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 22 November 2021 to Question 73933 on Livestock: Animal Welfare, what progress his Department has made on delivering the reforms outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare relating to (a) the use of cages for laying hens and (b) farrowing crates for pigs.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Edmonton, Kate Osamor, on 12 November 2021, PQ UIN 73933.
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 plans the Government has to establish a professional regulatory body for the catteries and kennels industry.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The provision of boarding for cats and dogs, including in catteries and kennels, is a licensable activity under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk).
This means that anyone who operates a business with the purpose of providing or arranging accommodation for other people’s cats or dogs needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licencees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards and these are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences.
The 2018 Regulations are due to be reviewed five years after they came into force (2023). We are always seeking to learn from implementation and make improvements where necessary. As part of planning for this review, we are proactively working with partners, including local authorities, to collate data that can provide a picture of licensed and unlicensed activities involving animals in England. Key trade associations that exist, such as the Pet Industry Federation and the Canine and Feline Sector Group, will be integral to coordinating input from this diverse sector to inform Defra’s review.
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 his Department will publish its green paper on species protections before making decisions on the recommendations from the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee's 7th Quinquennial Review.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Yes, Defra will publish a Green Paper, which will look at how the regulatory framework can help drive the delivery of our new target to halt the decline of species abundance by 2030, before making decisions on the recommendations from the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee's 7th Quinquennial Review.
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, for what reason the Joint Nature Conservation Committee has changed the eligibility criteria for legal protections afforded by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, in its 7th Quinquennial Review; and whether his Department had agreed to those changes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) is an independent process, required by the act, undertaken by the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs: Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot), working jointly through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).
The JNCC reports on Quinquennial Review (QQR) 6 in 2014 recommended that criteria for consideration of species be refined ahead of QQR7 to address concerns that they were no longer fit for purpose and lacked clarity. A review was completed in 2018 by the JNCC and SNCBs, which proposed a revised approach, including providing clarity on definitions of 'place of shelter' and 'endangered'.
The JNCC will make final recommendations early next year to Defra. Changes to species protection have not yet been recommended to the Government, nor have any decisions been made.
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 implications for his policies of the potential for British grown hemp to expand sustainable agricultural and industrial production.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Hemp is a long-standing crop in UK agriculture with a variety of uses, and Defra has an interest in exploring the benefits to UK farmers.
Defra has commissioned a research project “Review of opportunities for diversifying UK agriculture through investment in underutilised crops”, which includes industrial hemp. This will examine hemp cultivation from a grower and consumer standards perspective, alongside its environmental benefits. We are also considering the role of industrial hemp in the bioeconomy and the opportunities for our agriculture sector.
An enhanced evidence base will help us to better understand how novel crops can contribute to achieving environmentally sustainable actions and make informed decisions about hemp cultivation.
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 effect of construction work related to HS2 on England’s chalk streams.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has given approval to High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd to complete a number of construction activities in the Chilterns (including tunnelling) under Schedule 33 of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017.
The EA determines applications on a technical basis using information and data to inform judgements. This process ensures that the applicant has identified and assessed any potential impacts on the water environment and ecology along the route of HS2. Any approval issued must contain appropriate conditions to protect against these impacts.
HS2 Ltd has been doing baseline monitoring of ground and surface water along the route of HS2 since 2017. This data supplements the long-term monitoring done by the EA and its contractors. HS2 monitoring will continue during and post-construction.
The EA will continue to work with HS2 Ltd and its contractors to ensure they comply with the approval conditions and that all risks to the environment continue to be minimised. The EA has regulatory powers of enforcement to use if necessary.
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 Environment Agency consultation entitled Boat registration charges proposals from 1 January 2022, published in July 2021, what assessment he has made of the potential for increased charges by up to 60 per cent to reduce the overall number of users of the Anglian Waterways.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency's proposed approach was discussed with boat user representatives in advance of consultation and was broadly supported. The individual impacts were assessed and included in the consultation, showing more substantial impacts for customers on the Anglian waterways. The Environment Agency has listened to feedback, including from Anglian customers, and will be taking these concerns into account in its final proposals, due to be published shortly.
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 Environment Agency consultation entitled Boat registration charges proposals from 1 January 2022, published in July 2021, if he will meet boat users from the Anglian Waterways to discuss the impacts of the proposed increases to annual registration charges.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has been engaging with boat user representatives throughout the development of and consultation on their charge proposals, and continues to do so. They are aware of the views raised by boat users from the Anglian Waterways and will be taking these concerns into account in its final proposals, due to be published shortly.
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 help ensure air pollution levels near (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) GP surgeries do not exceed the World Health Organisation's recommended limits.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Air pollution is a particular threat to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the very young and those with existing health conditions such as asthma. However, while targeted local action can be taken, this needs to form part of a wider programme of actions on air pollution. For example, we are continuing to drive forward the ambitious actions outlined in the Clean Air Strategy, such as phasing out the sale of house coal and small volumes of wet wood for domestic burning, which is a major source of PM 2.5; the pollutant known to have the most adverse health impacts.
Our landmark Environment Bill will improve air quality by establishing a duty to set a new concentration target for PM2.5, which will act as a minimum standard across the country. In addition, through the wider environmental target framework, we propose a long-term population exposure reduction target for PM2.5. These targets will work together to reduce PM2.5 in areas with the highest levels and drive continuous improvement across the country.
Government is committed to evidence-based policy making and we will consider the World Health Organization guideline level for PM 2.5 alongside independent expert advice and evidence and analysis considering a diversity of factors when setting these targets
We have also committed in the Environment Bill to review the National Air Quality Strategy with a key objective of promoting and supporting greater local action to identify and address air pollution inequalities, targeting action at vulnerable groups and communities.
Under the Local air Quality Management Framework, Local Authorities are required to review and assess local air quality and act where local air quality objectives are exceeded. Local authorities have a range of powers to take action to reduce pollution from road vehicles, such as introduce 20mph zones and enforcing anti-idling laws. Local authorities in England can install School Streets restricting vehicle access around schools using standard traffic signing. £338 million has been made available this year through active travel funding. This will enable LAs to deliver new safe cycling and walking routes in their areas, which could include the delivery of school streets. Defra's annual Air Quality Grant scheme provides funding to local authorities to tackle local air pollution and reduce emissions affecting schools, businesses and residents. It has awarded nearly £70 million in funding to a variety of projects since it started in 1997. This year £9 million has been allocated to the grant scheme to support local authorities to improve local air quality.
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 plans to reduce the UK limits on air pollution in line with those set out by the World Health Organisation.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Improving air quality is a priority for the government and we are committed to tackling a diversity of pollutants which harm human health and the environment. The UK has ambitious targets in place to reduce emissions of five damaging air pollutants by 2020 and 2030.
Our landmark Environment Bill will improve air quality by establishing a duty to set a legally binding target to reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In addition, through the wider environmental target framework, we propose a long-term population exposure reduction target for PM2.5. This dual target approach to reducing PM2.5 is supported by expert groups the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) and the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP).
Government is committed to evidence-based policy making and we will consider the World Health Organization guideline level for PM2.5 alongside independent expert advice and evidence and analysis considering a diversity of factors when setting these targets.
We expect to publish a public consultation on proposed targets in early 2022 and these statutory targets to be laid in Parliament in October 2022.