Tag: Baroness Parminter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have (1) to develop a new strategy for the implementation of the European School Milk Scheme from 2017, and (2) to involve stakeholders in developing that strategy.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

If the European Parliament formally endorses the proposal for a revised EU School Milk Scheme in Plenary on 8 March 2016, it is likely to enter into force in spring 2016 and apply in schools from August 2017. We will use this period to consider the new requirements and consult with interested parties. Member States that wish to participate will be obliged to submit a multi-annual national strategy setting out their priorities for implementing the new Scheme. Detailed rules for the drawing up of national strategies will be adopted by the Commission in a delegated act which will be negotiated in the coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many seized dogs are being held by police services across the UK, and how many of those have been held for over one year.

Lord Bates

This information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of microplastics from toiletries and detergents on aquatic life.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Microplastics from cosmetic products make up a very small percentage of the total of microplastics entering the marine environment, with estimates ranging from 0.01% to 4.1%. Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics 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 for this project is currently undergoing peer review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the consumption of microplastics on human health.

Lord Prior of Brampton

No such assessment has been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when decisions relating to the awards from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles for the low emission bus scheme will be made.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We have received and assessed a large number of high quality bids for Government funding under the Low Emission Bus Scheme. We will be making an announcement of the results in the near future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 15 December 2015 (HL4104), when they intend to make public the report of the Lead Ammunition Group, which was submitted on 3 June 2015, and their response.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government is still in the process of considering the report’s findings and recommendations and will respond to it as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of leakage at landfill sites in Britain, and what plans they have to investigate landfill sites to identify any that are leaking.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating landfill sites that hold an environmental permit, which includes all operational and some closed sites. Operators of landfill sites must comply with their permit conditions and these will normally include a requirement to monitor emissions or leakage. The Environment Agency assesses compliance with permit conditions on an ongoing site-specific basis.

The monitoring and management of historic landfill sites that are no longer operating under a permit is a matter for local authorities under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Government does not hold these records and has therefore not made an assessment of leakage from these sites.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage, by total value, of government departments’ procurement contracts for relevant construction projects meet or exceed the mandatory Government Buying Standard level in 2014–15; and why that data was not included in the Greening Government Commitments annual report for 2014–15.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Greening Government Commitments annual report for 2014-15 sets out the data reported by departments on the proportion of government procurement contracts in a number of key product groups which met or exceeded Government Buying Standards in that year. The information specifically on construction contracts is set out in Annex 2, procurement table 3 of the annual report. As with previous years’ annual reports, the available data is presented by department, rather than for the whole of government. It is not possible to provide a figure on the proportion which met or exceeded the Government Buying Standards for the whole of government, as not all departments were able to report complete information.

It is the responsibility of each Department to put the Government Buying Standards into practice in its own procurement activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the amendments adopted by the European Parliament in September to the proposed Directive on the cloning of certain species for farming purposes (COM (2013) 0892); and what advice they gave to United Kingdom MEPs prior to their adoption.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The UK sees no justification for either the original European Commission proposals for further restrictions on cloning activity or the European Parliament’s proposed extension to the progeny and descendants of clones; and all animal species.

The science is clear that the meat and milk from clones and their offspring is as healthy as from more traditionally reared animals; and EU and national rules already exist to protect the welfare of the livestock concerned.

What is more, there is no cloning of farm animals conducted in the EU at present, so introducing any further controls, will not materially increase welfare standards within the Community.

Briefing to this effect was provided to UK MEPs in advance of the Parliament’s discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire after four years of operation.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government plans to publish a report on the fourth year of licensed badger control operations in parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire as it has done for the first three years. The Animal and Plant Health Agency continues to assess annually the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle in areas where badger control is licensed for the purposes of controlling the disease. The analysis after the first two years in Somerset and Gloucestershire is available on the gov.uk website.