Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the time taken for her Department to make a decision on Stoke-on-Trent's proposal to reduce Nitrous Oxide levels at the A500/Etruria Road junction.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The proposals by Stoke-on-Trent need careful consideration in order to understand how they support the requirement to achieve compliance with legal nitrogen dioxide limits in the shortest possible time.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she can name a date by which her department will have made a decision on Stoke-on-Trent City Council's proposals to reduce Nitrous Oxide levels at the A500/Etruria Road junction.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department has recently discussed with Stoke-on-Trent City Council a decision on their proposals to address nitrogen dioxide levels at Etruria Road. As the Minister for Water and Flooding, I have also recently discussed the position with the hon. Member. We will continue to engage with the local authority on next steps.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate has she made of the number of cider makers operating in the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The National Association of Cider Makers, who represent the UK cider industry, estimate that there are 450 cider makers in the UK (2025/2026 Cider Manifesto).
The Government celebrates the UK’s cider making traditions and recognises the industry’s important contribution to the UK’s economy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 (a) tableware and (b) crockery used in her Department is made by a British manufacturer.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra purchases crockery and tableware through a contract let under the previous Public Contracting Regulations 2015. We cannot confirm the proportion made by a British manufacturer, as this was not stipulated in the contract but it could be in future contracts.
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.
The new Procurement Act creates a simpler and more transparent system that will support British businesses bidding for work.
The Act also allows contracting authorities to set standards that recognise the quality and standard of UK businesses and products.
Alongside this, the National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider this Government’s Industrial strategy and the sectors vital to our economic growth.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the public purse of (a) waste crime and (b) illegal waste exports.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) estimated in 2021 that waste crime costs the economy in England about £1 billion per year of which at least £42 million per year could be attributed to illegal waste exports. (see here: ESA_Cost_of_Waste_Crime.pdf.) The same report estimates that £499 million or 54% is borne by the public sector.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to strengthen the regulatory framework for waste (a) carriers, (b) brokers, and (c) dealers to reduce criminal activity in the sector.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced plans to tighten up the regulation of those who transport and manage waste services, moving them from a light-touch registration system into environmental permitting. This will give the Environment Agency a greater range of powers and more resources to be able to take action against those operating illegally. It will also introduce the possibility of up to 5 years imprisonment for those who breach these new laws.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 has commissioned research into the potential impact of mandatory food waste reporting on (a) access to healthy foods, (b) sustainability targets, (c) expenditure by businesses and (d) access to healthier food distribution organisations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The consultation stage Impact Assessment considered the potential impacts of mandatory food waste reporting on large food businesses. Furthermore, when businesses reduce their food waste, we expect to see progress towards sustainability targets and increases in surplus food redistribution, but these has not been quantified, and these benefits are indirect because they are not realised from measurement and reporting alone, they require action to be taken. No assessment has been made of the potential of reporting to increase access to healthy foods.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 introducing core standards for animal welfare; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade about whether he plans to include such standards in his planned trade strategy.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare.
All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards.
The trade strategy will set out how we can achieve long-term sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth through trade. It will reflect the Government’s commitment to uphold our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards, areas in which the UK is a world leader.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 his Department's consultation entitled Fairer food labelling, which closed on 7 May 2024, when he plans to respond to that consultation; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government. This sought views on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling. The consultation also sought views on whether new rules should be introduced on country-of-origin labelling. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 announce the (a) fees and (b) invoicing periods for the extended producer responsibility scheme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Final fees for the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme can only be calculated and issued after the deadline for large organisations to report their packaging data, which is 1 April 2025. Invoicing periods for the scheme each year will cover the period 1 April to 31 March.