Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to the Bovine TB Strategy Review, published in October.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
As set out in my written statement of 13 November 2018 (HLWS1048) the Government will consider the Review recommendations carefully and a formal response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, what steps they are taking to ensure that information about the (1) number, and (2) duration of training posts in eating disorders for Foundation grade doctors is collected and scrutinised at the national level by Health Education England; and whether this will include how such junior doctors are taught and assessed against a relevant part of their nutrition curriculum.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
In response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report, NHS England has convened a working group with NHS Improvement, Health Education England (HEE), the Department and other partners to co-ordinate actions being taken in response to the recommendations, taking them into account in planning for improvements to adult eating disorder services.
Foundation training covers core generic skills which will include nutrition and all its facets, one of which is eating disorders. Currently, around 47% of foundation programmes in England offer four-month posts in psychiatry, and management of eating disorders and associated conditions is included in the curriculum and learning objectives for such posts.
The Foundation Programme ensures that newly qualified doctors demonstrate their ability to learn in the workplace, develop their clinical and professional skills in the workplace in readiness for core, specialty or general practice training.
Increasing psychiatry posts and training opportunities in foundation is part of HEE’s current review of the Foundation Programme. There are quality management systems in place to monitor HEE’s performance against those objectives.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 12 April (HL6565) concerning future policy and support for farming, how they plan to consult and work closely with the public.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform our food and farming policies and improve our environment. We want to listen to the views of everyone who has an interest in the future of the industry.
Ministers are already engaging extensively with the farming community and others, and this will continue.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to consult stakeholders, including the National Farmers' Union and the Food and Drink Industries Group, on future policy and support for farming once the UK leaves the EU, in advance of any decisions being taken or legislation being tabled; and how those views will be sought.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Secretary of State set out five priority themes for engagement in her speech to the 2017 NFU Conference on 21 February: global demand, productivity, sustainability, resilience and consumer trust.
We will be working closely with the industry and the public on what is needed to drive agricultural and environmental policies forward once we leave the EU. Over the next few months we will be engaging with stakeholders so that Ministers and officials will be able to hear industry and the public’s views first hand.
We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform our food and farming policies and improve our environment and it is vital we are all part of this process.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to consult the public on future policy and support for farming once the UK leaves the EU, in advance of any decisions being taken or legislation being tabled; and if so, how views will be sought.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Secretary of State set out five priority themes for engagement in her speech to the 2017 NFU Conference on 21 February: global demand, productivity, sustainability, resilience and consumer trust.
We will be working closely with the industry and the public on what is needed to drive agricultural and environmental policies forward once we leave the EU. Over the next few months we will be engaging with stakeholders so that Ministers and officials will be able to hear industry and the public’s views first hand.
We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform our food and farming policies and improve our environment and it is vital we are all part of this process.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in hounds, what assessment they have made of the risk of future outbreaks; and what steps they are taking to prevent future outbreaks.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
TB in dogs caused by Mycobacterium bovis, the bovine TB bacterium, is extremely rare. Dogs pose a very low risk of transmitting the disease to cattle herds and, overall, they play an insignificant role in the persistence of bovine TB in England.
Defra’s Chief Veterinary Officer met the Chairman of the Master of Fox Hounds Association and others on 8 February. The discussion included possible new best practice guidance that would reduce the risk of infection in hounds.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 21 November (HL3031), what plans they have to implement the collective action to take forward pledges to address deforestation to which they are committed under the Amsterdam Declaration.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK contributes to the Amsterdam Declaration through supporting the development of a strategy which focuses on shared learning across signatory countries and different commodity user groups in those countries, as well as encouraging further action on eliminating deforestation.
The UK also supports the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA), a public-private initiative with over 90 member organisations, which is mobilising action to take deforestation out of supply chains for palm oil, pulp and paper, beef and soya.
The TFA Africa Palm Oil Initiative recently secured the Marrakesh Declaration on palm oil, under which seven countries and major companies have agreed principles for responsible palm oil in the region. These include respect for human and community rights and no deforestation.
The UK has also established the Partnership for Forests Programme. This offers support for public-private partnerships focused on producing agricultural commodities without causing deforestation.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the charging regime for DIY waste made by some councils, such as Wokingham.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Local Authorities (prohibition of Charging Residents to Deposit Household Waste) Order 2015 prevents local authorities from charging their residents to dispose of household waste and recycling at household waste recycling centres. Furthermore, Government has been clear that DIY waste should be classed as household waste if it results from work a householder (living within the authority area) would normally carry out, and that this should be disposed of at household waste recycling centres for free.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their future plans for implementation of the New York Declaration on Forests.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
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The UK is delivering on its commitment to support the New York Declaration on Forests through the International Climate Fund, which invests in a broad range of activities across the globe to support sustainable economic growth, build resilience to the impacts of climate change and help sustainably manage natural resources such as forests.
The UK is also fostering public-private partnership approaches to address deforestation. The UK provides support to the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, which is focused on realising private sector commitments to eliminate deforestation from supply chains for palm oil, beef, soya and paper. The UK’s Partnerships for Forests Programme is using partnerships with private sector companies, public sector actors and communities to encourage investment in forests and sustainable land use. As a signatory of the Amsterdam declaration “Towards Eliminating Deforestation from Agricultural Commodity chains with European Countries” we are working towards collective action to take forward pledges to address deforestation.
As a signatory of the Amsterdam declaration “Towards Eliminating Deforestation from Agricultural Commodity chains with European Countries” we are working towards collective action to take forward pledges to address deforestation.
Through the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme the UK supports governance-related activities in over 20 timber producing and processing countries. The programme has helped safeguard market access for timber products and has introduced legality assurance systems.
Domestically, the Government’s Timber Procurement Policy requires central Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.
The Government Buying Standard for food and catering was amended in October 2012 to include a new requirement to procure palm oil, palm kernel oil and derivatives from sustainable sources. All food and catering products bought by central Government must meet these sustainability requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, what steps they intend to take in regard to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The regulation of Chemicals is essential to manage the risk of harmful chemicals entering the environment or adversely affecting human health. Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 covering the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is the regulation for EU chemicals management and will continue to apply while the UK remains a member of the EU.
As part of the exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of chemicals regulation in the interests of both the UK and the EU. The Great Repeal Bill will also convert current EU law into domestic law wherever practical, giving consumers and businesses as much certainty as possible. This includes laws relating to chemicals. The UK is strongly committed to the effective and safe management of chemicals. That will not change when we leave the EU.