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  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to provide funding for energy efficiency projects in the next Contracts for Difference allocation round.

    Andrea Leadsom

    No. The next CfD allocation round in late 2016, is for ‘less established’ technologies (Pot 2) only.

    There are a number of schemes operated by central and local government, and by the devolved administrations, which support energy efficiency measures for both domestic and non-domestic consumers. Information on these can be obtained from the Energy Saving Trust:

    http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/

    “

  • Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what value of dairy produce was imported from each country of origin in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    The HMRC data has been provided on a ‘country of despatch’ basis, rather than the requested ‘country of origin’ basis, as ‘country of despatch’ trade data is considered a more accurate representation of actual levels of trade.

    The table below shows the value of dairy produce imported into the UK, for the last five years, according to HMRC trade statistics:

    £/million

    Country

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    *2015

    Irish Republic

    689.1

    662.6

    767.3

    702.6

    594.1

    France

    484.2

    510.0

    559.5

    568.4

    392.0

    Germany

    286.3

    283.5

    336.5

    345.1

    241.4

    Netherlands

    169.2

    237.2

    277.2

    252.1

    187.3

    Belgium

    216.3

    209.5

    239.4

    196.0

    142.0

    Italy

    174.1

    162.4

    168.5

    174.5

    111.9

    Denmark

    214.1

    195.1

    153.1

    160.0

    70.7

    Greece

    44.8

    44.9

    53.7

    60.7

    70.2

    Poland

    28.4

    31.9

    42.0

    43.4

    41.2

    Spain

    31.8

    36.8

    44.3

    39.6

    31.9

    Cyprus

    16.3

    17.2

    20.4

    26.6

    22.2

    Others

    96.8

    95.9

    102.6

    134.7

    91.9

    Grand Total

    2,451.4

    2,487.0

    2,764.4

    2,703.6

    1,996.9

    Source: HM Revenue and Customs. Data prepared by the Food & Trade Statistics team, Great British Food Unit, Defra.

    *2015 data are subject to amendments. Totals may not add up to the sum of their components due to rounding.
  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will extend her Department’s OpenDefra initiative to the Rural Payments Agency and Land Registry.

    George Eustice

    The OpenDefra initiative extends to the whole of Defra including the Rural Payments Agency. The initiative does not extend to the Land Registry.

    The Rural Land Register, the Land Management System that has replaced it, or other systems maintained by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), do not look to establish land ownership. The RPA is required to maintain information on land use, in England because land use, and the entitlement to use it, is one of the determining factors in relation to eligibility to claim funds that RPA validates.

    We are currently reviewing, the Data Protection Act, confidentiality of information held and intellectual property rights to determine whether information on land use can be released under the open data initiative.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make maps of UK land ownership available as open data as part of her Department’s OpenDefra initiative.

    George Eustice

    The OpenDefra initiative extends to the whole of Defra including the Rural Payments Agency. The initiative does not extend to the Land Registry.

    The Rural Land Register, the Land Management System that has replaced it, or other systems maintained by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), do not look to establish land ownership. The RPA is required to maintain information on land use, in England because land use, and the entitlement to use it, is one of the determining factors in relation to eligibility to claim funds that RPA validates.

    We are currently reviewing, the Data Protection Act, confidentiality of information held and intellectual property rights to determine whether information on land use can be released under the open data initiative.

  • Andrew Bingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Bingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bingham on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons public bodies are permitted to import meat and meat products which due to poor welfare standards would be illegal to produce in the UK.

    George Eustice

    Government Buying Standards for food and catering services are mandatory for central government and encouraged in the wider public sector. The standards require that all food served must have been produced in compliance with UK legal standards for animal welfare.

    To protect the supply of food to central government and other public bodies, including prisons and the military, the only exception is for the procurement of pig and poultry meat. This means that in the event that UK market conditions impose a significant increase in costs that cannot be compensated for by savings elsewhere, pig and poultry meat must as a minimum meet EU standards and the reasons for not applying UK welfare standards must be recorded and signed off by a senior official in the organisation concerned.

  • Henry Bellingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Henry Bellingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Bellingham on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the salaries were of the five highest-paid people at the Environment Agency in the last financial year.

    Rory Stewart

    The salaries of the five highest paid people at the Environment Agency in the last financial year, 2014 to 2015, were published in our annual report and accounts and can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/442886/LIT_10133.pdf

    “

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of her Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

    George Eustice

    As of February 2016, 89% of Defra Senior Civil Servants and 82% of core Defra policy civil servants are based in London.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last five financial years.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra has spent a total of £11.6 million on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories over the last five financial years as follows:

    2015/16 – £2.2 million

    2014/15 – £1.6 million

    2013/14 – £2.2 million

    2012/13 – £2.9 million

    2011/12 – £2.7 million

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has held with the cosmetics industry on the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products.

    George Eustice

    Defra has been working with other countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) to secure the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products. As part of this, discussions have been held with the British Cosmetics Association, the European trade association Cosmetics Europe, and the British Plastics Federation. In response to these discussions, Cosmetics Europe has recommended that micro-beads should not be used in cosmetics. In addition, many UK cosmetics brands have publically committed to removing micro-beads from their products. Discussions between OSPAR and the industry to achieve the phase out are ongoing.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has funded into the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment in the last 12 months; what the terms of reference are for such research; what institution is undertaking that research; when such research will report; and if she will make it her policy to publish the results of such research.

    George Eustice

    Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report is currently undergoing peer review and is expected to be published shortly.