Wednesday Volume 670 29 January 2020 No. 18 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 29 January 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/. 759 29 JANUARY 2020 760 and oceans. Young students at Ashfield Infant and House of Commons Nursery School, Holme St Cuthbert School and St Michael’s Nursery and Infant School have written a Wednesday 29 January 2020 book about Driggsby, the young fin whale who sadly died on a Cumbrian beach, a victim of plastic poisoning. What is the Department doing to rid the world’s oceans The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock of plastic waste? PRAYERS Alok Sharma: About 70% of the litter in the ocean is plastic, and I therefore commend the work of my hon. Friend and his young constituents in highlighting the [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] clear and present danger of plastic pollution to life in our oceans. The Government recognise the need for Mr Speaker: I remind colleagues that the ballot for action and for our joint leadership, with Vanuatu, of Select Committee Chair elections is taking place today the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, and we are until 4 pm in Committee Room 16. supporting technical assistance for countries that are committed to taking practical steps to tackle marine pollution. Oral Answers to Questions Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab): In the poorest countries, 93% of waste is burnt or discarded on roads or open land or in waterways. Will the Secretary of State expand on his answer to the first question, and tell us what he is INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT doing to develop a system of improved waste collection while also encouraging recycling in manyof those countries? The Secretary of State was asked— Alok Sharma: The hon. Gentleman has raised an Plastic Use important point. Let me give him a couple of examples. In Uganda and Ghana, my Department is providing 1. Edward Timpson (Eddisbury) (Con): What steps support for pilot projects. We are working with businesses his Department is taking to tackle plastic use in developing to improve waste management and increase recycling. countries. [900462] In Uganda, for example, we are working with the Kampala plastics recycling partnership. 3. Mark Jenkinson (Workington) (Con): What steps his Department is taking to tackle plastic use in developing Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): The countries. [900464] Dutch non-governmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup has discovered that most plastics in the seas come from The Secretary of State for International Development abandoned fishing gear and nets. Does the Secretary of (Alok Sharma): It is a delight to see the Conservative State agree that assisting fishermen in developing countries Benches so well attended for International Development is one way to eliminate that waste? Question Time. My Department is providing expertise to help developing Alok Sharma: The hon. Gentleman is right. I have countries to reduce plastic usage and funding innovative talked about the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, pilot projects in, for example, Uganda and Ghana to but he will also know that at the 2019 United Nations improve recycling rates and waste collection. General Assembly the Prime Minister announced the global ocean alliance of countries which aims to protect Edward Timpson: Given that 2020 is set to become at least 30% of the global ocean within marine protected the first year in which the pieces of plastic in our seas areas by 2030. outnumber fish, will the Secretary of State update the House on the Government’s plans for the UK to play its Forestry/Biodiversity part in tackling that shocking statistic by means of, for instance, their new Blue Planet fund? 2. Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con): What steps his Alok Sharma: Let me first welcome my hon. Friend Department is taking to protect (a) forestry and (b) back to the House: we are all delighted that he is back biodiversity in developing countries. [900463] with us. As he knows, the Government have committed £500 million to the Blue Planet Fund to help developing 4. James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con): What countries to manage the marine environment. The fund, steps his Department is taking to protect (a) forestry which is in the process of being designed, will run for and (b) biodiversity in developing countries. [900466] five years from April next year, and will focus on four priority areas in marine management: fisheries, pollution— 5. Fay Jones (Brecon and Radnorshire) (Con): What including plastic pollution—climate change and marine steps his Department is taking to protect (a) forestry protected areas. and (b) biodiversity in developing countries. [900467] Mark Jenkinson: I welcome my right hon. Friend’s 8. Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley) (Con): What steps commitment to tackling plastic use. In my constituency, his Department is taking to protect (a) forestry and (b) Workington, people care about the future of our seas biodiversity in developing countries. [900470] 761 Oral Answers 29 JANUARY 2020 Oral Answers 762 The Minister for Africa (Andrew Stephenson): DFID Craig Whittaker: As a dual national, I accept that is at the forefront of global efforts to tackle illegal Australia is not a developing country, but the ongoing logging, promote sustainable trade in timber,and eliminate bush fires have seen forestry and bushland destroyed to deforestation from supply chains. Those programmes, the tune of almost 25 million acres, an area almost five and other assistance from the UK, are helping to times the size of Wales. We have also seen the destruction preserve the world’s most valuable habitats and of more than 1 billion animals. What support has been address biodiversity loss. offered to Australia to help to rebuild not only the bushland and forests but the biodiversity that has been Robbie Moore: It was great to see many families destroyed? —particularly children—from Addingham, in my constituency, plant more than 600 trees last weekend, Andrew Stephenson: Our hearts go out to everyone in thus setting an example to us all. How do the Government Australia who has been affected by these devastating plan to inspire the next generation of leaders, such as fires. The fires are a tragedy that remind us all of the the children from my constituency, to ensure that we catastrophe that climate change is inflicting on forests can continue to use our influence on the global platform and biodiversity. The UK stands ready to provide our to help reduce carbon emissions, improve biodiversity, Australian friends with the support they need, including and plant more trees? our full range of humanitarian capabilities if required. Andrew Stephenson: I join my hon. Friend in paying Alex Norris (Nottingham North) (Lab/Co-op): Just tribute to his constituents from Addingham, and to him over a week ago, the Prime Minister made a showpiece for representing them in the House so well. The Government promise to end all UK aid spending on coal. That is all will ensure that young people have a strong voice at well and good, but there has not been any such spending COP26 in November, so that their views on the climate since 2012. This is more evidence that the Government and nature are heard on the global stage. DFID is are more interested in talking big on climate change committed to involving young people in our work, globally than in taking action. It is time for the Government promoting active and engaged citizenship through our to get serious. Will the Minister commit today to stopping policy and programmes. spending taxpayers’ money on gas, oil and fracking, which are helping to destroy our planet and biodiversity, James Wild: The people in North West Norfolk and instead commit to using aid to tackle the vast supported our manifesto commitments to tackle climate amounts of poverty and inequality across the globe? change and help countries receiving development aid to become more self-sufficient. What steps is my hon. Andrew Stephenson: I would encourage the hon. Friend taking to ensure that the aid budget, through Gentleman to read the announcement in the Prime CDC, is invested in forestry projects in Africa and Minister’s speech more carefully. The announcement elsewhere, both to protect the environment and to help includes not only our bilateral aid assistance but investment, reduce poverty? export credit and trade promotion support. The Government have shown significant leadership in tackling Andrew Stephenson: I am delighted to tell my hon. climate change, not least through our announcement to Friend that the Secretary of State and I visited CDC on double our international climate finance commitment Monday.CDC has a number of investments in sustainable to developing countries, and we will host COP26 later forestry across Africa and is actively exploring opportunities this year. to do more. For example, it is supporting Miro Forestry, a sustainable timber business operating in Sierra Leone Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Is and Ghana. CDC’s investment is helping Miro to support the Minister aware that an all-party group has invited the natural environment by replanting severely degraded leaders of the indigenous communities of the Amazon land, thereby protecting the indigenous forest. To date, to visit the House of Commons on 5 February? I invite the investment has supported the planting of roughly all Members to meet those people and listen to their 5.4 million trees. concerns about the deforestation of the Amazon. Fay Jones: It is shameful that the Amazon rainforest Andrew Stephenson: The hon. Gentleman is right to is being destroyed to provide pasture for cattle grazing. suggest that we need to work with indigenous communities This is devastating for that important global natural around the world.