Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to work with water companies to explore (a) the management of microplastics in sewage sludge and (b) options for protecting chalk streams; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Last year the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history. The Environment Agency is currently developing a microplastics monitoring plan for English rivers . The Government has prioritised chalk streams in policy and legislation. In the Plan for Water, we reaffirmed our commitment to protecting chalk streams and recognised them as having a special natural heritage.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to improve methods of measuring the (a) amount and (b) types of (i) microplastic and (ii) microfibres in chalk streams; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Environment Agency is currently developing a microplastics monitoring plan for English rivers . The Government has prioritised chalk streams in policy and legislation. In the Plan for Water, we have reaffirmed our commitment to protecting chalk streams and recognised them as having a special natural heritage.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many multi-agency public protection arrangements lay advisers there are in post.
Answered by Damian Hinds
There are currently 63 Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Lay Advisers in post across England and Wales. Details of their role can be found in the MAPPA Guidance at https://mappa.justice.gov.uk/MAPPA/view?objectID=403300.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the email of 10 October 2022 from the Rt Hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire on Clements Construction Ltd.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
A response was sent to the hon. Member on 21 March 2023.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 126505 on Community Diagnosis Centres: Royston, whether the Cambridge and Peterborough Integrated Care Board will make decisions on primary care facilities in Royston.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board is responsible for making commissioning decisions on primary care facilities in Royston.
All integrated care boards (ICBs) have been responsible for commissioning primary medical services since they were established on 1 July 2022. NHS England plans to delegate additional responsibility for ICBs to commission dentistry, eyecare and pharmacy services from April 2023.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans for a new health centre, including for diagnostics, for (a) Royston and (b) the surrounding area; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
Locations of new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are determined by each integrated care system based on a detailed review of a range of factors, including accessibility for the most deprived local populations and through discussions with relevant local stakeholders. West Essex Community Diagnostic Centre will be opening in 2024 to increase diagnostic capacity and reduce waiting times, with state of the art equipment to deliver non obstetric ultrasound, x-ray, phlebotomy and point of care tests. Once fully operational, the CDC plans to deliver up to 115,157 scans, tests and checks a year. It is for Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board to determine whether a CDC is needed in Royston.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to respond to an email from Lesley Taunton dated 18 October 2022.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) have assured me that they will be providing a response to both Sir Oliver’s correspondence to OPG dated 18 October, and Ms Taunton’s correspondence by 28 November.
I apologise for the delay in full responses to their correspondence being provided. OPG is currently experiencing backlogs in processing Lasting Power of Attorneys (LPAs) and the corresponding increase in correspondence has had an impact on OPG’s ability to respond to complaints within the target. OPG understands the importance of customers receiving timely responses to complaints. To improve the service OPG is recruiting more staff to process LPAs and to respond to complaints, carrying out overtime and making improvements to internal processes. We are pressing ahead with plans to digitise LPA applications, making the process simpler and quicker for customers.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
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 introduce water efficiency labelling for white goods; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
On 1st July 2021 Defra released a written ministerial statement on reducing demand for water in which we committed to introduce a mandatory water efficiency label. We published a consultation on 2nd September including our proposal for dual labelling for white goods that already have an energy label: UK Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling - Defra - Citizen Space (https://consult.defra.gov.uk/water-efficiency-labelling/water-efficiency-labelling/).
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
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 it his policy to implement at least five no-take Highly Protected Marine Areas as defined by the Benyon Review.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We are currently consulting on five candidate Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs). The consultation closes on 28th September. All evidence gathered will be analysed and will be used to inform the Secretary of State's decision on which sites to designate. Any pilot HPMAs will be designated by 6th July 2023, within one year of the consultation launch.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
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 it his policy to ban (a) bottom-trawling and (b) other bottom-towed fishing gear in all offshore Marine Protected Areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We have designated a comprehensive network of MPAs and are now focused on making sure they are properly protected. Using new powers provided by the Fisheries Act 2020, we have already introduced byelaws in the first four offshore sites to protect sensitive habitats and species from bottom-towed gear and other damaging fishing activity. A call for evidence relating to the next 13 offshore sites has also been published and we are aiming to have all 40 MPAs in English offshore waters protected from damaging fishing activity by 2024.