Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 less potable water is used for non-potable purposes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government recognises the importance of water re-use systems to alleviate pressure off the potable water system by moving to non-potable supplies and are taking forward measures to support this.
We have a consultation on amending the Building Regulations (2010) and a Call for Evidence on reuse in homes live for responses. Alongside this, we are considering the recommendations set out in the Independent Water Commission including the ask for Government to work with regulators to develop a new policy and regulatory framework to drive the adoption of water re-use infrastructure in the household and non-household commercial market.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Transport on (a) plans to achieve and (b) progress on compliance with legal nitrogen dioxide limits on all roads.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) is a joint DEFRA/DfT division that is responsible for delivering compliance with NO2 targets set out in the Air Quality Plan 2017. DfT and Defra work together on progress and compliance with targets.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 article by the University of Edinburgh entitled Rescuing the cities of the deep: Corals from oil platforms find new homes off Shetland, published on 16 September 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the research undertaken by the University of Edinburgh into the use of corals harvested from subsea structures to establish artificial reefs as part of seabed restoration projects.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is home to cold-water corals off our coast and tropical coral reefs within our Overseas Territories. With 4,700 square kilometres of corals across our UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, the UK is responsible for the twelfth largest area of coral reefs in the world. Coral reefs host about a quarter of all known marine species and are a key source of food, livelihoods and economic opportunities to people in more than 100 countries around the world. We are engaged with this initiative from the University of Edinburgh and continue to consider all relevant evidence concerning the status and management of coral reefs, such as the 2025 global coral reef status report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to further restrict the (a) sale or (b) use of (i)perfluorooctanoic acid and (ii) products which contain it.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds are already banned in the UK under the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation 2019/1021, as amended. That legislation prohibits the manufacturing, placing on the market and use of POPs, including PFOA.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to enact Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this
Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A final decision on this matter will be made in the coming months.
We intend to consult on national planning policy related to decision making later this year, including policies on flood risk and SuDS. Also, this year, we will consult on ending freehold estates, which will include options to reduce the prevalence of private management arrangements for community assets, including SuDS.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to help promote access to green spaces for girls.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. This is why we have set out our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, expanding access to the great outdoors. We know that particular groups, including women and girls, can disproportionately experience barriers to accessing nature, and we are committed to tackling this inequity so that everyone can benefit from spending time in green and blue spaces.
Our Green Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide offers detailed guidance on creating accessible, multifunctional green spaces that deliver a wide range of benefits. Specifically, for teenage girls, it emphasises the need for designing spaces that are not only safe and inclusive but also comfortable and welcoming.
In addition, the Government licenses and oversees the Green Flag Award scheme, which recognises well-managed, inclusive and welcoming green spaces. Parks are assessed against criteria such as safety, accessibility, environmental management and community involvement, helping to ensure high standards are maintained across thousands of parks and open spaces and that these remain inclusive and accessible for all, including women and girls.