Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of impact of plastic waste in the environment on the food chain.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
No specific assessment has been made on the impact of plastic waste on the food chain. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is monitoring and assessing emerging information concerning microplastics in food and beverages. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment concluded in 2021 that, based on current data, "it is not yet possible to perform a complete assessment for the potential risks from exposure to micro and nanoplastics via the oral and inhalation routes”. The FSA considers it is unlikely that the presence of these particles in food or drink would cause harm to consumers, based on current information; however, this will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the prominence of microplastic contaminants in (a) foodstuffs and (b) beverages consumed within the UK.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is monitoring and assessing emerging information concerning microplastics in food and beverages. Based on current information, the FSA considers it is unlikely that the presence of these particles in food or drink would cause harm to consumers; however, this will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
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 introduce new regulations to (a) monitor and (b) mitigate the presence of microplastics in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
No assessment has been made. We are commissioning a research project called the ‘Emissions of intentionally added microplastics’ which will investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It will advise on the most effective measures to address risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics.
The Government has, however, taken a targeted approach to tackling microplastic pollution. We’ve already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and we continue to tackle upstream sources of secondary microplastics that leak into the environment, by banning and restricting commonly littered plastic items – including single use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and through our upcoming bans on single use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic subject to public consultation, which will be launched in Autumn 2023.
The UK Government is also proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution to start negotiating an international legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, agreed at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. The process to negotiate a new agreement is now underway, and the UK has taken an ambitious stance, including calling for specific provisions in the agreement to address microplastic pollution.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) monitoring and (b) mitigating the presence of microplastics within the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
No assessment has been made. We are commissioning a research project called the ‘Emissions of intentionally added microplastics’ which will investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It will advise on the most effective measures to address risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics.
The Government has, however, taken a targeted approach to tackling microplastic pollution. We’ve already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and we continue to tackle upstream sources of secondary microplastics that leak into the environment, by banning and restricting commonly littered plastic items – including single use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and through our upcoming bans on single use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. We recently announced in the Plan for Water that we will change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic subject to public consultation, which will be launched in Autumn 2023.
The UK Government is also proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution to start negotiating an international legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, agreed at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. The process to negotiate a new agreement is now underway, and the UK has taken an ambitious stance, including calling for specific provisions in the agreement to address microplastic pollution.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of microplastics in food; and what steps they are taking to investigate this.
Answered by Lord Markham
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to monitor and assess emerging information concerning microplastics in food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the Food Standards Agency and other government departments, and is currently considering the issue of microplastics, having previously concluded that the available data was not sufficient for a complete assessment. The FSA has advised that, based on current information, they consider it is unlikely that the presence of these particles in food or drink would cause harm to consumers. However, this will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Commission proposal to ban the use of recycled rubber infill in artificial pitches, and in particular of its differential impact on (1) Great Britain, and (2) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Based on our commitment to having control of our own laws, the UK has now implemented its own regulatory framework. The EU proposal to ban the use of microplastics in sports pitches will not apply in Great Britain. EU REACH continues to apply in Northern Ireland, where the ban will apply following an 8-year transition period. The scientific and socio-economic evidence to support the EU proposal was considered as part of the EU REACH restriction process. We continue to monitor developments in EU REACH, and consider their impacts for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
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 take steps to work with water companies to explore (a) the management of microplastics in sewage sludge and (b) options for protecting chalk streams; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Last year the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history. The Environment Agency is currently developing a microplastics monitoring plan for English rivers . The Government has prioritised chalk streams in policy and legislation. In the Plan for Water, we reaffirmed our commitment to protecting chalk streams and recognised them as having a special natural heritage.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to improve methods of measuring the (a) amount and (b) types of (i) microplastic and (ii) microfibres in chalk streams; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Environment Agency is currently developing a microplastics monitoring plan for English rivers . The Government has prioritised chalk streams in policy and legislation. In the Plan for Water, we have reaffirmed our commitment to protecting chalk streams and recognised them as having a special natural heritage.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 make it her policy to ensure that all washing machines manufactured and imported in the UK from January 2025 have a microfibre filter.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Plan for Water outlines our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only recently, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to limit microplastic pollution caused by automobile tyres.
Answered by Richard Holden
The development of policy to limit emissions from tyre wear depends on the development of an internationally recognised test procedure for measuring them. This issue is being examined by the UN ECE Particle Measurement Programme (PMP), which includes DfT officials, other international governments, and the automotive industry. DfT is one of the founders of PMP and has played a leading role since its inception.
To support the work of the UN ECE, the Department commissioned a 4-year research project in February 2021 aimed at understanding better the measurement techniques, material properties and control parameters of brake and tyre wear emissions from road vehicles. The outcomes of the project will inform policy and legislation aiming at reducing these emissions on a domestic and international level.
Furthermore, Government is continuing to invest through Innovate UK grants in emerging technologies which reduce non-exhaust emissions.