Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the impact of mandating the sorting of co-mingled materials collected from households on increasing recycling rates under the Simpler Recycling policy.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
As part of Simpler Recycling, we have consulted on the provision of an exemption to allow local authorities and waste collectors in England to co-collect two or more dry recyclable waste streams in the same container, and to co-collect food and garden waste together in one container, without the need for written assessment. This consultation is now closed and we are analysing the responses and feedback from stakeholders gathered through this process. We will communicate the outcome of the consultation in due course. Furthermore, we will publish our Final Impact Assessment for Simpler Recycling alongside secondary legislation in 2024 which will contain modelled impacts of the Simpler Recycling on recycling rates.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether payments to farmers in England to rewet upland peat are sufficient (1) to offset management costs and provide income to the farmers, and (2) to ensure levels of restoration activity that are consistent with short-term and long-term targets.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Payment rates are based on the income forgone and costs to the farmer. In January, we announced that we were increasing the payment rate for rewetting moorland peat in Countryside Stewardship from £25 to £181 per hectare. This significant increase will ensure appropriate payment to farmers as well as incentivising rewetting of vitally important peatland.
The Nature for Climate Peatland Grant scheme has provided £35 million of funding to financially commit us to restoring approximately 27,000 hectares of peatland. This scheme is funding a significant proportion of our short-term target of restoring 35,000 hectares by 2025.
The Government’s Environmental Land Management schemes will help us meet our longer-term target to restore 280,000 hectares of peatland by 2050. In particular, the Landscape Recovery scheme will provide successful projects with funding to support large-scale peatland restoration. Payments made to land managers under Landscape Recovery projects will be benchmarked against rates paid for similar activities under existing Government schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship, to ensure payments to farmers are appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Douglas-Miller on 22 February (HL Deb col 701), what assessment they have made of the merits of returning peatland sites to fully functioning bog habitat, including by limiting burning regimes.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
In 2021, peatlands emitted 2% of UK net greenhouse gas emissions. When in a restored state, peatlands accumulate and store carbon, making them a vital tool in climate regulation and achieving the Government’s Net Zero goals. Full restoration of peatland habitats delivers on each of our natural capital objectives - locking up carbon, restoring biodiversity, preserving heritage sites, minimising wildfire hazards, and improving water regulation and quality. This Government is committed to restoring these precious environments.
There are a variety of restoration methods used to restore our peat. We seek to minimise the use of burning as a tool for restoration and therefore only permit burning in specific circumstances when it is being conducted in the right place and for the right reasons. Our Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021 limit the instances when burning is permitted, and data from the Moorland Change Map suggests a decline in burning on moorlands since the introduction of the Regulations.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with packaging manufacturers regarding the scope of their proposed deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and whether they intend to revise the scope of that scheme following any such discussions.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Conversations with packaging manufacturers on scope of materials in the deposit return scheme have been consistent with the position that was outlined in the Government’s consultation response in January 2023 (see attached).
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what materials their proposed deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will include; and whether they intend to add further materials after the scheme is operational.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The position on materials in scope in the Deposit Return Scheme for drink containers (DRS) was first published in March 2022 in the consultation response on an Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging; and reiterated in January 2023 in the DRS consultation response.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - 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 impact of the Common User Charge on (1) groupage and mixed loads entering the UK, and (2) small and medium-sized businesses.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Defra is committed to designing and delivering a charging policy which keeps costs down and minimises impact across all businesses. Through the ‘Charging arrangement at government-run border control posts’ consultation with industry in July 2023, the Government sought feedback on the impacts of the Common User Charge proposals on businesses of all sizes and operating models. It has taken on board all feedback and considered all possible options and timescales to ensure it can implement a charging system that will deliver best value for all traders, and one which meets government’s cost recovery objectives in as transparent and fair way as possible. We expect to publish the Government Response to the consultation shortly which will confirm the final policy and rates.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to the consultation on the Common User Charge, which ran from 12 June 2023 to 9 July 2023; and at what level the charge will be set.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Defra has analysed the responses to the 'Charging arrangements at government-run border control posts' consultation which ran from 12 June to 9 July 2023. We have taken on board all feedback and considered all possible options and timescales to ensure we can implement a charging system that will deliver best value for traders, and one which meets Government’s cost recovery objectives in as transparent and fair way as possible. We expect to publish the Government Response to the consultation shortly which will confirm the final policy and rates.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - 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 impact of the Common User Charge on UK food price inflation; and whether they intend to publish the modelling behind this.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Defra has analysed the responses to the 'Charging arrangements at Government-run border control posts' consultation and has carefully assessed the potential impacts on food imports. This will ensure we implement a charging system that will deliver best value for traders, and one which meets government’s cost recovery objectives in as transparent and fair way as possible. We expect to publish the Government Response to the consultation shortly which will confirm the final policy and rates.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis has been carried out of the impact of proposals to extend Permitted Development Rights in National Parks and other Protected Landscapes for the conversion of barns and other rural buildings to residential use, including analysis of whether this would conflict with the statutory purposes to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The Government has consulted on proposals to extend permitted development rights to support housing delivery and the agricultural sector. This includes proposals to extend permitted development rights to allow farmers to convert agricultural buildings like barns to houses in national parks and other protected landscapes. We are currently analysing responses to this consultation, which closed on 25 September 2023. This includes consideration of whether this PDR extension would conflict with the statutory purposes of protected landscapes.
National Parks and National Landscapes represent our shared heritage and support our nation’s health and wellbeing. They are also crucial to delivering our commitments to tackle climate change and restore nature. To support them in this role we introduced measures in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 placing a stronger requirement on partners to deliver on the statutory purposes of these areas.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Douglas-Miller on 3 January (HL1212), how many times in each of the past five years the Environment Agency has (1) undertaken an internal review, or (2) asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to carry out an external review, of a response to a specific pollution incident.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Environment Agency proactively undertakes internal reviews of incidents to identify what went well so that good practice can be shared. It will also review what did not go well so that lessons are identified, and performance can be improved. All the most serious incidents are reviewed and all less serious incidents where significant operational impact has been identified. There are approximately 100 serious incidents each year. The table below shows the number of incidents each year which have undergone a routine internal review.
| Internal Review |
2019 | 267 |
2020 | 270 |
2021 | 323 |
2022 | 204 |
2023 | 180 |
The Environment Agency asked SEPA to carry out a review of an incident near Windermere that occurred in June 2022. They have no records of any other referrals.