Asked by: Stephen McPartland (Conservative - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will regulate cat breeding as part of the Post Implementation Review of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which is due by October 2023.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The 2018 Regulations are due to be reviewed five years after they came into force (2023) and so this will be an appropriate time to re-examine the scope of the Regulations and consider any changes.
During the review we will consider all aspects of the Regulations, including whether there is a need to explore introducing licencing arrangements for cat breeders.
As part of planning for this review, we are proactively working with partners, including local authorities, to collate data that can provide a picture of licensed and unlicensed activities involving animals in England. A wide range of stakeholders, key trade associations, and the Canine and Feline Sector Group will be integral to coordinating input from this diverse sector to inform Defra’s review.
Asked by: Stephen McPartland (Conservative - Stevenage)
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 encourage recycling of electronic waste throughout the UK.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 sets annual household collection targets, including recycling and recovery targets, for electrical and electronic equipment. Latest available figures for 2017 show that the UK achieved a collection rate of 50%. Under the Resources and Waste Strategy we are reviewing the WEEE Regulations in 2020 to consider improvements to the approach to WEEE.
Asked by: Stephen McPartland (Conservative - Stevenage)
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) support and (b) incentivise small food and catering businesses to reduce plastic waste.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy, published last December, sets out our approach to eliminating avoidable plastic waste. As part of this, we propose to introduce requirements for businesses in England, which would include small food and catering businesses, to present a core set of materials for recycling. We will ensure that smaller businesses are not disadvantaged by these new requirements and, through our consultation on this proposal which closed in May, have sought views on how to help these businesses reduce the costs of waste collection.
The Government also consulted on reforming packaging waste regulations to financially incentivise packaging producers to reduce the use of unnecessary and difficult to recycle packaging, and to produce packaging that can be recycled. These reforms, along with our proposals on consistency of recycling collections, should ensure that more of the plastic used by small food and catering businesses can be and will be recycled.
Asked by: Stephen McPartland (Conservative - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made towards its target of planting 11 million trees.
Answered by David Rutley
I refer the Hon. Member to the reply previously given to the Hon. Member for Slough, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, on 14 May 2019 to PQ 252670.
Asked by: Stephen McPartland (Conservative - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees have been planted by the Government since 2010.
Answered by David Rutley
I refer the Hon. Member to the reply previously given to the Hon. Member for Slough, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, on 14 May 2019 to PQ 252670.