Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 plans to establish a national chemicals regulator to improve the (a) monitoring and (b) management of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra and the Scottish and Welsh Governments work closely with regulators and government agencies to prioritise issues for regulatory action in the UK relating to chemicals. We are working across government to help us assess levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform policy and regulatory approaches. The revised Environmental Improvement Plan, which will be introduced in 2025, will set out the Government’s approach to managing PFAS.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 review the current regulatory limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided guidance on PFAS to water companies since 2007; updated in August 2024, and a consolidated version was published in March 2025.
In February 2025, the DWI published a report from the advisory group of drinking water quality recommending revisions to the drinking water regulations. One recommendation was to introduce DWI’s guideline value into legislation. Defra and the DWI will work together to consider this, and other, recommendations and will update our regulations where appropriate.
The DWI monitors publications and advice provided by the World Health Organization and the UK’s Committee on Toxicity in relation to PFAS. It will continue to act accordingly to use a risk-based approach to monitor test results for both raw and treated water based on the scientific evidence as it emerges, to safeguard public health from the risks from PFAS in drinking water. Work continues across government to assess levels of PFAS to safeguard current high drinking water quality and to ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 ensure that commercial properties have reached the minimum requirement of EPC Grade B by 2030.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government consulted on strengthening the non-domestic, which includes commercial properties, Private Rented Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to EPC C by 1 April 2027, and EPC B by 1 April 2030. We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. Until the response is published, and the Government position on any future standards confirmed, only the EPC E Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard applies.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 (a) ensure that planned upgrades to Markyate Sewage Treatment Works go ahead, in the context of Thames Water’s financial position and (b) to prevent further sewage discharge into the River Ver.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We expect the company to meet their statutory and regulatory obligations.
Thames Water’s current Asset Management Plan includes commitments to both maintain Markyate Wastewater Treatment Works and enhance its performance.
Capital maintenance includes a Groundwater Impacted System Management Plan to reduce infiltration, together with a Wastewater Asset Assurance Programme to avoid pollution incidents and ensure permit compliance.
Under the Water Industry National Environment Programme, Thames Water will deliver an improvement to reduce storm overflow spills at Markyate to an average of 10 spills. They must investigate whether the storm overflow at Markyate is having a local adverse ecological impact, which may drive the spill count of the delivered improvement below an average of 10 spills if it is identified as necessary.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing in-ovo sexing technologies within UK hatcheries.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.
In its 2024 ‘Opinion on alternatives to culling newly hatched chicks in the egg and poultry industries’, the Animal Welfare Committee considered a range of technologies that could help end the routine culling of male chicks by identifying or determining the sex of chick embryos before hatching. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of these technologies, and we welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 help tackle environmental harm in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) advises and regulates businesses across the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors; they are the environmental regulator for water companies; they prosecute and take action against those who pollute the environment and blight our communities; and they reduce and protect against flood risk and coastal erosion.
They are a Category 1 Responder (with the emergency services) under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and have a duty to warn, inform, and respond to flood incidents and prevent environmental damage. They work with other local responders to co-ordinate their response and support recovery.
For example, the EA advises on planning applications for all local planning authorities within their statutory remit, including St Albans and Dacorum district councils. This includes assessing flood risk and potential impacts to main rivers or controlled waters. They also have a role in working with Local Planning Authorities during the preparation of Local Plans to ensure flood risk, climate change, land contamination, and the water environment are appropriately included in their evidence base and policies.
In addition, they partner with the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, local authorities, and local police departments, such as Hertfordshire Constabulary, to tackle environmental waste crime. They follow a triage style approach to enforcement, ensuring it is intelligence led and target their efforts based on threat, risk, and harm.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to prohibit the routine culling of male chicks.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing, including male chicks from the egg production sector.
Permitted killing methods for chicks, such as gas stunning and maceration, are based on scientific research and assessment to ensure birds are spared any avoidable pain, distress, or suffering. All laying hen hatcheries in the UK use argon gas mixtures as their stunning method.
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of technologies that allow chicks to be sexed in-ovo (within the egg). We welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 implications for his policies of the Ban Hatch and Dispatch campaign.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing, including male chicks from the egg production sector.
Permitted killing methods for chicks, such as gas stunning and maceration, are based on scientific research and assessment to ensure birds are spared any avoidable pain, distress, or suffering. All laying hen hatcheries in the UK use argon gas mixtures as their stunning method.
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of technologies that allow chicks to be sexed in-ovo (within the egg). We welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 plans to help consolidate agricultural advice services; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on the (a) consistency and (b) coordination of guidance provided to farmers on climate change.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are working across Defra to continue to improve the advice services on offer to farmers, building on existing broad services such as the Farming Advice Service and Catchment Sensitive Farming. We will aim to create greater alignment across services. We also continue to work with the commercial advice sector, who are often best placed to ensure that farmers get the information they need to make decisions that support their business and help achieve their aims.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 merits of the Climate and Nature Bill.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is absolutely committed to tackling the climate and nature crises and has agreed steps to take forward the spirit and substance of the Climate and Nature Bill with the Bill’s Sponsors. There is already a well-developed legislative framework that supports our actions in the areas of climate and nature including the Climate Change Act and the Environment Act. In accordance with parliamentary convention, the Government will set out its formal position on this Bill when its Second Reading debate is scheduled to resume.