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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many new directives relating to his Department's responsibilities are under negotiation in the EU.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for measures relating to the environment, agriculture, fisheries, food, animal and plant health and the management of natural hazards such as flooding. A number of these dossiers are currently under discussion in the EU, including:

• Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the cloning of animals of the bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and equine species kept and reproduced for farming purposes (COM(2013) 892 final);

• Proposal for a Council Directive on the placing on the market of food from clones (COM (2013) 893 final);

• Proposed repeal of the Environment Reporting Directive 91/692/EEC;

• Waste (proposed revision of four directives: 2008/98/EC, 1999/31/EC, 94/62/EC and 2000/53/EC); and

• Proposed amending Directive 2011/65/EU on the Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances Directive in electrical and electronic equipment .

The Department provides Explanatory Memoranda to Parliament on any proposals defined by the terms of reference of the parliamentary EU scrutiny committees, which can be found online at http://europeanmemoranda.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/search/findby-topic. Each proposal from the EU on any dossier (along with reports etc.) is deposited in the Library of the House accompanied by an Explanatory Memorandum and so these documents, available online, show the full range of areas currently under discussion in the EU.

Until Exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.