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 her Department has made of the impact of the statutory right to connect new developments to the public sewer network on storm overflow discharges.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working together with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the right to connect for water supply and to the sewerage system supports the Government’s housing delivery objectives and enables sustainable development.
The Government is committed to taking a systematic approach to tackling the issues with drainage and wastewater. This includes a real focus on tackling the root causes of sewage pollution.
We will enable a step change to allow for more ‘pre-pipe’ solutions to reduce the volume of rainwater and pollutants entering the sewerage system. This includes better rainwater management, including sustainable drainage systems, and tackling sewer misuse.
This approach will have benefits for communities, the environment, flood prevention and urban development, ensuring policies and services work better together to deliver real benefits for people and nature. It will also enable economic growth, creating headroom for new development, and create opportunities to alleviate pressures on water supply.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Greenpeace’s report entitled Equity, Benefit-Sharing and Financial Architecture in the International Seabed Area.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government keeps its policies in relation to climate, nature and marine protection under regular review, informed by a wide range of stakeholder views and expert analyses, including those mentioned by the Hon Member.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the condition and management of protected sites for nature in England, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department is taking action to improve the condition and long-term management of protected nature sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). We have set an interim target in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 (EIP25) for 50% of SSSI features to have actions on track to achieve favourable condition by December 2030. The EIP25 also reiterated this Government’s ambition to have 75% of protected sites in favourable condition by 2042. The published delivery plan sets out how we will achieve this and can be found online here: Protected sites Environment Act target delivery plan - GOV.UK
Natural England is improving how SSSIs are monitored and ensuring that action on the ground is focused where it is most needed. This covers practical work such as helping farmers adjust land management, supporting catchment-wide efforts to improve water quality, and using proportionate regulatory action to prevent further harm to sensitive sites.
Protected Site Strategies, which are spatially based restoration plans, will deliver targeted action for priority sites to restore and improve their condition by addressing environmental pressures such as pollution. The Nature Restoration Fund will provide a more strategic, long-term approach to managing impacts of new development on protected sites and species by pooling payments from multiple developers in order to deliver conservation measures at scale and maximise environmental outcomes.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to meet the nature targets set out in the Environment Act 2021.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is clear that nature and development can go hand in hand.
The Land Use Framework shows we have enough land to achieve our priorities if we make better decisions about how we use it. We can restore nature and meet our housing and clean energy targets.
Asked by: Earl Howe (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the powers of NHS Trusts and the General Medical Council to conduct disciplinary procedures in the case of a resident doctor who has been found to have dishonestly claimed to be neurodivergent or have learning disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service organisations, as independent employers, have their own internal grievance and disciplinary procedures which should comply with employment law and relevant Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service codes and guidance. Any allegations of dishonesty would be considered to be a conduct issue and investigated in accordance with the employer’s disciplinary policy and procedures.
Maintaining High Professional Standards provides a national framework for the handling of concerns about doctors and dentists in the NHS. NHS trusts may also report any concerns about doctors to the General Medical Council (GMC).
The GMC is independent of Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a statutory committee of the GMC. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
In cases relating to dishonesty, the GMC’s Guidance for MPTS tribunals notes that, whilst a range of behaviour can be seen, the nature of the departure from the standards expected may mean that a concern or allegation relating to dishonesty falls at the high end of the spectrum of seriousness. Sanctions for dishonesty range from suspension to erasure, depending on the seriousness of the case.
Asked by: Earl Howe (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS Trusts and the General Medical Council have sufficient powers to conduct disciplinary procedures in the case of a resident doctor who has been found to have dishonestly claimed to be neurodivergent or have learning disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service organisations, as independent employers, have their own internal grievance and disciplinary procedures which should comply with employment law and relevant Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service codes and guidance. Any allegations of dishonesty would be considered to be a conduct issue and investigated in accordance with the employer’s disciplinary policy and procedures.
Maintaining High Professional Standards provides a national framework for the handling of concerns about doctors and dentists in the NHS. NHS trusts may also report any concerns about doctors to the General Medical Council (GMC).
The GMC is independent of Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a statutory committee of the GMC. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
In cases relating to dishonesty, the GMC’s Guidance for MPTS tribunals notes that, whilst a range of behaviour can be seen, the nature of the departure from the standards expected may mean that a concern or allegation relating to dishonesty falls at the high end of the spectrum of seriousness. Sanctions for dishonesty range from suspension to erasure, depending on the seriousness of the case.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help protect hare populations in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has supported Lincolnshire in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is expected to be published shortly. This strategy will set nature recovery priorities and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species, such as hares.
Nationally, protection of the brown hare population is provided through hare‑coursing legislation introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Together with improved police tactics, intelligence, and information sharing, it is reasonable to assume that these measures are reducing levels of hare coursing, which will play a part in the recovery of the species.
In addition, the Government’s recently published Animal Welfare Strategy contains a commitment to consider introducing a close season on shooting brown hares.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help protect hare populations in (a) West Sussex and (b) Chichester constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department has supported West Sussex County Council in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is expected to be published shortly. This strategy will set nature‑recovery priorities and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species, such as hares.
Nationally, protection of the brown hare population is provided through hare‑coursing legislation introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Together with improved police tactics, intelligence, and information sharing, it is reasonable to assume that these measures are reducing levels of hare coursing, which will play a part in the recovery of the species.
In addition, the Government’s recently published Animal Welfare Strategy contains a commitment to consider introducing a close season on shooting brown hares.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will make an economic and environmental impact assessment on the alternatives to peat-free growing media.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question has been interpreted as whether Defra will make an economic and environmental impact assessment on peat-free alternatives in growing media.
This Government is committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and to this end, the Government has pledged to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat-containing products when Parliamentary time allows. This commitment is embedded within our Carbon Budget planning and, most recently, reflected in the current version of the Environmental Improvement Plan. Whilst an Impact Assessment (IA) was prepared in support of the previous Government’s consultation on ending the sale of peat and peat containing products, IA procedures have changed and this Government would be required to carry out a new IA as part of any legislative process for a ban to end the sale of peat.
Using the Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media methodology to assess the environmental impact of different types of growing media, it has been shown that whilst all materials have an environmental impact, for the most part, this is lower in peat-alternatives.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish its Circular Economy Growth Plan.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy.
We intend to publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how the Government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics, as well as: agri-food; built environment; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport.