Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 06 Sep 2022
Sewage Pollution
"Last week, I and 17 of my north-west colleagues wrote to United Utilities about reported significant sewage releases into the River Mersey. United Utilities has simply denied that it was responsible and cited Environment Agency estimates that it is responsible for only about 30% of pollution incidents in the river. …..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: Sewage Pollution
Written Question
Tuesday 8th March 2022
Asked by:
Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
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 assist those who wish to deliver food aid via the EU to support Ukrainian refugees now in Eastern Europe.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Defra has been contacted by many individuals and organisations willing to generously donate their time, money and resources to helping the Ukrainian people. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is leading on the distribution of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Individuals who wish to help Ukraine are urged to donate to the Red Cross or DEC Ukraine appeals (www.dec.org.uk/). Cash donations will be more effective at enabling experienced aid workers to reach the people who need help the most, rather than donations of goods. Reputable NGOs such as these will be able to efficiently utilise existing supply chains.
Speech in General Committees - Mon 07 Oct 2019
Trade in Animals and Animal Products (Legislative Functions) and Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
"Can the Minister explain why he is amending regulations that had already been made under the EU exit procedures in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 before we had even got to exiting? Was a mistake made the first time round or has there been a development? Why does he …..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: Trade in Animals and Animal Products (Legislative Functions) and Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Written Question
Thursday 3rd October 2019
Asked by:
Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question
to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings her Department has had with Liverpool City Council to discuss preparations for leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by George Eustice
We have communicated on a range of topics with local authorities, including in a conference call on 13 August along with other Government departments. Each local Authority has established a Brexit lead officer to liaise with government.
Defra has identified areas where our exit preparations impact local authorities. For instance Environmental Health Officers are responsible for issuing Export Health Certificates on fish and we have discussed capacity and the requirements with them.
We regularly contribute to a cross-government working group which coordinates engagement with local authorities.
Information on leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement relevant to a particular local authority can then be accessed by the local authority via shared channels, such as:
- MHCLG’s Local government Brexit preparedness page on GOV.UK;
- MHCLG’s weekly e-bulletin to local authorities setting out all relevant updates for the week;
- Presenting information at MHCLG’s monthly delivery board to local authority representatives;
- The Food Standards Agency’s Smarter Comms platform accessed directly by regulatory officers in local authorities;
- Cascading information via MHCLG’s network of nine regional local authority Chief Executives;
- Using MHCLG’s newly established network of Brexit lead officers in each local authority;
- Direct email messages to regulatory leads in relevant local authorities;
- Engaging with and passing information through regulatory bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute or the Association of Port Health Authorities.
Information on a range of Defra’s exit projects if we leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement has been made available to local authorities through these channels. This includes information on:
- Exporting fish and shellfish (Export Health Certificates);
- Importing fish and fisheries products (Catch Certificates);
- Import control systems for animals, products of animal origin and high risk food and feed;
- Food labelling changes;
- The protection of habitats and species;
- Waste;
- Guidance for businesses exporting goods to the EU.
Local authorities have been invited to attend various meetings, including workshops, training events and roadshows on topics including:
- Changes to environmental regulations;
- Changes to food and farming;
- Changes to exports of animals and animal products;
- Changes to imports of animals and animal products;
- MHCLG’s regional roadshows on how local authorities will be affected by exiting the EU without a withdrawal agreement in Wakefield, Birmingham, London and Cambridge;
- Training on catch certificates in Wales, Inverness, Bristol and Newcastle;
- Changes to trading standards regulatory functions in Exeter;
- A series of teleconferences on changes to export health certificates;
- A webinar on changes affecting border or coastal local authorities;
- A workshop on regulatory services hosted by MHCLG with input from other departments including Defra.
Written Question
Thursday 3rd October 2019
Asked by:
Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question
to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings her Department has had with Knowsley Borough Council to discuss preparations for leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by George Eustice
We have communicated on a range of topics with local authorities, including in a conference call on 13 August along with other Government departments. Each local Authority has established a Brexit lead officer to liaise with government.
Defra has identified areas where our exit preparations impact local authorities. For instance Environmental Health Officers are responsible for issuing Export Health Certificates on fish and we have discussed capacity and the requirements with them.
We regularly contribute to a cross-government working group which coordinates engagement with local authorities.
Information on leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement relevant to a particular local authority can then be accessed by the local authority via shared channels, such as:
- MHCLG’s Local government Brexit preparedness page on GOV.UK;
- MHCLG’s weekly e-bulletin to local authorities setting out all relevant updates for the week;
- Presenting information at MHCLG’s monthly delivery board to local authority representatives;
- The Food Standards Agency’s Smarter Comms platform accessed directly by regulatory officers in local authorities;
- Cascading information via MHCLG’s network of nine regional local authority Chief Executives;
- Using MHCLG’s newly established network of Brexit lead officers in each local authority;
- Direct email messages to regulatory leads in relevant local authorities;
- Engaging with and passing information through regulatory bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute or the Association of Port Health Authorities.
Information on a range of Defra’s exit projects if we leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement has been made available to local authorities through these channels. This includes information on:
- Exporting fish and shellfish (Export Health Certificates);
- Importing fish and fisheries products (Catch Certificates);
- Import control systems for animals, products of animal origin and high risk food and feed;
- Food labelling changes;
- The protection of habitats and species;
- Waste;
- Guidance for businesses exporting goods to the EU.
Local authorities have been invited to attend various meetings, including workshops, training events and roadshows on topics including:
- Changes to environmental regulations;
- Changes to food and farming;
- Changes to exports of animals and animal products;
- Changes to imports of animals and animal products;
- MHCLG’s regional roadshows on how local authorities will be affected by exiting the EU without a withdrawal agreement in Wakefield, Birmingham, London and Cambridge;
- Training on catch certificates in Wales, Inverness, Bristol and Newcastle;
- Changes to trading standards regulatory functions in Exeter;
- A series of teleconferences on changes to export health certificates;
- A webinar on changes affecting border or coastal local authorities;
- A workshop on regulatory services hosted by MHCLG with input from other departments including Defra.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 10 Jan 2019
European Union (Withdrawal) Act
"There is no ideal way forward now that will satisfy all. I will not be voting for the withdrawal agreement that the Prime Minister has negotiated. I am afraid it is a mess, and the way she has handled Brexit from the beginning of her premiership has been fundamentally flawed. …..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: European Union (Withdrawal) Act
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 04 Jun 2018
Fur Trade
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hollobone. I was the MP who, 20 years ago—it seems like yesterday—introduced the original Bill on fur farming in the 1998-99 Session, and it was only because I was fortunate to come second in the private Member’s Bill ballot that …..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: Fur Trade
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 04 Jun 2018
Fur Trade
"I agree with my hon. Friend; I do not think that it is possible to hunt humanely with those kinds of traps. Indeed, they have been banned in this country for decades longer than fur farming has been banned. We should not allow that kind of trade into this country.
…..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: Fur Trade
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 04 Jun 2018
Fur Trade
"I think it is possible. It was certainly possible for us to ban fur farming in this country even though we were a full member of the EU at the time and were not talking about leaving. Leading by example is a very good thing. We have done it before: …..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: Fur Trade
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 04 Jun 2018
Fur Trade
"Does the Minister accept that it is not possible to improve the welfare of animals that are being farmed for their fur?..."Maria Eagle - View Speech
View all Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston) contributions to the debate on: Fur Trade