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Written Question
Food: Waste Disposal
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to invest in infrastructure and technology to support food waste valorisation to reduce (1) greenhouse gas emissions, and (2) the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

New provisions in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended by the Environment Act 2021) will require all local authorities and relevant non-domestic premises in England to arrange for the collection of food waste for recycling. Our preference is for food waste to be separately collected for treatment by anaerobic digestion which produces biogas and significant carbon savings over sending food waste to landfill.

This will help achieve our commitment for at least 65% of municipal waste by weight to be recycled by 2035, with no more than 10% ending up in landfill. It will also support our commitment to explore options for the near elimination of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill from 2028.

Government currently supports anaerobic digestion (AD) through the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS), which provides tariff-support for AD-produced biomethane injected into the gas grid.

Through a minimum waste feedstock threshold, and lifecycle greenhouse gas criteria, the GGSS encourages the use of waste feedstocks for biomethane production due to their significantly greater upstream carbon savings compared to sending those wastes to landfill.


Written Question
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Friday 28th April 2023

Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on the UK’s climate ambitions, including the aim of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is clear that where we negotiate investment protection and ISDS provisions, we will maintain our right to regulate in the public interest, including in areas such as the environment.

CPTPP protects the rights of members to regulate for their own levels of environmental protection to achieve their ambitious net zero goals and contains commitments to protect the environment.

To meet our ambitions on climate change and the environment, the Government is committed to protecting its right to regulate in the public interest. Our independent investment policy will continue to protect this right.


Written Question
Seas and Oceans: Carbon Capture and Storage
Wednesday 22nd March 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role that (1) sea kelp, and (2) sea grasses, can play in capturing carbon and meeting the UK's net zero targets; and what steps they are taking to identify and preserve these marine sites for the future.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Net Zero Strategy recognised that protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing blue carbon habitats like saltmarsh and seagrass can provide benefits for biodiversity and climate adaptation, as well as for carbon sequestration. However, the potential contribution of coastal blue carbon habitats to total annual UK emissions reductions is modest due to their relatively small area.

The marine arm of the Government’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme is supporting the UK’s commitments towards net zero through monitoring and mapping carbon storage and cycling capacity across England’s coastal and marine ecosystems, such as saltmarshes, kelp forests and the seabed. This will inform better management of our natural carbon sources and sinks, including the protection of key habitats for carbon storage. Furthermore, through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, Defra is working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, alongside other UK Administrations, to address key research questions relating to blue carbon.

We are also working to protect these habitats, including through the Marine Protected Areas network, which already contains the majority of saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in the UK. A number of estuarine and coastal habitat restoration initiatives are also underway including the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative, which aims to reverse centuries of coastal habitat decline by restoring seagrass meadows and saltmarsh.


Written Question
Environment Protection: Brexit
Friday 20th January 2023

Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on delivering a green Brexit.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

Since we have left the EU, we have introduced a range of measures to improve our environment and deliver our ambition for a green Brexit.

To take a few examples, we passed the first Environment Act in over two decades, which sets out how we plan to protect and improve the natural environment in the UK. The Act will help us leave our environment in a better state for future generations and set an ambitious target to halt species decline by 2030. This Act includes the new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) which will effectively enforce these enhanced environmental rules and standards. By 31 January 2023 we will publish our Environment Improvement Plan, which builds on the 25 Year Environment Plan (published in 2018). It will set out how we will deliver against our cross-government targets and commitments.

We have introduced a Net Zero Strategy, and announced measures to restore nature across England, to address the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss – trebling our tree planting rate, restoring 35,000 ha of peatland by the end of the parliament, and initiating lasting action on species recovery.

Alongside these and other measures, the Retained EU Law Bill will provide further opportunity to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose and able to drive improved environmental outcomes, whilst also ensuring regulators can deliver efficiently. This will ensure the UK regulatory framework is appropriate and tailored to the UK.

Leaving the EU also means farming in England is now going through the biggest change in a generation. Most importantly, the Government’s approach to working with the farming sector is changing. We are improving our policies and services to make them more effective, fair, flexible, accessible and workable for farmers.

We are introducing policies that work for farm businesses, food production and the environment. Food is still the primary purpose of farming, and always will be. The Food Strategy includes plans that will support farmers to boost home-grown fruit and vegetable production, and encourage people to buy more locally-sourced, high-welfare food.

Farmers also play a crucial role in protecting and enhancing the natural environment. If we want farming and food production to be resilient and sustainable over the long term, then farming and nature can and must go hand in hand. Many farmers have already moved to this way of operating. Those who are leading the way already know that you can produce quality food, at a profit with strong yields by farming with nature instead of against it.

The Government needs to catch up and help other farmers join this growing movement. This means enabling farmers to have resilient businesses, produce the food our nation needs, and also to protect and enhance the natural environment – looking after our soils, reducing air and water pollution, managing flood risk, reducing emissions and sequestering carbon.


Written Question
Consumer Goods: Carbon Emissions and Environment Protection
Wednesday 6th April 2022

Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to deliver on their commitment in the Net Zero Strategy to enable people to make informed choices about (1) the goods and products they buy, and (2) services they use, through exploring how products could be labelled with their (a) emission intensity, and (b) environmental impact.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government continues to evaluate the use of environmental labelling, with a view to stimulating demand for better quality items and services. This includes exploring the evidence base for environmental labelling within food production and disposal. Further, the Government has committed to introduce mandatory water-efficiency labelling to encourage consumers to buy products which avoid water wastage and reduce energy demand for heating the water. The Government is also exploring the use of labels that inform consumers of the durability, repairability and recyclability of products.


Written Question
Customs: Dover
Thursday 20th January 2022

Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what the findings were of the Environmental Impact Assessment undertaken as part of the Special Development Order establishing the Dover Inland Border Facility.

Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton

In accordance with the Special Development Order (SDO) Regulations, an Analysis of the Likely Environmental Effects of the Development Report and a Habitat Regulations Assessment Screening Report have been undertaken for the Dover Inland Border Facility (IBF) scheme. The reports have concluded that there are no significant effects on the environment from the proposals.

The inclusion of initiatives incorporated into the site masterplan for the Dover IBF will be delivered through the retention and protection of the key ecological features and further enhancements. In conjunction with these initiatives, the site has been designed to minimise carbon emissions and a carbon assessment will be submitted as part of the SDO.


Written Question
Fisheries
Thursday 4th November 2021

Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) protect, and (2) promote, the UK fishing industry.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our fishing industry faced a challenging start to the year but now the dust has settled, we are seeing important developments being made on key areas such as the quota exchanges. The exchange mechanism we have put in place between the UK and EU has seen over 150 transfers completed so far this year.

Using our powers as an independent coastal State, we will continue to strive for the most sustainable fishing industry in the world that supports the long-term future of the UK fishing industry.

The Government has met its manifesto commitment to maintain fisheries funding with £32.7 million repatriated from the EU to support the fisheries industry across the UK. This funding was designed to enforce the protection of our fishing waters, deliver essential data collection activities, and enable each of the four fisheries administrations to set up their own funding scheme. The funding scheme for England – the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) – opened for applications on 6 April 2021 and is designed to support the long-term sustainability and success of seafood businesses throughout England and help safeguard our marine environment.

Additionally, there is the £100 million UK Seafood Fund, to modernise, rejuvenate and support a more sustainable sector for the long term through its three pillars: Science and Innovation, Infrastructure, and Skills and Training. Both parts of The Science and Innovation pillar – The Seafood Innovation Fund and the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme - are now open for applications and will provide £24 million over three years for world-class research to improve the productivity and long-term sustainability of the industry. The Infrastructure pillar will be announced soon and will provide funding to boost capacity, support levelling up and reduce carbon emissions. The Skills and Training pillar will follow soon after, with investments aimed at attracting new entrants into the fishing industry and in doing so encourage employment opportunities in coastal communities.


Written Question
Climate Change
Thursday 23rd September 2021

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 support communities worst hit by the impacts of climate change such as flooding and biodiversity loss.

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

Climate change is already with us, and further changes are expected in the coming decades, despite ambitious commitments from the UK and the global community to cut carbon emissions. Building the resilience of our society, economy and environment to the impacts of climate change is therefore a priority for government, on land and at sea.

Between 2015 and 2021 government invested £2.6 billion to better protect 314,000 homes from flooding. In July 2020, Defra published its floods Policy Statement, setting out the Government’s long-term ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk.

Starting from 2021, the Government will invest £5.2 billion in a six-year capital investment programme for flood and coastal erosion risk management to build over 2,000 new flood defences. This investment will better protect 336,000 properties, including 290,000 homes, from flooding and coastal erosion by 2027.

In addition, up to £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on 22 shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction before the end of 2021/2022, which will provide an immediate boost to jobs supporting local economies as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus.

An additional £200 million will be invested in the Innovative Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. This will help over 25 local areas over six years to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

In England, we are establishing a Nature Recovery Network. As part of the Network, we are taking steps to bring 75% of protected sites by area into favourable condition, and to create or restore 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of protected sites. Restoring and expanding habitats is good for wildlife, but nature recovery also provides wider environmental benefits, from clean air to recreation to tackling climate change.

Such restoration will be hugely beneficial in helping to support the resilience of ecosystems themselves to climate change. For example, improving the condition and diversity within, and connectivity between, our wildlife habitats will help species survive in their existing locations, and allow them to move towards more suitable climates where necessary.

The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), has recently worked with Defra's Local Adaptation Advisory Panel, to publish adaptation guidance for local authorities. This good practice guide outlines practical steps for local authorities to enhance local resilience. ADEPT has also published its blueprint to accelerating resilience to climate change risks and green recovery at the local level.

The UK is at the forefront of marine protection with 372 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protecting 38% of UK waters. We have built a comprehensive network of MPAs and are focusing on making sure they are protected properly.

In June the Government published its response to the Benyon Review into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMA). The government will designate a number of sites in 2022. JNCC and Natural England, along with Cefas, have developed and published ecological criteria based on the principles outlined in the Benyon Review to start selecting potential HPMA locations.

A number of estuarine and coastal habitat restoration initiatives to benefit people and nature are underway, including the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative. Natural England is also leading the EU-funded LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project, which aims to restore seagrass and maerl habitat in five Special Areas of Conservation.

Marine nature-based solutions, including the protection and restoration of blue carbon habitats, will contribute towards achieving the government’s vision for ‘clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse ocean and seas’ and our climate change objectives. The UK Marine Strategy provides the framework for monitoring, assessing and taking measures to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status in our seas.


Written Question
Climate Change
Monday 20th September 2021

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 support those communities most affected by climate change in the UK.

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

Climate change is already with us, and further changes are expected in the coming decades, despite ambitious commitments from the UK and the global community to cut carbon emissions. Building the resilience of our society, economy and environment to the impacts of climate change is therefore a priority for Government.

Adaptation is a challenge for the whole of society, and is fundamentally place-based. Local authorities and communities have a critical role to play in developing community resilience. The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) in conjunction with Defra's Local Adaptation Advisory Panel, has published adaptation guidance for all local authorities. This good practice guide outlines practical steps for local authorities to enhance local resilience. ADEPT has also published its blueprint to accelerating resilience to climate change risks and green recovery at the local level.

In addition, the Cabinet Office provides Local Resilience Forums with the National Security Risk Assessment and Local Risk Management Guidance to support their work to develop effective local resilience plans and fulfil their statutory duty to conduct local risk assessments.

Defra has made significant progress to protect communities from future flooding and coastal erosion. Last year, the Government published its long-term Policy Statement which sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The Policy Statement includes five policies and over 40 supporting actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change.

The Government is making record investment in flood and coastal defences. We have doubled the amount invested in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over the next 6 years. This will fund around 2,000 new defence schemes to better protect 336,000 properties.

At the March 2020 Budget, the Government announced a £200 million 'place-based resilience programme', which will run for 6 years from 2021. This will help to inform future approaches to prepare communities for flooding and coastal erosion across the country. Funding will help around 25 local areas to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion including natural flood management, property flood resilience and community engagement.

The Government published its latest National Adaptation Programme in 2018, and will publish the next one in 2023, building on this year's advice and evidence from the independent Climate Change Committee. As well as the Defra policies I have mentioned, the Government's programme contains actions from all relevant Government departments and sectors of the economy. For example, MHCLG's Future Buildings Standard consultation recently proposed a new regulation to prevent the health risks of overheating in new buildings. And DHSC is establishing a climate resilience working group to drive adaptation and health protection actions across the health sector.


Written Question
Climate Change
Monday 20th September 2021

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 invest in climate change preparedness to protect communities from adverse effects of climate change.

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

Climate change is already with us, and further changes are expected in the coming decades, despite ambitious commitments from the UK and the global community to cut carbon emissions. Building the resilience of our society, economy and environment to the impacts of climate change is therefore a priority for Government.

Adaptation is a challenge for the whole of society, and is fundamentally place-based. Local authorities and communities have a critical role to play in developing community resilience. The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) in conjunction with Defra's Local Adaptation Advisory Panel, has published adaptation guidance for all local authorities. This good practice guide outlines practical steps for local authorities to enhance local resilience. ADEPT has also published its blueprint to accelerating resilience to climate change risks and green recovery at the local level.

In addition, the Cabinet Office provides Local Resilience Forums with the National Security Risk Assessment and Local Risk Management Guidance to support their work to develop effective local resilience plans and fulfil their statutory duty to conduct local risk assessments.

Defra has made significant progress to protect communities from future flooding and coastal erosion. Last year, the Government published its long-term Policy Statement which sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The Policy Statement includes five policies and over 40 supporting actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change.

The Government is making record investment in flood and coastal defences. We have doubled the amount invested in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over the next 6 years. This will fund around 2,000 new defence schemes to better protect 336,000 properties.

At the March 2020 Budget, the Government announced a £200 million 'place-based resilience programme', which will run for 6 years from 2021. This will help to inform future approaches to prepare communities for flooding and coastal erosion across the country. Funding will help around 25 local areas to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion including natural flood management, property flood resilience and community engagement.

The Government published its latest National Adaptation Programme in 2018, and will publish the next one in 2023, building on this year's advice and evidence from the independent Climate Change Committee. As well as the Defra policies I have mentioned, the Government's programme contains actions from all relevant Government departments and sectors of the economy. For example, MHCLG's Future Buildings Standard consultation recently proposed a new regulation to prevent the health risks of overheating in new buildings. And DHSC is establishing a climate resilience working group to drive adaptation and health protection actions across the health sector.