Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York 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 her Department has made of air quality in (a) York Central constituency and (b) City of York local authority area in 2010 and each subsequent year.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Defra uses both monitoring and modelling to assess air quality in the UK. Information about recent and historic levels of pollution, pollution forecasts, health advice and background modelled data is available on the UK-AIR website: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk.
Defra has two monitoring stations in the City of York Local Authority area, both of which are located in the York Central constituency. Information about the sites and the pollutants measured is available at:
· York Fishergate: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/site-info?uka_id=UKA00524
· York Bootham: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/site-info?uka_id=UKA00523
Monitoring is supported by modelled data. Information on modelled background and roadside levels for major roads in the UK can be found at: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/gis-mapping.
The results of both monitoring and modelling for compliance with European Directives are assessed annually and reported to the EU. ‘Air Pollution in the UK’ reports from 2010 to the present can be found at: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport.
Local authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality under the Local Air Quality Management system. As part of this assessment, the City of York Council undertakes additional monitoring. Information can be found at: http://www.jorair.co.uk/index.php?page=stations.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
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 oral Answer from the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners to the hon. Member for York Central of 17 July 2014, what information her Department holds on how many (a) food banks existed and (b) people made use of food banks in the UK in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by George Eustice
There are no official figures for the number of food banks or for people who have made use of them. The provision of food aid ranges from small, local provision, through to regional and national schemes. The greatest proportion is community-led provision responding to local needs. As such, the Government do not believe it is possible to keep records of the number of food banks or how many people made use of them.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York 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 waste collected in City of York has been recycled in each year since 2008-09; and what funding his Department provided to City of York local authority to increase recycling rates in each of those years.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The proportion of household waste collected in City of York which was recycled for the five years since 2008/9 is presented in the table below:
Year | Percentage |
2008/9 | 45% |
2009/10 | 43% |
2010/11 | 45% |
2011/12 | 46% |
2012/13 | 46% |
The proportion of all waste collected by City of York Council (household and non-household) which was recycled for the five years since 2008/9 is as follows:
Year | Percentage |
2008/09 | 44% |
2009/10 | 42% |
2010/11 | 44% |
2011/12 | 46% |
2012/13 | 45% |
These statistics are taken from data submitted by the Council.
Local authorities receive revenue support grant and council tax to fund waste collection and disposal. These funds are not ring-fenced. We have no record of funding to York City Council specifically to increase recycling rates over this period.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been spent on biodiversity on the public forest estate in each year since 2004-05.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
While all sustainable forest management on the public forest estate can benefit biodiversity, the following table shows the money spent by the Forestry Commission specifically for the benefit of biodiversity:
Financial year | Spend on public forest estate (£) |
2004-05 | 2,719,442 |
2005-06 | 3,673,847 |
2006-07 | 4,785,114 |
2007-08 | 3,871,339 |
2008-09 | 4,456,223 |
2009-10 | 4,787,026 |
2010-11 | 5,196,665 |
2011-12 | 4,132,597 |
2012-13 | 3,730,628 |
2013-14 | 3,831,024 |
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of Forestry Commission public forest estate there was in Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 2008-09; and what the make-up of such forest was.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The latest figures for area of the Forestry Commission public forest estate in the Yorkshire and Humber region are set out in the table below. The data is organised to show area of coniferous woodland and broadleaved woodland. Land on the public forest estate which does not fall into either of these two categories is shown as ‘other'; this includes open habitats and land waiting to be restocked after felling.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
Broadleaved | 2,488 | 2,594 | 2,680 | 2,704 | 2,749 | 2,782 |
Conifer | 15,015 | 14,726 | 14,446 | 14,285 | 14,030 | 13,923 |
Other | 4,267 | 4,362 | 4,244 | 4,259 | 4,469 | 4,545 |
| 23,779 | 23,693 | 23,382 | 23,260 | 23,261 | 23,264 |
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Government spending there was on public forest estate in each year since 2008-09.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Government spending on the public forest estate since 2008-09 has been as follows:
Financial year | 2008/9 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
£ (million) | 18.7m | 14.3m | 7.9m | 14.6m | 26.1m | 19.9m |