Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
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 is taking steps to help increase the (a) adoption and (b) production of low carbon fertiliser.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is committed to promoting the use of less environmentally damaging fertilisers and better nutrient use efficiency. The existing UK regulatory regime for the manufacture and placing of fertilisers on the market in the UK is fragmented and in need of modernisation. It does not cover organic or recycled nutrients, and newer types of fertilisers.
We aim to improve this by putting in place a conformity assessment framework for fertilisers and aim to consult on this later in 2023. The framework should smooth the route to market for new and innovative products which are less polluting to the environment or are less resource intensive in their creation. This should provide farmers with a wider choice of more sustainable fertilisers and will ease the route to market for low carbon fertilisers, therefore providing farmers with more opportunities to adopt these fertilising products.
The framework should valorise fertilisers made from organic materials, opening the market to products that re-use nutrients. The process of implementing new regulations will be iterative as more research is needed into newer fertiliser types before requirements for these products can be drafted into law.
Defra cannot recommend which fertilisers must be used. However we have responsibility for setting parameters to ensure their safety, to ensure that they maximise the use of nutrients, and also to reduce potential losses through emissions from their production through to their use.
Given the continuing high fertiliser prices, it remains a priority that we must work to pioneer new technologies to manufacture more organic-based fertiliser products in future. Where possible we will continue to encourage and support such applications for the development and adoption of these through the Farming Innovation Programme. We are also providing financial support to help farmers make best use of their manures and slurries, to complement inorganic fertilisers through the Farming Investment Fund.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on increasing the use of recyclable materials in clinical and healthcare settings.
Answered by Will Quince
As set out in the Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service report, published in October 2020, the National Health Service is taking action to achieve a 10% reduction in clinical single-use plastics in the short-term. In the longer term, the NHS aims to eliminate waste, turning all waste into a resource. This includes using reusable equipment where it is safe and appropriate to do so, and recycling when it is not.
The NHS is making strong progress on these aims, for instance reducing single-use plastics in catering by 28.1% since 2019.
While arrangements for the reuse of medical supplies are managed locally, NHS England collaborates with NHS Supply Chain to increase availability of more sustainable products and supports local NHS organisations through the publication of guidance, including steps to eliminate waste.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the use of single-use plastic in (a) GP surgeries and (b) pharmacies.
Answered by Will Quince
As set out in the Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service report, published in October 2020, the National Health Service is taking action to achieve a 10% reduction in clinical single-use plastics in the short-term. In the longer term, the NHS aims to eliminate waste, turning all waste into a resource. This includes using reusable equipment where it is safe and appropriate to do so, and recycling when it is not.
The NHS is making strong progress on these aims, for instance reducing single-use plastics in catering by 28.1% since 2019.
While arrangements for the reuse of medical supplies are managed locally, NHS England collaborates with NHS Supply Chain to increase availability of more sustainable products and supports local NHS organisations through the publication of guidance, including steps to eliminate waste.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of restricting the use of single-use plastics in clinical and healthcare settings.
Answered by Will Quince
As set out in the Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service report, published in October 2020, the National Health Service is taking action to achieve a 10% reduction in clinical single-use plastics in the short-term. In the longer term, the NHS aims to eliminate waste, turning all waste into a resource. This includes using reusable equipment where it is safe and appropriate to do so, and recycling when it is not.
The NHS is making strong progress on these aims, for instance reducing single-use plastics in catering by 28.1% since 2019.
While arrangements for the reuse of medical supplies are managed locally, NHS England collaborates with NHS Supply Chain to increase availability of more sustainable products and supports local NHS organisations through the publication of guidance, including steps to eliminate waste.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support her Department provides to innovative plant-based businesses, including financial support for research and development.
Answered by George Freeman
Funding has been available since 2010 for businesses developing novel solutions across the agrifood sector. Projects supported include novel crop production systems, plant proteins, meat alternative plant-based foods, and agroceuticals. Through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, approximately £90m has been committed since 2018 to support 'Transforming Food Production' projects.
Innovate UK has delivered support to grow the sustainable protein industry as part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme. This supports the creation of new sources of resource-efficient, low-emission proteins, including innovative plant-based solutions. Competitions currently open include the ‘Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems’ competition worth £16m jointly committed by Innovate UK and Biotechnology and Biotech Sciences Research Council, and Innovate UK’s £20m ‘Better Food for All’ competition
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a comprehensive definition for sustainable buildings in the National Planning Policy Framework as part of his Department’s objective to improve environmental outcomes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that the creation of high quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve. At a high level, it defines the objective of sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
To support delivering this objective in practice, the National Model Design Code also highlights that sustainable construction is the practice of creating buildings using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient. The NPPF sets out that all local planning authorities should prepare design guides or codes consistent with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code, and which reflect local character and design preferences.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - 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 agricultural expertise is represented in government agencies.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise that knowledge of agricultural sectors and skills is important to support the sector effectively. We ensure this through the staff we recruit, the appointments we make and how we devise and deliver policy.
Through our reforms to farming policy we have involved over 3,000 farmers in so-called 'tests and trials' and have over 800 farmers helping us pilot the Sustainable Farming Incentive routinely feeding in their insights and experiences. We continue to step up our partnership with the farming community through our co-design groups, which draw on industry knowledge to recommend improvements to Defra schemes. Over 1,000 people in farming volunteered to take part, including beef, sheep and cereal farmers.
Public appointments are promoted to relevant sectors via our social media channels and through stakeholder engagement. Defra works closely with Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs) to recruit Board Members with relevant skills and expertise. This has included specifically recruiting from the agriculture sector for the Boards of the Environment Agency; Natural England; Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board; Forestry Commission; and the National Park Authorities.
In accordance with the principles of the Partnerships between Departments and ALBs: Code of Good Practice, Defra has an agreed Framework Document with each of its key Executive Agencies setting out the broad framework in which they will operate. As part of such arrangements, the ALB is responsible for the recruitment, retention and motivation of its people ensuring they are encouraged to acquire the appropriate professional, management and other expertise to achieve their organisational objectives.
The Rural Payments Agency recognises the importance of agricultural expertise in the delivery of its services. For instance, it has a number of activities to capture insight which include: regular engagement with farming bodies and associations; the creation in 2022 of a farmer panel with over 750 members; learning from feedback directly received from farmers in their day to day dealings with the agency; and direct engagement with farmers through a series of face to face events all of which are improving the service and the farmer experience of dealing with government.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has significant areas of expertise related to farming and agriculture: veterinary and animal health officers (livestock health and welfare), plant health, marketing of produce, egg marketing, international trade of plants, livestock and animal by-products, disease outbreak and control, scientific expertise of farm animal diseases. APHA has run recruitment campaigns for veterinary and scientific resource and plant health inspectors, has various apprenticeship schemes and specific learning and development for the various professions. APHA also collaborates with academia and has an Academic Board to support further scientific education and qualifications.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has a range of experienced employees to ensure veterinary medicines for agricultural use are used safely and responsibly. This includes veterinary assessors and inspectors, as well as specific teams (such as the Antimicrobial Resistance and Residues Teams) who engage with stakeholders from across the agricultural sector to ensure compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations and to inform policy decisions.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State on 24 November (HCWS385) on finances for the Northern Ireland departments for 2022–23 and the budget outlook for 2023–24, what assessment they have made of the budgetary resource pressures for Special Needs Education within these overall budgets.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The budget set out in the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s Written Statement to Parliament on 24 November is an appropriate settlement that prioritises spending in education and gives the Northern Ireland Department of Education a total allocation of £2.64 billion. This is an increase of £286 million above 2021-22 spending (after excluding accounting for one-off COVID support in 2021-22). The Northern Ireland Department of Education will now be required to manage its allocated funding in order to live within this budget total. This includes managing funding provision for areas such as Special Educational Needs.
The Secretary of State will shortly legislate for the budget in a Budget Bill. This does not, however, remove the pressing need to have locally accountable political leaders in place to take the fundamental decisions which will secure a more sustainable future for the people of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on (a) strategic and (b) local roads since December 2019.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
For the Strategic Road Network (SRN), which is managed by National Highways, funding is allocated in 5-year road periods which align to Road Investment Strategies. Please note that the funding covers National Highways' total expenditure during this period, covering both Capital and Resource spend. The total spent from December 2019 up to September 2022 is £12.7 billion.
For local roads, highways maintenance and pothole funding is allocated to local highway authorities by formula and can be spent on any part of the highway including bridges and lighting, not just the road itself. Within the total figure stated below, for the spend in 2022/23 this includes the local highways formula funding that has been rolled into City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) funding settlements. The total figure below also includes the Integrated Transport Block which is for small-scale transport improvements including safety, cycling and bus improvement measures; and bid based funding for specific projects including the Challenge Fund, Safer Roads Fund, Local Growth Fund, and the Major Road Network/Large Local Major Fund.
For the complete financial years 2019/20 to 2021/22, plus the forecast spend for 2022/23, the total is £7.608 billion.
The figures above don’t include any discretionary funding that other Government Departments may have provided to local authorities for spending on local infrastructure.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that Drax has paid more than $3 million in fines related to pollution in the US south, and if he will review Government support for Drax.
Answered by Graham Stuart
US air quality regulatory bodies have established robust processes for ensuring air quality requirements are adhered to. UK Government officials have discussed air quality with US counterparts and continue to liaise with them to ensure the government continues to have the most up-to-date information.
The forthcoming Biomass Strategy will review the amount of sustainable biomass available to the UK and how this resource could be best utilised across the economy to help achieve our net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050 while also supporting the delivery of our wider environmental targets.