Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce a legally binding extended producer responsibility scheme for litter.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
UK legislation already exists to establish Producer Responsibility schemes for a number of items, including for packaging, which unfortunately can still be littered.
The Government’s Litter Strategy for England, published on 10 April, outlines a range of measures to reduce litter and littering behaviour. As part of the Strategy we are establishing a working group to explore voluntary or regulatory measures to reduce the incidence of commonly littered items.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many flood prevention schemes have been put in place in Beckenham constituency since 2015.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Environment Agency has not put any flood prevention schemes in place in the Beckenham constituency since 2015. However between 2013 and 2015, the Government has invested £155,000 on capital works, better protecting 12 properties from flooding, and £450,000 on maintenance works along the River Ravensbourne.
Between April 2016 and March 2021, the Government plans to invest a further £924,000 on flood risk management schemes in the Beckenham constituency, better protecting around 200 properties from flooding.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
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 bring forward legislative proposals for a new clean air act.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
There is extensive existing legislation to support action to improve air quality. Councils can already implement clean air zones although we are introducing legislation which will allow the government to mandate councils to take action. A consultation seeking views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework and on the draft regulation mandating the implementation of Clean Air Zones was published on the 13 of October.
Legislative proposals are being drafted related to the implementation of the Medium Combustion Plant Directive and the National Emissions Ceilings Directive.
Defra also plans to consult this autumn on proposals to reduce pollution from electricity generating plants with high emissions of nitrogen oxides that are not currently regulated. The proposals would set emission limit values on relevant air pollutants, with a view to having legislation in force no later than January 2019, and possibly sooner.
Air quality is improving; since 1970 sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions have decreased by 95%, particulate matter (PM10) by 73% and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 69%.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
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 bring forward proposals to increase the level of fines available to local authorities for fly-tipping.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The fine for fly-tipping is unlimited.
Tackling fly-tipping is a priority for the Government. As set out in our manifesto, next spring we will be giving councils the power to tackle small scale fly-tipping through fixed penalty notices as an alternative to prosecutions.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to counteract the rise in fly-tipping.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Tackling fly-tipping is a priority for the Government. As set out in our manifesto we will be giving councils the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping as well as reviewing the existing fixed penalty notices for littering.
These steps will build on other Government action to tackle fly-tipping, which has included; working with the Sentencing Council on its guideline for sentencing for environmental offences, which came into force on 1 July last year; making it easier for vehicles suspected of being involved in waste crime to be stopped, searched and seized; and continuing work in partnership with others through the Defra chaired National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste.