Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed national planning reforms for farmers on (a) the environment and (b) animal welfare.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment.
The revised Framework published on 12 December last year maintains the expectation that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.
The government are considering what further changes might be made to make it quicker for farmers to build farm buildings, barns and other infrastructure needed to boost their food production.
The animal welfare considerations for buildings and accommodation used for farmed animals are set out in The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 with further guidance set out in the relevant species-specific welfare code of practice.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Israeli legislation on UNRWA on UK government funding.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has committed £41 million for UNRWA this financial year, to deliver essential services for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and to Palestinian refugees across the region. This funding has now been released to United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to spend before the end of the financial year. We remain opposed to Israeli legislation against UNRWA, which plays a vital role in delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza and enabling the broader international response through its logistics and distribution network.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) households and (b) listed buildings have been awarded funding for energy efficiency installations under the ECO4 scheme in (i) Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr constituency (ii) Wales and (iii) England.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
ECO4 does not award funding to households, it is an obligation set by Government on large energy suppliers to install energy efficiency measures.
To the end of September 2024 (the latest available data by parliamentary constituency and nation), ECO4 has supported: (i) 1,140 households in the Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency, (ii) 18,729 households in Wales, and (iii) 166,258 households in England.
The Department does not hold data on how many listed buildings have received ECO4 measures.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to end fossil fuel (a) extraction, (b) exports and (c) imports.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will consult on the implementation of its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields in due course. It does not intend to revoke existing licences.
The Government has announced it will introduce new legislation to restrict the future licensing of new coal mines in Great Britain. The last coal fired power station closed in October 2024.
The Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan paves the way to decarbonising the wider economy by 2050 as it pursues the electrification of heat in buildings, transport, and industry.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to limit the UK’s CO2 emissions to its proportionate share of the remaining global carbon budget for 1.5°C.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest assessments by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that the pathway to 1.5°C remains open, but only if urgent action is taken. The UK is a global leader in the fight against climate change, which is why at COP29, the Prime Minister announced the UK’s 1.5°C aligned 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. This target is estimated to reduce emissions by more than 60% between 2019 and 2035, aligning with the reductions in the IPCC’s global pathways which limit warming to 1.5°C with low or no overshoot. The UK’s commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is also consistent with these pathways, as confirmed by the UK’s Climate Change Committee in advice provided in June 2019 and December 2020.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the UK's carbon footprint including emissions from imported goods is since 2010.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information about the Carbon footprint for the UK is published here : Carbon footprint for the UK and England to 2021 - GOV.UK
Data are available up to 2021.
The total carbon footprint now includes the seven main Greenhouse Gases comprising: CO2, Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydro-flourocarbons (HFC), Perflurocarbons (PFC), Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
We do not hold information on total UK emissions but can provide those associated with consumption. UK consumption emission figures, including those from imported goods, are provided in the table below.
Table 1: Greenhouse gas emissions associated with UK consumption, million tonnes CO2 equivalent, UK, 2010-2021
Year | GHG from UK produced goods and services consumed by UK residents | GHG embedded in imported goods and services to UK | UK Households heating emissions arising from the use of fossil fuels | UK Transport emissions generated directly by UK households | Total |
2010 | 310 | 336 | 91 | 66 | 804 |
2011 | 292 | 347 | 74 | 66 | 778 |
2012 | 305 | 360 | 80 | 66 | 811 |
2013 | 295 | 358 | 82 | 67 | 801 |
2014 | 283 | 366 | 69 | 67 | 784 |
2015 | 275 | 362 | 72 | 68 | 777 |
2016 | 236 | 320 | 73 | 69 | 698 |
2017 | 211 | 321 | 71 | 70 | 673 |
2018 | 213 | 342 | 74 | 70 | 699 |
2019 | 208 | 336 | 71 | 70 | 685 |
2020 | 176 | 311 | 71 | 54 | 613 |
2021 | 189 | 381 | 76 | 59 | 705 |
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the rules on request to review ARAP rejections within 90 days of receipt when a person is in (a) a life-threatening situation and (b) has limited access to the internet.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We understand that Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) applicants often face difficult circumstances where it is not always easy to request a review of a decision finding their application ineligible within 90 days of receiving an outcome letter. Where an individual has compelling circumstances that prevented them from meeting this deadline, a late review request may be considered. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific circumstances of each individual.
This policy remains unchanged following the announcement of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), which will draw Afghan resettlement into a single delivery pipeline whilst retaining the current eligibility criteria of individual schemes such as ARAP.
The full policy and process regarding ARAP reviews is published online and can be found on Government web pages.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on foundry businesses (a) in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027.
The UK CBAM will ensure highly traded, carbon intensive products from overseas face a comparable carbon price to those produced here so that UK decarbonisation efforts lead to a true reduction in global emissions rather than simply displacing carbon emissions overseas.
The CBAM will apply to all imports of relevant goods into the UK, and will have indirect differential regional impacts due to the location of impacted sectors. Both nationally and in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, the CBAM will give industry confidence to invest in decarbonising knowing their efforts will not be undermined by carbon leakage. An assessment of CBAM impacts on the economy and businesses will be provided when the policy is final or near final, in the form of a tax information and impact note.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help improve (a) mobile signal and (b) broadband for areas that have no access to fibre internet in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the Shared Rural Network, we have recently upgraded and activated two government-funded masts in the Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency, delivering a 4G coverage boost to local businesses and community organisations, with more to come.
Through Project Gigabit, around 70,000 homes and businesses across Wales, including thousands in the Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency, are currently set to benefit from a contract being delivered by Openreach that will deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that would otherwise miss out.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to provide an update on the status of Drenewydd Actif Newtown’s application for the Community Ownership Fund.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Applicants to the Community Ownership Fund (COF) were required to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) form as a first stage and have this approved before being able to submit a full application in the next available round of the Fund.
Drenewydd Actif received an outcome regarding their EOI on 11 April 2024 after the last round of funding had closed.
Communities will rightly be seeking clarity regarding the future of the Community Ownership Fund. We recognise uncertainty is challenging for groups seeking to save vital community assets; the Government is carefully considering all available options and will confirm plans in due course.