Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 it his policy to ban the use of (a) butylphenyl methylpropional (lilial) and (b) zinc pyrithione in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Under UK REACH – key legislation affecting chemicals in GB - companies must identify and manage the risks presented by the chemicals they manufacture or market in GB. These provisions apply to butylphenyl methylpropional (also known as lilial or lysmeral) and zinc pyrithione.
There are no plans to introduce further risk management measures under UK REACH for lysmeral or zinc pyrithione at this time. The Health & Safety Executive recently published initial assessments of substances, including lysmeral, that were added to the EU REACH Candidate List for authorisation in 2021. HSE proposed that no action be taken now on lysmeral because, as this substance is used as a fragrance, they assess it as unlikely to be used at high enough concentrations to pose a risk (see https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/resources/svhc-assessment-summaries.pdf for further information). However, we will continue to keep lysmeral under review and consider if it is appropriate to prioritise for further action under UK REACH in the future.
To ensure that products placed on the GB market are safe, the Government keeps the regulatory framework under review, including the use of specific chemicals in particular cosmetic products. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has responsibility for the regulation of cosmetic products and intend to prohibit the use of lysmeral and zinc pyrithione in these products. To do this OPSS will be laying the necessary statutory instrument before Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 issue pet passports for Ukrainian refugees who arrive in the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme visa with pets.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
We recognise the difficult and distressing situation that people fleeing Ukraine currently face, and the UK Government is working at pace to support them.
People fleeing Ukraine can bring their pets to the UK. We are working with vets and quarantine facilities to make sure that the arrival of Ukrainians in the UK is not delayed by the process to make arrangements for their pets. Pets include cats, dogs and ferrets as well as other domesticated animals that are commonly viewed as pets but not legally part of the pet travel scheme.
Before arrival, people leaving the Ukraine or their carrier should contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at pettravel@apha.gov.uk or call +44 3000 200 301 option 2. APHA will be able to confirm approval for an emergency licence and organise any necessary stay in quarantine which is required to complete the rabies risk management process. Any quarantine costs will be met by the Government.
The maximum stay in quarantine for a pet which has received no rabies vaccination is four months. Pets will be considered on a case by case basis, with a shortened quarantine period for those that are vaccinated. We are working with vets and quarantine facilities to make sure that the arrival in the UK of people fleeing Ukraine is not delayed by the process to make arrangements for their pets.
We advise those who are travelling to the UK from Ukraine with pets to contact APHA Centre for International Trade at the earliest opportunity to discuss their options.
There is a limited number of quarantine facilities in the UK and we will prioritise those fleeing Ukraine who wish to bring their pets with them, rather than animals being brought over on a commercial basis, including rescue imports. Commercial imports, including rescue imports must follow the usual process.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of withdrawing section 58 of the Deregulation Act 2015 to enable local authorities to enforce recycling to reduce contamination.
Answered by Jo Churchill
S.58 of the Deregulation Act decriminalised incorrect recycling for householders, required a warning before any fine, and allowed regulation of the maximum fine a council can impose in England. The Government continues to believe people should generally not receive a criminal record for using the wrong bin and supports a warning being given before a fine.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with representatives of water companies following the publication of research by Water UK on 4 February which found that water bills in the UK will rise by 1.7 per cent from April 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Prior to the publication of estimated water bills for year 2022-23, Defra and Water UK discussed the potential increase and the support measures that are available to households who may struggle to pay their water bills.
Water companies will continue to offer a wide range of support, including bill discounts, adjusting payment plans and helping customers to get advice on benefits and managing debts. Water companies have also increased their customer engagement to inform households of these measures.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 it his policy to ban the use of products which contain thiamethoxam on areas used to grow crops.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
In 2018, the UK, along with other EU Member States, supported the withdrawal of approval for the outdoor use of three neonicotinoid pesticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) on any crops, including non-flowering crops such as sugar beet, due to the risk of harmful effects on pollinators. Although they have been withdrawn, emergency authorisations for neonicotinoids and other pesticides may be issued for limited and controlled use in special circumstances where diseases, pests or weeds cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means.
Our support for the overall ban remains the same and use of this product will only take place if a threshold is met and will be strictly limited to a non-flowering crop and tightly controlled to minimise any potential risk to pollinators.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 impact of neonicotinoid Cruiser SB on bee health.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Cruiser SB is a plant protection product containing the active substance thiamethoxam, which is a neonicotinoid insecticide. Approval for the outdoor use of the neonicotinoids clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam on any crops, including non-flowering crops such as sugar beet, has been completely withdrawn in the UK. These restrictions are justified by the growing weight of scientific evidence that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees and other pollinators.
Under GB pesticides legislation, emergency authorisations for the limited and controlled use of pesticides may be granted where the legal requirements are met, including that use of the pesticide appears necessary because of a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. Defra granted an emergency authorisation for the limited use of Cruiser SB on the 2021 sugar beet crop to provide emergency protection against viruses that significantly impacted yields the previous year. Ultimately, Cruiser SB was not used on the 2021 crop as the conditions set by the Government as part of the emergency authorisation for the use of the product were not met.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 effect of the Environment Act 2021 on use of neonicotinoid Cruiser SB.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
When revising or making new policy on pesticides, the Secretary of State will take into account the relevant duties in the Environment Act.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 amend the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL] to include all invertebrates.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Animal (Welfare) Sentience Bill as drafted applies to vertebrates and gives the Secretary of State a power to extend the recognition of sentience to particular invertebrates in future.
Defra commissioned an independent external review of the available scientific evidence on sentience in decapod crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters, as well as sentience in the cephalopod class, which includes octopus, cuttlefish and squid.
We have carefully considered recommendations in the review. The evidence of sentience in decapods and cephalopods is clear and that is why we are amending the Bill which recognises these creatures as sentient.
We are led by the science, and at this time there is no intention to include any other invertebrates, beyond decapods and cephalopods in the Bill.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 research report entitled State of the World’s Fungi 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings of that research that waste plastic broken down by fungi may be used to create sustainable building materials.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Defra is strongly committed to reducing the environmental harm caused by plastics. While we have not made a formal assessment of this particular piece of research, the Government has put together a package of over £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from waste plastics.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has held recent discussions with manufacturers of wet wipes on (a) tackling fatbergs and (b) protecting waterways.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The incorrect disposal of wet wipes can cause sewer blockages and environmental damage. Wipes often combine with fats, oil, and grease, which are also often disposed into drains, to form fatbergs. My officials are working to assess the effects of wet wipes containing plastic on sewers and the environment and identify possible solutions.
Defra also continues to encourage the water industry and wet wipes manufacturers to work together to raise consumer awareness about the appropriate disposal of wet wipes and other non-flushable products. This will be crucial for generating meaningful behavioural change with consumers and customers.