Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 (a) prevent plastic entering rivers and (b) remove plastic pollution from rivers.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra is working with the Environment Agency (EA), academics and the UK water industry to understand the scale of the microplastic pollution problem and to establish detection methods to identify, characterise and quantify the types of microplastics entering our rivers. Although there has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their ultimate transport to the marine environment. Defra has commissioned evidence reviews to further understand these issues and will use the outcomes from these and other research to develop policy options/measures/interventions for removing plastic pollution from rivers.
There are currently no consistent sampling, collection or assessment methodologies for measuring micro-plastics in various environmental media (sediments, water column or biota), which means that routine monitoring is not practicable. Defra is also working with the EA, academics and water companies to develop methodologies to enable future monitoring of micro-plastics in wastewater, sludge and the water environment.
The EA takes steps to stop pollution causing harm where they can clearly attribute the source of the substance, as without this information it is not possible for them to take action. One of the sources of plastic pollution comes from small beads used in industrial processes and EA are working proactively to reduce the release of these small plastics pellets from the industries they regulate.
Plastic waste can also provide a source of micro-sized plastics once in the environment. To address this, the Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 report entitled, Upstream: Microplastics in UK Rivers, published by Greenpeace UK on 18 June 2019, what assessment he has made of the level plastic pollution in UK rivers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra is working with the Environment Agency (EA), academics and the UK water industry to understand the scale of the microplastic pollution problem and to establish detection methods to identify, characterise and quantify the types of microplastics entering our rivers. Although there has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their ultimate transport to the marine environment. Defra has commissioned evidence reviews to further understand these issues and will use the outcomes from these and other research to develop policy options/measures/interventions for removing plastic pollution from rivers.
There are currently no consistent sampling, collection or assessment methodologies for measuring micro-plastics in various environmental media (sediments, water column or biota), which means that routine monitoring is not practicable. Defra is also working with the EA, academics and water companies to develop methodologies to enable future monitoring of micro-plastics in wastewater, sludge and the water environment.
The EA takes steps to stop pollution causing harm where they can clearly attribute the source of the substance, as without this information it is not possible for them to take action. One of the sources of plastic pollution comes from small beads used in industrial processes and EA are working proactively to reduce the release of these small plastics pellets from the industries they regulate.
Plastic waste can also provide a source of micro-sized plastics once in the environment. To address this, the Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 has taken to promote (a) reforestation and (b) prevent deforestation in each region and nation of the UK in the last five years.
Answered by David Rutley
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government provides a range of support to landowners for new woodland creation through Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund and the HS2 Woodland Fund. These have been available for some time and are open to new applications from farmers and landowners who can meet the criteria for funding.
In the Autumn Budget the Government announced an additional £60 million for tree planting initiatives, comprising £10 million to fund urban tree planting and £50 million for a Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme. This is in addition to the Government’s kick start investment in the Northern Forest, and establishment of the Forestry Investment Zone (FIZ) pilot in northeast Cumbria.
There are regulations in place to prevent unauthorised deforestation, primarily the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999, as amended. If plans for deforestation are determined to have significant environmental impact and exceed the threshold in the regulations, landowners must gain Forestry Commission consent before any change of land use can take place. If trees are removed without consent then restoration can be ordered. Under the provisions given in Part II of the Forestry Act 1967 (as amended) proposals for deforestation must, like most tree felling, have a Felling Licence from the Forestry Commission.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 for (a) tree-planting and reforestation and (b) the prevention of deforestation to help the UK meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
Answered by David Rutley
Our English Tree Strategy will detail our national afforestation initiatives to help address the UK Government’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. The consultation for the English Tree Strategy will be launched later this year. Our Tree Champion is leading our engagement with forestry, environmental and other stakeholders, to inform our development of the Strategy.
This Government is committed to tackling climate change, as demonstrated by legislating to end the UK’s contribution to global warming by 2050 by enshrining a net zero emissions target in law.
Tree planting can be a major contributor to nature-based carbon sequestration. Our manifesto committed to planting 11 million trees by 2022, and we are committed to the aspiration of reaching 12% woodland cover in England by 2060.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 include community groups in the planned consultation on a deposit return scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS), which will be published shortly, will look at how such a scheme would operate. We are aware that any DRS would need to be accessible for all, and will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders and ensure everyone has a chance to have their say.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 effect on the level of recycling of the (a) cans and bottles return system using ReturPack in Sweden; (b) deposit charge for drinks bottles in Norway and (c) return vending machines in Denmark.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As the Minister responsible for this policy area, I visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark at the end of 2017, to find out more about the DRS in those countries.
We are drawing upon experience of how DRS systems operate in a range of countries to help shape our proposals for a scheme in England. We have not made specific assessments regarding individual schemes.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the consultation for a deposit return scheme as announced by his Department on 28 March 2018.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Proposals are currently being developed for the model, scope and scale of a deposit return scheme (DRS), and the consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what change there has been in staffing levels in his Department since June 2016.
Answered by George Eustice
The changes in staffing levels for Defra between 30 June 2016 and 30 June 2018 are shown in the table below:
| June 2016 | June 2018 | Change |
Headcount | 1700 | 3,810 | +2,110 |
Source: Office of National Statistics – Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (June 2016 and June 2018)
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 his Department's preparations for no deal.
Answered by David Rutley
We do not want or expect a no-deal Brexit, but a responsible Government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. To help businesses and the public prepare for March 2019 in the event of a no deal scenario, Defra has published 30 Technical Notices covering areas such as standards for animals, plants, food, chemicals, and timber. Defra will continue to plan and work with its stakeholders and partners to ensure they are prepared for all possible scenarios.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of officials to be employed by his Department and (b) his Department's payroll in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021 and (v) 2022 as a result of the UK leaving EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Over 80% of Defra’s agenda is affected by the UK’s departure from the European Union. We continue to keep our resourcing plans under review, focusing both on recruitment and increasing the capability of new and existing staff.
Since June 2016, Defra has recruited over 550 additional staff to support our preparations for leaving the EU. The majority of these new staff are employed in the central department where they are working on a range of projects identified to enable a successful withdrawal from the EU.