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 recent assessment they have made of the impact of light pollution on wildlife and people.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following publication of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s report, ‘Artificial light in the environment’ in 2009, Defra has supported assessments of impacts of artificial light on insects and on other wildlife such as bats. These are published on our science website.
Defra has also funded or co-funded national and international assessments of the drivers of change on insects and wider biodiversity such as the global IPBES Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production (2016), which notes that the effect of light on nocturnal insects may be growing and identifies the need for further study.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the possible ecological impacts of artificial light should be considered in the planning system. It makes clear that policies and decisions should limit the impact of light pollution on local amenity, dark landscapes and nature conservation, including where there may be impacts on wildlife and ecosystems. Defra has contributed to associated guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The Government recognises that artificial light offers valuable benefits for safety and amenity. Defra works closely with colleagues across Government whose policy areas affect the use of artificial light.
The Government has put in place a range of measures to ensure that light pollution is effectively managed through the statutory nuisance regime. Under the Environmental Protection Act local authorities have a duty to investigate complaints about light emitted from premises which could constitute a nuisance or be harmful to health and have powers to take action where there is a problem.
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 Water Quality Monitoring Network Annual Report 2023/24 published by the Angling Trust on 20 May.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has seen the Angling Trust report and will consider its findings alongside the recommendations from the Independent Water Commission. We recognise that citizen science is a valuable tool for enhancing monitoring and engaging the public in scientific and environmental issues and we thank everyone for their involvement in this.
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 risk posed by the illegal wildlife trade to emerging infectious diseases.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Most recently, Defra funded an assessment of the zoonotic potential of trade in species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) - https://hub.jncc.gov.uk/assets/964ae259-410e-4205-8ec7-e2c54f5c6e3d. This assessment was developed in conjunction with a study by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Study scopes potential of global wildlife trade to harbour zoonotic disease - UNEP-WCMC.
The UK also has in place robust measures to support our ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond and recover from disease outbreaks. This includes established systems to monitor for new and emerging biosecurity threats such as our Veterinary Risk Group (VRG) and the Human and Animal Infections Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) Group.
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 steps they are taking to tackle the illegal wildlife trade; and what assessment they have made of the links between the illegal wildlife trade and financial crime.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
£30 million has been invested between 2022 and 2025, including through Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. To date the fund has supported 179 projects in over 67 countries, including projects to change behaviours, strengthen wildlife crime legislation, and help communities to protect the wildlife they rely on for their livelihoods.
Domestically, UK Authorities, including the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and UK Border Force, work closely together to combat illegal wildlife trade. This includes through joint enforcement operations (e.g. Operation Thunder), intelligence sharing, and the identification of enforcement priorities.
In 2021, the Home Office commissioned an independent assessment of illegal wildlife trade and financial crime in the UK. This is available here. This was followed by the first illegal wildlife trade risk assessment by the NWCU in 2022 - https://www.nwcu.police.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Initial-Risk-Assessment-of-IWT-Public-Version.pdf.
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 steps they are taking to mitigate the risk of drought in England this summer, following reports from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology that reservoir levels are 10 per cent less full than they should be.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has declared Prolonged Dry Weather status in Cumbria and Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, and Northeast areas. Drought plans have been activated in these areas to help mitigate any dry weather impacts. Water company reservoir levels in northern and central England are below storage levels expected for the time of year.
The National Drought Group, including the water minister, met on the 7 May to coordinate the strategic management of drought across government, regulators, water industry, and stakeholders. Frequency of these meetings have increased due to the current dry weather situation. Specific actions include:
An updated irrigation prospect report has been published to inform the agriculture community of the current water resources situation to help farmers plan their water needs for the summer. The Environment Agency has also issued some restrictions on abstraction licences to protect river flows where these are low.
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 steps they are taking to introduce specific legal protection for chalk streams.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Chalk Streams will be prioritised as part of the record £11 billion of investment to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales during Price Review 2024, with 75% of such High Priority Sites needing to be improved by 2035 and the rest by 2045. By 2050, we expect no storm overflow spill to cause any adverse ecological harm and spill no more than 10 times per year.
The Government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need and is considering how best to reform environmental assessment processes with this objective in mind.
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 steps they are taking to support farmers in the light of dry conditions this spring.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a resilient food supply chain that has frequently demonstrated its ability to adapt when required.
The Met Office’s 3-month weather outlook for May, June, and July indicates near average rainfall is most likely for the UK but with a slightly higher than normal chance of wet weather. Defra is aware of the current concerns around the ongoing dry conditions. However, it is too early to understand the impact of this period of dry weather on livestock, horticulture and crop plantings, and the subsequent impact this may have on yield and quality later in the year at harvest time.
We continue to engage and work closely with the industry and to monitor the weather impacts on domestic food production, through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), which was established by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market across all key agricultural commodities.
The Government is also engaged with research on climate change and adaptation measures through our work with the Met Office Hadley Centre Food Farming and Natural Environment (FFNE) service.
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 further steps they plan to take to reduce microplastic pollution.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the importance of addressing contaminants in soil, including microplastic pollution. To tackle microplastics in soil, we need to tackle plastics up-stream. The plastic problem is one of management, not removal or eradication, to reduce, reuse, and recycle the material we have and not let it escape into, and damage, our environment.
The Environment Agency is supporting collaborative research which will support future policy and regulatory decisions on microplastics. This includes six investigations with the water industry under the Chemical Investigations Programme, considering generation of microplastics within wastewater treatment works through breakdown of plastic equipment, emerging sewage treatment technologies, and pathways of microplastics from biosolids applied to land to soils and groundwater. The Environment Agency are also conducting research into tyre wear particles and associated chemicals which is due to be published later this year, and supporting National Highways on research into microplastics generated during driving.
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 steps they are taking to ensure the UK complies with World Health Organization air quality guidelines for PM2.5 levels.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines are not statutory targets. The guidelines do not consider achievability or individual countries’ circumstances. We will continue to work towards reducing PM2.5 levels and the new Environmental Improvement Plan will set out the action we intend to take on air quality.
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 impact of the end of the Farming Resilience Fund on farmers' mental health.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An evaluation of the Farming Resilience Fund is underway. This will be completed after the scheme concludes. The survey includes a question on impact of the scheme on farmers' mental health.