Contributions
1,459 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTrade in Animals and Animal Products (Legislative Functions) and Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019My Lords, both statutory instruments before your Lordships serve three purposes. They make a number of technical operability changes to existing instruments to ensure that…07 Oct 2019HANSARDTrade in Animals and Animal Products (Legislative Functions) and Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019My Lords, I should have declared my farming interests as set out in the register. That was remiss of me. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Hope of Craighead, took your Lordships to…07 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsMy Lords, a lot of us are now very much using renewable bottles. I am pleased to say that, in the Year of Green Action, I have one in my office that is very useful. That is why I…01 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsIn fairness, if we want consistency of recycling in all local authorities, it will take time, because you have to build installations—they do not happen at the flick of a switch.…01 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsThe noble Baroness is right that a number of responsible companies have already started to remove plastic prior to the ban in April 2020. I encourage all manufacturers to think…01 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsMy Lords, we have banned microbeads on personal care products, reduced single-use plastic carrier bags and invested £100 million in plastics innovation. We are banning the supply…01 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsMy Lords, the noble Lord is right to raise the oceans. As 80% of the waste in the oceans comes from the land, the first thing is to stop it getting there. I understand that…01 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsI declare my membership of the National Trust, and indeed, my compostable bag was put on my compost heap over the weekend.01 Oct 2019HANSARDSingle-use PlasticsMy Lords, we have said that we will be introducing the environment Bill in the second Session. I very much look forward to it, if I am in position, and hope that this will be…01 Oct 2019HANSARDBrexit: Access to EU SystemsFirst, if food was sent to this country from within the EU, there is under European Union law a requirement that we would be notified. That is in place, and I have already said…30 Sept 2019HANSARDBrexit: Access to EU SystemsI think we are all subject to 75 words, which is rather a problem. This is why we have taken the steps to scale up our work with INFOSAN, which is 180 countries strong. New…30 Sept 2019HANSARDBrexit: Access to EU SystemsMy Lords, as I said, that is precisely why the Government’s top priority is to ensure that the UK’s food remains safe. The noble Lord was a distinguished chairman of the Food…30 Sept 2019HANSARDBrexit: Access to EU SystemsMy Lords, talks are intensifying and we are working to secure a new deal with the EU. The Government remain committed to maintaining the relationship with the Commission on RASFF…30 Sept 2019HANSARDBrexit: Access to EU SystemsI have no doubt that, as we have seen for the last three years, negotiations will not be straightforward. However, I have spent a lot of time in rural affairs and in rural…30 Sept 2019HANSARDCharities: Plastic Bag ChargesMy Lords, there is no legal requirement for businesses to donate the proceeds from the charge to charities; businesses are encouraged to donate. The Government’s proposals are at…09 Sept 2019HANSARDPeatlands: Commercial ExploitationMy Lords, obviously, that is a possible action, but we want to find the alternatives that will make the use of peat redundant and unnecessary. Peat is a very important natural…09 Sept 2019HANSARDPeatlands: Commercial ExploitationMy Lords, I am pleased to say, as I think I may have said before, that we have already allocated £10 million to restore nearly 6,500 hectares of degraded peatland. These projects…09 Sept 2019HANSARDPeatlands: Commercial ExploitationMy Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely right. The merlin, the dunlin and the golden plover are all birds that are also significant in their impact on the ecosystems and important…09 Sept 2019HANSARDPeatlands: Commercial ExploitationUndoubtedly, peat bogs and fens help with flood management and improve water quality. Indeed, they play a considerable part in climate regulation, which is why in the wider…09 Sept 2019HANSARDPeatlands: Commercial ExploitationAs an amateur gardener, I agree with what the noble Baroness has said. It is precisely why we have embarked on a £1 million project, which ends at the end of this year, co-funded…09 Sept 2019