Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to promote the recycling of waste instead of using (a) landfill and (b) incineration.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our commitment to make it easier for people to recycle and to increase the quantity and quality of materials collected. Through the Framework for Greater Consistency, the Waste and Resources Action Programme is working with industry and local authorities to promote improved recycling performance and to ensure that a consistent set of core materials are collected by all local authorities. We want to accelerate this process and want householders to benefit from having comprehensive waste and recycling collections which ensure that products are recycled as much as possible and high quality materials are returned to the economy. We will set out measures to support this in our Resources and Waste Strategy to be published later this year.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether England is projected to meet its share of the UK's targets for reducing waste sent to landfill sites.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
UK biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill in 2016 was similar to that in 2015, remaining at approximately 7.7 million tonnes or 22% of the 1995 baseline value. The UK is therefore still on track to meet the EU target to restrict BMW landfilled to 35% of the 1995 baseline by 2020.
Waste infrastructure credits (formerly waste PFI credits) were used to fund infrastructure to manage waste higher up the waste hierarchy, and thereby contribute to England meeting its share of EU landfill directive targets for the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. The Government did not make use of the PFI funding regime after 2010 when it was assessed that there was a high level of confidence that England’s contribution to meeting the landfill diversion targets would be met via the existing infrastructure along with that in the construction pipeline.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Government ceased to make available waste infrastructure credits in relation to incineration; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
UK biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill in 2016 was similar to that in 2015, remaining at approximately 7.7 million tonnes or 22% of the 1995 baseline value. The UK is therefore still on track to meet the EU target to restrict BMW landfilled to 35% of the 1995 baseline by 2020.
Waste infrastructure credits (formerly waste PFI credits) were used to fund infrastructure to manage waste higher up the waste hierarchy, and thereby contribute to England meeting its share of EU landfill directive targets for the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. The Government did not make use of the PFI funding regime after 2010 when it was assessed that there was a high level of confidence that England’s contribution to meeting the landfill diversion targets would be met via the existing infrastructure along with that in the construction pipeline.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 his Department has received on the importance of maintaining veterinary equivalence between the UK and the EU on the import and export of meat and poultry protects after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
My Department has received a range of representations on the future sanitary rules for trade with the EU in meat and poultry products. Some of these representations have recognised the benefits of the UK having some form of veterinary equivalence with the EU. The Government is working to achieve the freest possible trade between the UK and the EU as part of our future relationship, and we will continue to work closely with stakeholders as part of this.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 his Department has received from companies that import meat from EU Member States on how to ensure that customs processes for meat imports are efficient to prevent spoiling and reduced shelf-life if no deal has been agreed when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
DEFRA has received representations from companies and trade associations about this issue. We continue to work closely with these stakeholders. I discussed these issues with the International Meat Trade Association in November.
The precise nature of our future relationship with the EU is still to be determined and is the subject of negotiation. The Government is working to get the best deal for Britain and through our new relationship with the EU are aiming to achieve the freest possible trade in goods and services between the UK and the EU.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary for International Trade and (b) other parties on how to ensure favourable trade conditions for the import and export of meat and poultry products beyond the current quota system applied to non EU-countries if no deal has been agreed when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Ministers meet their counterparts in the Department for International Trade and other parties on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues in trade policy.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 likely threat of drought in the East and South East of England; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Last winter and this autumn saw low rainfall in the east and south east of England and groundwater aquifers and some reservoirs are below normal levels. The Environment Agency is closely monitoring the situation and is working with water companies, businesses and farmers to prepare for potential consequences of continued dry weather in 2018.
For the longer term, Defra is working with the Environment Agency and Ofwat to ensure that water companies increase their resilience to droughts and reduce the risk of any future restrictions on water use.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to restore river flows in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire chalk streams; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Environment Agency (EA) is working with partners across Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to reduce abstraction and carry out a programme of river restoration projects on chalk streams.
The EA is working with Affinity Water to cease or reduce abstraction from 11 pumping stations on 7 chalk streams in order to improve flows. Through this partnership 70 million litres of water per day will be kept in the environment, enhancing 212 kilometres of chalk streams by 2025.
The EA, Affinity Water and partners have secured £5 million of funding for around 100 river restoration projects across 7 rivers in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. This will include the removal of physical modifications, such as weirs, to improve fish movement and biodiversity.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 remains committed to developing a National Policy Statement for water supply for infrastructure; what recent assessment she has made of the need for such a statement; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government remains committed to making a decision on whether to develop a National Policy Statement for water supply infrastructure. We are still assessing the evidence to support this decision.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 encourage firms to (a) recycle packaging and (b) make unsold food available to charities for distribution.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations place a legal obligation on UK businesses that make or use packaging to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they place on the market is recovered and recycled. This creates an incentive for companies to use less packaging and to ensure that their packaging can be recycled at end of life as it will reduce their costs in complying with the Regulations.
The Government is working with manufacturers and retailers to increase the redistribution of food that would otherwise be wasted, including the use by food banks and other charities. All major supermarkets now have relationships with redistribution organisations. Leading retailers, manufacturers, and food redistribution organisations have agreed an ambition to double the amount of surplus food they redistribute by 2020. This was announced in January.