Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 a comparative estimate of the volume of electronics (a) repaired and (b) refurbished before being fed back into the circular economy compared to the rest of the world.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Currently we do not collect separate data on reuse activities for electrical items and electronic equipment.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 plans to amend the right to repair requirements within the Ecodesign for Energy-related Products and Energy Information Regulations 2021.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Policy development for waste electricals including right-to-repair and ecodesign will be guided by the Government’s work to transition to a circular economy.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the development of a UK-wide strategy on the circular economy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has asked his department to convene a taskforce of experts to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The taskforce will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and as such will evaluate what interventions may be needed. This will support the Government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower and deliver net zero. I will continue to discuss the work of this department with the three devolved Governments, including learning from their experience, as the work progresses.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) discounts, (b) vouchers, (c) other financial incentives and (d) deposit-return schemes to recycle small consumer electronics that no longer (i) work and (ii) are used.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have not made an assessment of introducing these measures to recycle small consumer electronics. Future policy related to waste electricals will be guided by the government’s work to transition to a circular economy.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what sectors his Department has considered within scope for interventions in the context of his planned circular economy strategy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra will work with experts from industry, academia, civil society, and other government departments to prepare for the transition to a circular economy. This will include consideration of the evidence for sectoral interventions.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastic (a) products and (b) packaging on human health.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has been working with other government Departments and researchers to address evidence gaps and to inform potential action relating to the risks from endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Regulatory action can and has been taken to address these risks, including those associated with plastics and packaging.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 publish a schedule of plastic bans.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently considering the actions that can be taken to address the challenges associated with single-use plastic products and is committed to moving to a circular economy. As a part of this transition, managing and reducing plastic waste and following the principles of the waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle, will be crucial.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 support businesses to transition away from plastic.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Stakeholder engagement continues to be at the core of our packaging reforms, and we continue to engage with all sectors in bringing this policy into place. Additionally, Defra has updated guidance on all single-use plastic regulations to improve clarity on single-use plastic bans and restrictions.
Defra continues to engage with and support industry through the UK Plastics Pact to tackle plastic waste and pollution. The pact's membership represents two-thirds of all consumer packaging in the UK. Members have reduced their problematic and unnecessary plastic items by 84% since 2018.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 17 September 2024 to Question 3584 on Foie Gras: Imports, whether he plans to publish a consultation on a potential ban on the import of foie gras.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns.
The Government looks forward to delivering the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.
Ministers are reviewing policies and any next steps will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department issues on the application of the Welfare of Animals at Time Of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 to (a) commercial fishing operations and (b) other activities to which the Animal Welfare Act 2006 does not apply.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Commercial fishing activities are not covered by the relevant welfare at killing legislation unless animals are kept alive for processing later. In these circumstances fish and invertebrates shall be spared any avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. Defra has not issued guidance on these issues.
Following publication of the Animal Welfare Committee’s updated Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing, a GB-wide farmed trout joint government and industry working group is examining the issues raised in the report to explore potential options for more detailed welfare at killing requirements. The Scottish Government is similarly working closely with the salmon industry.