Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving powers to the Scottish Government in advance of the Great Repeal Bill in order to promote mixed fisheries opportunities and reactive positive stock management.
Answered by George Eustice
Marine Scotland is already responsible for controlling the activities of all fishing vessels operating within the Scottish zone, as defined by the Fishery Limits Act 1976 and the Scotland Act 1998.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the need for more staff in her Department to deal with the effects of the UK leaving the EU on farming and fishing.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra is amongst those Government departments whose work is most closely linked to and impacted by EU activity, legal frameworks and funding. In terms of work arising from the UK’s vote to leave the EU, some 80% of Defra’s work is framed by EU legislation and a quarter of EU laws apply to Defra’s sectors. Many roles across the Defra group are now supporting EU exit-related work, either directly or indirectly.
As with all departments, Defra’s work programmes and recruitment plans are continually kept under review to ensure we are appropriately staffed to deal with the task at hand. The resourcing of EU Exit work is a key priority of the Department and will be subject to on-going assessment. Staffing resources will be deployed flexibly across the entire Defra agenda, including work on our farming and fisheries policy.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation her Department has had with the devolved administrations on the 25-year plan for food and farming.
Answered by George Eustice
We will continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations as well as stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – seeking to benefit from shared learning in order to achieve our vision of building a world leading food and farming nation.
The views of the devolved nations will play an important part in helping shape our preparations for exit and achieving arrangements that work for all parts of the UK.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she next plans to meet her counterparts in the Scottish Government to discuss the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the rural economy.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Joint Ministerial Committee (EU negotiations) was set up to bring together constituent parts of the United Kingdom to develop a UK-wide approach to our negotiations and to discuss issues stemming from the negotiation process that may impact upon or have consequences for the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government or the Northern Ireland Executive. In addition, Defra has set up a twin track approach of regular meetings at ministerial and senior official level with Devolved Administration (DA) counterparts, supplemented with bilateral meetings on specific issues as they arise. The next DA Ministerial and senior officials meetings are currently being arranged and will take place in April.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the role of the Scottish Government is in her Department's EU exit programme workstream on devolution.
Answered by George Eustice
We will seek to agree a UK approach to the negotiations and ensure we get the best possible deal for the whole of the UK. We have committed to carefully considering any proposals the devolved administrations put forward. The Secretary of State visited Edinburgh in February to meet with Ministers from all the Devolved Administrations to give them every opportunity to have their say as we form our negotiating strategy.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will seek to exempt EU-related fisheries law from being incorporated into UK law as part of the Great Repeal Bill.
Answered by George Eustice
All Government Departments are currently reviewing the EU laws that apply in their policy areas and how our withdrawal from the EU will affect the operation of those laws. The Government will set out the content of the Great Repeal Bill and its implications in due course.
We are currently analysing all EU fisheries legislation. No decision has yet been made on the extent to which the EU legislation governing the Common Fisheries Policy will be incorporated into domestic law.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle microbeads in products that are not included within the scope of her Department's proposed ban.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
We are currently running a consultation on our proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. The consultation ends on 28th Feb 2017. The consultation also seeks to gather evidence on the extent of the environmental impacts of microbeads found in other products. This evidence will be used to inform future UK actions to protect the marine environment.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 effectiveness the US ban on microbeads on her Department's policy on microbeads.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra is aware of the proposed US ban on microbeads and has considered those proposals in developing the UK approach. In addition our proposals have been informed by information from the cosmetics industry, environmental groups, researchers in marine microplastic pollution and counterparts in neighbouring countries. We are currently running a consultation on our proposals. The consultation ends on 28th February 2017.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her consultation with farmers on her Department's EU exit programme will commence.
Answered by George Eustice
We will begin the process by consulting on our emerging vision and the strategic priorities for the future of the industries, through the form of a food, farming and fishing green paper which will be published in due course.
Asked by: Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the role of devolved administrations will be in her Department's EU exit programme.
Answered by George Eustice
We will seek to agree a UK approach to the negotiations and ensure we get the best possible deal for the whole of the UK. We have committed to carefully considering any proposals the devolved administrations put forward. Defra Ministers have visited each of the devolved administrations to meet with Ministers and stakeholders.