Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:
This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU.
Work on no deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other exit work. The department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to section 5.8.1 of the Clean Air Strategy published on 14 January 2019, when he will publish further detail on his proposals to use environmental permitting to tackle emissions from non-road mobile machinery.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Non Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) can make a significant contribution to local air pollution, and so it is justified to bring in controls which enable a reduction in their emissions where required. We are currently considering what scope and stringency of controls would be appropriate and will consult on proposals in due course.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to ensure that all animals and animal products from outside the EU enter Northern Ireland through a border inspection post in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the event we leave the EU without a deal, live animals and products of animal origin originating from non-EU countries will be checked at UK Border Inspection Posts (BIPs), including those with a final import destination in Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland, Belfast Port is the approved BIP for frozen meat and fish products pre-packed for human consumption. Belfast International Airport is the approved BIP for animal by-products that are not for human consumption.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 study published in the journal Biological Conservation entitled Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers, what steps his Department will take to reverse the decline of the insect population.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The study referred to by the Rt. Hon. Member highlights a global issue that requires both global and national action.
UK scientists have been at the forefront of delivering assessments by the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The IPBES global assessment for pollinators concluded that wild pollinators, including many insect groups, have declined in Europe and North America. Data deficiencies precluded assessment in other parts of the world. Regional assessments came to similar conclusions for wider biodiversity, including insects. In Europe, for example, ongoing strong declines were identified in most species groups.
The UK Government acknowledges and is committed to addressing the declines. Internationally, we are determined to play a leading role in the development of an ambitious strategy under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, when its current framework expires in 2020. At the most recent Conference of the Parties to the Convention, in November 2018, we supported action such as the adoption of a global plan for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators.
At the national level, the Government’s indicators of the abundance of UK butterflies show long term declines since 1976 but no significant change since 2012. Our indicator of pollinating insects in the UK tells a similar story - overall distribution has declined since 1980 but has stabilised in recent years. We are keeping these trends under review as encouraging but not yet definitive signs of progress.
The Government gathers further data on the status of UK pollinators through a UK-wide pollinator monitoring and research partnership, established in collaboration with research institutes and volunteer organisations.
The 25 Year Environment Plan commits to improving the status of insects and each of the four countries of the UK has its own strategy to protect pollinators. We will continue to work in partnership with scientists and practitioners for future generations to inherit a better environment.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the export of plastic waste to developing countries; and if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of a complete ban on plastic waste exports to developing countries.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government wants to export less waste and make sure the waste we do have to export is handled properly. As set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, the government is putting in place measures to improve the quality of the materials we collect for recycling as well as creating domestic markets for these materials. The government recently published four consultations which will support these ambitions: consistency in materials collected for recycling, reform of the packaging waste producer responsibility system, a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and a tax to encourage the use of recycled material in plastic packaging. In addition, we will seek to tighten controls on exports of all waste, and are exploring a range of measures including increasing monitoring of international waste shipments, improved provision for waste repatriation, and charging higher fees to improve compliance with waste shipment controls.
While waste is a commodity, and there is a global market for secondary materials, it must be and is subject to strict controls. Under EU legislation non-OECD countries elect the controls to be applied in respect of waste exports to their countries from the EU, choosing either to prohibit specific wastes, require prior written approval, apply their own national procedures or no control measures. The authorities in countries that receive waste from the EU need to be clear about the types of waste they will accept and the waste import procedures they require exporters in the EU to adhere to.
The EU Waste Shipment Regulations impose strict conditions on the types of waste that can be exported, and set out procedures that waste exporters must follow. They prohibit the export from the EU of waste for disposal to a country outside the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). Regulation 21 of the UK Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations makes it an offence to transport waste destined for disposal to countries outside the EFTA.
The UK has a robust approach to enforcing these controls. In 2017 the Environment Agency (EA) inspected more than 1,000 shipping containers and returned 367 of these to their site of loading. The EA stopped over 7,000 tonnes of waste at ports and prevented nearly 9,000 tonnes of waste from reaching ports.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 feasibility of banning the use of non-recyclable plastics in the UK.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government published its Resources and Waste Strategy in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution.
We have committed to working towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
We are currently consulting on reforming existing packaging waste regulations, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and increasing consistency in the recycling system, which together we expect to drive major improvements in recycling rates. Industry is also committed to increasing the recyclability of plastic packaging, including through the world-leading UK Plastics Pact. We expect these initiatives by industry, combined with our reforms, to work together to eliminate from use the most problematic and difficult to recycle plastic packaging.
As the Resources and Waste Strategy makes clear, however, where progress is insufficient we will explore alternative policy measures, which may take the form of a ban as part of a wider strategic approach. We have already consulted on banning the distribution and/or sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds and will shortly be publishing a summary of responses. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products, including problematic packaging materials.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 Dogs Trust’s recommendations in their report: Puppy Smuggling: When will this cruel trade end?, what plans his Department has to create a centrally accessible database logging pet’s microchip numbers and date of entry into the UK.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I have zero tolerance of the abhorrent crime that is puppy smuggling, where unscrupulous dealers are abusing the EU Pet Travel Scheme to illegally traffic puppies into the United Kingdom, with no regard for the welfare of these animals or the biosecurity of the UK. Defra are pursuing a holistic approach to tackling puppy smuggling, which includes working closely with Dogs Trust to tackle the issue. Defra Ministers met senior staff from the charity in November, to discuss the findings of their latest report.
It is already a requirement for every dog in the UK to be identified by a microchip and its details to be recorded on a recognised database. This includes dogs imported from outside the UK. Furthermore, all pets entering the UK have their microchip scanned and recorded by the carrier at the time of travel. We do not consider it necessary at this time to introduce an additional database along the lines proposed.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 potential effectiveness of carriers enforcing checks on dogs traveling under the Pet Travel Scheme.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Engagement at the border with major transport carriers has indicated that they are committed to preventing illegal imports of pet animals. Some carriers have already instituted their own measures to reduce carriage of pet animals. This includes P&O Ferries refusing accounts to commercial dog importers and Eurotunnel limiting the number of dogs that can be transported in one vehicle. Carriers have been willing to work with us to increase enforcement through additional training, checks and controls.
Each carrier is subject to quality assurance checks including a minimum of one full audit per year to ensure compliance with the procedures agreed with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) set out in the carriers’ Required Method of Operation (RMOP). The number of quality assurance visits is based on volumes, results of previous visits, performance and any high risk considerations. Furthermore, APHA field teams carry out liaison visits and are in regular communication with carriers. If any non-compliance is found, extra checks will be completed as part of recorded follow-on actions.
Observations made by APHA on pet travel, including levels of compliance and carrier knowledges and behaviours, show good awareness of pet travel rules.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to bring forth legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave to the honourable member for Oxford West and Abingdon on 16 October 2018 to Question 176633.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 Godfray Review into the Government's Bovine TB Policy, published on 13 November 2018, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the findings of that Review.
Answered by George Eustice
As set out in my written statement of 13 November 2018 (HCWS1077), the Government will consider the Review recommendations carefully and a formal response will be published in due course.