Joe Robertson MP: written questions
1049 published records · newest first.
Written questions
WRAP: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43345 on WRAP: Finance, if he will provide the hyperlink to the grant agreement .
Answer: The grant agreement contains commercially sensitive information and will not be published. Details of the grant will be published on the Grants register held at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-grants-data-and-statistics. This informat...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWRAP: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57189More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43345 on WRAP: Finance, if he will itemise the work programme for which WRAP received the grant in 2025-26.
Answer: The itemised work programme for which WRAP has received DEFRA funding (now finalised at £5,949,500) is summarised below: Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Project: Ensure Local Authority payments reflect efficient packaging waste management unde...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Agency: StaffDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57188More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Environment Agency staff worked on compliance with requirements for office workplace recycling in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answer: The corporate estate of the Environment Agency (EA), including offices and depots, is centrally managed by Defra. Many of the EA’s workplaces are shared spaces across the Defra group as a result. Defra group Facilities Management are specifically responsi...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility measures in relation to glass on the cost of a (a) bottled beer and (b) pint of beer in a pub.
Answer: In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector. On 20 December 2024 Defra published the third ve...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRecycling: TaxationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57183More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Extended Producer Responsibility is a tax.
Answer: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) decides the classification of taxes, while the Office of Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) determines how they are treated in fiscal forecasts. In earlier fiscal events OBR have treated pEPR fees as adjustment to depa...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: InsectsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57182More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has commissioned on the potential role of insect protein in (a) animal and (b) human diets in the last ten years.
Answer: Defra’s scientific research is exploring ways to reduce environmental impacts of livestock production, including research to better understand the role of insect protein in pig and poultry feed (not human diets) in addressing this aim. Examples include a ...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Science, Innovation and Technology: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57181More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his Department's policy is on the personal use of IT equipment to access the internet through (a) desktops and (b) wifi by (i) staff and (ii) Ministers.
Answer: All users within the department must adhere to our IT Acceptable Use Policy which details how departmental IT should be used. Departmental provided internet access, corporate IT and email services are intended for business use. Limited personal use is per...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: InternetMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57180More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on the personal use of IT equipment to access the internet through (a) desktops and (b) wifi by (i) staff and (ii) Ministers.
Answer: MHCLG do not provide desktop computers. However all corporate devices are covered by the same policy and terms and conditions.WiFi is provided by the GovWiFi service, which is covered by the GovWiFi Terms and Conditions (Terms and conditions - GovWifi) in...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAutism and Learning Disability: Psychiatric HospitalsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people with (a) a learning disability and (b) autism in mental health hospitals.
Answer: The latest National Health Service planning guidance, from 30 January 2025, includes a focus on improving mental health and learning disability care and contains the objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care f...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTransport: Isle of WightDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57036More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which third party companies based on the Isle of Wight her Department has awarded funding to in the last three years; and which projects they have supported.
Answer: In the last three years the Department has provided maritime funding, via the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), five Isle of Wight based companies.Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd for the project “Marine to Electric Power – SeNZe-Tech™ the Sm...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordArtemis Technologies: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55871More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding applications her Department has received from Artemis Technologies in each of the last three years; and which of those projects (a) have not been supported and (b) are being considered by her Depar
Answer: In financial year 2024/25 the Department for Transport received no funding applications from Artemis Technologies. In financial year 2023/24 the Department for Transport received six Artemis Technologies applications to the UK Shipping Office for Reducing...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordArtemis Technologies: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55869More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department has awarded to Artemis Technologies in each of the past three years, broken down by project supported.
Answer: In financial year 2024/2025, no funding was awarded to Artemis Technologies.In financial year 2023/24 the Department for Transport provided funding, via the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) R&D Programme, to Artemis Technologies to...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on the long-term housing strategy.
Answer: The government intends to publish a long-term housing strategy later this year.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented Housing: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55811More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to enable social landlords to gain access to building safety remediation funding.
Answer: Across England, social landlords can apply to government remediation funds (Building Safety Fund and Cladding Safety Scheme). They can apply for funding equivalent to (1) the amount which the social landlord would otherwise be entitled to pass on to lease...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the agreement between the EU and UK to create a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement of 19 May 2025, whether agri-food tech exports would be required to meet (a) UK a
Answer: The EU have accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support pu...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBeverage Containers: Deposit Return SchemesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54510More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd includes representation from (a) small businesses and (b) the wider beverage industry.
Answer: Small businesses, including small producers and retailers, are key to the success of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. During the development of DRS policy and legislation, the Government worked closely with small businesses and their...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlastics and Metals: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54509More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the inclusion of (a) plastic containers and (b) metal cans in the extended producer responsibility scheme following the rollout of the deposit return scheme
Answer: The Government is not currently considering changes to the scope of pEPR or Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The DRS regulation sets out the requirement for the Government to conduct a post implementation review of the DRS to consider its effectiveness, costs...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: Deposit Return SchemesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include glass in the deposit return scheme from 2027.
Answer: The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres. Materials included are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers In England, Northern ...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54146More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the (a) Extended Producer Responsibility and (b) Deposit Return Scheme thresholds for beverage manufacturers are applied (i) per-brand and (ii) according to the size of the par
Answer: If a business is the brand owner of the packaging, then they must include this when determining how much packaging they handle. There is guidance available on gov.uk and the ‘Extended producer responsibility for packaging: Regulators’ agreed positions and...
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54145More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to review extended producer responsibility fees.
Answer: Producers were required to submit their final 2024 data by 1 April 2025. Following this deadline, we are conducting regulatory checks. Once checks are conducted to an appropriate level, we will use 2024 data and insight from regulator checks to publish pE...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBeverage Containers: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce a requirement for tethered caps on drinks before 2029.
Answer: There are no plans to introduce a tethered caps requirement before 2029.
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBeverage Containers: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a UK-based beverage manufacturer can accept returns of all recyclable product packaging to offset their Extended Producer Responsibility levy.
Answer: Existing provisions in the pEPR regulations only allow for offsets from disposal cost fees for: packaging that is not commonly collected by Local Authorities for recycling, defined as packaging collected by less than 75% of Local Authorities; orreusable p...
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBeverage Containers: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether beverage industry manufacturers will be required to pay the Extended Producer Responsibility levy if they sell their products in the on-trade market with proof from the vendor
Answer: The current regulations do not allow for this. This is because there are real challenges in effectively applying and compliance monitoring such an exemption across all sectors and producer types, resulting in a significant risk of misreporting and fraud. ...
Answered 28 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Dysphoria: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52955More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to remove the minimum age of referral to specialist gender identity clinics.
Answer: On 7 August 2024, NHS England published a new service specification that describes the pathway onto the waiting list for NHS Children and Young People's Gender Services in line with the recommendations of the Cass Review. The service specification does no...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMarine Protected AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ban bottom trawling within more English Marine Protected Areas.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath on 13 November 2024, PQ 13315.
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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