Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Drax about the sustainability of their supply chains in relation to the cutting down of primary forests.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK only supports sustainable biomass use which can deliver genuine Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions savings compared to fossil fuels. Ofgem is responsible for auditing the sustainability of biomass used by biomass electricity generators which receive support under the Renewables Obligation and has a process in place for this.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the projected impact of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) on household energy bills.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is developing a response to its consultation on the terms of support for power BECCS. A key factor in assessing these terms is affordability for consumers and no decision has yet been taken on how power BECCS will be funded. The response will be published in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect and expand temperate rainforests in England.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2021, HM Government published the England Trees Action Plan, which sets out our long-term vision for supporting and protecting trees and woodlands of all kinds.
Through the £750 million Nature for Climate Fund, we are supporting the expansion and restoration of woodlands through the England Woodland Creation Offer and the Regional Woodland Restoration Funds. The Regional Woodland Restoration Funds support proposals that will restore woodland ecological condition and bring woodlands into management. Under the South West and North West and West Midlands Innovation Funds, we encourage applications that result in the restoration of temperate rainforests along England's Atlantic fringe.
I recently met with the Lost Rainforests of Britain Campaign to understand what more we can do to increase protections for our temperate rainforests, We are looking at what further action HM Government can take.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce the Committee on Climate Change's hierarchy of uses for timber favouring non-burning applications; and whether subsidies will reflect this hierarchy.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In line with the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations, the Government is developing an evidence-based priority use framework for biomass across the economy. This framework will consider the decarbonisation potential of different end uses alongside wider environmental and economic impacts, to inform how biomass can best contribute towards net zero. The Government's forthcoming biomass strategy will support decisions around future Government support for biomass.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reassess biomass electricity's classification as both a renewable and carbon neutral energy source.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government considers sustainable biomass a renewable, low carbon energy source.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the importers of (1) Elf Bar, and (2) Geek Bar, e-cigarette brands are not on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment register.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The two brands mentioned are not on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) register because the companies that produce these brands have not registered as EEE producers for this compliance year. The Environment Agency is currently looking into the e-cigarette industry to scope out which legal entities should be obligated as producers under the WEEE regulations.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (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 current state of avian flu in (1) the poultry industry, (2) game birds, and (3) wild birds; and what plans they have to reduce the prevalence and spread of the disease.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Outbreaks of avian influenza in both kept and wild birds continue to occur at an unprecedented scale across Europe and the UK with cases continuing to be confirmed into year two of the outbreak for the first time.
Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out surveillance of disease risks in the UK and around the world to help us assess the impact of current threats such as avian influenza, together with helping anticipate future threats to animal health. As part of this work, and in addition to responding to reports of avian influenza in kept birds, APHA carry out surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of wild bird, and what the risk to poultry including kept game birds and other captive birds is.
Defra’s disease control measures seek to contain the number of animals that need to be culled, either for disease control purposes or to safeguard animal welfare. Our approach aims to reduce adverse impacts on the rural and wider economy, the public, rural communities and the environment (including impact on wildlife), whilst protecting public health and minimising the overall cost of any outbreak. All decisions regarding the disease and prevention control measures are based on risk assessments containing the latest scientific veterinary and ornithological advice. APHA’s risk assessments are published and available on GOV.UK through the ‘Animal diseases: international and UK monitoring’ collection and include assessments covering the poultry and gamebird sectors in addition to wild birds. In summary, the risk of incursion of highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5 in wild birds in Great Britain is currently assessed as very high (i.e. event occurs almost certainly). The risk to poultry with stringent biosecurity is currently assessed as medium (i.e. event occurs regularly) (with high uncertainty). However, the risk to poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain with suboptimal biosecurity is assessed as high (i.e. event occurs very often) (with low uncertainty).
Good biosecurity is the essential defence against avian influenza and is key to limiting the spread of avian influenza in kept birds in an outbreak. To help stop the spread of avian influenza in kept birds an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has been introduced in the UK. Mandatory housing measures are also in force as an additional requirement of the AIPZ in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex. Due to the escalating risk from wild birds nationally mandatory housing measures will be extended to cover the whole of England from 7 November 2022. For areas where an AIPZ is in force it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers (whether they had pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) to follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease, including where mandatory housing measures are a requirement of an AIPZ in force to keep their birds indoors.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with stakeholders regarding the current outbreak of avian flu.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra in collaboration with the Devolved Administrations host regular avian influenza stakeholder meetings attended by organisations representing the breadth of the bird keeping sector including commercial, small scale, pet and specialist bird keepers, together with ornithological, veterinary, wildlife rehabilitation sector representatives. Expert advice is also sought by the UKs Chief Veterinary Officer and animal health policy officials through the Ornithology National Experts Group , and Great Britain Avian Exotic Disease Core Group which include representatives from across the bird keeping sector. These forums, in conjunction with facilitating transmission of information from HM Government on the latest outbreak situation, control measures and biosecurity advice to the sector, provide the opportunity for the sector to escalate questions and feedback to HM Government. Engagement with stakeholders is further facilitated through the Defra and Welsh Government Avian Influenza Wild Bird Recovery Advisory Group and the NatureScot taskforce on avian influenza, on both the impact of avian influenza on wild birds and the long term actions which may be needed to support species recovery
In addition, the Animal and Plant Health Agency is leading on a cross-government, cross-agency review of lessons from the recent outbreak which will identify what went well and areas where improvements can be made to improve the effectiveness of the response to future outbreaks. Stakeholders, including small avian farms, have fed into this process and their suggestions and concerns will be reviewed as part of this.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of disposable e-cigarettes that have been sold in the last three years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the number of woodcock shot annually in each of the last 10 years; and what discussions they have held, if any, with Natural England in relation to the effect of shooting woodcock on the status of woodcock.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data for the number of woodcock shot in each of the last ten years has not been collated. However, there are publicly available game bag returns for the period 1961-2005 through the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust website (https://www.gwct.org.uk/research/long-term-monitoring/national-gamebag-census/bird-bags-summary-trends/woodcock/). Where shooting occurs on protected sites, some bag return reports may be requirements of consent by Natural England.
In response to a request from Defra, Natural England has submitted a briefing to Defra which considered woodcock ecology, population status and possible drivers of woodcock decline (including hunting).
Defra intends to review Schedule 2 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which lists species of birds which may be killed or taken outside a close season. In particular, consideration will be given to the evidence underpinning the listing of species such as woodcock so that we can ensure that recreational shooting is sustainable and does not undermine species recovery. This may include a review of the evidence for the timing and duration of the close season.