Contributions
1,483 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBird Control LicencesWe are all grateful to my noble friend for kicking this off when he was Armed Forces Minister. What is happening in the sovereign base areas is excellent, but it needs to be…03 Feb 2022HANSARDBird Control LicencesMy Lords, it is not my position at the Dispatch Box to prescribe noble Lords’ diets, but I entirely agree with my noble friend about the health-giving benefits of natural food.03 Feb 2022HANSARDBird Control LicencesMy Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the register. An assessment such as the noble Baroness describes is not required, as control of wild birds under GL42 has…03 Feb 2022HANSARDBird Control LicencesThere may be cases where that happens, but I imagine that it is very rare. Recently, the British Game Alliance was created, which has sought to develop new markets for this very…03 Feb 2022HANSARDBird Control LicencesThere is an enormous amount of data on the diet of predators such as foxes, and I do not think it is as simple as the noble Baroness makes out. In the vast majority of areas,…03 Feb 2022HANSARDBird Control LicencesThere are very strict sanctions against wildlife criminals in this country: unlimited fines and up to six-month custodial sentences can be awarded where people commit these…03 Feb 2022HANSARDBird Control LicencesThe species of birds on general licence are ones for which it is estimated that there would be no impact to their conservation status if they were controlled. Certain species are…03 Feb 2022HANSARDWet Wipes: DisposalThe Government wish to reflect the cross-party support for action on this, and will be moving quickly, following this call for evidence and the analysis of it. We are, in spirit,…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Industry ReformMy Lords, this Government have made improving water quality a priority and have introduced reforms to enable that. The Environment Act has modernised water resource planning,…25 Jan 2022HANSARDMicrochipping of Dogs (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2022That is a very good point. It was raised by the noble Lord, Lord Trees, and is very much in my mind as we tackle a range of new diseases coming to this country, particularly,…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Industry ReformWater companies have invested £160 billion in a modernised infrastructure. I disagree with the noble Lord about the Environment Act; it sets out a very clear direction of travel…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWet Wipes: DisposalLike every Member of this House, I was repulsed by the fatberg found under the streets of London a few months ago, which was largely created out of wet wipes. The Marine…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWet Wipes: DisposalI hope I can. This issue is an absolute priority for us and fits in very well with a string of measures that the Government have taken in recent years to tackle plastics and the…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWet Wipes: DisposalCurrently, Water UK defines plastic as “synthetic organic material (e.g. petro chemical derived plastic fibres)”. Water UK has said that that Fine to Flush, the standard that it…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWet Wipes: DisposalIt is a very similar philosophical point to that raised by disposable nappies. These are created by manufacturers but used by all of us who have children. We need to find a way of…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWet Wipes: DisposalWe will be working with the proposer of this Bill, Fleur Anderson, to make sure that she understands what we are trying to do alongside her Bill. There are no state secrets here.…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Industry ReformDefra and its agencies received an extra £4.3 billion in the latest spending review in October 2021. We have made extra budget available to the Environment Agency for 50 extra…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Industry ReformThis Government and the regulator are absolutely determined to see an improvement to the situation of sewage being released into rivers. Part of that problem is releases of sewage…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Industry ReformThe noble Lord makes a very good point. Many water issues cross the border, not least the polluting of rivers on either side of the border. They require a very joined-up approach,…25 Jan 2022HANSARDWater Industry ReformI believe the noble Lord will find that, if these water companies think that the provisions of the Environment Act and in the statutory policy statement by Ofwat mean that they…25 Jan 2022