Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Nature for Climate Fund has been spent; and on which projects.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
There is over £650 million available through the Nature for Climate Fund (NCF) to support tree planting, woodland creation and management until 2025.
For 2022/23 alone we have made available:
Over £14 million is available through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund and Urban Tree Challenge Fund which allow both local authorities and community groups to access funds for new tree-planting projects. These have just reopened and we would encourage local authorities and community groups to apply and support tree planting in their local areas.
The NCF is already providing over £33 million to restore 20,000 hectares of peatlands, with a further bidding round in 2023.The NCF Discovery Grant has also awarded over £5 million to 15 projects across England, stretching from Dorset to Northumberland, enabling the foundation work needed to prepare for the restoration of over 51,000 ha of peatland.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Greening Government Commitments 2020 to 2021 report has not been published; and when the Government plans to publish it.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Greening Government Commitments 2020-21 annual report was delayed to reduce pressure on facilities teams across government, as a result of COVID-19. We continue to make progress in reducing our environmental impacts and the report will be published in early 2023.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) roadside air pollution is kept under a legal limit and (b) the UK meets its air quality targets set under the Environment Act 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government has placed a duty on local authorities to keep air pollution within legal limits and we expect them to take action. The Government has provided £883m of dedicated funding to help local authorities develop and implement local NO2 air quality plans and support those affected by these plans. This sits alongside wider funding to support the transition to cleaner, more sustainable transport, including £2bn to kickstart a cycling and walking revolution, and £120m to support zero emission buses as part of the £3bn National Bus Strategy.
The UK has a high ambition for domestic air quality. The targets to be set under the Environment Act 2021 and the policy paths by which they will be achieved will be announced shortly.
Using new powers under the Environment Act 2021 we have on 7 December designated National Highways as a Relevant Public Authority which means National Highways will be required to collaborate with local authorities in developing and carrying out their Air Quality Action Plans. This means that all authorities with responsibility for roads in England are now required to work together to ensure that Air Quality Objectives are not exceeded at roadside.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps will be taken in the design of England’s DRS to avoid material switching from smaller formats to larger containers.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
In our 2021 consultation, we set out a proposal that the Deposit Management Organisation would be able to decide whether to have a fixed or variable deposit. A variable deposit could help prevent significant shifts in consumer behaviour. Further details on next steps for DRS will be set out in the upcoming Government's response to the 2021 consultation. We are working towards publication shortly.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will publish an updated cost-benefit analysis of the introduction of DRS against current recycling rates.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Government published a consultation stage impact assessment alongside the publication of our 2021 consultation in March 2021, and can be found here - https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environment/consultation-on-introducing-a-drs/supporting_documents/Impact%20Assessment.pdf. Further details on next steps for DRS will be set out in the upcoming Government's response to the 2021 consultation. We are working towards publication shortly. We are continuing to update our cost benefit analysis and will publish a Final Impact Assessment in advance of the DRS regulations being laid in Parliament.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has made an assessment on the efficacy of installing in-road apparatus to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions and concentrations of particulate matter from motor vehicles on UK roads.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government is aware of this emerging technology but notes that it is still in development. Currently there is limited peer reviewed evidence available on real world application and the impact of the technology on concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. Defra and DfT will continue to assess the operational relevance of promising science and technology such as this on an ongoing basis.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the full evidence behind in the decision to exclude glass from the Deposit Return Scheme, including the assessment it would have had on glass recycling and impact on consumer behaviour.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Government published a consultation stage impact assessment alongside the publication of our 2021 consultation in March 2021, and can be found here - https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environment/consultation-on-introducing-a-drs/supporting_documents/Impact%20Assessment.pdf. Further details on next steps for DRS will be set out in the upcoming Government's response to the 2021 consultation. We are working towards publication shortly. We are continuing to update our cost benefit analysis and will publish a Final Impact Assessment in advance of the DRS regulations being laid in Parliament.