Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers in St Austell and Newquay constituency have not received payment from the Rural Payments Agency for their (a) Entry Level Stewardship and (b) Higher Level Stewardship claims for 2017.
Answered by George Eustice
Unlike Countryside Stewardship, which is a newer scheme, the information held centrally on Environmental Stewardship agreements and claims does not reliably contain the detail which would allow us to identify that a claimant resided in a particular constituency. The resource cost to give Environmental Stewardship claim data at parliamentary constituency level is too great.
Across England, for 2017 just under 98% of Environmental Stewardship agreement holders have received their advance payment and 80% have received their 2017 final payment. The Rural Payments Agency took on administration of Environmental Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers in St Austell and Newquay constituency have not received their 2018 Countryside Stewardship Scheme payment from the Rural Payments Agency.
Answered by George Eustice
There are 26 Countryside Stewardship agreement holders in St Austell and Newquay constituency who are eligible for an annual 2018 payment. While payments for 2018 claims are underway, of the 26, 22 have not yet received their payment. The Rural Payments Agency took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Countryside Stewardship agreements have been reached (a) in St Austell and Newquay constituency and (b) in the UK since the commencement of that scheme.
Answered by George Eustice
There are 36 live Countryside Stewardship agreements in the St Austell and Newquay constituency and 14,406 in England as a whole. Defra operates Countryside Stewardship in England only.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers in St Austell and Newquay constituency have not received an agreement with the Rural Payments Agency after applying to the 2019 Countryside Stewardship Scheme within the qualifying period for 2019.
Answered by George Eustice
There were a total of nine applicants in St Austell and Newquay constituency who submitted a valid application for a Countryside Stewardship agreement commencing on 1 January 2019. Of these, four applicants have been offered an agreement. The other five valid applications are being processed towards the stage at which the offer of an agreement can be made.
The RPA took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish his consultations on the proposals in the resources and waste strategy.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The consultation ‘Single use carrier bags: extending and increasing the charge’ has been published and will close on 22 February.
Consultations on reforming the packaging producer responsibility system, the introduction of a deposit return scheme and improving household and business recycling will be published shortly.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
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 Answer of 11 January 2019 to Question 206400 on Beverage Containers: Recycling, what assessment he has made of (a) the effectiveness of deposit return systems in operation in other countries; and (b) the merits of the Norwegian environmental tax on recyclable plastic bottles.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The consultation regarding the introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS) will be published shortly, and will look at how a scheme might sit alongside other measures to boost recycling. The specific model, scope and scale of any scheme, have not yet been determined, and we are currently developing proposals on these to be consulted on.
We are drawing upon experience of how DRS systems operate in a range of countries to help shape our proposals for a scheme in England. As the Minister responsible for this policy area, I visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark at the end of 2017, to find out more about the DRS in those countries.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
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 Answer of 11 January 2019 to Question 206400 on Beverage Containers: Recycling, if he will (a) set a target for recycling over 90 percent of drinks containers of all shapes as suggested in the Scottish consultation and (b) make an assessment of the need for a deposit return system that includes containers of all shapes, sizes and materials to achieve such a target.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The consultation regarding the introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS) will be published shortly, and will look at how a scheme might sit alongside other measures to boost recycling. The specific model, scope and scale of any scheme, have not yet been determined, and we are currently developing proposals on these to be consulted on.
We are drawing upon experience of how DRS systems operate in a range of countries to help shape our proposals for a scheme in England. As the Minister responsible for this policy area, I visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark at the end of 2017, to find out more about the DRS in those countries.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
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 Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 183372 on Beverage Containers: Recycling, if he will take account of the outcome of the Scottish consultation on a future deposit return system when designing such a scheme for England.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Yes.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
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 the food and beverage industry on the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
In autumn 2017, the Voluntary and Economic Incentives working group held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes, and gave the food and beverage industry the opportunity to provide their views.
Defra officials held a stakeholder workshop, including representatives from the food and beverage industry, in June this year to discuss early thinking on a deposit return scheme and seek their feedback.
Defra Ministers and Officials continue to engage with stakeholders from the food and beverage industry on an individual basis to discuss issues related to introducing a deposit return scheme.
The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme in England, subject to consultation later this year. The upcoming consultation will allow a further opportunity for the food and beverage industry to inform the development of any deposit return scheme.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
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 encourage food producers to use recycled content in their production.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Food producers are responsible for the ingredients and contents of their products to be compliant with food safety standards.