Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the context of the Environment Plan’s target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of that proposed plastic reduction target on reducing the level of plastic pollution.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The ambition in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042 is for England only as this is a devolved matter.
No overall assessment has been made; however, if we can achieve the ambition, including through policies set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy for England, it will significantly reduce the amount of plastic pollution.
My department is carrying out an evaluation of the policies in the Resources and Waste Strategy to establish their effectiveness and identify where we might need to go further to achieve our ambitions.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure the maintenance of (a) species protection, (b) conservation orders, (c) nature restoration and (d) other key nature protections within new investment zones.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have been clear about the importance of environmental protection across the United Kingdom, not least through our world leading Environment Act, which includes a legally binding target to halt the decline of nature by 2030. We are committed to meeting this target and will not undermine our obligations to the environment in pursuit of growth.
Defra and DLUHC are working closely together on Investment Zone policy to support our growth objectives and maintain HM Government’s strong position on the environment.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the UK protects nature in accordance with its commitments at the Convention of COP-15.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In the United Kingdom domestic biodiversity policy is devolved. The four nations work together to develop a collective response to United Kingdom wide goals and targets, such as the post-2020 global framework, expected to be agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Fifteenth Conference of the Parties, COP15 in Montreal in December.
We have taken unprecedented steps to protect and restore biodiversity in England, not least through our world leading Environment Act, which requires a new, legally binding target to be set in England to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, and introduces Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities to work together to protect our native species.
We have also committed to protecting 30% of our land and sea by 2030 to better support and recover biodiversity, announcing a landmark designation programme to help realise this.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the not passing of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals Bill) on (a) pets, (b) puppy smuggling, (c) livestock and (d) live exports.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (“the Bill”) was reintroduced to the House of Commons in May.
The Bill is part of a wider package of measures to improve animal welfare for a wide range of animals as set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which was published in May 2021.
The Bill will have a positive impact in relation to pets, puppy smuggling, livestock and live exports, and it will continue its passage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the proposed bans on the export of live animals for slaughter and the import of hunting trophies; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Government recognises the long-standing public concern with live animals being exported for slaughter and fattening, and plans to proceed with a ban on the export of livestock and horses from England, Wales and Scotland for slaughter and fattening, as set out in its response to the public consultation last year. This will be done as soon as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
We have pledged to ban the imports of hunting trophies from thousands of species. HM Government is committed to a ban that is among the strongest in the world and leads the way in protecting endangered animals. We welcome the Private Member’s Bill, led by Henry Smith MP, that will deliver this.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on (a) tackling the issue of dogs attacking livestock and (b) introducing protections for dogs, cats and ferrets being imported into the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications.
New measures to crack down on livestock worrying in England and Wales are to be introduced through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021 and reintroduced following the Queen's speech. The Bill has passed Committee stage in the House of Commons and will progress to Report stage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
The new measures will enhance enforcement mechanisms available to the police and expand the scope of livestock species and locations covered by the law. Improved powers will enable the police to respond to livestock worrying incidents more effectively – making it easier for them to collect evidence and, in the most serious cases, seize and detain dogs to reduce the risk of further incidents. The scope of livestock species covered by the legislation will be extended to include animals such as llamas, emus, enclosed deer and donkeys. New locations will include roads and paths, as long as the livestock have not strayed into a road.
All reported instances of livestock worrying should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill includes a range of ancillary orders available to the court following conviction, such as control, disqualification and destruction orders. These orders are aimed at targeting and reducing reoffending.
With regards to protections for imported animals, the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill also allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of cats, dogs and ferrets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
In August 2021, the Government launched an eight-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, which could be introduced under these Bill powers. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary response in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups on puppy smuggling and low welfare imports in order to shape our future policy.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to adapt its policy on forestry in the event of a two degrees Celsuis of warming.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We understand that climate change is a significant challenge facing our woodlands and are taking steps to improve the resilience of trees and woodlands, as set out in the England Trees Action Plan.
A Woodland Resilience Implementation Plan is being developed to improve the ecological condition of our woodlands and increase their resilience to climate change, pests and diseases. We will also support the Forestry and Climate Change Working Group in implementing its adaptation plan, including launching a climate change competition to highlight best practice and the need to adapt new and existing woodlands to the effects of climate change.
Most of our native species have a large geographic range covering much of Europe, so should be able to cope with a changing climate. There is a high level of genetic diversity within our native woodlands, supporting evolutionary adaptation processes and we are advising woodland managers to think hard about the current and future climates and woodland resilience when planting and managing woodland. We have provided: Ecological Site Classification; a climate matching tool to help woodland managers with planning resilient woodlands; and Forest Research will shortly publish a new UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide on adapting forest and woodland management for the changing climate.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which environmental impact assessments detailing polychlorinated biphenyls leakage levels from historic landfill sites into South Wales watercourses have been made publicly available.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and so, it would not be appropriate to respond on this issue.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the closest polychlorinated biphenyls sediment level testing location is for the rivers (a) Ely, (b) Taff, (c) Usk, including beside old Newport Monsanto factory, (d) Severn Estuary, (e) Dee below old Cefn Mawr Monsanto Factory, (f) Cardiff Bay and (g) Newport Glebeland ditches.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and so, it would not be appropriate to respond on this issue.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether determinations under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 have been completed at known polychlorinated biphenyls and para-nitrochlorobenzene locations including (a) Sutton Walls, Herefordshire, (b) Cefn Mawr factory site, (c) Maendy Quarry, (d) Tyr Llwyd old quarry, (e) Llwyneinion acid tar lagoon, Ruabon, and f) Stoneyhill quarry, Telford.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates only to locations in England, (a) and (f).
These landfill sites are regulated by their respective local authorities, rather than the Environment Agency.
(a) In July 2010, Herefordshire County Council requested the EA undertake a comprehensive assessment of the former Sutton Walls landfill site. The site was deemed to meet potential Special Site criteria under Part 2a of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, as there was a risk to potable water supplies. The EA used Contaminated Land Capital Funds to inspect the site. The investigation found that there were no significant contaminant linkages associated with the site and the EA advised HCC that the site did not meet the definition of contaminated land under Part 2a of the EPA 1990.
(f) In 2008, Telford & Wrekin Council (TWC) carried out an investigation of Stoneyhill landfill, in accordance with its obligations under Part 2a of the EPA 1990. The EA offered support and advice through this investigation. The investigation found no significant pollution to controlled waters so TWC concluded that the site did not meet the definition for being contaminated land under Part 2a of the EPA 1990.