Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No, the Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees.
This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. We will publish the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England this autumn. It will include a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. One of the five sectors we will start with is the chemicals and plastics sector.
As a part of the transition to a circular economy, managing and reducing plastic waste will be crucial. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.
Defra’s Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England provides guidance on how to act responsibly around marine wildlife when visiting the coast, including the need for the public to take all litter home with them. We would encourage anyone who sees a sick, injured or entangled seal to contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether fines received for environmental breaches are hypothecated back into environmental schemes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the Spending Review, this Government has confirmed that water company fines and penalties will be allocated to projects and programmes across the country which contribute to water quality. Over £100 million in fines levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters which could include local environmental programmes to address pollution.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to combine the proposed (a) Nature Restoration Fund and (b) Marine Recovery Fund.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Recovery Fund is being established as a voluntary mechanism to deliver strategic compensation for offshore wind developers.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NGOs, (b) non-profit organisations and (c) Surfers Against Sewage on levels of sewage in rivers and seas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including Surfers Against Sewage, on levels of sewage in rivers and seas.
As part of our Plan for Change, we are putting water companies under special measures through our landmark Water (Special Measures) Act, introducing new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against law breakers.
Government is clear that water companies must take swift action to address storm overflow spills through reducing the number of spills from storm overflows by 45% (compared to 2021 levels) by spending £11bn to upgrade over 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales.
The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence(opens in a new tab).
The Commission’s Interim Report was published on 03 June 2025; the report's findings can be found at Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings - GOV.UK. The final report and recommendations will be published later in the summer.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of public waterways polluted by sewage on (a) young children and (b) families.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The level of sewage in our waterways is unacceptable, that is why this Government has taken practical steps to mitigate this. The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 24 February. The Act will require water companies to publish real-time data related to spills from all emergency overflows. This builds on the pre-existing duty for water companies to publish data related to spills from all storm overflows within an hour of the spill beginning. Enhanced monitoring will create an unprecedented level of transparency, enabling the public and regulators to see where and how often storm overflows are spilling, hold water companies to account, and more accurately quantify the impacts of storm overflows. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan represents an important forward programme to guide future investment in the sector. This Plan sets clear and specific targets for water companies, regulators and the government, to work towards the long-term ambition of eliminating the harm from storm overflows. Water companies are investing a record £11 billion over the next five years to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, targeted at those affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health. |
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of Water Commission's 2025 interim report findings on (a) dividends and (b) debts of water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is clear that transformative change is needed across the water sector, and will be carefully considering Sir Jon’s preliminary conclusions as outlined in the interim report published on 3 June.
The Government will respond to the findings in full once the Commission has produced its final report later this summer. Our response will include a detailed transition plan for the water sector, which will form the basis of future legislation to reset the sector and attract the investment we need to ensure its resilience for decades to come.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 has made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility fees for (a) glass and (b) plastic packaging on small producers of premium products.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.
The Government recognises the importance of protecting small producers from direct cost obligations. This is why the regulations include a de-minimis threshold of £2 million turnover and 50 tonnes which exempts approximately 70% of the producers supplying packaging in the UK from paying scheme fees.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 improve water quality at beaches in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has recruited two new Water Industry Regulation teams who are increasing regulation of water company sites in Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, undertaking more compliance checks (including unannounced inspections), translating storm overflow monitoring data into regulatory intelligence, and increasing enforcement actions for pollution incidents under the Enforcement and Sanctions policy. Inspection locations are prioritised according to environmental sensitivity, such as sites impacting bathing waters, and where EDM data is showing spills are higher than they should be. The EA increased inspections in 2024-25 and will more than double these in 2025-2026. This includes water company assets in North Cornwall constituency. It will also attend more incidents.
The EA has numerous charges relating to sewage discharges onto Cornish beaches waiting to come to court. Th EA’s duty is to hold those suspected of harming the environment to account so it will proceed with legal action.
The EA has also increased the number of farm inspections they are able to deliver. In Devon and Cornwall, dedicated farm inspection officers are currently inspecting farms and undertaking enforcement action in the highest priority catchments, including the Camel.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to force water companies to become public benefit corporations.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, including different water company ownership models, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations later in the summer.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 has made an assessment of the potential environmental merits of including Miscanthus as an incentivised crop under SFI 2026.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The publication cited has been superseded by the following:
The moorland offer is designed to help deliver our environmental objectives on moorland whilst supporting sustainable food production. Fundamental to sustainable grazing levels on moorland is the level of grazing pressure on that habitat over time. If this is right, then the grazing by preferential livestock (cattle and ponies) gives additional environmental outcomes.
The cattle and pony grazing supplemental actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and in Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier are designed to support this and provide tiered payments which reward their level of delivery. They are only eligible with the livestock grazing on moorland actions (UPL1-3) to ensure the benefits of grazing with preferential livestock are not lost. These actions specify a grazing livestock density that cannot be exceeded.
Supplemental actions supporting native breeds as risk on moorland aim to maintain or increase the number of rare native breed grazing livestock. These supplemental actions are only eligible with a base action. In SFI, applicants can choose to undertake a base action which does not limit grazing levels, for example Shepherding livestock on moorland actions (UPL7-UPL10).