Oral Answers to Questions

Siân Berry Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Emma Reynolds]

I thank the hon. Member for his interest, and share his view that the use of snare traps is cruel and indiscriminate. We are looking at and consulting on whether we can introduce a closed season for hares.

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

3. What steps she is taking to help reduce air pollution.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

I take this opportunity to congratulate the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on the excellent progress made on reducing air pollution in London, which was recently identified as one of 19 leading cities in reducing air pollution. Communities across England will benefit from cleaner air, thanks to our actions to tackle fine particulate pollution, which harms public health and is linked to asthma, lung conditions and heart disease. We will deliver that by modernising industrial permitting, exploring tighter standards for new wood-burning appliances to protect public health, and increasing communication of air-quality information.

[Siân Berry]

I published the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, also known as Ella’s law, this month alongside the Ella Roberta Foundation, Mums for Lungs, Clean Air in London, Asthma and Lung UK and Global Action Plan. Together, we affirmed that the right to breathe clean air is a fundamental human right. Does the Minister agree that the Government should include this vital, life-saving legislation in the upcoming King’s Speech, to give clean air the statutory momentum it requires?

[Emma Hardy]

I thank the hon. Lady, and pay tribute to Rosamund for the campaigning that she has been doing on this for years. Of course, I support the objectives of improving air quality and cleaning up air pollution, and agree with the hon. Lady on how important that is to public health. That is why we are already taking action to deliver meaningful improvements to air quality, through commitments and actions set out in the environmental improvement plan.

Oral Answers to Questions

Siân Berry Excerpts

Thursday 19th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Solicitor General]

If you come to this country, you play by our rules. That is why since we came into office, we have been taking action to ensure that foreign offenders can be deported at the earliest opportunity. In the period since we have been in office, we have deported nearly 30,000 foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers. That is the highest rate of returns for more than half a decade. It is the right thing to do, it will save prison capacity, and it will save taxpayers’ money.

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

4. If she will take steps to reduce the number of prosecutions brought for non-violent drug-related offences.

[The Solicitor General]

In its recent report, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs highlighted the Government’s safer streets mission as a key vehicle to address the connection between drug use and criminality. The Government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill will expand police powers to conduct more drug tests on more suspects upon arrest, which will help to direct more drug users into treatment and away from illegal drug use.

[Siân Berry]

As drug-related deaths are now at record levels, particularly because of the increase in synthetic opioids, I believe that we need to look again at supervised drug-consumption facilities, which are an evidence-based intervention that could save lives and public spending. Both the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and the Health and Social Care Committee support the idea. Will the Solicitor General consider facilitating a legal mechanism here, as in Scotland under the Lord Advocate, to enable local health and police authorities that wish to pilot such facilities to establish their efficacy to do so?

[The Solicitor General]

It is absolutely right that we ensure that those who fall into drug addiction are able to access adequate support, services and routes to rehabilitation. As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Policing said to the Scottish Affairs Committee recently, the Government do not have plans to amend the law to permit the introduction of drug-consumption facilities. We are clear, however, that drug deaths are avoidable, and we are committed to supporting more people into recovery so that they can live healthier and longer lives.