Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 17 May 2022 to Question 478, what assessment he has made of the compatibility between the claims of the glass industry that including glass in a deposit return scheme could reduce recycling, reduce the products that can be made from recycled glass and increase overall carbon emissions, with the findings of the FEVE LCA study which shows that, on a cradle to cradle basis, every tonne of recycled glass saves 670 kg of CO2 on average in the EU and that expressed in terms of percentages, melting 100 per cent cullet reduces the CO2 emissions by about 58 per cent compared to a situation where no cullet is used.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government agrees that recycling glass can reduce Co2 emissions, and we are committed to improving recycling rates. Stakeholders expressed concern that including glass in a Deposit Return Scheme and consequently crushing glass in a reverse vending machine could reduce the options for recycling it, and risks increasing overall carbon emissions. The Government believes kerbside recycling of glass offers the best route to deliver high quality glass for recycling.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 allow local authorities to introduce plastic bottle deposit schemes in advance of the Government's planned roll-out of such a scheme in 2023.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are various examples of voluntary bottle return schemes to encourage recycling in operation across the country, and nothing to prevent similar schemes being taken forward.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 Answer of 16 June 2020 to Question 58093 on Glass: Recycling and the consultation response entitled Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, published on 26 March 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the decision to exclude glass containers from the deposit return scheme on projected glass recycling rates.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where glass drinks containers are not included in a deposit return scheme (DRS), the Government assesses a recycling rate for all glass packaging of 84% by 2033. Feedback from stakeholders, including representatives of the glass industry, raised concerns that including glass in a DRS could reduce recycling, reduce the products that can be made from recycled glass and increase overall carbon emissions.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has any plans to introduce mandatory licensing for professional dog walkers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government believes that existing legislation provides suitable protections and therefore has no plans to introduce a mandatory licensing scheme for professional dog walkers. Professional dog walkers should comply with all relevant legislation, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which protects animals under the dog walker’s control, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which protects dog walking businesses’ employees and the public, and others. They should also comply with any relevant local authority requirements, not walk more dogs at any one time than their insurance policy allows, and ensure that the dogs are kept under control at all times.
The Canine and Feline Sector Group, which includes in its members the UK’s most significant animal welfare organisations, has published guidance to assist professional dog walkers in ensuring the welfare of animals in their care.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare, published May 2021, when he plans to launch a call for evidence on the use of snares.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 8 March 2022, PQ 129154.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the reintroduction of (a) the white-tailed sea eagle and (b) other endangered raptor species in the East of England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As a core part of our commitment to leave the environment in a better state than we found it, the Environment Act will set a new legally binding target to halt the decline of species abundance by 2030. We will shortly be publishing a Green Paper to look at how we can drive the delivery of that target, including through our sites and species protections.
The Government continues to support a wide range of successful and ongoing reintroductions and translocations for raptors such as hen harrier to southern England. To support the reintroduction of white-tailed eagle, in 2021 Natural England issued a licence for a ten-year project to release the species at a site in Norfolk. Defra also provided funding to support the Isle of Wight white-tailed eagle reintroduction project led by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, as well as the support provided through the involvement of Forestry England. The project aims to reintroduce up to 60 eagles to the Isle of Wight over a five-year period.
As a result of decades of conservation work including reintroductions and increased protections, many birds of prey such as the red kite, marsh harrier and white-tailed eagle have been helped off the UK Red List for birds. We will shortly be establishing an England Species Reintroductions Task Force to provide a collective evidence-based view on potential species for conservation translocation and reintroduction in England.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 potential merits of increased cultivation of miscanthus in the UK, in meeting the commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Climate Change Committee’s 6th Carbon Budget report highlighted the significant potential for domestic cultivation of perennial energy crops, like miscanthus, and short rotation forestry to contribute towards our carbon budget targets. The Government intends to publish a Biomass Strategy later this year, that will set out our view on how biomass can best contribute towards net zero across the economy, including the potential role for perennial energy crops like domestically grown miscanthus.
In parallel with the development of the Biomass Strategy, the Government has announced £30 million of funding for the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation programme, which is designed to increase the production of sustainable UK biomass feedstocks. Under Phase 1 of the programme, 25 projects were supported to develop innovation ideas, with the portfolio of biomass feedstocks including five Miscanthus focused projects. The knowledge developed from these projects will help to inform any future policy on domestic biomass.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 publish the (a) dates and (b) participants of meetings between his Department and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to discuss the high levels of toxic chemicals found in a Cambridgeshire water supply.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is the regulator for drinking water quality and carries out its regulatory functions independently of the Government. It holds water companies to account and takes action to ensure any failures are addressed.
Water companies are required to notify the DWI of any event that has affected or might affect the quality or sufficiency of the water supplied.
Cambridge Water notified the DWI of the high levels of PFOS on 8 February 2022. The DWI is currently investigating this case. Full details of the investigation cannot be shared at this stage as this might prejudice future legal proceedings. Once the investigation is concluded, the DWI will publish an Event Assessment Letter and share learning through the annual Chief Inspector’s Report, both of which will be publicly available on the DWI’s website.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he or his Department were informed by Cambridge Water of its intention to blend contaminated water with water from other sources before it reached households in June 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is the regulator for drinking water quality and carries out its regulatory functions independently of the Government. It holds water companies to account and takes action to ensure any failures are addressed.
Water companies are required to notify the DWI of any event that has affected or might affect the quality or sufficiency of the water supplied.
Cambridge Water notified the DWI of the high levels of PFOS on 8 February 2022. The DWI is currently investigating this case. Full details of the investigation cannot be shared at this stage as this might prejudice future legal proceedings. Once the investigation is concluded, the DWI will publish an Event Assessment Letter and share learning through the annual Chief Inspector’s Report, both of which will be publicly available on the DWI’s website.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date his Department first knew about high levels of toxic chemicals found in a Cambridgeshire water supply.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is the regulator for drinking water quality and carries out its regulatory functions independently of the Government. It holds water companies to account and takes action to ensure any failures are addressed.
Water companies are required to notify the DWI of any event that has affected or might affect the quality or sufficiency of the water supplied.
Cambridge Water notified the DWI of the high levels of PFOS on 8 February 2022. The DWI is currently investigating this case. Full details of the investigation cannot be shared at this stage as this might prejudice future legal proceedings. Once the investigation is concluded, the DWI will publish an Event Assessment Letter and share learning through the annual Chief Inspector’s Report, both of which will be publicly available on the DWI’s website.