Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated total annual gross cost of the registration scheme outlined in the Ivory Bill in respect of pre-1947 items with low ivory content; and how many items they anticipate will be registered each year.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We are working on the design and development of the new IT system to facilitate the registration process, in line with the principles of managing public money. Those registering items will need to pay a fee to cover the costs of registration.
The data available does not provide an exact number of items in the UK that are made of or contain ivory. We are therefore unable to anticipate how many items owners may wish to sell, and subsequently register, each year under this exemption.
We will, however, once the ban is in force, be publishing headline data on the number of exemption certificates that have been issued for each category of exemption.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated total number of items in the UK which fall within the Ivory Bill's definition of pre-1947 items with low ivory content.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
During the consultation on our ivory ban, we sought evidence from the antiques trade and others, including on the nature and number of items in the UK that are made of or contain ivory. However, the data available is limited and we are therefore unable to specify how many items fall under this exemption.
However, once the ban is in force, we will be publishing headline data on the number of exemption certificates that have been issued for each category of exemption.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Forestry Commission permits forms of shooting on any of its land in circumstances which fall within its definition of "free shooting".
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Forestry Commission only associates the term free-shooting with the control of grey squirrels for the protection of red squirrel populations and the reduction of damage to timber crops, not any other wildlife management activity.
There may be occasions where free-shooting takes place by the holders of Game Shooting Leases or by its own wildlife rangers. There may also be free-shooting of grey squirrels carried out where there are retained sporting rights over which the Forestry Commission does not exercise any direct control.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many grey squirrels were culled on the public estate in each Forest District of England and Wales in each of the last three years; and how many were culled by (1) trapping, and (2) shooting, in each of the years in each of the Districts.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Forestry Commission does not hold records of the numbers of squirrels killed on the public forest estate in England. The Forestry Commission ceased to operate in Wales on 1 April 2013 with the creation of Natural Resources Wales and we do not hold any information on grey squirrel culling on the Welsh Government woodland estate.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
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 1 February (HL5225) about grey squirrel control, what is their definition of "free shooting".
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government does not have a standard definition for the free-shooting of grey squirrels. However, Forestry Commission England considers free-shooting of grey squirrels to be where they are shot in any circumstances other than after having been live trapped, lured into or located in a pre-prepared area with, for example, a ground feeding station and high seat to facilitate shooting with a safe backstop.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in England have been killed or injured during grey squirrel control with guns during the last decade.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
This information is not held centrally. I can confirm that the Forestry Commission in England does not have any record of anyone being killed or injured during grey squirrel control with guns on the Public Forest Estate in the last decade. However, it does not hold any record of incidents elsewhere.