Contributions
1,962 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWater White PaperThe noble Lord, Lord Teverson, talked about science and there not being a lot of it. One thing we are going to do is bring in a new chief engineer to bring more technical…26 Jan 2026HANSARDWater White PaperI can completely assure the noble Baroness that these issues are being looked at outwith these proposals. These are concerns that we are taking very seriously in the department.26 Jan 2026HANSARDWater White PaperI thank the noble Lord for his comments. It would be useful for me to perhaps have a cup of tea with him and understand specifically which resources he is referring to, because it…26 Jan 2026HANSARDWater White PaperThe problem with targets is that half the time they are not met. With the water White Paper, we are looking at ways in which we can improve the infrastructure and get proper…26 Jan 2026HANSARDWater White PaperI think that much of what the noble Lord has talked about is what I need to feed back to the department. Obviously, this is a White Paper; it is not the final version of what any…26 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeMy noble friend knows that water companies are private companies. He also knows that we have a criminal justice system that the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice work in.…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeProsecutions take a long time to work through the legal system and the court system, but numbers are in line with other law enforcement agencies when we compare them with the…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeThe Environment Agency’s exceptional decision to progress works to entirely clear the site at Kidlington of waste followed new information and advice from the fire and rescue…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeMy Lords, the Government are committed to tackling waste crime. The Environment Agency assesses all reports of waste crime and deploys its resources against the offending that…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeThe Government are committed to the introduction of digital waste tracking, and the analysis of data that this brings will enable us to provide a significant asset for regulators…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeAs I said, we do not think the status quo is working. We need to look at how tidying up and tackling waste crime, both from the start and at the clearing up end of things, are…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeWe are happy to look at all options for how to move forward, because the situation is unacceptable. On the Environment Agency’s role in waste crime enforcement, the total budget…14 Jan 2026HANSARDLarge-scale Waste CrimeI am sure the noble Viscount and others know that the Kidlington situation was utterly appalling. It was, as he said, quite extraordinary that it was allowed to happen. It is…14 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingI have in the past done exactly that and we will continue to look at how we can improve animal welfare by encouraging take-up of the demonstration of life protocol. As we look to…13 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingThe official veterinarians in the Food Standards Agency are present in all approved slaughterhouses during slaughter operations. It is their job to monitor and enforce animal…13 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingMy Lords, the Government encourage the highest standards of animal welfare and slaughter and would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter. As set out in the…13 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingAs I said in my Answer, we encourage all animals to be stunned before slaughter. It is what we would prefer as a Government—clearly, as someone who strongly supports animal…13 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingObviously, it is important that any labelling is completely accurate; it has to be transparent, and any discriminatory matters have to be carefully thought through, as the noble…13 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingI have every sympathy for the noble Earl’s concerns about the closure of small abattoirs and the distances that animals have to travel. I was previously the president of the Rare…13 Jan 2026HANSARDMeat LabellingAll trade deals, whether for import or export, are expected to meet the relevant animal welfare trade standards that we set in this country—that is what we expect as our…13 Jan 2026