Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
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 reduce the effect of plasticulture on the environment; and what support his Department is giving to farmers to tackle plastic waste within their businesses.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
This is a devolved matter and the answer applies to England only.
Our Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December last year, builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. This is a seismic shift – it is not just about single use plastics, for example, but about all plastics, including those used in agriculture.
Plastics are used on farms for a number of reasons. Wrapping hay and silage bales, transporting feed and fertiliser, and insulating and protecting soil and horticultural crops, for example. The materials used are mostly recyclable, however attempts to collect it for recycling have often been unsuccessful, due to high levels of contamination making the recycling process uneconomic. The Government recognises the issues caused by inappropriate disposal of agricultural plastic, and we are working with the Environment Agency and the Waste and Resources Action Programme to explore how Government policy can address them.
Plastics used in agriculture are ultimately a small proportion of the total volume of plastics used, and the Government is taking a prioritised approach to tackling the overarching problem of plastic pollution. Earlier this year we published consultations on a number of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste and to reduce the impacts of plastic on the environment: reforming existing packaging waste regulations; exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers; and increasing consistency in the recycling system, along with a parallel consultation on the plastic packaging tax that the Chancellor announced in the Budget last year. We will publish the Government responses to these consultations on the GOV.UK website in due course.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial remuneration Dame Glenys Stacey will receive from his Department for undertaking the review of the rules associated with the current subsidy payments system; and how many staff will be assisting her in that review.
Answered by George Eustice
Dame Glenys’s salary will not change as a result of her appointment to this review. The review will be supported by a small secretariat function based in Defra, the details of which are currently being finalised.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hours Dame Glenys Stacey will be working on the review of the rules associated with the current subsidy payments system.
Answered by George Eustice
Dame Glenys Stacey has been appointed to work for two days per week, between 1 March and 31 December 2018, on the Farm Inspection Review.
Asked by: David Hanson (Labour - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements his Department has made with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that Dame Glenys Stacey will be able to continue her work as HM Chief Inspector of Probation whilst undertaking the review into the rules associated with the current subsidy payments system.
Answered by George Eustice
HMI Probation has recently recruited two new director and head of function posts, as part of a new organisational design. This increases HMI Probation senior staff capacity substantially, and enables some delegation. It is anticipated that the organisation will continue to inspect and report exactly as planned.