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 she has made of the adequacy of the process for approving nutrient mitigation schemes; and whether she is taking steps to streamline the process.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
DLUHC, Defra, and Natural England will be in touch with local authorities who proposed mitigation schemes for their areas, and Natural England will set out its plans for the new scheme very soon. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) require sufficient certainty to enable them to grant planning permission for new development relying on nutrient mitigation. The Government recognises that this certainty has not been available in many of the catchments impacted by nutrient neutrality, and this has led to barriers to much needed new homes. This is why we have announced our new approach.
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 estimate she has made of the number of nutrient mitigation schemes that were (a) available and (b) in development as of 1 September 2023.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is aware of nutrient mitigation schemes other than the Natural England-led Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. However, the Government recognises that these schemes have not developed rapidly enough in all of the catchments subject to nutrient neutrality advice to unlock much needed new homes. That is why the Government has tabled amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, alongside a wider environmental package, which will reform the retained EU law which gave rise to this barrier. This will ensure that the small amount of new nutrient outflow from housing is offset, while doing more to recover the condition of protected sites impacted by excess nutrients in water.
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, how much (a) public and (b) private money was spent on developing nutrient neutrality (i) regulations, (ii) guidance and (iii) mitigation schemes as of 1 September 2023.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As of 1 September 2023, £10.8 million of the original £30 million intended to pump prime Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme has been spent. We also provided £100,000 funding to lead local planning authorities in each of the affected catchments to promote catchment-level working and supporting local responses.
We do not hold data on the level of private funding spent on developing nutrient neutrality. We are doubling the funding available for nutrient reduction schemes to £280m and making clear that we expect contributions from the larger developers. Our plan will ensure that new nutrients from development will still be offset, while shifting our longer-term focus to restoration.
Natural England will now have the funding and certainty to lead this work for the remainder of this decade. We expect them to partner with third parties to deliver nutrient reductions, and associated environmental co-benefits, where this represents good value for money.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Defra and Natural England will be in touch with local authorities who proposed mitigation schemes for their areas, and Natural England will set out its plans for the new scheme very soon.
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 the Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare, published by her Department in August 2022, when she plans to consult on proposals to improve and expand mandatory labelling requirements for animal welfare.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2021, Defra ran a call for evidence to gather data on the potential impacts of different types of labelling reform for animal welfare. We received over 1,600 responses and a summary of these responses is available on GOV.UK. The evidence provided suggested that there is public appetite for improved welfare labelling, however we do not consider the time is right to consult on proposals to reform labelling for animal welfare.
We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers and raise animal welfare standards.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2023 to Question 182240 on Food: Public Sector, when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on Public Sector Food and Catering Policy.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are considering the implications of issues that have arisen during the course of our review of the consultation responses, not least ensuring the response reflects the current cost of living pressures. Officials are continuing to work on updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services in line with the government’s goal of transitioning to a healthier, more sustainable food system.
In light of this we now plan to publish the Government Response, Summary of Responses, updated policy and supporting guidance later this year.
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 she has met her Brazilian counterpart to discuss the Mariana Dam disaster.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Secretary of State has not discussed the Mariana Dam disaster with her Brazilian counterpart.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 189224 on Dairy Products, who is conducting the research on food information to consumers; who will be consulted as part of the research; what other issues are part of the research and what are the research objectives; for what reason the research was commissioned; and when she expects the research be (a) completed and (b) published.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following a competitive tender process, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are conducting the research on behalf of Defra, with a consortium of academics and partner agencies.
Defra has set up a steering group made up of representatives from within Defra and other relevant Government departments. Consumers and business will be inputting into this research, along with existing literature.
The research will build on previous research (Defra (2014), Baseline evaluation of EU Food Information to Consumers - FA0132, Science Search (defra.gov.uk) and Defra (2019), Follow Up Study of EU Food Information to Consumers - FA0169, Science Search (defra.gov.uk)) and investigate to what extent the objectives of the Food Information to Consumers regulations have been achieved, and how key indicators have changed from the baseline and follow up studies. The research will also explore the impacts of recent legislative, societal, and technological changes to food labelling on consumers and industry.
The research is due to be completed by the end of March 2024 and published summer 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 the oral answer to the hon. Member for Bristol East of 12 January 2023, Official Report, column 702, what her Department's policy is on the labelling and marketing of plant-based food and drink products.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The labelling of all food and drink products is governed by the law on the provision of food information to consumers as well as various agricultural marketing standards that apply to the production and marketing of particular primary commodities. These require that food information is accurate and that consumers are not misled ensuring that consumers are able to make fully informed decisions about the food that they consume.
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 her Department has conducted research into consumer understanding of the labelling of plant-based alternatives to dairy products.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is well aware of the importance for consumers in information that is not misleading and enables them to make fully informed decisions. Defra officials have recently commissioned new research on food information to consumers. Among a range of other things, it will explore consumer understanding of terms used to describe foods marketed as plant based alternatives to dairy products.
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 is the remit of the Food Standards and Information Focus Group; who sits on that Group; and what processes are in place for appointing the members of that group.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Standards and Information Focus Group is a Trading Standards Officer (TSO) led group providing support to local authorities in the area of food standards and information including labelling. Defra and other organisations are also invited to attend. Responsibility for governance and membership of the Group is for the group itself to determine.