Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what training is provided to staff in the UK Border Agency to help them deal with abuses of the Pet Travel Scheme by those involved in illegal puppy smuggling for commercial purposes.
Answered by Lord Bates
Core skills training provided to Border Force officers includes awareness training on controls on the movement of live animals into the UK. Specific guidance is also available to officers on the application of the Pet Travel Scheme. Border Force is also developing its targeting capability across all border related risks, including bio-security risks.
Border Force is working closely with the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), the lead government department with responsibility for imports of live animals, to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation governing the import of animals.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 February (HL5437), when an announcement will be made about the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from April 2016 onwards.
Answered by Lord Bates
A decision on funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016 will be made shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government fully understands the importance of tackling wildlife crime and the important contribution that the National Wildlife Crime Unit makes to this, both here in the UK and internationally. That is reflected in the fact that the Government is providing over £270,000 worth of specific funding to support the work of the Unit in 2015/16. As far as funding beyond March 2016 is concerned, a decision will be made in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the written answer by Lord Bates on 2 March (HL5145), why draft revised guidance on obtaining passports for donor-conceived children has not yet been circulated; and when it will be.
Answered by Lord Bates
Drafting of the guidance will be completed shortly and consultation with interested parties will commence at the end of June 2015.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps HM Passport Office intend to take to respond to a complaint made in January 2013 on behalf of the Donor Conception Network about misleading public information on gov.uk and in printed leaflets about obtaining passports for donor-conceived children.
Answered by Lord Bates
Information was removed from gov.uk in 2013 at the request of the Donor Conception Network. Revised draft guidance will be circulated to the Donor Conception Network and others in April 2015 for comment before being added to the website.