Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 the study published in Nature Communications on 17 September 2019, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the presence of sooty carbon particles in the placentas of pregnant women caused by polluted air.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Although the Secretary of State (SoS) for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not had any recent discussions with the SoS of the Department of Health and Social Care on the presence of sooty carbon particles in the placentas of pregnant women caused by polluted air, Defra officials work closely with counterparts across Government Departments to ensure policies to improve air quality are joined up, to reduce the impacts of air pollution on human health and the environment.
Our Clean Air Strategy focussed on delivering national emissions commitments to reduce the emission of five key pollutants (including PM2.5) by 2030 and committed to the setting of a new ambitious long-term target to reduce concentrations of PM2.5.
In addition, our landmark Environment Bill builds on this ambition and includes a duty to set an ambitious legally binding target to reduce fine particulate matter, the pollutant that causes the greatest harm to human health.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the annual value of pork exports to China since 2014.
Answered by George Eustice
Supporting the UK food and drink sector to increase its exports is a priority for Defra. The work we are doing to increase market access for pork to China is a great success, and has boosted the value of UK pork exports there from £19.6 million in 2014 to £43.6 million in 2018. China's domestic market consumes 55 million metric tonnes of pork per year and there is real potential for UK industry to continue to increase exports of pork products such as pig trotters and heads. We will also continue to build on our strong international reputation for food standards and premium exports, which help drive the demand for UK produce in China.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential benefits for the environment of brownfield regeneration rather than development on green fields.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government worked closely during the revision of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last year. The NPPF places a strong emphasis on making effective use of land, with authorities expected to make as much use as possible of suitable brownfield sites before considering development on green fields.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
What recent discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary on the protection of endangered species.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Ministers regularly meet with the Foreign Secretary to discuss international species conservation issues. Our close working delivered the highly successful Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London in October last year, which brought together global leaders to drive forward action to end this despicable trade. Our ban on ivory sales through the Ivory Act is one of the toughest in the world and demonstrates our joint leadership to galvanise action around the world.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of UK Overseas Development Assistance is allocated to training park rangers for the protection of endangered species.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
We cannot provide this as a percentage of Overseas Development Aid (ODA) spend, as ODA spend varies in line with the 0.7% commitment. However through Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund around £18.5million has been allocated to 61 projects in developing countries. Defra Challenge Fund projects focused on training rangers are as follows:
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 performance of the Great British Food Unit in opening up new markets for food and drink from Hampshire.
Answered by George Eustice
Supporting UK businesses to export more is a top priority for this government. Supporting the exports of companies, such as Marston’s Breweries and the 40 food and drink businesses currently being supported by the Department for International Trade (DIT) team in Hampshire, will be an important driver of growth in the food and drink sector, allowing it to become more resilient, competitive and profitable.
However, our work through the Food is GREAT campaign continues to raise the profile and reputation of British food and drink. Delivered in partnership with DIT, VisitBritain and FCO, this Defra led campaign will benefit food and drink exporters from across the UK, including Hampshire, to access new export opportunities.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his steps his Department is taking to support the rural economy in Hampshire.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government is committed to strengthening the rural economy, setting the right conditions for businesses to grow and thrive.
The Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, includes steps that will benefit rural businesses, such as access to finance and improved digital connectivity.
The Rural Productivity Plan, published in 2015, set out a 10-point plan to boost rural economies. As part of this, enterprise zones have been established in rural areas.
Last year, a new enterprise zone was created to help support local growth in Whitehill and Bordon, in particular local start-ups, SMEs, and high-growth businesses. These businesses will be able to benefit from the Bordon innovation centre newly opened in November, as part of the wider TechForest initiative.
The £3.5 billion Rural Development Programme for England supports farmers, foresters and rural businesses and communities. In Hampshire, 41 projects worth a total of £1,296,519 have been agreed to date.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Wildlife Crime Unit in tackling wildlife crime and protecting endangered animals.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Crawley, Henry Smith, on 7 July 2016, PQ UIN905727.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 her Department's press release, UK leading global fight against illegal wildlife trade, published on 17 November 2016, how and in what areas the additional funding to tackle the illegal wildlife trade will be spent.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Northampton South, David Mackintosh, on 11 January 2016, PQ UIN 58249.