Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason live reptiles imports from the EU have been moved from Low to High Risk under the Target Operating Model method.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Live animals are inherently high risk; they cannot be kept in sealed consignments and some of them pose not only a potential animal health risk but also a risk for the environment in the case of non-native species or invasive pests, and a risk to the trade on endangered species. Later in 2024 we expect all checks on live animals (except pet animals) to be carried out at a live animal Border Control Post, as they become operational.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of the construction of border control points in the UK in the last five years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
£200 million has been spent by HM Government as Port Infrastructure Fund. While much of this went towards the creation of Border Control Posts (BCPs), other facilities were also built (e.g. Border Force, site infrastructure enhancements).
£13.02 million has been spent by Defra on the Sevington BCP, including costs for construction and fixture & fittings, in financial year (FY) 2021/22 & FY 2022/23 to August.
£22.09 million has been spent by Defra on the Dover sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) BCP which covers FY 2021/22 & FY 2022/23 construction to the end of August.
No construction work has yet begun on BCPs in Wales. The Welsh Government is awaiting finalisation of the Target Operating Model before committing to construction contracts.
A total of £15.3 million capital, £16.4 million resource and £1.7 million depreciation has been expended to the end of August 2022 on the provision of the infrastructure, IT systems and personnel for the work necessary to carry out the required SPS checks at Northern Ireland's Points of Entry as a result of the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 help ensure that untreated sewage is not discharged into the River Thames.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The amount of sewage discharges by water companies is unacceptable. £1.9 billion has been invested in the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which will be completed in 2025. This project will be the largest privately funded infrastructure project in Europe. The tunnel and other improvements will reduce the annual volume of untreated wastewater entering the tidal Thames by 95%, protecting biodiversity and the public health of river users.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 has carried out an impact assessment of the effect of export of the herbicide paraquat on health.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We take our trade and international obligations for human health and the environment seriously and continue to monitor action in other countries and learn from their experiences.
The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from the GB must notify the importing country via the exporter's Designated National Authority. For GB, the Designated National Authority is The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Paraquat additionally requires the explicit consent of the importing country before export can take place. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely. This process is kept under review.
We believe it is essential that the use of active substances that are known to be hazardous to human health or the environment should be subject to scientific risk assessment and regulatory protections. We accordingly support notification of the export of Paraquat under the PIC regulatory regime and support its listing as a hazardous substance under the Rotterdam convention.
Additionally, the UK is committed to working internationally to support other nations to safely manage pesticides - in particular through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, through the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and through the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). We also believe in evidence-based international policymaking through the use of scientific committees, such as the Chemical Review Committee, and support strengthening of the international 'science - policy interface' for chemicals and pesticides to enable more effective global decision-making.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 will finalise its chemicals strategy by 31 December 2022.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan commits to a new strategy to tackle chemicals of national concern. Work is underway to develop a Chemicals Strategy and we will consult with a wide range of stakeholders as an important part of its development. We will set out next steps on the Chemicals Strategy in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on publishing its Chemicals Strategy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan commits to a new strategy to tackle chemicals of national concern. Work is underway to develop a Chemicals Strategy and we will consult with a wide range of stakeholders as an important part of its development. We will set out next steps on the Chemicals Strategy in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 effect of the decision to remove veterinary workers from the critical workers list on the provision of animal welfare services.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Although veterinary workers providing emergency care in England in non-food chain related roles were removed from the critical workers list when the latest lockdown was announced this January, vets providing services in the food chain are still included as critical workers and have been able to send their children to school. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production. Schools in England are scheduled to reopen for all pupils from 8 March 2021. We are not aware of major animal welfare issues arising in relation to the provision of veterinary services during the lockdown.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 is providing to veterinary (a) workers and (b) businesses following the removal of veterinary workers from the list of critical workers during the third covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary practices have been able to remain open and continue operating during the Covid-19 outbreak and are able to provide a range of services as those practices see fit. The Government has been working with the veterinary profession to develop guidance and protocols so that veterinary practice staff and customers alike can remain safe.
Veterinary surgeons working in food supply are classed as critical workers in England for the purposes of securing childcare in schools. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the profession, under their code of professional conduct requires all veterinary surgeons to have provisions in place to allow customers to access 24-hour care. Even if a veterinary practice does not provide 24-hour care itself it must ensure a customer can be directed to a local practice that does provide such a service.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 ensure that veterinary workers can continue to provide 24 hour emergency services during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary practices have been able to remain open and continue operating during the Covid-19 outbreak and are able to provide a range of services as those practices see fit. The Government has been working with the veterinary profession to develop guidance and protocols so that veterinary practice staff and customers alike can remain safe.
Veterinary surgeons working in food supply are classed as critical workers in England for the purposes of securing childcare in schools. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the profession, under their code of professional conduct requires all veterinary surgeons to have provisions in place to allow customers to access 24-hour care. Even if a veterinary practice does not provide 24-hour care itself it must ensure a customer can be directed to a local practice that does provide such a service.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 taking to support veterinary workers during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary practices have been able to remain open and continue operating during the Covid-19 outbreak and are able to provide a range of services as those practices see fit. The Government has been working with the veterinary profession to develop guidance and protocols so that veterinary practice staff and customers alike can remain safe.
Veterinary surgeons working in food supply are classed as critical workers in England for the purposes of securing childcare in schools. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the profession, under their code of professional conduct requires all veterinary surgeons to have provisions in place to allow customers to access 24-hour care. Even if a veterinary practice does not provide 24-hour care itself it must ensure a customer can be directed to a local practice that does provide such a service.