Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what Fairtrade products are available from (a) vending machines and (b) canteens in his Department.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has no vending machines. The following Fairtrade products are available through Defra’s canteens:-
Bananas
Sugar Sachets – Brown and White
Bulk Sugar – Brown and White
Drinking Chocolate
“Oh so Scrummy” products including, Muffins, Cakes and Flapjacks
“Be Fair “ Healthy Apple and Orange drinks
“Eat Fair” Dark Coconut bar, Flapjack - Oat and Seed Bar, Rocky Road, Salted Caramel Bars
“Nestle” Kit Kats 3 flavours
The canteen also stocks Costa Coffee and Typhoo tea which are part of the rainforest alliance scheme.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many species of plants the UK has provided for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
In the last five years the UK has provided the Svalbard Global Seed Vault with seeds from one plant species - Nightshade (from the Solanum genus of flowering plants). Through our Millennium Seed bank at Kew, Defra works closely with the Global Crop Diversity Trust who manage the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Ministers of his Department have taken part in (a) beach cleans and (b) other activities to remove plastic and other litter from the environment since June 2015; and what steps he is taking to enable officials of his Department to take part in such activities.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
We are supportive of initiatives that seek to encourage the clean-up of both land and sea. Ministers and officials have carried out litter-picks as part of Clean for the Queen in 2016 and the Great British Spring Clean, the Big Spring Beach Clean and the Great British Beach Clean in 2017. Ministers also participate in local beach cleans and litter-picks taking place in their own constituencies, and all staff are encouraged to take part in litter-picks in their local areas. Staff are also allocated volunteer days which they can use for similar activities.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent from the public purse on the provision of plastic forks, knives, stirrers, spoons, cups and straws at the canteen in his Department's offices in Nobel House, Smith Square, London, in the last three years; and what the timetable is for such items to be phased out of use at that canteen.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra does not purchase any plastic forks, knives, stirrers, spoons, cups and straws.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 plans to issue (a) regulations and (b) guidance on ferret racing; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
No.
No.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 and its agencies have taken to make the land on which their buildings are situated hedgehog-friendly.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
All public authorities have a duty to have regard for conserving biodiversity when managing their land and buildings. For example, Defra and its agencies have undertaken a number of initiatives to encourage wildlife and support the national pollinator strategy.
However, no formal assessment has been made of steps taken to make such sites hedgehog friendly.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Enviornment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings his Department has held with the (a) British Hedgehog Preservation Society and (b) People’s Trust for Endangered Species in the last two years on tackling the decline in hedgehog numbers.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra Ministers met the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species in February 2016 to discuss tackling the decline in hedgehog numbers.
Natural England holds regular meetings with the People’s Trust for Endangered Species covering a number of species to progress actions identified to support hedgehogs.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 plans to publish (a) regulations and (b) guidance on goat racing; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
No.
No.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department plans to provide to goat farmers affected by the loss of contracts as a result the oversupply of goat's milk.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is aware of the predicament facing producers of goat’s milk following the decision by two processors to give notice of contract termination to at least some of their suppliers. Whilst this is fundamentally a commercial matter to which producers and processors are best placed to develop a sustainable solution, we welcome the recent statement from the Milking Goats Association encouraging goats’ milk producers to engage closely with their processors, and to establish export relationships and new markets.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 report entitled Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Equality Objectives 2012-2016, published in April 2012, what steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of diversity by developing a communications plan to celebrate key equality and culture events such as LGBT History Month and Black History Month.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy sets out ambitious and comprehensive priorities to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the Department, including ‘supporting and empowering our networks and creating opportunities for people to share experience’. Our strategy is supported by an annual communications plan setting out our priorities over the next 12 months and highlighting opportunities to raise awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion.
We promote a range of nationally and internationally celebrated diversity calendar dates and events. For example, Black History Month and LGBT History Month 2017 were both celebrated using intranet stories and personal blogs and stories from Defra employees. Clare Moriarty, Defra Permanent Secretary, was part of a Cabinet Office panel to celebrate LGBT History Month and also attended the Defra Ethnic Minority Network Conference as a guest speaker where the Defra group ‘Project Race’ was launched.