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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
We do not have current plans to consult on EPR or product standards for vehicle tyres, but we will keep this option under review.
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 has made an estimate of the impact of the (a) inclusion of energy from waste in the Emissions Trading Scheme, (b) extended producer responsibility policies, (c) recycling targets and (d) Landfill Tax rates on the amount of waste being turned into useable forms of energy over the next (i) five and (ii) 10 years.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to reducing the amount of residual waste and has set a statutory target to drive this.
In accordance with the Waste Hierarchy, our view is that Energy from Waste should not compete with greater waste prevention, re-use, or recycling; however, it does play an important role in diverting waste from landfill and is usually the best management option for most residual waste.
We are working closely alongside members of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority on the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to include waste incineration and Energy from Waste. Final proposals will be set out in a technical consultation, which the Authority is aiming to publish shortly, and a subsequent response confirming these details shortly after.
Defra officials are currently assessing planned Energy from Waste capacity up to 2035 against expected future residual waste arisings so we can understand what future capacity may be required following implementation of key commitments in the Resources and Waste Strategy. This assessment of residual waste treatment capacity needs will be published in due course.
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 steps his Department is taking to support farmers to use methane suppressing feed additives.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra considers that methane suppressing feed products are an essential tool to decarbonise the agricultural sector. Ruminant livestock are the leading cause of farm emissions, but feed additives with methane inhibiting properties have the potential to reduce emissions, especially from housed cattle.
In 2022 the UK and devolved Governments launched a call for evidence to better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of feed products that can reduce methane emissions from livestock. The findings will be used by the UK Government as we further consider policy in this area.
We are committed to working with farmers and industry to stimulate the market and encourage uptake of methane suppressing feed products. In England, we plan to incentivise the uptake of high efficacy products with proven safety once suitable products enter the market. We will work closely with industry to explore the best approach to introduce incentives, which could, for instance include advice, guidance and support for the development and use of products on farms through our existing farming existing schemes or a new bespoke scheme.
Our ambition remains to develop a mature market and mandate the use of safe and effective products in suitable cattle systems in England as soon as feasible and at the very latest by 2030.
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, when he plans to publish the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports for (a) April 2021 to March 2022 and (b) April 2022 to March 2023.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) set out the actions that the Government will take to improve the environmental performance of its own estate and operations, driving specific progress towards Environmental Improvement Plan goals.
We plan to publish the 2021 to 2022 GGCs Annual Report in the first half of 2024, with the 2022 to 2023 report planned for later this year.