Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the UK’s Ocean Health Index score.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Marine Strategy puts in place the framework for achieving good environmental status in UK waters. A recent consultation on the progress made towards GES showed that whilst progress was being made further work was needed.
The updated UK Marine Strategy Part I assesses an array of ocean health factors as well as economic and social analyses of the way we use our marine environment and the benefits it provides us. The updated assessments will be published later this year, giving improved information to the scientists working on the UK’s Ocean Assessment Score.
The UK is already a global leader in protecting seas, the ocean and marine life. Our work includes the creation of 355 Marine Protected Areas protecting 25% of UK waters, including the recent designation of 41 Marine Conservation Zones. On 8 June we announced a review into Highly Protected Marine Areas in England, which is due to report by early 2020.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of local authorities provide food waste collections as part of their refuse collection service.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
In 2018/19 167 local authorities out of 327 (51%) offered food waste collection services for residents.
One of the commitments in the Resource and Waste Strategy was to work towards zero food waste to landfill by 2030. Our ‘consultation on consistency in household and business recycling collections England’ sought views on food waste being collected separately from dry recycling materials and other types of waste from households and businesses. Given the support for this proposal, the Government will legislate to ensure that every local authority in England provides a separate food waste collections from 2023.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to make all plastic bags sold compostable.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The introduction of the 5p Carrier Bag Charge has been highly effective at reducing consumption of single-use carrier bags. Composting standard EN 13432 defines the requirements for biodegradability of products required to meet the standard. This requires the use of an industrial composter. Compostable bags can be disposed of in foodwaste collections but only if the householder’s local authority uses an industrial composting process to treat the waste (some use anaerobic digestion). The Government would need to ensure that there was the right infrastructure in place and that the environmental benefits outweighed using conventional plastics before legislating to mandate that all plastic bags were compostable. That evidence is not yet available.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on analysing the results of the consultation on introducing a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
A Government summary of responses and next steps was published on 23 July on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-a-deposit-return-scheme-drs-for-drinks-containers-bottles-and-cans).
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) ports and (b) transport companies involved in the movement of plastic (i) pellets and (ii) nurdles to sign up to the British Plastics Federation’s industry-led scheme Operation Clean Sweep to reduce the loss of plastic pellets in transit.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
UK ports are an important part of the pre-production plastic pellets supply chain. As such, we have welcomed the moves by PD Teesport and the Port of Felixstowe to sign up to Operation Clean Sweep and call for other UK ports to do the same. However, we must continue to engage all stages of the supply chain, such as manufacturing, logistics and processing, if we want to tackle the scourge of plastic pellet loss effectively. Collaboration with the British Plastics Federation is key to making this happen.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the UK’s Ocean Health Index score.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.