Thursday Volume 682 15 October 2020 No. 120 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 15 October 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/. 501 15 OCTOBER 2020 502 Rebecca Pow: We are very much looking forward to House of Commons Wolverhampton’s National Brownfield Institute coming to fruition and to all the work it will do on sustainable development. Of course, trees will be an important part Thursday 15 October 2020 of sustainable development. This issue was referred to in our England tree strategy, and we are exploring ways to incorporate trees into the development of The House met at half-past Nine o’clock brownfield sites. PRAYERS Air Pollution: Motor Vehicles Kate Osborne (Jarrow) (Lab): What recent discussions [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the level of air Virtual participation in proceedings commenced pollution from motor vehicles since covid-19 lockdown (Order, 4 June). restrictions were eased in August 2020. [907580] [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow): Nitrogen oxide levels are rising again after lockdown as traffic levels Oral Answers to Questions increase. We continue to take urgent action to curb the impact of air pollution on communities throughout England through our ambitious clean air strategy and ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS the delivery of a £3.8 billion plan to clean up transport and tackle NOx pollution. The Government continue to engage with local authorities to deliver clean air zones, The Secretary of State was asked— and through the Environment Bill we will take greater action on tackling air pollution. Tree Planting: England Kate Osborne: As the north-east seeks to reduce its Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): What level of air pollution, will the Minister join me in steps he is taking to increase tree planting in England. supporting initiatives such as that proposed for the [907579] Tyne tunnel, where a new free-flow payment system will reduce carbon emissions from vehicles using the tunnel Jane Stevenson (Wolverhampton North East) (Con): by a massive 90%? Furthermore, will the Minister commit What steps he is taking to increase tree planting in to working with colleagues in the Department for Transport England. [907582] to ensure that orders to implement the system are TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, introduced to the House when available, so that air Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow): We are committed quality improves in the Jarrow constituency and in the to increasing tree planting throughout the UK to 30,000 region more widely? hectares per year by 2025, and we are working with the Rebecca Pow: The hon. Lady raises an important devolved Administrations on that, too.Wehave announced point. I am really heartened that she is thinking about a nature for climate fund to increase planting in England, the health of her constituents, because air pollution, and we recently consulted on the new England tree especially fine particulate matter, is the single greatest strategy. health impact that we currently have to deal with. I Harriett Baldwin: Across the valley of the River would be happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss any Severn, the River Teme and the River Avon we are actions. She is absolutely right to point out that her grateful for the support we are getting to improve our local authority is taking action on many of these measures. flood defences. Will the Minister tell the House how The Government have provided a number of funds to tree planting can improve flood resilience across river support local work on reducing pollution levels in traffic. catchments? Air Pollution Rebecca Pow: My hon. Friend raises an important Ellie Reeves (Lewisham West and Penge) (Lab): What point. Our new £640 million nature for climate fund will plans the Government has to reduce air pollution. do a lot to drive up tree planting. We will also do a lot of [907581] planting with the emphasis on river corridors and floodplains and on nature-based solutions, working Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab): What with the Environment Agency. In that way, we aim to plans the Government has to reduce air pollution. slow the flow, control flooding and increase tree planting. [907588] Lots of plans are in place, and I hope my hon. Friend’s constituency will benefit. TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow): I am like a Jane Stevenson: I am absolutely thrilled that the jack-in-a-box this morning, Mr Speaker,with one question Government-funded National Brownfield Institute will after another. soon open in Wolverhampton North East. Will the Our clean air strategy sets out an ambitious programme Minister tell me how, as we move forward in the Black of action to reduce air pollution from a wide range of Country with building sustainable homes on reclaimed sources. We have also put in place a £3.8 billion plan to land, we can ensure that tree planting is not forgotten in tackle roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. The new developments on brownfield sites? Environment Bill makes a clear commitment to set a 503 Oral Answers 15 OCTOBER 2020 Oral Answers 504 legally binding target to reduce fine particulate matter Chamber. On the point about the World Health and will enable local authorities to take more effective Organisation, she should remember that these are guidelines. action to combat pollution in their areas. We have been praised for our outstanding clean air strategy, which is considered world-leading, and there is Ellie Reeves [V]: Prior to covid-19, polluted air was an absolute commitment to this. I think she came to one contributing to more than 40,000 premature deaths of the evidence sessions where we heard how complicated each year. It we are to reduce that awful statistic, we it is to set the actual target. There are many contributors must set enforceable targets to bring air pollution down to this particulate matter, and we have to look at them below harmful levels, so does the Minister agree that the all before we set the target. Government’s Environment Bill must have air quality targets that follow World Health Organisation guidance Plastic Pollution and have an attainment deadline of 2030 or before? Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con): What steps he is taking Rebecca Pow: The Environment Bill does introduce a to reduce plastic pollution. [907583] duty to set a target for PM2.5. We are committing to ambitious action on this pollutant, which has the most Damien Moore (Southport) (Con): What steps he is significant impact on health. The Government are taking to reduce plastic pollution. [907591] committed to an evidence-based policy on this issue. We will consider the WHO guideline levels when setting our TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, targets, but it is imperative that we take all the right Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow): We are committed advice from all those who are working on the issue to tackling plastic pollution. Weintroduced a microbeads before we commit exactly to what we are going to do ban and reduced single-use plastic carrier bag usage by and how we are going to do it. 95% in main supermarkets. We are also increasing the single-use carrier bag charge to 10p and extending it to Mr Speaker: We remain in Lewisham with Vicky all retailers. We restricted the supply of plastic straws, Foxcroft. stirrers and cotton buds the other day, and we are seeking further powers in the Environment Bill to charge Vicky Foxcroft [V]: This just shows how important forsingle-useplasticitems,makingrecyclingmoreconsistent, this issue is to the people of Lewisham. and we will be reforming packaging waste regulations. New data published by City Hall on 3 October show a dramatic improvement in London’s air quality since Mark Pawsey: It has been suggested that one way of 2016 due in no small part to the ambitious measures reducing pollution is to make greater use of oxo-degradable implemented by Mayor Sadiq Khan. However,air pollution plastic. This involves using an additive in conventional remains a major public health challenge and complacency plastics that causes them to break down and fragment is not an option, despite the current crisis. Will the into microplastics that, in the marine environment, can Government commit to setting ambitious national targets be digested by organisms. In addition, oxo-degradable and give local authorities the powers and the funding material in the waste stream is a contaminant and that they need to achieve them? causes a reduction in the levels of recycling. Will the Minister commit the Government to acting on the call Rebecca Pow: I want to highlight that, through our from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and join the EU landmark Environment Bill, we will be delivering on in banning the use of oxo-degradable plastic? parts of our clean air strategy, which will introduce a target for concentration levels of PM2.5. We will be Rebecca Pow: I thank my hon. Friend for that question. setting an additional long-term target on air quality, The Government recognise that innovative packaging which actually goes beyond the EU requirement. We types can help reduce the environmental impact of will also have in the Bill measures that will improve plastic if disposed of in the right way, and I know that local air quality management frameworks used by local he has a lot of knowledge in this area owing to his authorities to make them much simpler and easier to constituency connections.