Mary Creagh MP: speeches

Speeches

• 20 Mar 2025 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  Happy spring equinox and happy World Sparrow Day to you, Mr Speaker, and to everyone in the House. Fly-tipping blights communities, harms the environment and places huge costs on taxpayers and businesses. Councils dealt with over 1 million incidents in 2023-24, some 6% more than in the previous year. This Government will crack down on fly-tipping by establishing clean-up squads comprised of those very individuals who dump rubbish in our communities. We are also tackling litter by introducing a ban on single-use vapes from 1 June this year and a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  I think there would be some human rights implications with the garrotting option, but I share the right hon. Gentleman’s passionate hatred for these environmental criminals. He is a representative of the beautiful New Forest, where I have spent many happy holidays, and it really upsets me to see fly-tipping on ancient woodland run by the Forestry Commission. These are precious and irreplaceable areas. We have not looked at that part of his suggestion, but I am very happy to join forces with him and make it a cross-party mission that we sort the messes out once and for all.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  I am interested to hear about the work my hon. Friend’s council is doing with drones. We use CCTV, but there could be lessons for other councils. In our manifesto, we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up their mess. We are seeking powers to issue statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance so we have a consistent and effective approach, but it is clear that the waste carriers, brokers and dealers, and the exemption permitting regimes, are not fit for purpose. I have asked my officials to look at everything we can do to strengthen both of those.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  We have not assessed the impact, but I can tell the hon. Gentleman the latest statistics for his own council. There were more than 1,100 fly-tipping incidents, but just three fixed-penalty notices and no prosecutions. Local councillors are clearly making choices. We know that the latest statistics for fly-tipping show a rise of 6%, so it is clear that under the previous Government, this environmental crime was allowed to spiral out of control. I encourage all councils—of whatever colour—to make good use of their enforcement powers.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  It is interesting what a difference a change in council leadership makes. I commend Councillor Ashworth and Councillor Wazir on their excellent work. This Government will introduce mandatory digital waste tracking from April 2026, and I will update the House on progress in May 2025. If people want their streets to be cleaned up, the answer is clear: vote Labour.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  All councils have been given an uplift under this Labour Government, so they have more money to be able to deal with the priorities of their local communities, and I encourage them to think about where that money is spent. There is also a really important equality issue here: if people do not have access to the internet in East Sussex, due to blackspots, they might not be able to digitally book in, so I would look at digital exclusion. The people who are least able to afford the internet should not be forced into dealing with unscrupulous rogues.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Environment Act 2021: Deforestation Due Diligence · Hansard source

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  The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, and we are advocating for the international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while at the same time supporting forest dwellers and economic development. As I say, nothing has yet been ruled in or out, and I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this further.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Environment Act 2021: Deforestation Due Diligence · Hansard source

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  The biggest driver of deforestation worldwide is agricultural expansion, particularly the production of a small number of commodities such as soy and palm oil. This Government are considering the approach to the deforestation regulations, and nothing has yet been ruled in or out.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are introducing the biggest set of changes to the regulations in 20 years. We are looking at the issue of dual use, but the real prize with glass is, of course, to get to a reuse system, instead of a recycling system. I have been in touch with the drinks companies to look at how we speed up the start of that.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are disappointed that Walley’s Quarry has entered administration. The Environment Agency has attended the landfill site, assessed it and decided that it does not pose an immediate risk, but, of course, we are liaising with specialist contractors to look after the site and we are in close contact with the Environment Agency to recoup those costs.

• 20 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I have travelled along those country roads near Coventry many times. My hon. Friend is right: this is a political choice that councils can make. I urge people in the upcoming elections on 1 May to vote for more Labour county councillors, who will take this scourge seriously.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Biodiversity Recovery · Hansard source

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  That is a lot of sound and fury, but this is something the Conservatives were working on in government. This has shades of the deposit return scheme, which was essentially the hon. Gentleman’s legislation, but those on the shadow Front Bench were absent without leave when it came to the vote. We have published a consultation on the land use framework. It has been welcomed by the National Farmers Union and by farmers for giving certainty and security—something that was sadly lacking from the previous Government.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Biodiversity Recovery · Hansard source

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  We have to end the false dichotomy between creating places for people and creating places for nature. The previous Government introduced biodiversity net gain, which means that when a developer builds somewhere, they must deliver a 10% BNG for nature. That is in its early stages, after just a year, but we are looking to see how it might be extended. With the nature restoration fund, we have established a more efficient and effective way to allow obligations related to our most important sites and species to be discharged at scale, which has the greatest environmental benefit and is a win-win for nature and people.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Biodiversity Recovery · Hansard source

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  This Government are determined to halt and reverse the trend of nature loss in our country and end the cycle of destroy, regret and restore. We are investing £400 million in tree planting and peatland restoration. We have announced a new nature restoration fund and set out plans to end the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that harm our precious pollinators.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Biodiversity Recovery · Hansard source

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  I do agree, and I pay tribute to the people who are speaking for the bees in my hon. Friend’s constituency. We will deliver 30 by 30 on land in England. That means that we will protect and preserve 30% of our land for nature and long-term conservation and management as part of our contribution to international targets.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I visited a fly-tipping site in Lichfield where people have been trapped in their homes. Fly-tipping blights communities, harms wildlife and places huge costs on taxpayers and businesses. Councils dealt with over a million incidents in 2022-23, up 10% on three years ago. I do not believe that the waste carriers, brokers and dealers regime is fit for purpose, so I have asked officials to look at how we strengthen that regime to crack down on waste criminals.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  It is not appropriate for me to comment on a specific planning permission case, but I do encourage those developing energy-from-waste facilities, including those that already have permission, to consider the evidence that DEFRA published over the recess, the new standards that we have introduced and the Government’s circular economy opportunities when determining whether their facility is still required.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My heart goes out to my hon. Friend’s constituents, who are clearly suffering terrible public health consequences from the stink at that site. There is an ongoing investigation into the cause of odour issues that have impacted the community in Fleetwood, which escalated in January 2024. The Environment Agency has told me that it expects odour issues to reduce within the next seven days. Should that not occur, it will consider any and all appropriate regulatory interventions to reduce the impact on the community. It has also launched—

• 6 Feb 2025 · Metal Recycling: Regulation · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman knows my affection and my origins in County Fermanagh, the lakeland county. I would be happy to talk to Minister Muir about what we can learn in England from the good practice that seems to be happening in Northern Ireland.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Metal Recycling: Regulation · Hansard source

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  Metal recyclers are regulated by local authorities and the Environment Agency and must meet specific treatment standards. We are ensuring that online marketplaces and vape producers contribute fairly towards the cost of recycling waste electricals, including metal components, and the sale of disposable vapes will be banned from 1 June.

• 6 Feb 2025 · Metal Recycling: Regulation · Hansard source

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  I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend. Battery-related fires risk lives, livelihoods and the environment. The Environment Agency is currently reviewing approximately 2,000 metal recycling permits. The Hitchin shredder site is midway through its review, and a revised permit will be issued shortly. The Environment Agency has also produced new regulatory guidance on metal shredding and will consult on guidance for waste batteries in the spring.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Draft Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Madam Chair. These regulations, laid in draft before the House on 3 December 2024, confirm the final policy positions for simpler recycling in England. For too long, households in England have been presented with a muddled and confusing patchwork of approaches to bin collections. These reforms will ensure that across England people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to the confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country—something that we all, as Members of Parliament, experience on a weekly basis. We are all responsible for addressing our country’s waste problem. We know that citizens want to play their part and recycle as much as possible, but they are frustrated by limited and confusing recycling services. Through these reforms, we are empowering citizens to turn their good intentions into simple, effective actions. Simpler recycling is one of the three core pillars of the Government’s ambitious collection and packaging reforms, alongside the forthcoming deposit return scheme and the extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging. Together, we estimate that the collection and packaging reforms will support 21,000 jobs in our nations and regions and stimulate more than £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next decade. The reforms are also estimated to deliver carbon savings of more than 46 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035, with a value of more than £10 billion in carbon benefits. Since 2015, household recycling rates in England have plateaued at around 44% or 45%, and they actually decreased to 43% in 2022. We urgently need to take steps to improve that recycling performance. This statutory instrument on simpler recycling will end the postcode lottery of bin collections in England by ensuring all households and workplaces can recycle the same core waste streams: plastic, metal and glass, paper and card, and food waste with garden waste for households upon request. Simpler recycling will improve services for householders, by introducing weekly food collections for all households in England and kerbside plastic film collections. That will constitute a significant contribution towards meeting our ambition to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035 and our target of reducing residual waste generated per capita by 50% by 2042 compared with 2019 levels. These changes are a critical first step towards meeting the commitment in our manifesto to transition to a resource-resilient, productive circular economy, which delivers long-term, sustainable, resilient growth. Let me draw Member’s attention to the exemptions introduced by this instrument. The legislation to implement the core legislative requirements of simpler recycling was introduced by the previous Government through the Environment Act 2021. This legislation has already come into force, which in practice means that simpler recycling will automatically into effect in March 2025 for workplaces and March 2026 for households. Sections 45A, 45AZA and 45AZB of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended by the Environment Act 2021, require that the six recyclable waste schemes—plastic, glass, metal, paper and card, food waste and garden waste—are collected separately alongside residual waste. The legislation states that local authorities and other waste collectors can make use of an exemption to collect these recyclable materials together if it is not technically or economically practicable to collect them separately, or if there is no significant environmental benefit to doing so. If they use an exception, however, the waste collectors must produce a written assessment to record the justification. Laid in draft before the House on 3 December, the draft instrument sets sensible exemptions from those conditions, allowing any combination of the recyclable waste streams—metal, glass and plastic—to be collected together at all times. The exemption applies to collections from households and from workplaces. It also allows food waste and garden waste to be collected together from households at all times. Waste collectors will not have to justify co-collection of any of those materials as they would have to under the primary legislation. We took that decision because the Secretary of State determined, based on the evidence, that co-collection of those materials does not affect the potential for them to be recycled. We will not include paper and card in the exemption; they must, by default, be collected separately from the other dry recyclable waste streams. This applies to collections from households and from workplaces. That is because paper and card are particularly vulnerable to cross-contamination from food and liquid commonly found on other recycling materials, which could significantly reduce the potential for the collected material to be recycled. None the less, we want to provide flexibility for local councils and other waste collectors, so where waste collectors consider that it is not technically or economically practicable to collect paper and card separately, or where there is no significant environmental benefit from doing so, they may collect paper and card together with other dry recycling, if they provide a written assessment to document the justifications. Waste collectors will decide where an exception applies. There is no need to request permission from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or the Environment Agency to co-collect paper and card where an exception applies. We have published guidance for local councils and other waste collectors to support their decision making on the co-collection of paper and card with other dry recyclable materials where appropriate. All exemptions will be automatic; local councils and other waste collectors will not need to apply for them. They will need only to produce a written assessment to co-collect paper and card with other recyclable materials. Under the primary legislation, without this instrument, they would have had to produce written assessments to co-collect any combination of recyclable materials together. The exemptions mean that the new default requirement for most households will be four containers: for food waste, mixed with garden waste if appropriate; for paper and card; for all other dry recyclable materials—plastic, metal and glass—and for non-recyclable waste. As we are maintaining flexibility, councils and other waste collectors may choose to separate materials further if that suits local need. This is a sensible, straightforward, common-sense approach to the collection of recycling for every household and workplace in England. When the draft instrument is implemented, microfirms—workplaces with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees—will not need to arrange recycling of the core recyclable waste streams, as required by the Environmental Protection Act 1990, until 31 March 2027. We recognise that microfirms, of which there are estimated to be 1.8 million in England, may face more challenges introducing the changes, so the phasing-in period gives them more time to prepare. These are substantial reforms and we will support local councils and workplaces to deliver the new requirements in the most cost-efficient way. Right now, we are focused on raising awareness and providing guidance for councils and workplaces on how to deliver efficient services, including through webinars and toolkits. For local councils, we are working to distribute funding for food waste collections as soon as possible. We have already provided £258 million of capital funding, and we will also provide resource and ongoing funding. We will also continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the challenges they face and to ensure the successful delivery of simpler recycling. The need for simpler recycling has never been clearer. By simplifying what households and workplaces across England can recycle, these long-awaited, much anticipated reforms will jump-start England’s faltering recycling rate, maximising environmental benefits, ensuring we keep our precious resources in use for longer and unleashing investment and economic opportunities. I commend the draft instrument to the Committee.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Draft Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  I thank the shadow Minister for his kind comments. It is fair to say that there has been cross-party unity on two of these three reforms; I was very surprised to see that his colleague, the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Andrew Griffith)—not this shadow Minister, who had the very good sense not to be present in that debate—chose to divide the House on the introduction of the deposit return scheme. These regulations were in-flight regulations; they have taken such a long time from when they were first promised back in 2018, and my strong feeling is that we should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We could all create the perfect recycling system, but we have to deal with the world as it is, not as we would like it to be. I agree with the shadow Minister that the single-use carrier bag charge was one of the Conservatives’ landmark reforms. By introducing a charge—not a benefit; people respond better psychologically to a charge than to a benefit—that measure has driven a huge behaviour change, which means we rarely see plastic bags littered. Of course, all these reforms are about tackling the avalanche of litter that is plaguing our rivers, lakes and seas, turning up on our beaches and killing our wildlife. All the evidence says that if we have unclear and inconsistent collections, people do not know what to do with their waste and they end up just putting it outside. That is how we end up with the fly-tipping epidemic that we are trying to tackle. The shadow Minister asked me about campaigns. First, I think it is fair to say that these regulations have been a long time in the making, so local authorities certainly know that they are coming. My officials and I hosted a roundtable with local authorities last week in the Department at which the Merseyside waste authority, the Greater Manchester waste authority and several of the London waste authorities were present. Wiltshire county council was also present, which I know has been pressing hard on the recycling for plastic films that this instrument introduces. We had district councils, county councils and the big metropolitan councils in there, so I think there is awareness. Given the timing of the election and recess, as well as parliamentary time, there is work to be done on the readiness of businesses and, as I have said, we are working with the Environment Agency. Obviously, some stakeholders may find the introduction of the reforms more challenging than others. We will work with them to support them in overcoming any difficulties that they might face in complying within the legislative timeframes. Of course, waste collectors have every incentive to tell businesses that these changes are coming because new collections, and therefore new business opportunities for the waste collection and recycling industry, flow from these reforms. For workplaces, the Environment Agency will be the regulator, and if there is non-compliance, it will issue a notice. That could be against the workplace, as the producer of the waste that is non-compliant with the arrangements made by its waste collector, or against the waste collector that is not providing a compliant service. Obviously, the agency’s enforcement and sanctions policy requires it to act proportionately and to balance the risk posed, the seriousness and the impact of potential breaches when considering its response, while considering all individual facts and circumstances of a potential breach. The Environment Agency, my officials and I are committed to supporting businesses—both waste producers and collectors—in understanding their duties under these regulations. The Environment Agency will deliver a range of engagement activities, guidance and resources up to and, crucially, beyond the commencement of the legislation; it would be naive to think that we can wave a magic wand and suddenly all this happens on 1 April, so we have to treat this first year as a gradual change. We will be working on that, and we have worked with waste authorities; I hope that answers the shadow Minister’s questions. Question put and agreed to.

• 24 Jan 2025 · Climate and Nature Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Our chalk streams and peatlands are internationally important. They are our equivalent of the Amazon rainforest, and we do not want the over-abstraction that has led to their depreciation under previous Governments. The Secretary of State has announced a rapid review of the environmental improvement plan. We will set out a clear path for delivering against the Environment Act targets. We know that biodiversity loss is as much of a threat as changes to our climate. One million species face extinction. Wildlife populations have fallen 69% since 1970. That is why we are resetting our approach to nature and putting it at the heart of our governmental approach.

• 24 Jan 2025 · Climate and Nature Bill · Hansard source

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  I give the hon. Member my assurances on that. I want to make it absolutely clear that this is a long-standing problem. We have heard from both the Father of the House and the former baby of the House, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome). [ Interruption. ] Not the Father of the House—the almost Father of the House. From a grandfather to an almost baby.