Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has been made of the potential impact of commercial greyhound racing on animal welfare.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The welfare of greyhounds in England is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. This includes where greyhounds are raced or kept at trainers’ kennels. Specific welfare standards at all greyhound racing tracks in England are also required by the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, including having a vet present while dogs are running (with all greyhounds inspected by the vet before being allowed to run).
In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), enforces welfare standards at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as at GBGB licensed trainers’ kennels. Independent, external oversight of GBGB’s regulatory work at tracks and trainers’ kennels is provided by the UK’s National Accreditation Body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
The GBGB has also undertaken a number of welfare reforms, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering the strategy and should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce plastic pollution in (a) rivers, (b) seas and (c) other waterways.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is working domestically and internationally to implement measures that will prevent plastic from reaching the environment.
Domestically, bans and restrictions on single-use plastic products, such as cutlery, straws, and polystyrene takeaway containers, plates and bowls have been introduced alongside the single-use carrier bag charge. The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers will introduce a deposit on single-use drinks containers which is redeemable when the empty container is returned. DRS will reduce plastic litter and increase recycling rates. The Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities reduce litter and thus prevent it from entering and damaging our waterways and ecosystems.
Plastic pollution is a global crisis that no country can solve alone. The UK is also working with international partners to conclude an ambitious and effective new international treaty to end plastic pollution which protects the environment and paves the way to a circular economy.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent support he has provided to local authorities to help tackle fly-tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We want to see local authorities make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to help them do so. For example, we are currently reviewing their powers to seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers to identify ways in which we help them make better use of this tool.
Defra also chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available at: https://nftpg.com/.
From 2026–27, the Government will deliver the first multi-year Settlement in a decade, fundamentally improving how we fund councils and directing funding to where it’s most needed. We’re committed to simplifying the wider local funding landscape by reducing the number of grants and consolidating them into the Settlement, so councils can plan more effectively. Detailed decisions will follow the funding reform consultation and be set out at the provisional Settlement later this year.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of fly-tipping on private land owners.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
While no recent assessment has been made, we appreciate the difficulty and cost that fly-tipping poses to landowners and we are working with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, to promote and disseminate good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.
We encourage local authorities to make good use of their enforcement powers which include prosecution. On conviction, a cost order can be made by the court so that a landowner’s costs can be recovered from the perpetrator.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities in (a) Slough and (b) the Thames Valley region on the implementation of mandatory digital waste tracking.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department has had no recent direct discussions with local authorities in Slough or the Thames Valley region on the implementation of mandatory digital waste tracking. Information is shared with stakeholders including local authorities via our Circular Economy newsletter. Through this newsletter we have invited organisations to sign up to the project’s user panel to get involved in testing of the developing service and provide feedback.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on trends in levels of fly-tipping in the (a) South East and (b) Slough.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been no recent discussions with the Environment Agency (EA) on trends in levels of fly-tipping in the South East and Slough. The EA is a member of the Defra-chaired National Fly-Tipping Group which aims to share best practice on tackling fly-tipping.
Local authorities are required to annually report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which are published each year. These are available at Fly-tipping statistics for England - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 impact of the use of farrowing crates on the welfare of farmed pigs.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, PQ UIN 41698.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to financially support the installation of flood defences in (a) Slough constituency and (b) the Thames Valley.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We’re investing a record £2.65 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The full list of over 700 schemes to benefit from fresh funding this year, including Thames Valley and Slough, was announced on 31 March and can be found here.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 prevent industrial lead entering (a) drinking water and (b) the food chain.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is addressing the historic pollution of our rivers and estuaries by abandoned metal mines through a collaborative partnership between Defra, the Environment Agency, and the Mining Remediation Authority under the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme. Mine water treatment schemes, constructed at identified priority pollution sites, can remove up to 90% of the harmful targeted metals, including lead, from the water coming from abandoned metal mines before the treated water is returned to the river. The Programme also constructs diffuse interventions to limit ‘diffuse pollution’ by metal contaminated sediment from mine wastes left on the surface.
Industrial discharges to land and water are controlled by the Environment Agency permitting framework. Permitting, limits the level of lead discharged into the environment including raw water sources.
Water companies carry out regular risk assessments of their raw water sources, such as rivers and reservoirs, to identify any potential risks from naturally occurring substances or historic and current industrial activity. Where necessary, they will treat, blend, or remove a source from use to ensure consumer safety.
Water companies must demonstrate meeting the statutory limits for lead by providing regular compliance sample results from designated points in the supply network to the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on banning trophy hunting imports.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its manifesto and we will deliver on this. Defra continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can deliver a ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern in the most effective way.