Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
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 potential fate of the animals that may no longer be used in circuses under the Wild Animals in Circuses (No 2) Bill.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 require circuses using wild animals to have retirement plans in place, and these should ensure that high welfare standards should continue to apply to these animals when they are no longer used in travelling circuses.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
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 6 November 2018 to Question 184901 on Solid Fuels: Heating, when he plans to announce the results of the consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I intend to publish the formal response to this consultation soon.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much charcoal for domestic barbecues the UK (a) produces and (b) burns in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Forestry Commission collects data from the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire on timber removals and production and trade of wood and wood products. The most recent published statistics from this source are for 2017. The statistics for 2010 to 2017 include the following information on wood charcoal.
Year | UK Production (tonnes) | Imports (tonnes) | Exports (tonnes) |
2010 | 5,000 | 102,000 | 1,000 |
2011 | 5,000 | 62,000 | 2,000 |
2012 | 5,000 | 88,000 | 2,000 |
2013 | 5,000 | 109,000 | 6,000 |
2014 | 5,000 | 118,000 | 11,000 |
2015 | 5,000 | 107,000 | 2,000 |
2016 | 5,000 | 69,000 | 2,000 |
2017 | 5,000 | 86,000 | 3,000 |
Details of the end use for charcoal are not recorded.
Defra proposals to phase out the sale of traditional house coal (and restrict the sale of wet wood for domestic burning) will not affect the sale of charcoal.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when (a) he or (b) one of his Ministers give evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on heritage rail for its inquiry into the potential effect on UK heritage railways of the proposals in the Government consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I have agreed with the RHM for Loughborough to speak to the APPG, though this is not about giving evidence to an inquiry. We have yet to agree a date.
The proposals in the consultation on domestic burning would not prevent heritage railways purchasing the fuels they need, including coal.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential effect on heritage railways of the proposals outlined in the consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The proposals in the consultation on domestic burning would not prevent heritage railways purchasing the fuels they need, so there has been no need for the Secretary of State to discuss this with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to commission a comparative assessment of the PM 2.5 emissions generated per kwh for each fuel type burned on an open domestic fire only as part of his consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 7 December 2018, PQ UIN 198188.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
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 28 November 2018 to Question 194079; whether a comparative assessment of the PM 2.5 emissions generated per kwh for each fuel type burned (a) on an open domestic fire and (b) a non-Defra-exempt stove is being made in his consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As highlighted in my response to PQ 194079, the Government will take into account all factors that need to be considered in regulating the sale of the most polluting fuels. This includes the energy content of the fuels, the air quality benefits, and the impacts on business and households of switching to cleaner fuels.
PM2.5 emissions generated per kwh will depend on the fuel, the appliance, how it is used and how it is installed. The range of stoves available on the market is so diverse and how they are installed and operated so varied, it is not feasible to undertake inferential analysis of the PM2.5 emissions generated per kwh for each fuel type burned on open fires and non-Defra-exempt stoves.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his officials have had with the Cabinet Office Behavioural Insights Team on his consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
My officials have not engaged directly with the Cabinet Office officials Behavioural Insights Team on this consultation.
They have however been working closely with my Departmental Behavioural Insights Team on wider issues associated with addressing domestic burning of solid fuels and wood.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a comparative assesssment of the PM2.5 emissions generated per kwh for each fuel type is being made in his consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government will take into account all factors that need to be considered in regulating the sale of the most polluting fuels. This includes the energy content of the fuels, the air quality benefits, and the impacts on business and households of switching to cleaner fuels. The useful heat output of fuel (in Kilowatt hours) is dependent upon the appliance used, and therefore it would not be appropriate to assess PM2.5 emissions by kilowatt hour for a specific fuel.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many smoke control areas cover (a) urban areas and (b) rural areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. However, the majority of smoke control areas are urban areas, and our best estimate is that around 40% of urban areas in England and Wales (according to the 2011 Census) are covered by a Smoke Control Order.
Accurate Smoke Control Area information is held by each relevant Local Authority and further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/smoke-control-area-rules.