Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the regulation of canine fertility clinics.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, only veterinary surgeons are permitted to perform canine artificial insemination. Any non-vet undertaking canine artificial insemination, including the taking of blood samples, is therefore in breach of the Act.
My Department has not made an estimation of the number of canine fertility clinics operating in the UK and Ministers have not had recent discussions with the RSPCA, the British Veterinary Association or the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on this specific matter. However, the Department is aware of this issue and takes the matter very seriously. Where breaches of legislation have been identified, enforcement action, including the successful prosecution of individuals, has been taken by Defra Investigation Services; where appropriate, this is in collaboration with local authorities.
If a member of the public has any concerns for the operation of a canine fertility clinic they should contact the relevant local authority who has responsibilities for enforcement under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of canine fertility clinics operating in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, only veterinary surgeons are permitted to perform canine artificial insemination. Any non-vet undertaking canine artificial insemination, including the taking of blood samples, is therefore in breach of the Act.
My Department has not made an estimation of the number of canine fertility clinics operating in the UK and Ministers have not had recent discussions with the RSPCA, the British Veterinary Association or the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on this specific matter. However, the Department is aware of this issue and takes the matter very seriously. Where breaches of legislation have been identified, enforcement action, including the successful prosecution of individuals, has been taken by Defra Investigation Services; where appropriate, this is in collaboration with local authorities.
If a member of the public has any concerns for the operation of a canine fertility clinic they should contact the relevant local authority who has responsibilities for enforcement under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 16 November to Question 77605 on Pets: Fireworks, what steps her Department has taken to evaluate the benefits to household pets and wildlife of reducing the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks for public sale from 120dB to 90dB.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy leads on legislation regarding the sale of fireworks. We engage with BEIS to ensure that animal welfare needs are represented in the development of policy. Defra has not evaluated the benefits of reducing the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks for public sale.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) food retail organisations and (b) retailers on the potential merits of establishing a list of staple food items subject to temporary price control measures.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra officials have regular discussions with retailers about a range of issues, including the impacts that inflationary pressures have on consumers. However, it is not for the UK Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by the companies but through our regular engagement we continue to explore the measures retailers can take to ensure the availability of affordable food.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a list of staple food items subject to temporary price control measures.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra officials have regular discussions with retailers about a range of issues, including the impacts that inflationary pressures have on consumers. However, it is not for the UK Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by the companies but through our regular engagement we continue to explore the measures retailers can take to ensure the availability of affordable food.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to set a target for the reduction of the use of single-use plastic by 50 per cent by 2025.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have no plans to set a target for the reduction in single use plastic. We want to set an Environment Act 2021 target in the area of resource efficiency and waste reduction that ensures a holistic view to waste and reduces waste overall. We believe that setting a wider reaching target that encompasses plastics as well as other materials will achieve the best environmental outcome as it will prevent switching to other materials which could have a greater environmental impact. To address the significant public concern towards plastic waste, HM Government is taking a range of measures that will contribute to reducing single-use plastic waste, including introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for plastic packaging. We also plan to publish HM Government response on our consultation to restrict further the number of single-use plastics placed on the market.
HM Government recently consulted upon a proposed Environment Act target to cut residual waste kg per capita by 50% by 2042 from 2019 levels. We received over 180,000 responses to the environmental target consultation from a range of individuals and organisations. As required by the Environment Act 2021 (EA2021), we are required to set a target on resources and waste. HM Government remains committed to the Environment Act 2021, and will publish ambitious, achievable, and robust targets soon.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's 2019 election manifesto, when the Government will eliminate plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), consulting with industry, NGOs, and local councils on the date by which this should be achieved.
Defra is developing timelines and a proposal for a public consultation and has recently published independent research [1] which was commissioned to inform the policy development process.
[1] https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=20615
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what target date his Department has set to entirely eliminate single-use plastic.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Avoidable plastic waste is waste that it is technologically, environmentally and economically practicable to prevent from becoming residual waste. Plastics have an important role to play in certain applications and we must think carefully about how we solve the problems that arise from plastic waste to avoid unintended consequences.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to introduce mandatory corporate reporting on plastic reduction.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government currently has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce mandatory corporate reporting on plastic reduction.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 take steps to establish a moratorium on new incineration capacity in England.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Defra has no plans to introduce a moratorium on new incineration capacity in England.