Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the shooting of hares in the breeding season.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
I refer the Noble Lord to the written response I gave to question HL12295 on 28 December 2018.
Please find the response below:
Wildlife conservation is a devolved matter so this answer is for England only.
The population of brown hares in England is believed to be stable. The majority of hare shooting occurs in regions where brown hares are locally abundant and leads to no long-term impact on hare populations. There is no evidence to suggest that a closed season would significantly benefit the conservation status of brown hares.
An industry-led initiative resulted in the publication of a code of practice to protect hares in England. This provides for a voluntary close season covering the main breeding season, while allowing farmers to protect their crops from serious damage by hares.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to counter the unlawful killing of hen harriers.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government is very concerned about hen harrier populations, which is why we took the lead on the Hen Harrier Action Plan. This sets out what will be done to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution. A copy of the plan is available on GOV.UK.
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with strong penalties for committing offences against birds of prey and other wildlife. The Government takes wildlife crime very seriously and has identified raptor persecution as a national wildlife crime priority, focusing on hen harrier, golden eagle, goshawk, peregrine, red kite and white tailed eagle.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 9 July (HL8894), what assessment they have made of the information published by the Lundy Management Forum and the Community of Arran Seabed Trust in respect of Lamlash Bay, and the Atlas of Marine Protection in respect of Flamborough Head that indicate that the total area of all no take zones in UK waters is approximately 2.7 square miles.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra has made no assessment of the information referred to.
Once a Marine Protected Area is designated, matters relating to fisheries management become the remit of either local Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) or the Marine Management Organisation. In the case of Flamborough Head, Northern Eastern IFCA is the responsible authority.
MPAs are a devolved responsibility and so matters relating to Lamlash Bay fall under the remit of the Scottish Government.
The consultation on the Third Tranche of Marine Conservation Zones closed on 20 July. As part of this consultation, we asked for views on whether we should establish Highly Protected Marine Areas in the future. These are areas where most or all human activities would not be permitted.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total area of UK waters classified as no take zones.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
There are three no take zones in UK waters; Lundy, Lamlash Bay and Flamborough Head, however we do not hold data on their total area.
Our Marine Protected Area network currently includes 299 sites covering a total area of 80,742 square miles. Sustainable marine industries are allowed to operate in these sites, but only if they do not damage the protected features.
We are currently consulting on 41 new Marine Conservation Zones. As part of this consultation we are also seeking views on whether in future we should establish Highly Protected Marine Areas - these are areas where most or all human activities would not be permitted, and could include no take zones.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to respond to the global scientific information contained in the television programme Blue Planet II by initiating immediate and effective global action to safeguard the wildlife and habitats of the world's oceans.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Our 25 Year Environment Plan, launched last week, demonstrates our continued commitment to protect the oceans to ensure the UK continues to be a global leader in protecting seas, oceans and marine life through a variety of measures. We now have nearly 300 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in UK waters and by 2020 we will deliver a network of MPAs that will cover 25% of the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone. We are also on track to protect 4 million square kilometres of ocean across the UK’s Overseas Territories by 2020.
Later this year we will have completed a major assessment of how far our seas have moved towards good environmental status since 2012, and intend to consult on the findings later in the year. The UK has also been working with the 15 Contracting Parties of the OSPAR Convention to produce a major assessment of the status of the North East Atlantic Ocean, the results of which were published last year.
We are also leading the way in tackling the plastic waste devastating our marine environment – our 5p plastic bag charge has taken nine billion bags out of circulation and we have introduced one of the world’s toughest bans on harmful microbeads. We are also investigating whether we should introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and other single use drinks containers, and will shortly launch a call for evidence seeking views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of single use waste. In addition, we have asked one of our specialist committees to review evidence on the use of microplastics in a range of products, and their chances of reaching the seas – and we are commissioning further research to better understand their impact on the marine environment.
The UK will be playing an active role in securing a new international agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the activities of (1) those taking part in organised hunts, and (2) those opposed to such hunting, remain within the law.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Hunting Act 2004 bans all hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions set out in Schedule 1 to the Act.
The enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004 is an operational matter for the police. The police have issued guidance to forces dealing with hunting issues in the ‘Hunting Act 2004 Investigators Manual’. Enforcement of the legislation will follow this guidance.
Anyone who believes an offence is taking place or has taken place during a hunt, whether it lies with the hunters or protestors, should report the matter to the police.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to change the regulatory regime governing London's water infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government has no plans to change the regulatory regime governing London's water infrastructure.
In September, the Government laid in Parliament a strategic policy statement (SPS) to Ofwat. This set out clear priorities for Ofwat to secure the water industry’s resilience to drought, flooding and other risks and to protect customers who may struggle to afford their charges or are vulnerable in other ways. The SPS makes clear that we expect Ofwat to challenge companies to improve planning and investment in services to meet the needs of current and future customers.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to legislate to prohibit farmers from placing (1) bulls, and (2) cows with calves, in fields traversed by a public footpath.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Section 59 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 bans bulls of seven recognised dairy breeds (Ayrshire, British Friesian, British Holstein, Dairy Shorthorn, Guernsey, Jersey and Kerry) that are over the age of ten months, in all circumstances, from being at large in fields crossed by public rights of way.
Bulls of all other breeds (again over the age of ten months) are also banned from fields crossed by public rights of way unless accompanied by cows or heifers. There are no specific prohibitions on the keeping of cattle other than bulls aged over ten months.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider exempting traditional windmills producing high-quality artisan flours from any obligations to introduce additives.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In the UK iron, niacin and thiamin are added back by law to all UK milled flour (except wholemeal) to restore nutrients lost in milling. Flour milled in the UK is also fortified with calcium to reduce the risk of calcium deficiency, a condition associated with poor bone health and osteoporosis. The Government is currently considering requests to exempt certain minor flour uses from these mandatory fortification requirements. This exercise could be extended to consider exempting traditional stoneground mills producing low volumes of flour should a case be made.