Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to suspend food controls in the event of delays to imports of perishable foods after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by David Rutley
We are putting in place systems and processes for checks and controls of animals, plants and animal and plant products which maintain our current biosecurity standards and risk profile while minimizing any delays at the border. We have no plans to suspend food controls in the event of delays. The technical notices released in September provide further detail on our plans in the event of leaving the EU at the end of March without a deal.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
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 merits of a nationwide bottle return scheme.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government will assess the costs and benefits of a deposit return scheme as part of its consultation later this year.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what processes his Department has in place to ensure that exported packaging waste is recycled by the country of destination.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
All businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling.
There is a system of international rules on waste shipments which must be followed by both UK authorities and those in the country of destination to ultimately ensure the environmentally sound management of waste.
Only exporters accredited by the relevant agency can issue evidence of the recycling of exported packaging waste (PERNs). PERNS can only be issued on waste sent to an approved site (that will operate to standards ‘broadly equivalent’ to those in the EU).
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
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 10 September 2018 to Question 170273, whether his Department's Waste and Resources Strategy will address the recommendations made in National Audit Office's report, The packaging recycling obligations, HC 1386, published on 23 July 2018.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is considering the National Audit Office’s report carefully and will consult on reforms in due course.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
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 minimise the proportion of household income that is spent on food after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government does not set retail food prices or comment on the day-to-day commercial decisions made by companies. We work closely with industry to promote transparency for consumers, and internationally to promote open, global markets. The UK sources food from a diverse range of countries, in addition to a strong domestic production base. This will not change when we leave the EU.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Living Costs and Food Survey includes questions on household spend on food, including that of the lowest 20% income households. The most recent data has shown that the amount that the lowest 20% income households spend on food has fallen to 14.3% in 2016/17 compared with 16% in 2015 (Source Family Spending). These statistics show that it is important to look at all the factors which have an impact on household income such as transport, housing and energy costs.
This Government, through the Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing a strong safety net of support through the welfare system for disadvantaged families and their children. This includes hardship payments, short term benefit advances, budgeting advances and Social Fund budgeting loans. There is a commitment to spend over £95 billion on working age welfare benefits supporting people out of work or on a low income.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being when formulating policy; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national well-being in the last 12 months.
Answered by George Eustice
In line with the Government’s Green Book, Defra policy is appraised and developed using an assessment of costs and benefits. This appraisal is based on improving well-being. Policy makers and analysts use a range of data sources in making this assessment, which can include ONS estimates of personal well-being.
Defra recognises that the quality of the environment underpins our well-being and prosperity. During the last 12 months we have introduced a range of actions to improve well-being, including those set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan and the Clean Air Strategy.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
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 publish the Waste and Resources Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We will publish the Resources and Waste Strategy later this year.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the cost of recycling borne by (a) manufacturers and producers and (b) consumers.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Department does not currently hold this information on the proportion of the costs of all recycling borne by manufacturers, producers and consumers. However, under the current Packaging Waste Regulations packaging producers and manufacturers financed £72.6 million in 2017 towards the costs of recycling packaging waste.
In the 25 Year Environment Plan we have committed to reform the producer responsibility system (including the Packaging Waste Regulations) to incentivise producers to take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products. More detail will be announced in the Resources and Waste Strategy, which will be published later this year.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
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 estimate of the total cost of flooding in Denbighshire and Conwy to (a) the private sector, (b) the public sector, and (c) householders over the past 30 years.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Flood management in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the average income per farm in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra produces annual estimates of Farm Business Incomes in England with corresponding figures produced by the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.
Farm Business Incomes represent the financial return to all unpaid labour on their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings and in essence is the same as Net Profit.
Farm Business Incomes compare the financial position and physical and economic performance of commercial farm businesses.
Average income per farm by country and farm type in 2016/2017 (a) £ per farm | |||||
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| March/February year |
| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
All farms (incl horticulture) | 38,000 | 24,500 | 26,500 | 22,000 | 33,000 |
by type: Cereals | 43,000 | .. | 20,500 | 16,500 | 41,000 |
General cropping | 70,000 | .. | 47,000 | 27,500 | 65,000 |
Dairy | 50,000 | 31,500 | 34,500 | 23,500 | 40,000 |
Grazing livestock (lowland) | 16,000 | 22,500 | 18,500 | 16,500 | 17,000 |
Grazing livestock (LFA) | 27,000 | 23,000 | 23,500 | 21,500 | 24,000 |
Specialist pigs | 58,000 | .. | .. | 58,500 | 58,000 |
Specialist poultry | 54,000 | .. | .. | .. | 54,000 |
Mixed | 29,000 | .. | 24,000 | 27,500 | 28,000 |
. . means 'not available' or 'not applicable'. | |||||
(a) Figures rounded to nearest £500 | |||||
Source: Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2017 | |||||