Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 implications for his Department's policies of the Horticultural Trade Association's press release entitled HTA response to Defra announcement on horticultural peat, dated 27 August 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
I welcome the good progress made in terms of reducing the quantity of peat used in growing media. However, there is significant support for ending the use of peat in horticulture which will contribute to our net zero carbon targets and prevent biodiversity loss. Officials are currently engaging with stakeholders, including the Horticultural Trade Association, in order to identify and overcome the remaining technical barriers to ending the use of peat in horticulture.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 merits of amending the Veterinary Medicines Regulations for the purposes of (a) encouraging innovation and (b) reducing bureaucracy in the production of animal medicines in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is in the process of reviewing the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (VMR) to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The powers to amend and supplement the VMR are set out in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act.
The Act mandates that, in considering changes to the VMR, we must have regard to the likelihood of the United Kingdom being seen as a favourable place in which to develop, manufacture or supply veterinary medicines. Using the powers in the Act we are able to take a proportionate, risk-based approach to regulation. We intend to, where possible, reduce administrative burdens on industry, whilst effectively ensuring safety for animals, humans and the environment, as well as supporting the availability of veterinary medicines and the UK as an attractive place for UK-based innovation.
We will carry out a formal public consultation on the proposed changes to the VMR as they have effect in Great Britain. This consultation will include an assessment of the impact of those changes on UK businesses and provide the opportunity for all stakeholders to express their views.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 ensure the supply of wine and spirits over the festive period 2021-22.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response, and it is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. We do not anticipate disruption to the supply of alcohol this Christmas.
The Government has acted quickly to tackle the challenges to our supply chains, which were brought on by global pressures including the pandemic and the international shortage of HGV drivers.
Some of these Government-led key measures include the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency’s action to increase HGV tests to 3,000 per week, the introduction of 16-week skills bootcamps to train new and returning drivers and the Department for Transport’s action to streamline HGV testing with a minimised regulatory framework adding around 50,000 more tests to be conducted.
In addition to this, the Transport Secretary relaxed driver hours regulation, allowing more deliveries to be made during unprecedented times of national driver shortage to manage food supply chain bottlenecks. This relaxation will last up to 9 January 2022 in England, Scotland and Wales covering the Christmas peak demand period for food across the supply chain.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 implications for his policies on the treatment of plastic waste of the Greenpeace Plastic Pledge; and whether he has plans to implement the recommendations set out in that pledge.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. We are making great strides to tackle plastic pollution. In December 2018 we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy. Our approach is focused on increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. We know more needs to be done, and for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
The UK Government has a manifesto commitment to ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries. The Government has committed to consult on this measure and work to deliver this is underway. Defra has commissioned research to have a better understanding of plastic waste recycling capacity in the UK and OECD member countries, and this research will be key to the development of policy options to implement the manifesto commitment. We currently plan to consult before the end of 2022 on options to deliver the proposed ban.
Legitimate imports of plastic waste into the UK will be destined for recovery operations. The UK Government does not permit the import of plastic waste for disposal. The UK Government has not assessed the benefits of a ban on plastic waste imports and has no plans to do so.
The Environment Bill includes a requirement for the Government to set at least one long-term target on resource efficiency and waste reduction. This target will take a holistic approach to reduce consumption of all materials, including plastics, increasing resource productivity and reducing the volume of waste we generate. Work is already underway to develop these targets. In order to help guide the Government, the Resources and Waste Targets Expert Group has been formed. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/resources-and-waste-targets-expert-group. Moreover, the Government is exploring packaging recycling targets under our proposals for extended producer responsibility for packaging. The consultation on our more detailed proposals closed on the 4 June.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 20 May 2021 to Question 4583 on Flood control, if he will publish the content of that feedback.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
All organisations who submitted expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme have been offered detailed feedback. The significant details included in the expressions of interest and the subsequent feedback are commercially confidential, meaning that it is only appropriate for this to be handled between the applicant organisations and the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is continuing to work with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to take their proposed ideas forward.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to meet the hon. Member for Sefton Central to discuss flood protection measures for the town of Maghull in the borough of Sefton; and for what reason previous meetings on that topic that were scheduled to take place between the hon. Member for Taunton Deane and the hon. Member for Sefton Central on (a) 25 March 2021, (b) 26 April 2021 and (c) 20 May 2021 were cancelled.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The meetings scheduled with me in March and April were rearranged due to Parliamentary business. The meeting on the 20 May was cancelled due to an unforeseen circumstance.
My office will be in touch soon to re-schedule this meeting as soon as possible.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 publish the feedback given to each organisation that submitted an expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
All organisations who submitted expressions of interest to the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme have been offered feedback. Where requested, the Environment Agency has, or will, provide detailed feedback from the assessment process, providing learning opportunities for the lead applicant and their partners. The Environment Agency is continuing to work with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to help them identify potential alternative opportunities to take their good ideas forward.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 recent bids for Flood Resilience funding for projects in the Borough of Sefton.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
25 projects across England were selected to receive a share of £150 million to demonstrate how practical innovative actions can work to improve communities' resilience to flooding and coastal change.
79 eligible expressions of interest (EOIs) were received, and independently assessed by a panel of experts. Two EOI proposals were received from project teams in Sefton, one of which will receive funding from this programme.
The project approved for funding in Sefton ( Ecological Community Owned Coastal Buffer Strips) is being led by Wyre Council. Sefton Council is a key partner. This project will deliver actions across the North West coast, including Formby, to improve resilience to flooding in the area.
The Environment Agency provided feedback to the lead officer at Sefton Council on 26 April 2021 to help the team identify the strengths of the unsuccessful proposal (Increasing Community Flood Resilience in Merseyside: Novel Applications of Smart Technology and Data Analysis). The feedback also notes areas they might want to consider improving if they choose to continue to develop the ideas further.
The Environment Agency is working with all projects that did not secure funding via this programme to take their good ideas forward through other routes. Sefton Council has provided summary information about its proposal for the Environment Agency to share with partners and stakeholders who may be interested in supporting the proposal.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received from food producers and food industry bodies in Great Britain on the grouped transport of food and food products from multiple producers to the EU.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Prior to the end of transition period we took steps to ensure that groupage exports could continue post January 1st. This included supporting the development of logistics hubs and the introduction of the Groupage Export Facilitation Scheme for exporters of certain products of animal origin from stable supply chains, packaged for the final consumer. These are generally working well.
We are aware of challenges experienced by exporters of mixed loads of products of animal origin and other commodities from different exporting premises. We have already published guidance on groupage models that can support movements of these loads to Northern Ireland and are working with the European Commission and EU Member States to make similar guidance available for GB-EU Exports. As part of this we are in regular contact with both the haulage industry and trade associations.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received from food producers and food industry bodies in Great Britain on the grouped transport of food and food products from multiple producers to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Defra receives regular representations from industry and meets regularly with the food industry and other stakeholders to discuss transporting food into Northern Ireland and will continue to do.
Defra Ministers meet weekly with representative bodies within the food industry in addition to major producers and retailers. In addition, there are weekly official level meetings with the major supermarkets and distributors covering food supply into Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Directorate within Defra is focusing its work on removing any real or perceived barriers to food supply.