Supporting our fishing industry and its workers

EFRA held the first session of its inquiry into the UK Seafood Fund (UKSF) on 7 June, looking at how the UKSF will help overcome the challenges facing the fishing industry, ports, processors, training and coastal communities.

Barry started by asking Barrie Deas, chief executive at the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, what steps are being taken to ensure that the smallest of ports, with the smallest of boats, are getting the support and funding they need to survive in the post-Brexit environment.

In part two of the session, Barry delved into issues around attracting unskilled people into the seafood industry, including the barriers to training and development, and how the fund can help colleges deliver skipper courses and other learning remotely.

WATCH both sessions 🔽

Flying to Net Zero?

As part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into the ability of technologies, fuels and operational efficiencies to reduce the aviation sector’s emissions and what government action is needed to meet its stated targets, Barry asked Emma Gilthorpe, CEO of the Jet Zero Council, how fast the UK is moving relative to our objectives, and whether we’re putting in enough resources to get there.

WATCH his questioning 🔽

Maintaining flood defences

As part of EFRA’s inquiry into the work of the Environment Agency, Barry questioned agency chair Emma Howard Boyd on the assessments that are done on the differential costs of soft, green infrastructure versus hard concrete and steel in the maintenance of flood defences.

WATCH below 🔽

What are the environmental standards implications of the Australia Free Trade Agreement?

Barry quizzed Professor Lorand Bartels, chair of the Australian Trade and Agriculture Commission, on the implications for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks and for environmental standards, of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Australia and the UK.

In part 2, Barry questioned DEFRA minister Victoria Prentis, Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food, Department for Environment, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Minister for Trade Policy, Department for International Trade and James Clarke, Deputy Chief Negotiator, Department for International Trade.

WATCH 🔽

De-carbonising British Steel

What are the site specific plans?

What are your plans to invest in green technology?

How is it proposed to use to use the local Hydrogen infrastructure facility when it’s available?

WATCH Barry questioning British Steel’s Environment and Sustainability Director Lee Adcock during this Environmental Audit Committee session 👇

What's unique about the causes of rural mental health?

Trying to distinguish what is unique to rural mental health, as opposed to those things common to both rural and non-rural mental health issues, was the focus of Barry’s questioning of Melanie Costas, of Rural Mental Health Matters, when the EFRA committee continued its exploration of the subject.

WATCH Barry putting his questions 🔽

What is the issue with rural mental health?

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee session today was specifically on rural mental health and why suicide rates are above the national average for those that work in agriculture.

Barry was frustrated with the information that was being given but a lack of a real in depth explanation as to why these issues arise. He made the comparisons that as an MP in an urban area when talk of exhaustion is spoken of, that can always be said for an Amazon worker in Brent North, working long shifts with little break and walking 10 miles per shift.

It could also be said when talking of insecurity many farmers may well own the land the farm is on whereas a worker in the gig economy in Brent North would face greater stress and insecurity over their role.

There was further evidence provided in the briefing of the negative impact that can be from the farming community, whereas someone in Brent North living in what can be an isolating and faceless city and not knowing anyone can always face pressures with no community at all.

Sadly the panel was unable to offer the depth of answer that Barry wanted to dig into rather than more of a broad overview.

Barry then spoke of what effect and research there has been into the love lives of farmers, many farmers when seeking a partner will have to find someone who would marry into the farm and how difficult that may be. The panel confirmed that certain case studies have shown younger farmers have struggled from loneliness and struggled to hold relationships. The following exchanges can be viewed below

When is necessary spending considered a fiscal risk?

Barry grilled experts at the Environmental Audit Committee on aligning U.K economic goals with environmental sustainability and had quite the time of it.

The OBR had submitted evidence which said that economic GDP growth led to a cleaner environment to which Barry rubbished this as a fallacy of the base line. Quite rightly the only way many countries end up as great polluters in the first place is through getting rich. A second part is a geographical fallacy as the U.K now exports its emissions.

The other concerning point Barry raised is that the OBR identified the costs associated with climate change are a long term ongoing risk of fiscal concern. However, they also described necessary spending to move to net zero is described as a major risk of fiscal concern.

Barry then made the point that any other type of “necessary spending” wouldn’t be considered a fiscal risk due to its proposed necessity. The witness from the OBR’s answer made for particularly interesting viewing.

The full exchanges can be viewed below

Import check unreadiness at EFRA Select Committee

Barry was at the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee who were focussing on import check readiness post Brexit and the effect it has had on supply chains across the sector.

Barry started his grilling by asking industry experts why one third of traders responding to HMRC said it was very easy to find information on gov.uk on changes to the process of moving goods from the UK to the EU in which it was admitted there had been problems.

In the second half the Secretary of State, George Eustice was present to be questioned and Barry asked if he agreed with the Chief Executive of the British Ports Association that the issue in delays were this side of the channel and that we were not ready. Mr Eustice disagreed much the the Committees displeasure.

The exchanges can be viewed below

Barry raises concerns over Australian Trade Deal

Barry raised several concerns at today’s EFRA Select Committee which was focused on the Australian Free Trade agreement.

Barry posed questions to the panel of experts over the lack of consultation on how Government conducts trade deals and evidence of people being told what to do with little to no direction.

Barry outlined that when negotiating trade deals there should be a period of consultation and a publicly agreed mandate.

Barry also asked the panel whether the way we are currently structuring how we go about trade negotiations adequate and the answer was a resounding no!

Barry takes on the Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Barry faced off against Victoria Prentis at the EFRA Select Committee today, focussing on the Fisheries Negotiation Outcome.

Barry posed questions of the Minister when raising the issue of non quota stocks that were being caught efficiently by the EU and what the Minister was doing about it as well as what real time data they were collecting on a daily basis and what that data is.

The Minister didn’t manage to answer adequately so Barry pressed again on how is the Department getting real time data. The Department confirmed the data the collect is on a monthly basis not daily and didn’t have answers for how substantial that data is.

That might be because the correct data was only compliant with the 10% tolerance, 40% of the time. When the data was wrong it could be up to 116%. Barry wanted to know what the Department was doing to rectify it. Once again the answer was not satisfactory and the roll out of CatchApp is a huge reason the mental health of fishermen is in such a bad way.

Barry chairs session on Net Zero Aviation & Shipping for EAC

Barry Chaired this EAC session on Net Zero Aviation & Shipping. The first panel consisted of:

• Matt Gorman, Director of Carbon Strategy, Heathrow Airport

• Glenn Llewellyn, Vice President, Zero Emission Aircraft, Airbus (virtual)

• Hannah Tew, Director of Air Mobility, Connected Places Catapult

• Val Miftakhov, Founder & CEO, Zero Avia

To this panel, Barry questioned Mr Miftakhov about Zero Avia’s (and the world’s) first ever hydrogen powered flight, as well as pressing him on their future ambitions. Barry also questioned Mr Llewelyn on Airbus’s ambition for net-zero commerical flights and asked the panel about the prospect of guilt-free air travel in the future.

The second panel consisted of:

• Tim Johnson, Director, Aviation Environment Federation

• Leo Murray, Director of Innovation, Possible

To this panel, Barry focused one the Jet Zero strategy and demand management. Barry questioned this panel on whether they were surprised whether that the Government failed to include demand management in its Jet Zero strategy and whether there is an argument in increasing aviation tax provides any meaningful support to decorbanising the industry.

You can watch Barry’s contributions below.

Barry quizzes witnesses on EFRA session Plastic Waste

This EFRA session was on the topic of Plastic Waste. The first panel was made up of :

• Paula Chin, Sustainable Materials Specialist, WWF-UK

• Adrian Whyle, Resource Efficiency Senior Manager, Plastics Europe

• Susan Evans, Senior Policy Advisor, Green Alliance

To this panel, Barry sought to find answers to why the UK exports so much plastic waste, and how we can look to reduce this export, especially looking at the Government’s proposal for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

The second panel consisted of:

• Barry Turner, Director of Plastics and Flexible Packing Group, British Plastics Federation

• Richard Hudson, Technical Manager Chartered Institute of Waste Management

• Dr Adam Read, External Affairs Director, SUEZ

To this panel, Barry quizzed them on the possibility of tax leakage in our system with the high EU tax rate. Barry then went on to question them about the effectiveness of the EPR to actually reduce plastic waste in the UK.

You can watch Barry’s contributions below.

Barry goes hard on plastic waste and the government's record on it

Barry was back at the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee today grilling witnesses on plastic waste.

Barry asked why we export so much of our plastic waste around the world as opposed to recycling it in this country domestically and to which country we send it to. The exchanges can be viewed in full below.

Barry digs down in Technological Innovations and Climate Change: Negative Emissions Technologies

Barry was with the Environmental Audit Committee today grilling experts on Technological Innovations and Climate Change and Negative Emissions Technologies.

It got a little testy at times and the fascinating exchange can be viewed below.

Barry quizzes Lord Goldsmith on tree panting and woodlands

Barry was back at the Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee this week and quizzed Lord Goldsmith, Minister for the Pacific and the Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Barry pressed Lord Goldsmith on how the government intend to ensure trees are planted in the right place to benefit our natural environment and why the current tools are inadequate to do so.

Barry pressed both the Minister and the witness very hard and the full exchanges can be viewed below.

Barry quizzes George Eustice, Environment Secretary, over agricultural labour market shortages

The EFRA Select Committee this week held an evidence session with the Environment Secretary. Barry’s line of questioning focused on the issues facing pig farmers, including the Government’s haphazard response to the labour shortages as a result of Brexit and the pandemic.

Barry questions Dido Harding and other witnesses on Test and Trace

In the latest PAC session on Test and Trace, the witnesses were:

• Sir Chris Wormald (KCB), (Permanent Secretary, Department of Health & Social Care)

• Shona Dunn, (Second Permanent Secretary, Department of Health & Social Care).

• Dr Jenny Harries (OBE), (Chief Executive, UK Health Security Agency).

• Jonathan Marron, (Director General, Community and Social Care at the Department of Health & Social Care).

• Baroness Dido Harding, (former Executive Chair, NHS Test and Trace).

Barry questioned the witnesses on questions related to:

• who is in charge of the test and trace system.

• What the original goal was for Test and Trace and whether this was realistic   

• How are different groups interacting with Test and Trace? E.g. coming forward for tests, whether they book one when symptoms emerge, self-isolation compliance

You can watch Barry questioning the witnesses below.

Green Jobs: Barry quizzes Ministers on plans for 2 million Green Jobs by 2030

The Environmental Audit Committee recently held its final evidence session as part of its Green Jobs enquiry, and was joined by Ministers from several Government departments including DEFRA, DWP and BEIS. In advance of the session Barry had written to Local Authority Chief Executives to ask them about their in-house capacity and staffing needs to deliver the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, which involves ambitious plans for Biodiversity Net Gain for new developments and the creation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies. Barry asked the Minister to respond to concerns from Chief Executives about in-house ecological expertise and funding.

Barry joins water quality enquiry and focuses on nature-based solutions

The Environmental Audit Committee recently held its second evidence session as part of its inquiry into water quality. Barry’s questions addressed the role of nature-based solutions for sustainable drainage systems. He asked about the benefits not only of such solutions for reducing surface water flood risk and associated environmental benefits including improving water quality. He also asked the expert panel what the UK can learn from other countries including the US and Australia and how the regulatory framework should be adapted to promote nature-based solutions.