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Written Question
Fluorinated Gases: Regulation
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with industry to develop policies on fluorinated gas regulation.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are in the process of reviewing the GB F-gas Regulation and have engaged with industry throughout this process. As part of this work, we undertook a comprehensive review of the GB F-gas Regulation and published an assessment report in December 2022, which included assessing measures related to leakage of F-gases. We intend to consult on proposals for change to the GB F-gas Regulation in due course.


Written Question
Fluorinated Gases: Regulation
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

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 adequacy of regulations on fluorinated gas in helping to reduce emissions leakage.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are in the process of reviewing the GB F-gas Regulation and have engaged with industry throughout this process. As part of this work, we undertook a comprehensive review of the GB F-gas Regulation and published an assessment report in December 2022, which included assessing measures related to leakage of F-gases. We intend to consult on proposals for change to the GB F-gas Regulation in due course.


Written Question
Fluorinated Gases: Regulation
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his department is taking to work with industry on fluorinated gas regulation.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are in the process of reviewing the GB F-gas Regulation and have engaged with industry throughout this process. As part of this work, we undertook a comprehensive review of the GB F-gas Regulation and published an assessment report in December 2022, which included assessing measures related to leakage of F-gases. We intend to consult on proposals for change to the GB F-gas Regulation in due course.


Written Question
Agriculture: Energy and Inflation
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

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 with Cabinet colleagues to provide additional support for (a) energy and (b) inflationary costs for the agriculture sector.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Energy Bills Discount Scheme provides all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a baseline discount on high energy bills for 12 months from April 2023 until 31 March 2024. A higher level of support is provided to some Energy and Trade Intensive Industries that are particularly exposed to energy cost increases due to their energy and trade intensity and are therefore less able to pass these costs through to their customers due to international competition.

Tackling inflation is one of this Government’s priorities. While inflation has more than halved, it remains a challenge, which is why we continue to monitor all key agricultural commodities and work with the food industry to address the challenges they face. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.

The Government is supporting farmers through a range of measures. In recognition of the challenges faced with inflation and rising input costs, we are updating prices in our environmental land management schemes with an average 10% uplift. We are making the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) simpler, with more choice about what farmers can do and more actions made available, to better reflect the full spectrum of farming interests. What is more, 50 new actions are being added to our environmental land management schemes, many of which support food production, making it easier for the Government’s support to fit into farmers’ business plans. Specific actions in the SFI, such as different cropping systems, better plant management methods and other Nutrient Management and Integrated Pest Management actions, will support farmers in improving soil health, reducing their reliance on costly inputs.

We are also keen to support farmers through technology to help them lower their costs. More grants will be launched this year to help farmers grow more, sell more and make their businesses more sustainable and resilient for the future. We will also look at ways to make grants and schemes even easier to access, including the potential to streamline the application process for schemes. Farmers can now apply for SFI and the Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier through one single application, meaning they will have the same actions and get the same support with less paperwork.

Full expensing, which was made permanent at Autumn Statement 2023, allows companies to claim 100% capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery investments (for example, high tech agricultural equipment) in the year the expenditure is incurred. The Government announced at Spring Budget 2024 that we will seek to extend full expensing to assets for leasing when fiscal conditions allow and will publish draft legislation shortly.

We are continuing to keep this all under review to make sure it works for and rewards all farms in all parts of the country.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the scale of the environmental impact of disposable vapes.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

When littered, disposable vapes can introduce plastic, nicotine salts, heavy metals, lead, mercury, and flammable lithium-ion batteries into the natural environment. These items and substances contaminate waterways and soil, posing a risk to the environment and animal health. Defra commissioned external research to further understand the environmental harms of disposable vapes, which is published online. The objectives of this report included understanding the UK single-use vape market, disposal methods, environmental impacts and other international approaches to regulating vapes.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

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 (a) Scottish and (b) Welsh governments on ensuring the interoperability of a ban on disposable vapes.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Following the consultation on creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, the recently published government response confirmed that the UK Government intends to bring forward legislation as soon as possible to ban the supply and ban of disposable vapes in England. Scotland and Wales also confirmed they intend to bring forward similar legislation and Northern Ireland is considering next steps following the consultation. We are in regular discussions with the devolved administrations on these proposals.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to develop a detailed timeline for the roll-out of a ban on disposable vapes.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is currently developing the timeline for the ban on the sale and supply of disposable vapes and is engaging with devolved administrations across the UK as well as relevant enforcement agencies to ensure successful rollout. Any legislation taken forward will allow for an implementation period of at least six months, which takes into consideration concerns that industry will require time to adapt.


Written Question
Refugees: Palestinians
Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a resettlement scheme for Palestinian refugees.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Since 2015, over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. This includes over 28.600 individuals resettled to the UK under our global resettlement schemes. We continue to provide the most vulnerable refugees in need of protection a route to safety directly from regions of conflict and instability through these schemes, which include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement scheme. This represents one of the most generous resettlement offers in the UK's history. However, the U.K. only has finite capacity. We cannot provide a safe and legal route for every conflict in the world.

There are no plans to introduce bespoke arrangements for people arriving from the region, and we are not considering establishing a separate route for Palestinians to come to the UK. Immediate family members of British citizens, and those settled in the UK, who wish to come and live in the UK and do not have a current UK visa, can apply under one of the existing family visa routes. The UK's efforts are focussed on ensuring aid reaches those who need in most. The Prime Minister announced on Monday 23 October that the UK will provide a further £20 million of humanitarian aid for civilians. This latest funding is in addition to the £10 million of aid announced by the Prime Minister last week.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Women
Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in her Department are women.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2022/23 more than half of new entrants to the Civil Service were women (54.1%). In 2021/22 51.6% of new entrants and 53.9% of promotions to the Senior Civil Service were women.

The proportion of Senior Civil Servants graded as SCS 2 in the department as of 30 September 2023, excluding arm’s length bodies, is 50%. The proportion was calculated by the number of female staff at Payband 2 (Director) and working full-time divided by the total number of staff at the department at Payband 2 (where sex is known).

Monitoring of annual diversity statistics and recruitment data takes place to understand and evaluate progress in improving recruitment outcomes for protected characteristics.

During recruitment, the department uses the Civil Service Success Profiles methodology which assesses candidates across several elements, allowing candidates to demonstrate their skills and experience. Some roles, given their nature, do still require a formal qualification. Sifting is anonymised and we use recruitment panels, to mitigate against bias.

The department supports the Care Leaver programme as part of our career entry offer. This programme brings in young people who have been in Care and helps them gain experience of work, with a view to securing employment.

There are a range of cross-Government leadership development opportunities available for women in the department, including but not limited to conferences, talent pipeline schemes and talent programmes. Participation in these development opportunities is actively encouraged throughout the department.

The department also supports diverse working patterns and work life balance through a range of HR policies, including but not limited to policies on flexible working, special leave, parental leave, menopause and menstruation, pregnancy loss, and parental bereavement.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Women
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in her Department are women.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.