Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ministers were taking questions
in the Commons. Subjects covered included...
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Climate Change Adaptation
(Blaydon) (Lab)
1. What plans she has to implement the recommendations on climate
change adaptation in the May 2019 Committee on Climate Change
report on net zero carbon emissions. [912183]
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr )
The Government recognise the need for urgent action on climate
change—on both mitigation and adaptation. For example, we are
investing £2.6 billion over six years on flood defences. Some
sectors are already adapting to the changing climate. When I
visited the Fruit Focus event in Kent, I learned that the climate
is now better suited for apricot production and for vineyards.
The good news is that this will mean more high-quality English
sparkling wine to toast the health and success of our new Prime
Minister.
Do I detect an end-of-term feel about the Minister’s comments?
What analysis has the Minister undertaken of the impact on homes,
infrastructure and communities as a result of climate change over
the next 10 to 20 years? Will he share that analysis with the
House, so that Members are able to assess the impact on our
constituencies?
Mr Goodwill
I thank the hon. Lady for that question. The Committee on Climate
Change assessed 33 sectors, and we welcome its report. We are
committed to taking robust action to improve resilience to
climate change. We will formally respond to the Committee’s
detailed recommendations in October, in line with the timetable
set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, and that will include the
way climate change affects communities.
(Newbury) (Con)
Does my hon. Friend the Minister agree that tackling and adapting
to climate change has the virtue not only of being the right
policy—making sure that we continue to be a world leader in this
regard—but of being popular?
Mr Goodwill
As we switch the way we support our farmers from the basic
payment system to paying public money for public goods, getting
action on climate change will be just one of those public goods
that we can deliver outside the European Union.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
The Minister might be toasting the new Prime Minister, but I do
wonder how much hot air is being generated and what contribution
that will make to the net emissions target. The Scottish
Government have committed to net zero by 2045, rather than the UK
Government’s 2050 target. Is the UK not willing to match that
level of ambition?
Mr Goodwill
When it comes to hot air, pots and kettles spring to mind.
I look forward to working with the Scottish Administration to
achieve the target. This is not a party political issue. Every
single part of this House wants to take action on climate change,
and it is vital that we do so to deliver a cleaner and greener
planet in the future.
(Gordon) (Con)
This is perfect weather for barbecues and enjoying Scottish beef.
Does the Minister agree that the beef industry is doing its bit
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from burping cows?
Mr Goodwill
Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, but it is interesting to
note that, unlike carbon dioxide, which takes 100 years to
dissipate, methane dissipates in about 12 years. That means that
if we can reduce the current rate of methane production—never
mind net zero—we will actually reduce the amount of methane in
the atmosphere, which will be an important way of contributing to
our net zero targets.
Forestry Investment Zones: England
(Berwick-upon-Tweed)
(Con)
2. What steps she is taking to designate forestry investment
zones in England. [912184]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
We are piloting the first forestry investment zone in Cumbria to
learn how best to support long-term forestry investment. I was
delighted to visit Northumberland last week to discuss with my
hon. Friend and others how to increase tree planting rates. We
have everyone from the county council to the national park
agreeing to work together to increase woodland creation in that
great county.
I welcome the Minister’s visit to Northumberland last week and
thank him for his kind words. Does he agree that what we need is
a whole of Northumberland FIZ, which will be structured to allow
long-term private investment to support local landowners to plant
and, importantly, maintain extensive commercial and amenity
planting projects, so that our 11 million new carbon sinks—our
trees—will be a reality, not just a plan?
I welcome my hon. Friend’s further comments on the development of
a FIZ in Northumberland and completely agree that we need to do
more to make our long-term tree planting aspirations a reality.
As we discussed last week, we need to explore further the
opportunities around the potential FIZ in Northumberland, basing
them around the lessons learned from the Cumbria pilot. I welcome
the positive work that has already taken place. We clearly need
to do a lot more to achieve our ambitious targets across the
country and in Northumberland.
Mr (Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Minister knows that the Tory Administration in the 18th and
19th centuries stole the public land from the people. That is the
truth of the matter. The enclosure Acts were a stain on the
history of this country. Is it not about time that we gave that
land back and grew trees on it—and that we did so seriously, not
through playing around with words?
Of course we need to do more to plant more trees, and we are
taking that action. We are already committed to planting 11
million trees by 2022 and we are well on target to achieve that
aim, but our aspirations are much bigger—going to 12% level of
woodland cover by 2060.
Plastic Pollution
(Chelmsford) (Con)
3. What steps she is taking to tackle plastic pollution. [912185]
Sir (Southend West) (Con)
17. What steps she is taking to tackle plastic pollution.
[912199]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
() rose—
Hon. Members
Hear, hear.
Thank you. It is good to be back at this Dispatch Box.
Our priority is preventing plastic waste from entering the
environment in the first instance. The resources and waste
strategy sets out our plans to eliminate avoidable plastic waste,
including measures to tackle certain single-use plastic items.
This week we published Government responses to consultations on
measures that include making recycling easier and ensuring that
producers pay the full cost of managing their packaging waste
responsibly.
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on her new role.
Pupils from Kings Road Primary School and the Bishops’ Primary
School in Chelmsford want to do more to reduce single-use
plastic. I have obviously given them copies of “Vicky’s Guide to
Going Green”, but what top tips would my right hon. Friend like
to share?
There are many top tips in our 25-year environment plan, and I
commend my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for
Surrey Heath (), for his world-leading work
on this matter. A key message to get across to all the
schoolchildren around the country who want to take part in
tackling plastic waste is: don’t drop litter.
Sir
I also congratulate my right hon. Friend on her appointment. Will
she join me in congratulating the students from the National
Citizen Service I met at Roots Hall in Southend on Monday, who,
inspired by David Attenborough, are right at this very minute
picking out plastic from our beautiful coastline in Southend?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Both these questions
illustrate that there is a real attitude out there among the
public that they want to be part of resolving this urgent
problem. The Government will continue to support organisations
such as the National Citizen Service to engage young people and
ensure that they are playing a part in the Government’s
determination to address this problem because people are
concerned about it.
(Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
Nearly 40 million plastic bottles are used in the UK every day,
but the Government’s bottle return scheme does not kick in for
four years. Why so long?
We have gone further than any other Government in history on
tackling plastic waste. I acknowledge the concern felt about the
matter that the hon. Gentleman has raised. We will always try to
move as fast as we can to ensure that we are taking the most
effective action possible, but we also need to take time to
ensure that we get it right. I assure him that I will be working
hard to ensure that this action is delivered as soon as possible.
(Ipswich) (Lab)
I welcome the new Secretary of State to her place.
On 1 May, this House unanimously supported Labour’s declaration
of an environment and climate emergency. The Center for
International Environmental Law predicts that plastics will
contribute to 13% of global carbon emissions by 2050 if no action
is taken, yet the Government’s plans do not envisage that
extended producer responsibility for packaging will come into
force before 2023 or that a 75% recycling rate will be achieved
before 2030. Does the Secretary of State accept that the
emergency requires much faster action?
I look forward to working with the shadow Front Benchers on these
issues. We have gone further and faster than the previous Labour
Government with radical changes, including the plastic bag tax
and our plans to ban plastic stirrers and other plastic products.
We are a world-leading country on this issue, and we will
continue to be so because we are determined to tackle the
problem.
Air Pollution: Local Authority Funding
(Manchester, Withington)
(Lab)
4. What assessment the Government have made of the adequacy of
funding allocated to support local authority implementation of
air pollution reduction plans. [912186]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey)
The Government have invested £3.5 billion in improving air
quality and £495 million is specifically set aside for councils
where they are in breach of nitrogen dioxide limits. We will
continue to support councils in a variety of ways to improve air
quality.
Residents and businesses want to play their part in Greater
Manchester’s plans to reduce air pollution, but unless the
Government will properly support plans for vehicle upgrades and
for retrofitting, many businesses will not be able to afford to
do so. When will the Government give the clarity and the
assurances on funding that businesses in Greater Manchester need?
Dr Coffey
I have had to send back the plan to the Mayor of Greater
Manchester because it is not ambitious enough in making changes
in Manchester as quickly as possible to improve air quality for
the residents there.
(Putney) (Con)
Local authorities will not be able to fix the massive air
pollution that is caused by a third runway expansion at Heathrow.
The new Secretary of State and I both voted against that plan,
and of course the new Prime Minister is a long-standing opponent.
But pollution goes far wider than air pollution—it is also noise
pollution—and it is in conflict with our law on net zero carbon
emissions by 2050 that this House passed unanimously. Will the
new Secretary of State now insist that this project is put on
hold and that a review of it is undertaken before any further
work is done?
Dr Coffey
It is the absolute priority for the people who are developing the
third runway to come forward with a plan that meets environmental
targets in law. If they do not, they will not get the consent to
make it happen. However, I am highly confident that the operators
of Heathrow airport will be able to devise such a plan.
Air Quality
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
13. People with lung conditions find it really difficult to
breathe on days like today. Poor air quality contributes to poor
lung health, and the World Health Organisation calls this a
public health emergency. So will the Secretary of State, as her
first act in post, introduce a clean air Act as a priority and a
matter of urgency? [912195]
Dr Coffey
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to talk about the importance of
tackling air pollution with regard to lung health and other
medical conditions. That is why we have been consistently working
on this ever since I have been an Environment Minister, and air
quality continues to improve. We are very conscious that the
clean air strategy was welcomed by the World Health Organisation
as being world-leading and something that it wanted other
countries to pursue. The hon. Lady will well know that measures
are being planned on air quality that will be in the forthcoming
environment Bill.
(Redditch) (Con)
Many parents, including those in Redditch, are worried about the
impact of air pollution on their children’s lungs, especially
when they are going to and from school. Will the new Secretary of
State, who I warmly welcome to her place, ensure that local
authorities’ funding under the clean air strategy is adequate to
help them to tackle this problem?
Dr Coffey
I hope that my hon. Friend is aware that councils already have
many powers to improve issues relating to cars and other
vehicles, especially around schools. I would encourage her to
work with Redditch Borough Council and Worcestershire County
Council on taking advantage of those powers. She will also be
aware that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for
Transport has indicated that we are going to increase the fines
for idling.
Tree Planting
(Hornchurch and Upminster)
(Con)
5. What plans she has to increase tree planting rates. [912187]
(Lewes) (Con)
11. What plans she has to increase tree planting rates. [912193]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
To encourage more planting, we have modified our main grant
schemes and announced additional funding of £10 million for urban
trees and £50 million for the woodland carbon guarantee scheme.
We have invested £5.7 million in the northern forest. We have
also reappointed our tree champion to develop our tree strategy
so that we can plan to consult on this later in the year. That
demonstrates our commitment to achieving our goal of planting 11
million trees during this Parliament, and our wider aspirations.
I congratulate the Secretary of State on her welcome return to
the top table. Earlier this year, her predecessor visited the
wonderful Thames Chase community forest in my constituency and
planted a tree to contribute to this growing woodland. With the
forest likely to be impacted by the lower Thames crossing, will
the Minister provide an update on the Department’s biodiversity
net gain plans to ensure that major infrastructure projects have
the potential to enhance, not detract from, precious green
spaces?
I know how hard my hon. Friend works for her constituency. We
have committed to mandating biodiversity net gain through the
forthcoming environment Bill. That policy will deliver measurable
improvements to biodiversity through development including
housing and local infrastructure, thereby making sure that
development has a positive environmental impact through habitat
creation or enhancement. The Government are also exploring the
best approaches to net gain for nationally significant
infrastructure, including the lower Thames crossing.
Trees are a vital tool in combating carbon emissions, but in
Seaford and Alfriston in my constituency, trees are having to be
cut down because of elm disease. What support can the Minister
give my local council to ensure not just that those trees are
replaced but that even more are planted?
As my hon. Friend knows, I am very aware of Seaford and
Alfriston, and while no specific grants are currently available
to replace elm in urban settings, there are opportunities for
funding new planting in and around our towns and cities under the
recently launched £10 million urban tree challenge fund. That
fund will support the planting of at least 130,000 trees across
towns and cities in England and contribute towards our manifesto
commitment of planting 1 million urban trees by 2022.
Graham P. Jones (Hyndburn) (Lab)
Hyndburn Borough Council has planted an awful lot of trees. In
fact, I believe that it has planted more trees than any other
borough in Lancashire. When will the Government reward Labour
councils such as Hyndburn Borough Council for the work they have
done to meet the Government’s targets?
I praise the work they are doing. There is a huge opportunity
with the northern forest, which the Government have helped to
kick-start. It will make a huge difference, working through many
community forests. I was pleased to be able to plant the first
Government-funded tree in Bury just a few months ago.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for his response. Tree cover across the UK
mainland is approximately 12%, and in Northern Ireland it is only
8%. What is the Minister doing collectively with the devolved
Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to
improve the lungs of the world by planting more trees?
I praise the work that is going on across the country. Clearly,
there is important work going on in Scotland that we need to
learn from. We are absolutely committed to taking forward this
important work, as I know the hon. Gentleman is, because we need
many more trees to achieve our targets in addressing and tackling
climate change.
Single Use Plastics Directive
(Cheltenham) (Con)
6. What her timescale is for bringing forward legislative
proposals to implement the single use plastics directive
2019/904. [912188]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey)
The Government strongly supported the single use plastics
directive, partly because we were already undertaking several of
the actions proposed. I am confident that the necessary
regulations will be brought in within two years, as happens with
directives, but as I say, we are already on the case.
I am grateful to the Minister for that answer. I recently
arranged for a bottle deposit scheme of the type used in Norway
to come to Cheltenham high street, and I know from the reaction
of my constituents that there is a huge demand to drive down the
number of plastic bottles in our environment. Of course we have
to get the detail right, but does the Minister agree that we
should look at such a scheme very carefully, with a view to
introducing it as quickly as possible?
Dr Coffey
Indeed. The Government published their response to the
consultation just the other day, and we have indicated again our
support for continuing with the scheme. I know that people are
impatient—I am impatient. I have now been to about seven
countries to look at their deposit return schemes. It is complex.
We have the biggest on-the-go market out of any country in
Europe, and we need to ensure that we have a system that works,
alongside all the other reforms we are making, such as extended
producer responsibility and the plastics tax. It is important to
ensure that those are co-ordinated and will have the desired
effect.
Access to Food
(North Herefordshire)
(Con)
7. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on
helping to ensure that everyone has access to (a) safe, (b)
healthy and (c) affordable food. [912189]
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr )
Ministers and officials regularly discuss all aspects of food
security, including accessibility. We have long-established
relationships with industry and work collaboratively to ensure
that the UK continues to have access to safe, nutritious and
affordable food from a wide range of sources, particularly from
British farmers. I plan to visit the Game Fair tomorrow, so I
will make a plug for British game and the grouse that will be
coming into our larders following the glorious twelfth.
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer,
particularly because my newly appointed right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State has not had a chance to speak to her Cabinet
colleagues. The problem with safe food is that we need to be able
to read on the label that it is safe. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse
died because she ate food that was contaminated with sesame
seeds, but the label did not make that clear. We still have a
problem in this country with honesty in labelling. Can more be
done, to ensure that the label says what it is?
Mr Goodwill
Clear labelling is vital, particularly when it comes to
ingredients that may provoke allergic reactions. We have learned
a very sad lesson from that situation, and the Government have
responded.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
On the subject of the Game Fair, it is very sad that Chris
Packham has been banned from attending to speak out against
grouse shooting. I would have thought that the Minister would
welcome free speech on the subject.
On food, the Government grant for school meals has not risen in
the last five years. It is £2.30 per pupil. It is really
difficult to provide nutritious meals for children for that
amount. Can he speak to the Secretary of State for Education
about that?
Mr Goodwill
I will certainly speak to the new Secretary of State for
Education, a fellow Scarborian, to discuss that issue. It is very
important that we have good, nutritious school meals available
for children.
(Tiverton and Honiton)
(Con)
It is a great pleasure to see the new Secretary of State in her
place. I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for
Surrey Heath () for all the work he did on
agriculture. I want to emphasise that, as we produce food in the
future, we can have a better environment, but let us use all the
technologies and everything available so that we can have
affordable, safe food.
Mr Goodwill
Yes, absolutely. There are a number of new technologies that we
can use, not least the opportunities that gene editing may offer
to produce healthier, more productive crops in our fields.
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
I welcome the new Secretary of State to her place. Changes to the
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (England) Regulations
2018, in line with changes to EU rules for ovine age
identification, would go a long way to helping ensure access to
safe and healthy food and would help our farmers, but I am
repeatedly being fobbed off with an excuse that a consultation
will be coming soon. When will we see it?
Mr Goodwill
Having spent a lot of my life looking into sheep’s mouths in
ageing them, I know how important it is to ensure that we have a
system that we can demonstrate clearly does not present any risk
to health. We were keen to move away from carcase splitting. We
took a precautionary approach because of the delays in delivering
Brexit, but I hope we can make progress once we have left the
European Union.
(Romsey and Southampton
North) (Con)
Access to food also requires access to labour to plant, care for
and pick it. Over the last year, I have had many representations
from farmers in my constituency and from the National Farmers
Union. What representations is my right hon. Friend making to
Cabinet colleagues advocating a points-based system to make sure
that that has sufficient flex so that there is access to labour
not just seasonally, but all year round?
Mr Goodwill
My right hon. Friend and I are both former Immigration Ministers,
so we know this issue. Indeed, one of the points made to me at
the Fruit Focus event was the need to access labour to pick our
fruit. The pilot scheme that my right hon. Friend brought forward
during her time at the Home Office is a step in the right
direction, but we do need to ensure we can have the workforce to
pick the fruit, particularly given the weakness of the pound and
the fact that perhaps not all European Union citizens are as
attracted to come to the UK as they were.
Fast Fashion
(Wakefield) (Lab)
8. What plans the Government have to reduce the (a) environmental
and (b) social impact of fast fashion. [912190]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
The Government will be working through the Waste and Resources
Action Programme and with industry on developing an ambitious new
phase of the sustainable clothing action plan. We are planning to
develop regulatory standards and labels to support durable,
repairable and recyclable products; consult on an extended
producer responsibility scheme; and support innovation in textile
recycling. We are also increasing the transparency of reporting
required on modern slavery, and continuing to prioritise the
enforcement of national minimum wage legislation.
I welcome the Secretary of State to her place, but the
announcements she has just made will not go far enough to tackle
the fast fashion epidemic, which is being promoted by shows such
as “Love Island”. It may be bikini weather outside, but when
bikinis are being sold for £1 on fast fashion websites, it is
clear that workers are not getting what they need. When is she
going to bring in extended producer responsibility and ban
clothing from landfill?
First, I very much look forward to working with the hon. Lady’s
Environmental Audit Committee on these and other matters. I very
much hope to appear in front of the members of her Committee when
there is time in their diary.
The hon. Lady raises very important points. I think there is real
consensus across the House that we need action. The Government
have a credible plan, which we are delivering. As I said in
response to earlier questions, we need to ensure that we get this
right. I can assure her that we will be moving towards solutions
on these problems in response to public concern.
(Stafford) (Con)
Does the Secretary of State agree with me that fashion provides
very important livelihoods for people in low-income countries
around the world? As we, rightly, address the question of
sustainability, we must never throw away their livelihoods, which
are so important. In fact, we must seek to ensure that those
livelihoods are improved.
With all these matters, our goal should be to pursue both
prosperity and environmental sustainability at the same time. My
hon. Friend makes a very valid point that in taking forward our
new regulatory structures to tackle this problem, we must also
take into account the impact on developing countries and the
interests of people on low incomes.
(Workington) (Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State to her place. As we have heard,
fast fashion has a negative impact on our environment. The
Secretary of State mentioned environmental sustainability, but
she repeatedly voted against measures to protect the environment
and tackle climate change. How can we trust her to deliver the
transformative change that we need to tackle the climate and
environmental emergency we all face? Will she confirm that net
zero is still the Government’s target, and if so, will she commit
to taking the necessary steps that she previously voted against?
I do not know whose voting record the hon. Lady has been looking
at, but it does not sound like mine. The Government are doing
more on climate change than ever before, and we are one of the
first developed countries in the world to commit to the net zero
target—not something that our Labour predecessors were prepared
to do. I have backed, with enthusiasm, a succession of vital
measures taken by the Government—for example, to ensure that more
of our electricity is generated by renewables than ever before.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Secretary of State was asked—
Topical Questions
(Lewes) (Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities. [912201]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
I am delighted to have been asked to take up the outstanding work
previously begun by my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey
Heath (), and the team of dedicated
public servants at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, and its agencies. I look forward to working to deliver
the Government’s historic commitment to hand on the natural
environment in a better state than we found it, by driving up
animal welfare, championing and supporting our country’s
fantastic food, farming and fisheries, and ensuring that we seize
the opportunities offered by Brexit.
I warmly welcome the Secretary of State to her role. My
constituency has some of the best vineyards in the country, and
places such as Breaky Bottom, Ridgeview and Rathfinny produce
award-winning English sparkling wine. What steps will the
Secretary of State take to promote English sparkling wine at home
and abroad, and may I invite her to visit one of those vineyards
to taste that wine for herself?
I would be delighted to take up the invitation to do a little
tasting of the fantastic wines to which my hon. Friend refers.
The GREAT campaign has a strong focus on the brilliant
high-quality food we produce in this country. In June, English
sparkling wine was promoted at various events in Japan, and the
campaign plans to return there in September and October. In
August and September we will support Wine GB at events in the
United States.
Dr (Stroud) (Lab/Co-op)
I welcome the Secretary of State to her new position. When will
we welcome back the Agriculture Bill and the Fisheries Bill? It
is about time we saw them. We last saw them seven months ago, and
we need them back.
As the hon. Gentleman will know, such matters are in the hands of
the Leader of the House and the official channels, so he might
wish to raise the matter during the business question. I assure
him that we wish to press ahead with these matters as soon as we
are able to do so. This Government are getting on and delivering
on their priorities, including the environment.
(North Herefordshire)
(Con)
T3. I am grateful for the answer that my right hon. Friend gave
earlier. Grass-fed must mean 100% grass-fed, so that people with
food allergies, and particularly those with a sensitivity to
meat, know what they are buying. [912203]
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr )
My hon. Friend is right: people expect clear, honest labelling on
their food, and if marketing terms are not used consistently, the
Government should act. Clear labelling is important not just for
pasture-fed livestock, but for organic food, which is trusted
around that world.
(Enfield, Southgate)
(Lab)
T2. Like many colleagues across the House, I welcome the former
Secretary of State’s comments last week, which committed to
ensuring that the environment Bill contains legally binding
targets on fine particulate matter, in line with World Health
Organisation levels, and to updating the national air quality
strategy to specify an obligation for local authorities to take
official action to protect children’s health from toxic air.
However, additional action without resources is not achievable.
Will the Secretary of State commit to working with the Chancellor
to ensure that vital resources are provided in the upcoming
spending review? [912202]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey)
Discussions on the spending review are already under way,
particularly with the Mayor of London, and we are considering
what more we can do to boost resources. Particulate matter is one
of the key things we need to tackle right across the country.
That is not solely about transport; it is also about domestic
burning, and I am confident that we will bring forward
regulations on how to reduce that.
(Corby) (Con)
T5. I, too, am delighted to see the Secretary of State in her new
role. What steps will her Department take to encourage and ensure
that local authorities recycle as much material as possible, thus
avoiding it needlessly going to landfill? [912205]
In July, we published the Government’s response to the
consultation on consistency in household and business recycling
collections in England. The response sets out plans to legislate
to ensure consistency between local authorities, which is vital
to ensuring that we raise recycling rates, and to people having a
consistent picture and a better understanding of the most
effective ways to recycle.
(City of Chester)
(Lab)
T4. Will the Minister work with other Government Departments to
establish a mandatory register for foxhunts and a mandatory
reporting system for the killing of foxes, so we can see just how
widespread this lawbreaking actually is? [912204]
Dr Coffey
The hon. Gentleman has raised that issue before. It is important
that people obey the law, but I encourage him and others to take
evidence to the police so that the Crown Prosecution Service can
take forward convictions where that is appropriate.
(Clacton) (Con)
T6. Yesterday, I was planning to record a video with then
Secretary of State to commend the campaign I have run with the
World Dog Alliance to outlaw the consumption of dogmeat in the
UK. Sadly, events got in the way. I congratulate the new
Secretary of State on her appointment. Will she join me and many
colleagues in this place in supporting the campaign? Will she
meet me and discuss it further? [912206]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
Our new Secretary of State’s commitment to animal welfare is very
clear. The Government share my hon. Friend’s abhorrence at the
thought of eating dogmeat. I recognise both the substantive and
symbolic nature of the issues he raises. As he knows, I am
exploring actively with colleagues what else we might be able to
do to send the clearest possible signal that this behaviour
should never be tolerated.
(Keighley) (Lab)
Does the Minister share my concern that the Environment Agency
states that Yorkshire Water has unacceptable environmental
pollution performance, and that Yorkshire Water discharged sewage
into the River Wharfe on no fewer than 123 days last year?
Dr Coffey
The Government absolutely take that seriously. Investment in
sewerage has seen a huge reduction in phosphorous and ammonia
entering waters, and the Environment Agency is very active on the
issue. It undertakes checks of the ecological health of rivers
regularly and it will, as will Ofwat, take action against
Yorkshire Water when it fails.
(Mansfield) (Con)
Mansfield and Warsop are full of animal lovers, as is the rest of
the UK. News of tougher sentencing for animal abuse is very
welcome. What steps will the Department take, perhaps working
with charities such as Battersea and others, to make sure that
everybody is aware of the new sentencing rules, so that animal
cruelty can be prosecuted as robustly as possible?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He makes a very good
point. It is not enough just to change the law; we need to make
sure there is a greater awareness of the changes that I hope are
soon to be implemented. I would like to take this opportunity to
pay tribute to the coalition of charities that campaigned so hard
for the proposed legislation, which will shortly come back to the
House, to ensure that we raise the maximum sentences for animal
cruelty.
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
In private, the Government are apparently briefing local
resilience forums about the impact of a no-deal Brexit on food
supply and food prices, and are predicting mass disruption. Will
the Secretary of State confirm whether that is true, and will she
stop keeping people in the dark? Will she publish this
information, so all of us can see whether there are adequate
contingencies in place?
Of course it is right that any responsible Government should
prepare for any scenario. We are working closely with all
stakeholders to make sure there is a proper flow and supply of
food, whatever the scenario.
(Harlow) (Con)
On Saturday, I met impassioned climate change activists Cliff
Kendall and Donna Tyrelli. Cliff Kendall is on hunger strike to
protect the environment. They suggest that the average household
can reduce its energy bills by more than £250 a year by switching
to renewable energy suppliers. What steps is the Department
taking to educate households about such green initiatives that
help to cut the cost of living?
There is a range of programmes under way to encourage people to
switch, both to ensure that they get value for money and to talk
up the advantages of moving to a more sustainable electricity
supply. I will certainly be taking a personal interest in these
matters in my new role.
(Cambridge) (Lab)
Improving the energy efficiency of our homes is one of the best
ways to tackle climate change, yet since 2012 there has been a
95% fall in home insulation programmes. What has gone wrong?
The Government have a strong record on climate change, but I
acknowledge that we need to do more to ensure that people are
able to insulate their homes. We will be working on that in the
months ahead.
(Aberdeen South) (Con)
A year ago, Lewis Pugh was completing his long swim along the
length of the English channel, from Land’s End to Dover. That
incredible feat highlighted the need for full protection of our
seas. What plans does the Minister have to expand the number of
areas of UK waters under full marine protection?
Dr Coffey
Lewis Pugh was one of our “Year of Green Action” ambassadors and
I am delighted that he continues to raise awareness of this
issue. My hon. Friend will be aware of the 41 new marine
conservation zones that we have designated. It would really help
if the Scottish Government could also start designating more
marine conservation zones, so that together as a United Kingdom
we would have more than 30% of our areas protected. I wish my
right hon. Friend the Member for Newbury () well with his highly
protected marine areas review.
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
Will the new Secretary of State apologise to Scottish farmers for
Westminster’s stealing £160 million of EU convergence uplift, and
will she do something to sort out that injustice?
Mr Goodwill
We have regular conversations with the Scottish Administration.
We have made it clear that as we fund the new schemes in the
United Kingdom, they will not be Barnettised and will take
account of the nature of Scottish agriculture. Scotland will get
a fair settlement.
