Asked by: Mark Tami (Labour - Alyn and Deeside)
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 introduce legislation to increase the maximum sentence for animal cruelty offences to five years imprisonment.
Answered by George Eustice
On 30 September the Secretary of State announced that the Government would increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences from six months’ imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment. As this announcement made clear, draft legislation will be published for consultation around the turn of the year
Asked by: Mark Tami (Labour - Alyn and Deeside)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animal cruelty offences and convictions have taken place in Flintshire County in the last three years.
Answered by George Eustice
The number of offenders proceeded against and found guilty of offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in the North Wales Police Force area, from 2014 to 2016, can be viewed in the table below. From 1 January 2015 Flintshire Local Justice Area merged into North East Wales Local Justice Area and this is why the table sets out the data for both areas.
Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of animal cruelty (1), North Wales Police Force area, 2014 to 2016 (2)(3)
Force / Local Justice Area | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |||
Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | |
North Wales | 17 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
of which |
|
|
| |||
Flintshire County (4) | 1 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
North East Wales (4) | Nil | Nil | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
(1) Defined as SS4-8 Animal Welfare Act 2006
(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed.
Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(4) Flintshire Local Justice Area merged into North East Wales Local Justice Area from 1 January 2015
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Mark Tami (Labour - Alyn and Deeside)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of how the recommendations of the HM Treasury report entitled Smoothing Investment Cycles in the Water Sector, published in July 2012, have affected the water sector.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Ofwat worked closely with HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK on the Smoothing Investment Cycles in the Water Sector report. In response to the recommendations of that report, Ofwat has continued to work with water companies and Infrastructure UK on action to address the up and down ‘cyclical investment' that has affected the sector for many years.
This change in approach has had tangible outcomes. For example, in responding to incentives that Ofwat introduced in its methodology for the price review, water companies have stated in their business plans (December 2013) that they are bringing forward around £440 million of investment into 2014-15 to smooth the investment profile. This investment will improve the delivery of service outcomes to customers, support the supply chain and enable efficient delivery.
Asked by: Mark Tami (Labour - Alyn and Deeside)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage change there has been in the average cost of a water bill in each year since 2011.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Water prices in England and Wales are reviewed by the independent economic regulator Ofwat every five years. Water prices for the 2010 to 2015 period were set in Ofwat's 2009 water price review.
The percentage change in the average cost (in real prices) of a combined water and sewerage bill in England and Wales during the 2010-2015 period is as follows: -0.6% (2010/11), 0.2% (2011/12), -0.1% (2012/13). The forecast for 2013/14 is 0.5% and for 2014/15 around 2%. The changes year on year usually relate to the profile of water industry investment agreed in the 2009 price review. For 2014/15, water companies are taking steps to hold customer bills down and in some cases are giving up price increases that were allowed for in 2009.
Ofwat's 2014 water price review is now underway and will determine water prices for the 2015 to 2020 period. Most water companies are proposing flat or declining bills from 2015.
Asked by: Mark Tami (Labour - Alyn and Deeside)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the water industry to discuss the cost of water bills.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Secretary of State discussed the cost of water bills when he met water industry representatives in July 2013. He emphasised the need to secure the best deal possible for customers while continuing to attract essential investment in the long-term resilience of the sector. He sent a follow up letter in November 2013.
As the independent economic regulator for the water industry, Ofwat reviews water prices every five years. Securing a fair balance between the needs of water companies and their customers is central to Ofwat's approach to the price review.
Water companies have now submitted their business plans to Ofwat to inform the 2014 price review. The plans set out how they intend to meet their obligations to customers and the environment during the 2015 to 2020 period. Most water companies are proposing flat or declining bills from 2015.
Water UK has also announced that most water companies will be holding bills below the rate of inflation in 2014/15, the final year of the price and investment package agreed in 2009.