Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the UK's waste that has gone to landfill in the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The latest published figures for the UK are for the 2016 year.
Details of the latest published figures can be found in Table 8 on page 12 of the UK Waste Statistics, available at this link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/784263/UK_Statistics_on_Waste_statistical_notice_March_2019_rev_FINAL.pdf.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the single-use plastic products that are set to be banned from April 2020 will still be available to disabled people who require them.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The exemptions will ensure that plastic straws will continue to be available for medical uses and through registered pharmacies (in store and online), and through catering establishments for use by people with disabilities who rely on them to eat and drink safely and independently.
For plastic straws, the Government will review the policy after the ban has been in place for a year, to assess its effectiveness in cutting the number of straws, its impact on those with disabilities, and whether the policy needs to be revised.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that plastic straws provided to disabled people from pharmacies that are set to be banned from April 2020 will still be available to disabled people who require them.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The exemptions will ensure that plastic straws will continue to be available for medical uses and through registered pharmacies (in store and online), and through catering establishments for use by people with disabilities who rely on them to eat and drink safely and independently.
For plastic straws, the Government will review the policy after the ban has been in place for a year, to assess its effectiveness in cutting the number of straws, its impact on those with disabilities, and whether the policy needs to be revised.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 bringing forward legislation for mandatory microchip scanning for all pet dogs at routine visits to the veterinarian.
Answered by David Rutley
The Government agrees with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) that it is good practice for veterinary practices to scan dogs that are presented to them, and particularly for the first time, but that it should not be compulsory for them to do so, as in some circumstances this might deter some owners from presenting their dogs at veterinary practices for much needed treatment.
On 23 April 2019, I understand representatives of the group Vets Get Scanning and the BVA met to discuss this issue. The BVA has undertaken to remind veterinary practices to scan dogs in line with best practice and help owners understand the importance of keeping their microchipping records up to date.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing behaviour testing of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in order to reduce the number of dogs needlessly destroyed.
Answered by David Rutley
A dangerous dogs exemption scheme already operates under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which allows the Courts to decide that individual dogs of types subject to the general prohibition may be kept, subject to certain conditions, if they are considered not to represent a risk to the general public based on the dog’s temperament and behaviour and that the owner is a fit and proper person.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 effectiveness of breed specific legislation in reducing the number of dog attacks.
Answered by David Rutley
The Government considers that the general prohibition on certain types of dog bred for fighting, or that share the characteristics of dogs bred for fighting, should remain in place. Evidence shows that pitbull type dogs are responsible for a disproportionate number of attacks on people and fatalities, and should not be kept without individual dogs being subject to a public safety test including that the owner is a fit and proper person. We have not seen any evidence that shows removing the general prohibition would reduce the number of dog attacks.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 bring forward legislation proposals to force retailers to display full lists of ingredients in their fresh produce.
Answered by David Rutley
Under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on Food Information to Consumers, all prepackaged food must include a label which provides the consumer with certain mandatory information, including a full list of ingredients. In addition, key allergens, as defined in Annex II of the Regulation, must be emphasised in the ingredient list, for example, by printing them in a bold typeface.
For non-prepackaged foods and foods which are prepackaged for direct sale, a full list of ingredients is not required on the label; however, information about allergens must be made available to the consumer, whether that be on the label, orally at the point of sale or by some other means.
Defra has recently closed a consultation to strengthen allergen labelling laws relating to pre-packaged food for direct sale and give consumers clearer information on the food they buy. We are considering all responses and continuing to work at pace to bring forward the changes necessary to give consumers greater confidence in the safety of their food. We will announce next steps soon.