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Written Question
Microplastics: Pollution
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 is taking steps to help tackle microplastic pollution originating from textiles.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Microplastics can enter the environment from several sources such as vehicle tyre wear, machine-washing clothes and from textiles themselves.

Defra funded a rapid evidence assessment in 2022 to better understand the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of installing filters in washing machines to trap textile microfibres during the laundry cycle and before discharge to wastewater treatment works. Evidence gaps were identified from the review and the conclusion was made that further information is required to meet the legal framework to drive action. For example, there is a need to better understand how to avert additional costs incurred by consumers of new washing machines with filters, and the consumer’s sustainable disposal of used filters. We need to ensure all evidence to support the introduction of filters is robust and fully reviewed. We have conveyed this to the industry, and we look forward to any proposals they are able to share when they are able to do so.

We are also working with the UK water industry to understand the effectiveness of other interventions in the wastewater system to tackle microplastic pollution and to characterise and quantify microplastics and fibres entering wastewater treatment works. Research to-date shows that wastewater treatment plants are effective at removing microplastics and -fibres from wastewater from the home environment, with up to 99% of microplastic particles removed throughout the wastewater treatment process.


Written Question
Microplastics: Pollution
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 extent of the impact of the (a) design and (b) manufacture of textiles on microplastic pollution.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department has not made (actual) assessments of the impact of the design and manufacture of textiles on environmental microplastic pollution. Defra recently funded a project to develop and validate methods to detect, quantify and characterise microplastics and microplastic fibres from textiles used in clothing in rivers and their sediments. The techniques were tested on urban and rural rivers, and it was found higher levels of microplastics were present in the urban river.

Defra provided grant funding of £860000 to WRAP's Textiles 2030, which began in 2021. The programme brings together brands & retailers representing more than 62% of all clothing placed on the UK market to drive industry collaboration on circular design, circular business models, (resale, rental, subscription, repair, recycling) and closing the loop on materials (recycling).


Written Question
Water Treatment: Microplastics
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 wastewater treatment networks in filtering out microplastics.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government recently funded an external rapid evidence assessment to better understand the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of installing filters in washing machines. The filters aim to trap textile microplastic fibres during the laundry cycle and before discharge to sewer networks and wastewater treatment works. The assessment concluded further evidence was needed to determine how to avert additional costs incurred by consumers of new washing machines with filters, and the consumer’s sustainable disposal of used filters.

A water industry investigation of the levels and types of microplastics entering a range of UK wastewater treatment works reported that conventional treatment can remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass.


Written Question
Nature for Climate Fund: Saltmarshes
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including a grant scheme for saltmarshes in the Nature for Climate Fund.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK recognises the important role that saltmarsh can play in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. Saltmarsh habitats are also richly biodiverse, benefit fish stocks and provide a crucial buffer from coastal flooding.

Building on this recognition, the UK Government is supporting blue carbon restoration efforts through various initiatives, for example by providing £640,000 funding for domestic blue carbon habitat restoration.

This includes funds to support the development of a Saltmarsh Code to help drive investment flows from the private sector towards nature. This funding has also increased the capacity of the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative (ReMeMaRe), helping to create a pipeline of restoration projects in saltmarsh and other key estuarine and coastal habitats.

Defra has set up the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in partnership with the Devolved Administrations to address evidence gaps that currently prevent the inclusion of saltmarsh habitats in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI). Inclusion of saltmarsh in the GHGI and the development of a Saltmarsh Code will allow blue carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset, leveraging private investment into these vital natural carbon stores.

In addition, funding has been made available for saltmarsh restoration through the Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship Environmental Land Management schemes. In the ELMS Countryside Stewardship scheme approximately 5,000 hectares of saltmarsh is being maintained or restored to a good condition.

The £750m of Nature for Climate funding is due to end in March 2025 and the Programme will be delivering against its agreed Business Case in that time. The Fund’s impact is being evaluated and any future funding for Trees, Peat and Saltmarshes will be a matter for the next Spending Review. We are continuing to explore further means of supporting saltmarsh restoration.


Written Question
Marine Environment: Conservation
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 implications for his policies of the Evidence Needs Statement published by the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in June 2023.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK established the cross-Administration UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership (UKBCEP) to progress the evidence base on blue carbon habitats in UK waters. Through this partnership, Defra, DESNZ and the Devolved Administrations share information, data and knowledge on blue carbon evidence across UK administrations.

The UKBCEP’s Evidence Needs Statement, published last year (2023), will support our ambition to fill critical evidence gaps relating to blue carbon habitats, increasing our understanding and thereby our ability to protect and restore these important habitats. These evidence gaps currently prevent the inclusion of coastal wetlands in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI)that would allow for saltmarsh habitats to contribute to the UK’s Net Zero target in accounting terms.

The UKBCEP’s Evidence Needs Statement will help to address this, and together with our £640,000 funding commitment, will enable the development of a UK Saltmarsh Code, which will allow saltmarsh carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset, prompting further investment in these crucial habitats; and support the creation of a restoration project pipeline for blue carbon habitats in the UK.


Written Question
Lead: Ammunition
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 press release entitled Plans announced to phase out lead ammunition in bid to protect wildlife, published on 23 March 2021, what progress his Department has made on its review into the use of lead in ammunition; and what his expected timetable is to complete this work.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK REACH lead in ammunition restriction process was initiated in 2021 by the then Defra Secretary of State, with the agreement of the Scottish and Welsh Governments. This triggered a process under the UK REACH regulations, with the dossier preparation and recommendations process led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

This work continues and has included a six-month public consultation in 2022, and more recently, a 60-day public consultation closed on 10th December 2023 on the socioeconomic impact of the restriction proposals.

HSE expects the final report to be completed later this year.

Following receipt of the HSE’s final opinions, the final decision for any restriction will be made by the Defra Secretary of State, with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers.


Written Question
Soil: Recycling
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on developing a soil reuse and storage depot scheme.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Following the announcement of the Soil Re-Use and Storage Depot Pilot Scheme in the Environmental Improvement Plan, the Environment Agency commissioned a research project to look at soil storage and reuse systems currently in use internationally and to make recommendations as to how such a system might operate here in England. This report will be published by spring 2024 and it will be used to inform the design of the scheme for piloting to begin in 2026.


Written Question
Batteries: Waste Disposal
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 policy paper entitled The waste prevention programme for England: Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste, updated on 10 August 2023, when he plans to consult on revisions to the batteries regulations; and what his timetable is for (a) legislation on and (b) implementation of those revisions.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We plan to consult on reforms to the batteries regulations in 2024. Dependent on the outcomes of that consultation, implementation of our proposals, including changes to legislation, would then follow from 2025.


Written Question
Construction: Soil
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 policy paper entitled The waste prevention programme for England: Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste, updated on 10 August 2023, when he plans to publish a revised Code of Practice for the Sustainable Use of Soil on Construction Sites.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have drafted revised guidance for the sustainable use of soil on construction sites. We are working with a range of industry experts and professionals to ensure the final document meets the requirements of end users, ahead of publication this summer.


Written Question
Waste Disposal
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

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 publication entitled Our Waste, Our Resources: A Strategy for England, published on 18 December 2018, what his policy is on (a) extended producer responsibility and (b) product standards for (i) textiles, (ii) bulky waste items, (iii) construction and demolition materials, (iv) vehicle tyres and (v) fishing gear.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are not exploring Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles, furniture, construction and fishing gear while we focus our efforts on delivering EPR for packaging. The Government remains committed to introducing EPR for packaging in 2025.

We are working on product standards for textiles, bulky waste items, construction and demolition material and fishing gear through:

  • Bulky waste: To take forward our commitment to improve waste prevention in the furniture and furnishings sector we encourage sharing of best practice on product design and take-back systems, through trade associations, voluntary agreements, and industry standards, such as initiatives to reduce waste mattresses led by the National Bed Federation.

  • Construction: The Government is working with industry to explore what policy interventions would best support a shift in the design of construction products to encourage greater reuse and use of recycled materials. This could potentially include options like resource efficiency product standards.

  • Textiles: We support the Waste and Resources Action Programme with grant funding of £860,000 2023/24 for Textiles 2030 which, through working with industry, looks at improving textile product standards such as recyclability and durability. Circular design for fashion and textiles | WRAP

  • End-of-life fishing gear: We are working through the British Standards Institution to improve gear design and reduce the environmental impact throughout its lifespan.

We do not have current plans to consult on EPR or product standards for vehicle tyres, but we will keep this option under review.