It is not just beaches. In 2021, Ealing and Acton saw 34 raw sewage dumps—216 hours’ worth—including in the dear old River Brent. Did taking back control mean returning to being the dirty man of Europe? Is it any wonder that “Brexit opportunities” has vanished from the new ministerial responsibilities?

In my tourist town of Eastbourne, the sea is our greatest asset. Meeting with the Environment Agency just a week or two ago, water quality was deemed to be good, yet social media discharges by local Liberal Democrats would have people believe that it is dangerous to swim. Does my hon. Friend agree that the raft of measures we are bringing in through the Environment Act 2021 will not only improve the quality of the water, but that responsible, balanced and honest accounting is important, too?

The Environment Agency is a key player in tackling sewage discharges, yet it has seen its funding halved over the past 10 years. What is the Minister doing to reinstate the essential funding for the Environment Agency?

I want to see clean water in the Ladybrook, the Micker brook and all the streams that feed into the great River Mersey. United Utilities is responsible for our waste water and sewage discharges. It is consulting on its plan to spend up to £18 billion on the water quality and discharges in our area. I am asking my Cheadle constituency to join that consultation. Will the Minister join me in encouraging everybody to play their part and make their voices heard?

Diolch, Mr Speaker. The demand for pet food banks is more than doubling in parts of the UK as owners have to make heartbreaking decisions thanks to the cost of living crisis. As the shadow Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Newport West (Ruth Jones), said, charities are bracing themselves for an increase in the number of abandoned animals, but it does not have to be this way. What assurances can the Minister give us about targeted financial support for those charities through a really difficult winter?

I welcome the new Secretary of State to his place, as well as the news from the Environment Agency on Wednesday that there will now be a regulatory investigation into Walleys Quarry in my constituency. I thank the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Steve Double), for his help over the summer. Will the new Secretary of State visit Newcastle-under-Lyme, and does he agree that now that we have two investigations—regulatory and criminal—into Walleys Quarry Ltd, it is imperative that those are concluded as soon as possible so that my constituents get justice and everyone gets to see some accountability?

Defra adheres to the Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010) when deciding where to site Automatic Urban and Rural Network units. This includes detailed provisions on the location and number of sampling points, the measurement methods to be used, the classification of sites, the data quality objectives and the siting criteria each monitoring station must meet. Potential new sites are subject to a detailed technical review process, to ensure that they meet these requirements.

The Government fully understands the deep distress caused by the theft of a much-loved family pet and the importance of dealing with pet theft given the impact it can have on owners.

The Government launched the Pet Theft Taskforce in May 2021 in response to the apparent rise in pet theft since the start of the pandemic. The Taskforce’s recommendations include the creation of a new ‘pet abduction’ offence to recognise that pets are not mere items of property and to recognise the potential impact on their welfare when they are taken by strangers.

The Taskforce also recommended improving the evidence base on pet theft by improving how cases are identified and tracked; improving the recording of keepership on microchipping databases; and tackling the fear of crime through raising awareness about police initiatives and prevention measures.

The offence is one of the measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill currently being considered by Parliament. As currently drafted the offence focuses on dogs, with enabling powers.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was reintroduced to the House of Commons in May 2022 and will progress to Report Stage as soon as parliamentary time allows.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

The Government are committed to phasing out confinement systems and supporting the industry to do so, not least to underpin UK food security. However, as reiterated by the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food at the ‘End the Cage Age’ debate held in June, we do need to work carefully and sensitively with the pig and poultry sectors as any transition must be done with, rather than against, these industries.

This is an extremely challenging time for Britain’s farmers, with enormously increased input costs — of food, fuel and fertiliser — affecting almost all production systems to a greater or lesser extent, and of course for the general public who are faced with significant challenges around the cost of living.

So, any decisions by Government on this issue, including timing of consultations, must be carefully considered in light of these wider, and clearly highly important, priorities. We have a course of action in play and will progress with our plans to transition away from use of cages in farming systems as soon as the time is right.

We are developing an Alternative Transitional Registration (ATR) model to address industry concerns about costs of transitioning to UK REACH, while still ensuring high levels of environmental and health protection. Alongside this work, Defra and the Devolved Administrations are beginning a project to consider how best to improve UK REACH and enable it to deliver UK priorities effectively.

We continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the chemicals supply chain as this work develops, for example through a small consultative Oversight Group on the ATR work. We are also engaging more widely with a broad range of stakeholders with relevant experience on a range of technical considerations as we develop the ATR model in more detail. Although it is too early to commit to a new model, any changes to the UK REACH legislation would also require public consultation as part of the legislative process.

The Health and Safety Executive holds the policy lead across government for the GB CLP Regulation and continues regular contact with stakeholders in the UK chemicals industry through GB CLP e-Bulletins as well as close engagement with stakeholders, including trade associations and duty holders, on the process for the GB mandatory classification and labelling of hazardous substances.

We are developing an Alternative Transitional Registration (ATR) model to address industry concerns about costs of transitioning to UK REACH, while still ensuring high levels of environmental and health protection. Alongside this work, Defra and the Devolved Administrations are beginning a project to consider how best to improve UK REACH and enable it to deliver UK priorities effectively.

We continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the chemicals supply chain as this work develops, for example through a small consultative Oversight Group on the ATR work. We are also engaging more widely with a broad range of stakeholders with relevant experience on a range of technical considerations as we develop the ATR model in more detail. Although it is too early to commit to a new model, any changes to the UK REACH legislation would also require public consultation as part of the legislative process.

The Health and Safety Executive holds the policy lead across government for the GB CLP Regulation and continues regular contact with stakeholders in the UK chemicals industry through GB CLP e-Bulletins as well as close engagement with stakeholders, including trade associations and duty holders, on the process for the GB mandatory classification and labelling of hazardous substances.

We are developing an Alternative Transitional Registration (ATR) model to address industry concerns about costs of transitioning to UK REACH, while still ensuring high levels of environmental and health protection. Alongside this work, Defra and the Devolved Administrations are beginning a project to consider how best to improve UK REACH and enable it to deliver UK priorities effectively.

We continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the chemicals supply chain as this work develops, for example through a small consultative Oversight Group on the ATR work. We are also engaging more widely with a broad range of stakeholders with relevant experience on a range of technical considerations as we develop the ATR model in more detail. Although it is too early to commit to a new model, any changes to the UK REACH legislation would also require public consultation as part of the legislative process.

The Health and Safety Executive holds the policy lead across government for the GB CLP Regulation and continues regular contact with stakeholders in the UK chemicals industry through GB CLP e-Bulletins as well as close engagement with stakeholders, including trade associations and duty holders, on the process for the GB mandatory classification and labelling of hazardous substances.

Legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations.

As part of our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are currently considering improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing. To inform this work, we have asked the Animal Welfare Committee for advice and this is expected in the autumn.

We will capture glass under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and continue to collect and recycle high levels from the kerbside. We assess this will deliver a UK recycling rate for all glass packaging of 84% by 2033.