Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to reduce the cap on concentration levels per individual type of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances that require immediate water treatment from 100 nanograms per litre to 10 nanograms per litre.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The guideline value on individual types of PFAS of 100 nanograms per litre was set in 2021 based on an assessment of existing scientific knowledge. It was agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be a robust level with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies.
Nevertheless, work is continuing with other government departments, regulators and the devolved administrations to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to safeguard current high drinking water quality and ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (1) does not weaken domestic pesticide standards in terms of active substance approvals or maximum residue levels, and (2) does not undermine the precautionary principle with regards to pesticides.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has not lowered its standards in order to accede to CPTPP. All food and drink products imported into the UK, irrespective of the purpose for which they will be used, must comply with our import requirements and regulatory standards for food safety. This includes pesticide active substance approvals and maximum residue levels (MRLs).
The UK Government supports the precautionary principle. This is expressly a part of our plant protection product regime and is also incorporated into the Environment Act through the Environmental Principles that the Government must consider when making new policy.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support high street businesses in Hendon constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
DLUHC has invested in the mixed-use regeneration of Brent Cross Town between Hendon and Cricklewood with £419 million of grant for the new Brent Cross West station which opened to passengers on 10 December 2023 – the first major new mainline train station in London in over a decade – and £148 million from the Home Building fund to deliver 6,700 new homes. These investments will support the transformation of Brent Cross to deliver over 50 new locations for retail, food and drink and provide high quality workspaces for over 25,000 people, including flexible, small business spaces adjacent to the new high street.
Local business support is available through the London Business Hub, which delivers London’s growth hub services.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential application of new geographical indications for Welsh food and drink products in Japan.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
As Secretary of State for Wales, I am proud to promote protected Welsh products, and was delighted to celebrate Single Malt Welsh Whisky on a recent visit to India.
I was also pleased to see that on 29 February 2024, 37 Geographical Indications received protected status in Japan, including famed products such as Welsh Lamb, Anglesey Sea Salt, Conwy Mussels, Pembrokeshire Early Potatoes, Traditional Welsh Caerphilly, Welsh Beef, Welsh Laverbread and Welsh Wine joining the seven GIs already protected in our agreement.
The UK Government is continuing work to secure protection for further products. The GI additions have been split into two tranches running in parallel to aid processing time, and officials will continue work to finalise the completion of UK and Japanese processes for the second and final tranche.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 206 of the policy paper entitled National food strategy for England, updated in July 2021, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the implications for its policies of the recommendation to remove the requirement for schools to serve meat three times a week from the School Food Standards.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government’s school food standards regulates the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. Beyond this, the department believes that headteachers, school governors and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their pupils. The school food standards guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools.
The government recognises the importance of plant-based foods from a cultural and environmental point of view. The standards for school food allow schools the freedom to provide plant-based meals as needed. Meat must be served on three or more days each week and, beyond this, schools may provide a meal with a vegan source of protein every day if they choose to.
The department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high-quality and nutritious food that encourages healthy eating habits for life. The department is keeping the standards under review.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement the recommendations of Bite Back’s report Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us, published on 22 February, concerning the sale and marketing of unhealthy food and drink to children and young people.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to working with businesses to ensure we create the conditions for a healthier nation. We welcome Bite Back’s report, Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us, and will consider its recommendations.
Plans to restrict the location of foods high in fat, salt or sugar came into force on 1 October 2022. These restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy at reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the National Health Service of over £4 billion, over the next 25 years. Calorie labelling in large restaurants, cafes and takeaways has also been in force since April 2022 to support consumers to make healthier choices when eating out or getting a takeaway.
On 1 October 2025, the volume price promotion restrictions will come into force restricting volume price promotions such as "3 for 2" offers on less healthy products. The Government will simultaneously introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9pm TV watershed for products high in fat, salt or sugar and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online, also on 1 October 2025.
The Government has held a consultation to gather evidence on the existing UK colour coded front of pack labelling scheme and will respond in due course. The Government laid legislation in Parliament on 20 February 2024 which will introduce improvement notices for breaches to compliance with nutrition and health claims which will come into force on 1 October 2024. This will enable improvement notices to be used as a more proportionate first step in the enforcement of the requirements around the use of nutrition and health claims on food and drinks in England.
The Government is working with industry on the Food Data Transparency Partnership in co-developing voluntary reporting requirements for food business to demonstrate the healthiness of their sales.
Decisions about the future development of taxes are made by the Chancellor, in line with the Government’s tax policy-making framework.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
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 has taken to prevent the leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances into supplies of drinking water.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are already statutory duties on water companies and local authorities to carry out risk assessments and sample drinking water supplies for anything which would constitute a potential danger to human health. This includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Drinking Water Inspectorate has a guideline value on individual types of PFAS of 100 nanograms per litre. It was set in 2021 based on an assessment of existing scientific knowledge and agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be a robust level with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies.
Nevertheless, work is continuing with other government departments, regulators and the devolved administrations to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to safeguard current high drinking water quality and ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 has taken to tackle levels of plastic waste; and whether he plans to take steps to help reduce the amount of waste that is shipped abroad for disposal.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is a leading voice in tackling plastic pollution and were proud to co-sponsor the proposal to prepare a new international, legally binding plastics treaty. Negotiations have not yet concluded; however, the UK are committed to securing an ambitious agreement by the end of 2024 and have called for the treaty to include measures that restrain and reduce the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels.
We have banned the use of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products. Our single-use plastic carrier bag charge, now 10p, has reduced the number of such bags given out by the main supermarkets by over 98%. We brought in measures to restrict the supply of single-use plastic straws and single-use plastic stemmed cotton buds and ban the supply of plastic drink stirrers in 2020. And in October 2023, we banned the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls, and trays to the end-user and banned the supply of single-use plastic cutlery and single-use plastic balloon sticks and expanded and foamed extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers, including cups. In April 2022, we brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax, a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. From April 2023, it has increased in line with inflation to £210.82/tonne.
Under the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste, it is generally prohibited to export waste for disposal, subject to some exceptions within that plan' UK plan for shipments of waste (publishing.service.gov.uk).
Businesses involved in the export of waste are required by law to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of these requirements can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine. In addition, the Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and we plan to consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 has taken to contribute towards the target in the Global Plastics Treaty of a 75% reduction in virgin plastic production and single-use plastics by 2040.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is a leading voice in tackling plastic pollution and were proud to co-sponsor the proposal to prepare a new international, legally binding plastics treaty. Negotiations have not yet concluded; however, the UK are committed to securing an ambitious agreement by the end of 2024 and have called for the treaty to include measures that restrain and reduce the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels.
We have banned the use of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products. Our single-use plastic carrier bag charge, now 10p, has reduced the number of such bags given out by the main supermarkets by over 98%. We brought in measures to restrict the supply of single-use plastic straws and single-use plastic stemmed cotton buds and ban the supply of plastic drink stirrers in 2020. And in October 2023, we banned the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls, and trays to the end-user and banned the supply of single-use plastic cutlery and single-use plastic balloon sticks and expanded and foamed extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers, including cups. In April 2022, we brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax, a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. From April 2023, it has increased in line with inflation to £210.82/tonne.
Under the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste, it is generally prohibited to export waste for disposal, subject to some exceptions within that plan' UK plan for shipments of waste (publishing.service.gov.uk).
Businesses involved in the export of waste are required by law to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of these requirements can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine. In addition, the Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and we plan to consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish a progress report against the food strategy goals.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government Food Strategy set out our vision for a prosperous agri-food sector. Last year's Farm to Fork Summit was the next step in growing a thriving British food and drink sector, which will put more British produce on supermarket shelves in the UK and around the world. This will also help us to deliver our clear ambition in the strategy to maintain production at current levels, where we produce domestically 60 per cent by value of all the food we need.
At the NFU Conference on 20 February 2024, the Prime Minister announced that we will make the UK Farm to Fork Summit an annual event.