Written questions by Beavers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential (a) implications for his policies of the recent tax introduced in France on industrial emissions of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances into the environment and (b) merits of introducing similar measures in the UK.

Defra continues to work closely with the other Government Departments, regulators, and the Devolved Governments to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and their potential risks, in order to inform policy and regulatory approaches. Consideration of other countries’ plans can be helpful in informing the UK's management and regulation of PFAS.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of potential merits of recovering the costs of treating chemical pollutants in (a) drinking water, (b) wastewater and (c) high risk sites in England from the producers of those substances.

Defra is committed to the ‘polluter pays’ principle and regularly reviews ways to improve its implementation and efficacy. The Government can already seek cost recovery for contaminated land so that the responsible party (typically the polluter or current owner/occupier) bears the financial burden of cleaning up the land. The Environment Act 1990 Part 2A outlines this principle, with local councils having a statutory duty to recover reasonable costs incurred for remediation. Where contaminated land is designated a special site and the Environment agency is the lead regulator, it also has similar cost recovery powers. The quality of drinking water in England is exceptionally high and among the best in the world. Water companies and local authorities have statutory duties to carry out risk assessments and to sample drinking water supplies for any contaminants they believe may cause the supply to be unwholesome.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to simplify the process for the issuance of abatement notices by the Environment Agency.

Defra is responsible for the domestic legislation covering Statutory Nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, whilst Local Authorities environmental health departments are the main enforcers of the Statutory Nuisance regime and associated legislation. It is Local Authorities, not the Environment Agency, that issue abatement notices if a statutory nuisance is found to have happened; is happening, or will happen in the future.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to require landfill operators to publish regular information on the (a) types and (b) quantities of waste deposited at each of their sites.

The waste data for landfills in England is publicly available through the Environment Agency. Operators must report waste types and quantities, which are part of a public register accessible via the Environment Agency and published annually on GOV.UK: How to access waste management data for England - GOV.UK The most recent data can be found online through the 2023 Waste Data Interrogator - data.gov.uk webpage.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning further licenses for coastal landfill sites.

The Secretary of State does not currently have plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of banning further licences for coastal landfill sites. The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations provide an integrated framework for the regulation of activities that could harm the environment or human health. The Environment Agency issues permits only if pollution risks are acceptable and requires coastal landfill operators to prevent waste release, considering future climate risks. Local planning authorities have responsibility for providing planning consent for facilities such as landfill sites and decide upon future landfill locations.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to strengthen the Environment Agency's due diligence processes for (a) awarding and (b) transferring environmental permits.

Guidance on due diligence checks for a) awarding and b) transferring environmental permits under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 are set out in the legal and operator competence guidance and the relevant convictions guidance published on GOV.UK. The legal and operator competence guidance was last updated in 2019 (/www.gov.uk/guidance/legal-operator-and-competence-requirements-environmental-permits) and the relevant convictions guidance in July 2023 (www.gov.uk/government/publications/relevant-conviction-guidance-for-permit-applications-for-waste-activities-and-installations-only). Defra works closely with the Environment Agency to monitor its performance and ensure it enforces environmental protection laws and delivers for the public. Defra also continuously evaluates the effectiveness of the environmental permitting framework in upholding environmental and human health protections. The most recent Post Implementation Review published in June last year (www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1154/pdfs/uksiod_20161154_en_003.pdf) found that the regulations appeared to be functioning effectively.