Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department have had with the EU on cooperation on chemicals regulation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment. We are currently considering the best approach to chemicals regulation in the UK.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for greater data sharing on chemicals regulation with the European Union.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment. We are currently considering the best approach to chemicals regulation in the UK.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many submissions were received in response to the call for evidence on environmental funding for the British Overseas Territories; and when her Department plans to publish its response to that consultation.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
A total of 49 responses were submitted to the Call for Evidence on biodiversity and conservation funding in the Overseas Territories, and a summary of those responses will be published in due course. Decisions on future funding arrangements for the Overseas Territories, including any domestic replacements for EU funding, will be considered as part of the next full spending review.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department’s response to the call for evidence on environmental funding for the British Overseas Territories will include plans to replace the EU environmental funds of BEST and LIFE.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
A total of 49 responses were submitted to the Call for Evidence on biodiversity and conservation funding in the Overseas Territories, and a summary of those responses will be published in due course. Decisions on future funding arrangements for the Overseas Territories, including any domestic replacements for EU funding, will be considered as part of the next full spending review.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
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 estimate of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) money spend on infrastructure required to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by George Eustice
At Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury committed £3 billion to help Departments and Devolved Administrations make necessary preparations for leaving the EU in 2018/19 and 2019/20. This was subsequently increased by £0.5bn in the 2018 Budget, meaning the Government has invested over £4bn helping Departments and the Devolved Administrations prepare for EU Exit scenarios since 2016, including ‘no-deal’. This breaks down as:
£412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.
£286m of additional funding for 2017/18. A full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017/18:
Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 2018/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March:
Over £2bn of additional funding for 2019/20. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December:
Of the £1.5bn funding for 2018/19, Defra was allocated £310m with a further £10m being repurposed from existing budgets. The details of this allocation were not included in the 2018/19 Main Estimate but will be confirmed in the Supplementary Estimates, which is normally published by February each year.
Of the £2bn funding for 2019/20, Defra was allocated £410m. This funding will support ongoing preparations in all scenarios with a further process expected to draw upon additional funds in 2019/20 to manage emerging no deal risks if and when they materialise.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.
Answered by George Eustice
The Chancellor frequently has confidential discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on all aspects of public expenditure. Spending plans are published alongside the main fiscal events at the Autumn Budget and Spring Statement.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of the UK Overseas Territories being able to access the EU’s LIFE fund for larger scale environmental projects.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Overseas Territories can currently access the EU LIFE programme according to the LIFE regulation 2014-2020 so no such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the creation of an equivalent definition to Regulation 178/2002 on market placement during negotiations with the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government continues to prepare to negotiate our exit from the European Union. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union and other Government departments to ensure withdrawal from the EU is as smooth as possible. As part of this, the Government will be working with the devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government, to take their needs and considerations into account as we negotiate and deliver the best possible deal for this country in leaving the European Union.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the creation of an equivalent definition to Regulation 178/2002 on market placement during negotiations with the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government continues to prepare to negotiate our exit from the European Union. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union and other Government departments to ensure withdrawal from the EU is as smooth as possible. As part of this, the Government will be working with the devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government, to take their needs and considerations into account as we negotiate and deliver the best possible deal for this country in leaving the European Union.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, whether the seven EU Reference Laboratories based in the UK will be relocated after the UK leaves the EU; whether an economic assessment has been carried out on the potential effects of such relocation; and whether an assessment has been carried out on the potential effect of such relocation on the future of UK research.
Answered by George Eustice
As part of our preparations to leave the EU, we will consider how we continue to collaborate with European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements including for the EU Reference Laboratories based in the UK, and consider the impact on UK research and access to data, skills and intelligence. The UK will look to build on its unique relationship with the EU and establish an agreement on science and innovation that maintains and enhances research links..