Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 9 June 2023 to Question 187133 on Fishing Vessels: Monitoring, what information his Department holds on what the numerous and significant issues were with the Maritime Systems I-VMS device.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation type-approved four devices in 2021 after suppliers provided evidence of their specification. It then commissioned independent assurance testing in November 2022 on all four devices to provide further assurance. Two of the devices failed the assurance process, including the Maritime Systems Ltd MS44 device. Prior to their suspension, Maritime Systems Ltd had installed approximately 70% of all devices purchased by fishers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of inshore vessel monitoring systems purchased by fishers were installed by each of the four approved suppliers before the removal of type approval for the systems provided by Maritime Systems Ltd and Starlink.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation type-approved four devices in 2021 after suppliers provided evidence of their specification. It then commissioned independent assurance testing in November 2022 on all four devices to provide further assurance. Two of the devices failed the assurance process, including the Maritime Systems Ltd MS44 device. Prior to their suspension, Maritime Systems Ltd had installed approximately 70% of all devices purchased by fishers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve water quality in the River Itchen.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting our rivers and water bodies is a top priority for HM Government. We are taking action to address pollution from a variety of sources to improve water quality.
To tackle pollution to waterbodies from agriculture we have almost doubled the funding available for our Catchment Sensitive Farming programme over the next three years. Our new £30 million budget will expand the programme to cover 100% of farmland. We have also made extra budget available this year to the Environment Agency (EA) for 50 extra inspectors to be recruited in this financial year to visit farms posing a risk of water pollution and ensure action is taken.
The EA is working specifically across Hampshire catchments with farmers and landowners to ensure they are compliant with Environmental Regulations. This includes work via the Agriculture Regulatory Taskforce (ART), funded by Defra, to tackle diffuse pollution. On farm visits, EA officers issue actions for farmers to reduce pollution risk and improve the environment.
Chalk streams are both incredibly rare and a hugely important part of our environmental heritage. To protect the iconic chalk streams of the Test & Itchen, the EA is working with regional water resource planning groups to make sure these habitats are rightly prioritised, while delivering a resilient water supply to this growing area.
To tackle water pollution from sewage discharges, we have recently published our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. Our Plan sets new strict targets on water companies to reduce sewage spills and will secure the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Water companies are also required under the Environment Act to monitor the water quality impact up and downstream of all their assets. This monitoring data will be used by the EA to assess compliance with permits.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve water quality near Southampton.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting our rivers and water bodies is a top priority for HM Government. We are taking action to address pollution from a variety of sources to improve water quality.
To tackle pollution to waterbodies from agriculture we have almost doubled the funding available for our Catchment Sensitive Farming programme over the next three years. Our new £30 million budget will expand the programme to cover 100% of farmland. We have also made extra budget available this year to the Environment Agency (EA) for 50 extra inspectors to be recruited in this financial year to visit farms posing a risk of water pollution and ensure action is taken.
The EA is working specifically across Hampshire catchments with farmers and landowners to ensure they are compliant with Environmental Regulations. This includes work via the Agriculture Regulatory Taskforce (ART), funded by Defra, to tackle diffuse pollution. On farm visits, EA officers issue actions for farmers to reduce pollution risk and improve the environment.
Chalk streams are both incredibly rare and a hugely important part of our environmental heritage. To protect the iconic chalk streams of the Test & Itchen, the EA is working with regional water resource planning groups to make sure these habitats are rightly prioritised, while delivering a resilient water supply to this growing area.
To tackle water pollution from sewage discharges, we have recently published our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. Our Plan sets new strict targets on water companies to reduce sewage spills and will secure the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Water companies are also required under the Environment Act to monitor the water quality impact up and downstream of all their assets. This monitoring data will be used by the EA to assess compliance with permits.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 his Department has had with Southern Water on tackling the illegal discharge of untreated sewage into waterways.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
HM Government has been repeatedly clear that the current frequency of sewage discharges is unacceptable, and water companies must do much more to protect our environment. We will continue to work with water companies including Southern Water in the coming months to explore the acceleration of infrastructure projects to deliver the environmental improvements that we want to see.
Southern were handed a record £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage which polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. The regulators (the Environment Agency and Ofwat) have also recently launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, following new data coming to light as a result of increased monitoring. HM Government will not hesitate to use all options for robust enforcement action against breaches of storm overflow permits.
We have also recently announced that we will bring forward plans to consult on increasing the amount the Environment Agency can directly fine water companies who pollute the environment by 1000-fold, from £250,000 up to £250million.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 requirements under sections 141A to 141D of the Environment Act 2021 for annual reports on storm overflows, when he expects the next reports to be published.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Section 80 of the Environment Act 2021, which came into force in January this year, inserted sections 141A to 141E into the Water Industry Act 1991. Section 141A places a duty on HM Government to publish a plan to reduce sewage discharges and their impact. This plan has now been published, setting strict new targets for water companies that will make sure the ecology of our waterbodies is protected for generations to come. Our plan will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Under Section 141B HM Government must publish a progress report 3 years following the publication of the Plan, and every 5 years thereafter. The first progress report will be published in 2025.
Section 141C sets out a duty on water companies to publish annual reports on discharges from storm overflows. Water companies are required to publish their annual reports relating to sewage discharge data from 2022 by 1st April 2023. Under Section 141D the Environment Agency is also required to publish annual reports in relation to the operation of storm overflows in England, by 1st April each year. The most recent report was published on 31st March 2022, and updated on the 14th May 2022. The next report relating to discharge data from 2022 will be published by 1st April 2023.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 take steps to help prevent the discharge of raw sewage into (a) the River Itchen and (b) other waters near Southampton.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have been clear that the failure of water companies to adequately reduce sewage discharges is totally unacceptable. Our recently launched Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Our plan will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come.
Robust enforcement action against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits is taken. Since 2015, the Environment Agency has brought 54 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of almost £140million. This includes a £90million fine imposed on Southern Water last year.
Following regulatory intervention by the Environment Agency, Southern Water were required to commission and construct a new sewage treatment works at Woolston. This sewage treatment works became operational in June 2018 and serves almost 70,000 people in and around Southampton. The sewage treatment works has successfully improved water quality in the lower river Itchen, and Southampton.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with supermarket representatives on dedicated shopping times for pensioners during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We are working closely across Government, with representatives of the food supply chain and with local authorities and charities to ensure that everyone will have continued access to food.
To help industry respond to this unprecedented demand we have introduced new measures to keep the food supply flowing. We have issued guidance to local authorities to allow extended delivery hours to supermarkets so that shelves can be filled up more quickly, and we have implemented extensions to drivers’ hours. We are also temporarily relaxing certain elements of competition law to ensure retailers are able to collaborate effectively in the national interest, for example by sharing distribution depots and delivery vans.
Supermarkets are recruiting more staff and limiting shopping hours so they have more time to restock. Some supermarkets are also prioritising delivery slots for those that need them most, including the elderly. They are working hard to deliver a crucial service to us all and have also issued a rallying call for everyone to play their part in the national effort to this response by looking out for their friends, family and neighbours. We will continue to work with industry to discuss any additional support government can provide.
The Government is working to ensure that up to 1.5 million people in England identified by the NHS as being at higher risk of severe illness if they contract Coronavirus will have access to the food they need. A new Local Support System will make sure those individuals self-isolating at home and who are without a support network of friends and family will receive basic food and essential supplies. The Government is working with a partnership of the food industry, local government, local resilience forums and emergency partners, and voluntary groups, to ensure that essential items can start to be delivered as soon as possible to those who need it.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the decision of supermarkets to offer dedicated shopping times for pensioners during the coivid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We are working closely across Government, with representatives of the food supply chain and with local authorities and charities to ensure that everyone will have continued access to food.
To help industry respond to this unprecedented demand we have introduced new measures to keep the food supply flowing. We have issued guidance to local authorities to allow extended delivery hours to supermarkets so that shelves can be filled up more quickly, and we have implemented extensions to drivers’ hours. We are also temporarily relaxing certain elements of competition law to ensure retailers are able to collaborate effectively in the national interest, for example by sharing distribution depots and delivery vans.
Supermarkets are recruiting more staff and limiting shopping hours so they have more time to restock. Some supermarkets are also prioritising delivery slots for those that need them most, including the elderly. They are working hard to deliver a crucial service to us all and have also issued a rallying call for everyone to play their part in the national effort to this response by looking out for their friends, family and neighbours. We will continue to work with industry to discuss any additional support government can provide.
The Government is working to ensure that up to 1.5 million people in England identified by the NHS as being at higher risk of severe illness if they contract Coronavirus will have access to the food they need. A new Local Support System will make sure those individuals self-isolating at home and who are without a support network of friends and family will receive basic food and essential supplies. The Government is working with a partnership of the food industry, local government, local resilience forums and emergency partners, and voluntary groups, to ensure that essential items can start to be delivered as soon as possible to those who need it.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect marine life in the UK; and what steps the Government is taking with (a) counterparts in other countries and (b) representatives of marine life organisations to protect oceans around the world.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is a global leader in protecting the seas, the ocean and our marine life, and works with counterparts in the UK and overseas to help achieve these aims.
Financed from the UK Official Development Assistance Budget, the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) will help eligible countries protect their marine resources from key human-generated stressors including plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat loss. The BPF will also embrace the ocean’s role in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Our work also includes the creation of 355 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protecting 25% of UK waters, including the recent designation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones. On 8 June 2019 we announced a review into Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters, which is due to report later this year.
Internationally, the UK has committed to continuing its leading role in global biodiversity conservation, including calling for at least 30 per cent of the ocean to be in MPAs by 2030 and negotiating hard to agree a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is both ambitious and transformational. We strongly support a new Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
We are committed to protecting vulnerable marine species including through action to reduce bycatch in fisheries. We work through a number of multilateral environmental agreements, international bodies and regional Fisheries Management Organisations to strengthen international protection for vulnerable marine species.