Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Thursday Volume 673 19 March 2020 No. 44 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 19 March 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1115 19 MARCH 2020 1116 road transport and aims to cut air pollution and save House of Commons lives. That strategy includes new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies to clean up our air. Thursday 19 March 2020 Deidre Brock (Edinburgh North and Leith) (SNP): Will the Minister join me in welcoming the more stringent air pollution reduction targets that the Scottish Government The House met at half-past Nine o’clock have agreed in legislation, and does she agree that the UK Government should match those targets in their Environment Bill? PRAYERS Rebecca Pow: I thank the hon. Lady for her question, but actually our clean air strategy has been described by [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] the World Health Organisation as “an example for the rest of the world to follow”. BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS With our £3.8 billion commitment, we are definitely leading the way. WINDRUSH LESSONS LEARNED REVIEW Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, That Tree Planting she will be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid before this House a Return of the Report, entitled Windrush 2. Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab): When the Lessons Learned Review, dated 19 March 2020.—(James Morris.) Government plan to implement their commitment to plant 30,000 hectares of trees per year by 2025. [901640] Oral Answers to Questions 8. Angela Richardson (Guildford) (Con): What plans he has to increase tree planting rates. [901649] ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow): Forestry is devolved, and we are working with the The Secretary of State was asked— devolved Administrations to increase tree planting across Air Pollution the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025. To drive up planting rates in England, we announced a new £640 million 1. Sara Britcliffe (Hyndburn) (Con): What steps his nature for climate fund, and we are developing an Department is taking to tackle the effect of air pollution. ambitious delivery programme. We will seek feedback [901638] and evidence on this through our new English tree strategy. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow): Kerry McCarthy: I thank the Minister for that response. Our clean air strategy sets out an ambitious programme The Committee on Climate Change has said that we of action to reduce air pollution from a wide range of need to plant 32,000 hectares a year for the next 30 years sources. We have also put in place a £3.8 billion plan to if we are to meet the net zero target, but my understanding tackle roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Our is that the Government’s recent announcement was that Environment Bill makes a clear commitment to set a they would be planting 30,000 hectares in full by 2025, legally binding target to reduce fine particulate matter not per year. Can the Minister clarify that? The manifesto and enables local authorities to take more effective commitment was per year, but I think the Government action to tackle air pollution in these areas. have not now committed to that. Sara Britcliffe: Hyndburn has the highest levels of air Rebecca Pow: Just for clarification, in our manifesto pollutants in Lancashire and double the county’s average it was 30,000 hectares per year. level of nitrogen dioxide. What work is being done with local councils such as mine to tackle that? Angela Richardson: I thank the Minister for her answer, Rebecca Pow: I thank my hon. Friend for her question; and I welcome the investment in our green infrastructure. I see that she is already standing up for her constituency. May I ask how the Government have funded woodland Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010. Emissions creation? of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 33% and are at their lowest level since records began, but that is not to say Rebecca Pow: The Government have made major that there is not a great deal more to do. In Hyndburn, commitments. Chiefly,as I have mentioned, we announced nitrogen dioxide concentrations around roads are actually the £640 million nature for climate fund in our manifesto. within the statutory air quality limit, though local authorities Ministers are working with officials on policy proposals are empowered to address local air quality concerns to increase tree planting in England over this Parliament. within their community.Wehave put in place a £3.8 billion We have also kick-started funding for planting the new plan to improve air quality and deliver cleaner transport, Northern and Great Northumberland forests. In addition, and last year we published our world-leading clean air last year we opened the £50 million woodland carbon strategy, which focuses on broader emissions beyond guarantee, giving long-term income support to new 1117 Oral Answers 19 MARCH 2020 Oral Answers 1118 woodland creation projects, while pump-priming the Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): I declare an domestic carbon market, which is obviously something interest, as a member of Kettering Borough Council, that will grow. which is increasing its planting of British native trees from 250 to 500 a year and supports plans for 40 hectares Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP): I thank the Minister of new trees across north Northamptonshire on an for her responses so far. In her statement in answer to annual basis. What more can be done to incentivise the original question, she referred to having been in local authorities to plant more trees? touch with the Northern Ireland Assembly and the regional Administrations. Northern Ireland lags behind Rebecca Pow: As ever, my hon. Friend is a fantastic when it comes to tree planting. What discussions has advocate for his constituency. Many local authorities the Minister had with the Northern Ireland Assembly are embarking on excellent planting schemes. There will to ensure that tree planting in Northern Ireland catches be some big opportunities through the Environment up with the tree planting that she mentioned in her Bill in the biodiversity net gain sector, where lots of statement and answers? people will be able to offset when building a development; they can plant some trees to add 10% more biodiversity. Rebecca Pow: Obviously, we are keen for tree planting There will be opportunities right around the country to expand everywhere, including Scotland. Scotland through the new nature recovery strategies which my already does a lot of tree planting, because the nature of hon. Friend’s local authority will be a part of providing, its landscape is somewhat different from ours. We have and that will determine where the trees should be planted. a raft of measures, and our officials will be speaking to officials in Northern Ireland. It is very important that Deforestation we keep all that contact and do this as a joint thing. Trees work on the atmosphere: they hold the carbon 3. Liz Twist (Blaydon) (Lab): What steps the Government dioxide, and that goes everywhere, so we need to be are taking to end deforestation in commodity supply doing this jointly. chains as agreed in the Amsterdam declaration on Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con): deforestation. [901642] It is absolutely right that we vastly ramp up tree planting to help with carbon capture, but may I ask the Minister The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for not to overlook kelp? It absorbs more than six times the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow):I amount of carbon as trees. We have vast tracts of feel like a jack-in-a-box, Mr Speaker. seabed available, not least off Sussex. It helps with The UK supports a number of initiatives to eliminate marine conservation, and it is also a food source. Please deforestation from supply chains in line with the aims could we look at that more closely, and at how we can of the Amsterdam declaration. That includes establishing promote it, as we want to do, in Sussex? UK roundtables on palm oil and soya to help UK companies realise sustainable sourcing commitments Rebecca Pow: My hon. Friend raises an incredibly and supporting the tropical forest alliance, a public-private interesting point. It is something I am personally very initiative with over 160 members. We also convene the interested in. As we speak, there is a project under way global resource initiative, which will shortly recommend to plant kelp and to look at how its carbon capture is further actions that the UK can take to green our going. Mudflats are similarly really important, as are supply chains. salt marshes. There could be a big future for this on our new horizon of dealing with the land and the landscape. Liz Twist: In the year when are due to host COP26, All this carbon capture is a new feature in relation to the Environment Bill must be world leading and set an climate change, and I think kelp will definitely be part example for other countries to follow. How will DEFRA of it. take responsibility for the UK’s global footprint, and John Spellar (Warley) (Lab): The Minister has talked will the Minister confirm that there will be action to a lot about planting trees, but made no mention of remove deforestation from UK supply chains in future? where those trees will come from; in other words, will they be sourced within the UK or will we be importing Rebecca Pow: The hon.