Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will make an assessment of the effect of urban trees on levels of human physical health and well being; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Social and Economic Research Group of Forest Research, part of the Forestry Commission, focuses on understanding the complex relationships between forestry, the environment and society. The importance of peri urban woods and urban woods for people’s wellbeing, both physical, mental and social is well known. The group is currently participating in a number of activities which will help increase our understanding of the health and wellbeing benefits of trees and greenspace.
The Forestry Commission also supports the Urban Forest and Woodland Advisory Committee Network, which advises the Forestry Commission on forestry. The network has produced various publications on the benefits of a resilient urban forest, including for human health and quality of life.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require each local authority to employ suitably qualified public-realm tree officers to ensure that (a) statistics are collated on the number of trees and (b) existing trees are adequately maintained in each local authority area.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
A public consultation on policies to improve the management of our trees and woodlands by Local Authorities was opened in December 2018. The consultation ended in February 2019. This document set out Government’s view on the importance of trees, especially in an urban environment, and the need for more policies to enhance the status and protection of urban trees.
The Government committed in the 25 Year Environment Plan to introduce a duty on Local Authorities to consult the public on felling street trees. This will increase the transparency of decision-making and give the public a say in the management of these important natural assets. It will encourage local authorities to consider concerns raised and have regard to these when making decisions. This duty will be introduced in the forthcoming Environment Bill.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require each local authority to employ suitably qualified public-realm tree officers to ensure that (a) statistics are collated on the number and condition of trees and (b) existing trees are adequately maintained in each local authority area.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
A public consultation on policies to improve the management of our trees and woodlands by Local Authorities was opened in December 2018. The consultation ended in February 2019. This document set out Government’s view on the importance of trees, especially in an urban environment, and the need for more policies to enhance the status and protection of urban trees.
The Government committed in the 25 Year Environment Plan to introduce a duty on Local Authorities to consult the public on felling street trees. This will increase the transparency of decision-making and give the public a say in the management of these important natural assets. It will encourage local authorities to consider concerns raised and have regard to these when making decisions. This duty will be introduced in the forthcoming Environment Bill.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons there has been a change to permitted levels of gaseous tritium discharges at former Magnox Nuclear Stations as a result of the operation of the waste encapsulation plants.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its response to the Farm Inspection and Regulation Review, published on 13 December 2018.
Answered by George Eustice
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 August 2019 to Question 280135 on Agriculture: Subsidies, if she will publish a list the 46 pilots which have been signed up to the Environmental Land Management Scheme; and whether those pilots are receiving financial compensation for taking part in that scheme.
Answered by George Eustice
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department is making available for planting or replanting urban trees to replace trees that have been removed due to disease or decay.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There are no grants available specifically for the replacement of trees removed due to disease or decay, but there are opportunities for funding or new planting in and around our towns and cities under the recently launched £10 million Urban Tree Challenge Fund. This fund will support the planting of up to 130,000 trees across towns and cities in England, and contributes to our manifesto commitment to plant one million urban trees by 2022.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has commissioned research on the potential effect of electro-magnetic waves on levels of premature deaths in farm animals.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Defra manages an active programme of research to support the health and welfare of livestock. The research programme focusses on prevention and control of infectious diseases as well as covering animal welfare issues. There is no current research funded on electro-magnetic waves and their potential impact from this programme.
Defra does have a regular, consistent systematic process for identifying and assessing new threats to animal health and welfare through the Veterinary Risk Group and the issue has not been raised which could inform future research requirements.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) China and (b) countries in east Africa on ending the international trade in donkey skins; and what recent steps he has taken to help implement an international ban on the trade in donkey skins.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Defra takes the welfare of donkeys and other equids very seriously and has taken an active role in global efforts to monitor and strengthen welfare standards for these species. This included contributing to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Code chapter on Welfare or Working Equids adopted by OIE members in 2016, which provides species specific guidance to complement the general welfare principles applying to all animals. In addition we have contributed to the EU voluntary initiative developing guidance on responsible ownership and care of equidae. Influencing the raising of global standards through international fora can be an effective and sustainable way to address these issues across the world and therefore have a broader impact than bilateral meetings with particular countries. This is part of the Government’s strong commitment to strengthening welfare standards.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pilot environmental land management schemes have been agreed, where those pilots will take place; and what the start date is for each such pilot.
Answered by George Eustice
Tests and trials allow us to co-design and test the operability of elements of the new system and to understand if and how new elements of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme work in a real life environment. Tests and trials are not analysing methods of delivery of environmental outcomes rather how the scheme or innovative mechanism will operate.
We received 113 proposals from stakeholders to conduct tests and trials of the new ELM scheme in phase one. We identified 49 of these which most closely matched the identified priorities and would help us test critical elements or building blocks of the new scheme. Of these 49, two have subsequently merged with other phase 1 proposals and one has withdrawn from the process, leaving 46.
The national pilot is due to start in 2021. It will test different types of possible approaches to deliver the new ELM scheme, and the underlying scheme mechanics (such as the payments system) before the ELM scheme launches in 2024.