Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of a central register for those convicted of any animal abuse which would be (a) be accessible to the public and (b) allow for the reporting of such crimes.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Police National Computer holds all relevant information for prosecutions made for animal cruelty offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and the police may be approached by anyone who has concerns about whether someone should be keeping animals. The Department currently has no plans to establish a publicly accessible central register for those convicted of animal cruelty offences.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the spread of ash dieback.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Since ash dieback was first detected in the UK, we have restricted the movement of ash trees from outside Europe to protect against other strains of the pathogen, and invested more than £8 million to advance our scientific understanding of this disease.
Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, the fungus responsible for ash dieback disease, is spread via spores in the air/wind. The spores are produced in the leaf litter and can spread for considerable distances before infecting another ash tree. It is not possible to limit the spread of the disease at a national level, and it is now present in all counties. The severity and impact of the disease at a local level varies by tree age and condition, climate, the presence of secondary pathogens and other environmental factors. Removal of leaf litter may be an effective way to reduce the level of inoculum in certain conditions, for example around high value trees in urban environments.
We have conducted the world’s largest screening trials for tolerant trees and have planted over 3000 trees of 1000 genotypes in the first UK archive of tolerant ash. They have been drawn from a wide geographic spread, and new trees will continue to be added, to maximise the genetic diversity in the collection and facilitate the possibility of a future breeding programme of resilient ash.
Guidance for landowners on managing diseased ash has also been published, including a toolkit for Local Authorities, which has been downloaded nearly 20,000 times. Defra also provides restoration grants, to support replanting with alternative species where ash dieback is present.
We continue to invest in research to enhance our understanding of the disease, improve management and identify resistant trees.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the continued supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland beyond 2025.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Windsor Framework agreement has safeguarded the supplies of veterinary medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland to the end of 2025. During this extension to the grace period there will be no changes to the existing requirements on the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland and businesses should continue operating as they have done to date.
The Government’s position is clear, there needs to be a long-term and permanent solution which maintains the uninterrupted flow of veterinary medicines into Northern Ireland from Great Britain on which so many people and businesses rely. Industry engagement continues to be our core focus over recent months, where we are strengthening and collating further evidence on products at risk.
We remain clear with the EU that any future arrangements must take into account the overwhelming reliance of Northern Ireland on veterinary medicines from Great Britain.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help ensure that public (a) footpaths and (b) rights of way are accessible.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Local authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of public rights of way, including making sure they are in a fit state for public use, are visible and free from obstructions, as well as ensuring landowners comply with their duty to maintain public rights of way that cross their land.
Local authorities are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan to plan improvements to the rights of way network in their area, which are usually available on the authority’s website. This must include an assessment of the local rights of way, including the condition of the network, and consulting of interested parties including local access forums.
The Government is delivering the £14.5 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, National Trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive. We are also working to complete the King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP) which, at around 2,700 miles, will be the longest waymarked and maintained coast walking route in the world. Over 1,000 miles are already open and we aim to make the KCIIIECP as accessible as possible. We are also designating Wainwright’s coast to coast route across the north of England as a National Trail and have considered accessibility from the start. We remain committed to implementing the rights of way reforms package which will streamline processes for the recording of rights of way, benefiting users, landowners and local authorities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the conservation of the barn owl population in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Environmental land management schemes include financial incentives for actions that are beneficial for barn owls, for example, the provision of nesting boxes. Through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, the Government granted £123,700 to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Owl Box Initiative. The project was set up to help support barn owls by providing nest boxes for them on farms and researching barn owls’ farmland habitat use across the southwest of England.
Furthermore, from July this year, restrictions on the open use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides will be brought into force to avoid negative impacts on non-target species such as barn owls.
We have no records of any actions for this species specific to the Romford area.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the conservation of the red squirrel population in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government remains committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species and has set a world-leading target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. Defra, Natural England and the Forestry Commission are signatories to the UK Squirrel Accord which aims to protect, identify and strengthen existing red squirrel populations, expand their current range, and promote better understanding and support for their conservation.
Under the Countryside Stewardship scheme, financial support is available for farmers, foresters and land managers to support the recovery of red squirrels, such as funding for the management of grey squirrels. Conservation of the species is targeted to red squirrel stronghold areas in the north of England.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the conservation of the hedgehog population in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government is committed to taking further action to recover threatened native species. In England, we have set four legally binding targets: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan.
The Environment Act 2021 introduced several policies, such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities, which will work together to support the creation and restoration of habitat to benefit native species such as hedgehogs.
Environmental land management schemes will also provide farmers, foresters and other land managers with financial support for a wide range of measures which will deliver positive benefits for native species. Sustainable Farming Incentives and the Countryside Stewardship grant provide financial support in return for delivering environmental benefits. This could include creating, restoring and maintaining hedgerows which are an important habitat for hedgehogs.
We have no records of any actions for this species specific to the Romford area.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has taken steps to work with relevant authorities to support foodbanks in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Government does not have any role in the operation of foodbanks. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations which bring people in local communities together to support one another. This is a great example of the generosity of spirit of communities across the country.
The Government is providing over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England to support the impacts of the increase in cost of living. This funding is supporting charities and community organisations right now through the £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund. This fund is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable households, including those which deliver food.
The second strand of the package, the £25.5 million VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, was opened in December 2023. This scheme will support frontline charities, community organisations and social enterprises across England to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.
The scheme has two main components:
Organisations can first apply for an Independent Energy Assessment. Having completed the IEA, they can then apply, if they are eligible, for a capital grant between £2,000 and £150,000 to install capital energy measures. Applications for IEAs opened in December 2023 and applications for capital funding will be open through three rounds, starting from the second half of January 2024. All capital projects will need to be completed by March 2025.
Taken together, total support over 2022/23-2024/25 to help households with the high cost of living amounts to £104 billion – an average of £3,700 per UK household.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that checks on the welfare of chicks for exportation are undertaken (a) before they leave the UK and (b) at the point of arrival in the importing country.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Day old chicks are transported in highly controlled conditions, designed specifically to protect their welfare on long journeys. Checks are not routinely carried out on chicks being exported. It is the responsibility of the transporter to ensure that their transportation complies fully with legal requirements aimed at protecting the chicks’ welfare.
All transporters are required to ensure that when transporting animals, they do so in a way that avoids causing pain, suffering or distress. The rules relating to the commercial transportation of animals are set out in retained Regulation (EC) 1/2005 and The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, with equivalent domestic regulations in Wales and Scotland.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with local authorities to tackle fly-tipping (a) nationally and (b) in Romford constituency.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Prime Minister’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we will help councils take tougher action against those who fly-tip. This includes significantly raising the upper limit on the penalties councils can issue to £1,000 for fly-tipping and £600 for householders who give their waste to an unauthorised carrier, which we did in July 2023. We have also increased transparency on the use of these penalties by publishing league tables and recently laid regulations to ringfence the money raised from these penalties for enforcement and clean up activity.
This Government’s fly-tipping grants are helping councils across the country put a stop to fly-tipping at hotspots, such as by installing CCTV and fencing. Nearly £1.2million is already in use with a further £1million to be awarded this spring. A selection of case studies from completed projects are available online so that others can learn about those interventions which were most successful. These can be found at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/fly-tipping-intervention-grant-scheme.
With the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, we are developing a toolkit to help councils and others tackle fly-tipping. So far, the group has published a guide on how to present robust cases to court and a new framework which sets out how to set up and run effective local partnerships. The toolkit, and other resources, are available online at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.