Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 support councils to improve recycling rates.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school.
Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic (including cartons), paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only).
These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates and, with the other collection and packaging reforms, will support the use of more recycled material in the products we buy, and the growth of the UK recycling industry.
By shifting the financial burden of the end-of-life costs from taxpayers to producers, Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging will secure local authority funding (approximately £1.4 billion annually in the UK and approximately £1.1 billion annually in England) for the improved management of discarded packaging materials, driving in turn improvements in the quality and quantity of recycled packaging materials, as well as investment in domestic reprocessing facilities.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed waste reforms on local authorities such as Walsall Council.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government remains committed to supporting councils in delivering the collection and packaging reforms. Between Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and Simpler Recycling, we have already invested over £1.4 billion in English local authorities to improve recycling collections, benefitting every household. We have guaranteed councils £1.1 billion income from pEPR this financial year, alongside having already invested over £340 million to support councils on weekly food collections. Simpler Recycling is estimated to decrease local authorities' net waste service costs by £211 million by 2035 (2023 prices, discounted; source: The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025).
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 make recycling (a) easier and (b) more consistent for households in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school.
Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic (including cartons), paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only).
These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, and with the other collection and packaging reforms will support the use of more recycled material in the products we buy, and the growth of the UK recycling industry.
Defra has created a Change Network, to support local authorities and others to prepare for the upcoming household collection requirements, which take effect from 31 March 2026.
Defra is also working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to provide guidance on best practice to help local authorities deliver services to all households.
The Government remains committed to supporting councils in delivering the collection and packaging reforms. Between Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and Simpler Recycling, we have already invested over £1.4 billion in English local authorities to improve recycling collections, benefitting every household. We have guaranteed councils £1.1 billion income from pEPR this financial year, alongside having already invested over £340 million to support councils on weekly food collections.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether private contractors operating Household Waste Recycling Centres on behalf of local authorities are permitted to levy charges on residents for the disposal of household waste; and whether the Government will review current guidance or legislation in light of proposals affecting the Purton Household Waste Recycling Centre in Wiltshire.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local Authorities are responsible for the provision of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in their area. Householders must be allowed to deposit waste deemed to be ‘household waste’ for free. Where waste does not meet the criteria for being classified as household waste, such as construction waste, then the waste local authorities may charge for this. WRAP provided updated HWRC guidance in March 2025. There is currently no intention to carry out a further review of guidance or legislation. [The Government would encourage local authorities to consider ease of access and availability of services for residents when determining service provision.]
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 support local authorities to (a) improve recycling rates and (b) reduce waste sent to (i) landfill and (ii) incineration in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school.
Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic (including cartons), paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only).
These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, and with the other collection and packaging reforms will support the use of more recycled material in the products we buy, and the growth of the UK recycling industry.
The Environmental (England and Wales) Permitting Regulations 2016 include a permit condition for landfill and incineration operators, meaning they cannot accept separately collected paper, metal, glass or plastic for landfill or incineration unless it has gone through some form of treatment process first and is the best environmental outcome. This is in addition to existing permit measures that already prevent acceptance of recyclable material.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - 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 state of the infrastructure of canals and waterways in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The condition of the canal and waterway infrastructure is the responsibility of the navigation authorities that own them. The two largest authorities are the Canal and River Trust with 2,000 miles of waterways, and the Environment Agency (EA) with 630 miles of river navigations. The Government provides an annual grant of £52.6 million to the Trust to support its infrastructure programme, and this financial year is providing grant-in-aid of £25 million to the EA to support its navigations.
As of 31 March 2025 (latest published figures), the Trust had 81.25% of its towpaths in conditions fair to very good (target not less than 50%), 13.77% of principal assets in conditions poor to bad (target not more than 25%), and 0.58% of flood management assets (principal culverts and embankments) in conditions poor to bad (target not more than 7%). These targets form the conditional element of the annual government grant. Trust assets are subject to a regular inspection regime by accredited inspectors. Defra officials meet the Trust’s senior management team formally three times a year to discuss the Trust’s work and use of the grant funding.
EA-owned and maintained navigation assets are also inspected by accredited inspectors as part of a risk based scheduled programme. Where identified, maintenance repairs on assets below the required condition are prioritised and allocated funding according to factors including sustaining navigation, public safety, and flood risk in the event of failure.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department has supported Surrey County Council to prepare their Local Nature Recovery Strategy, with publication expected shortly. It 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 which was brought in under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Together with improved police tactics, intelligence and information sharing, they 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 the introduction of a close season on shooting brown hares.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Gifford farm development on flooding via Parsons Drove drain in Huntingdon constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) was consulted on the emerging Local Plan, which sets out potential locations for development in Huntingdonshire, and responded regarding the proposed Gifford’s Park site.
In the EA’s response, it advised:
Until the above detailed work is provided by the developer, it is not possible to comment on whether this site may impact flooding specifically via Parson’s Drove Drain.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Newton Abbot during the Oral Statement of 21 January 2026 on Water White Paper, Official Report column 347, if he will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on the risk of water shortages in the South West this summer.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss this matter.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the International Journal of Wildland Fire's article entitled Assessing soil heating beneath prescribed burns, published on 15 January 2026.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The date and title of the citation provided does not correspond to any article published by the International Journal of Wildland Fire, but research on this topic is reviewed and taken into account in our policy development.