when BNG is not possible or viable to achieve on-site. Natural England maintains a national register of all off-site BNG land which continues to grow, increasing options and reducing costs for developers.
A Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.
We are also on improving the operation of BNG for local planning authorities and SME housebuilders. We will continue to keep the wider local authority biodiversity administration and ecological requirements on SME housebuilders through the planning system under review.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the viability of small urban housing sites developed by SME housebuilders; and if he will review the (a) availability and (b) cost of biodiversity unit credits for such schemes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The recent consultation looked at a range of options to make it quicker, cheaper and easier for these businesses to deliver their BNG obligations, including small urban sites.
The recent consultation also looked at options for increasing flexibility for small developers to purchase off-site units, when BNG is not possible or viable to achieve on-site. Natural England maintains a national register of all off-site BNG land which continues to grow, increasing options and reducing costs for developers.
A Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.
We are also on improving the operation of BNG for local planning authorities and SME housebuilders. We will continue to keep the wider local authority biodiversity administration and ecological requirements on SME housebuilders through the planning system under review.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 availability of suitable off-site land for delivering biodiversity net gain in the vicinity of small urban sites.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The recent consultation looked at a range of options to make it quicker, cheaper and easier for these businesses to deliver their BNG obligations, including small urban sites.
The recent consultation also looked at options for increasing flexibility for small developers to purchase off-site units, when BNG is not possible or viable to achieve on-site. Natural England maintains a national register of all off-site BNG land which continues to grow, increasing options and reducing costs for developers.
A Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.
We are also on improving the operation of BNG for local planning authorities and SME housebuilders. We will continue to keep the wider local authority biodiversity administration and ecological requirements on SME housebuilders through the planning system under review.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish the animal welfare strategy before 6 November 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 plans to take to ensure hospitality businesses are not double charged for the handling of their waste, in the context of the introduction of extended producer responsibility for packaging.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under packaging extended producer responsibility, packaging producers are only liable for fees that cover the management of packaging waste collected from households. The regulations therefore make a distinction as to what is "household packaging" and what is not, so as to attribute those costs to producers.