Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of game farms in England and Wales using un-enriched raised laying cages for pheasants and partridges used for breeding.
Answered by George Eustice
Animal and Plant Health Agency do not record information on the number of game farms in England & Wales using un-enriched raised laying cages
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans for the UK's environmental standards to remain as rigorous as those set by the EU after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Secretary of State has been clear that we need to maintain and where possible enhance environmental outcomes both now and after we leave the EU.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that the UK's rivers and beaches are not polluted by sewage or litter.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government published the first Litter Strategy for England on 10 April, setting out our aim to clean up the country, including rivers and beaches.
Our strategy is to apply best practice in education, enforcement and infrastructure to deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering behaviour within a generation. The common aim of all the actions in the Litter Strategy is to change the behaviour of those who currently feel that it is acceptable to drop litter. By reducing the amount of litter dropped, and improving cleaning, we will also reduce the litter reaching our rivers and beaches.
Pollution caused by sewage is controlled by discharge permits issued by the Environment Agency (EA) which must meet the requirements of various environmental regulations including the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations and Bathing Water Regulations. In England, between 2015 and 2020 water companies are investing over £2 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure, guided by the requirements of the EA. This includes investment to improve sewage treatment works and collecting systems with the aim of reducing the polluting impact of sewage discharges on beaches and rivers. The results to date are that bathing waters are at their highest ever quality, thousands of miles of rivers have been improved and the number of pollution incidents greatly reduced.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to lengthen the maximum sentence for animal cruelty offences.
Answered by George Eustice
The Sentencing Council recently updated its guidelines for magistrates. In their revised guideline, the Sentencing Council aims to ensure that the most serious cases of animal cruelty receive longer sentences of up to the maximum of 6 months’ imprisonment. The Government keeps maximum penalties under review. This includes sentencing trends, and whether there is any evidence that the courts may be finding their sentencing powers inadequate.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the findings of the report commissioned by the Welsh Government, entitled The welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses, published in April 2016; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has considered the report, ‘The welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses’, commissioned by the Welsh Government. It remains the position of the Department that there is insufficient evidence to justify a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses on welfare grounds. The Government intends to introduce primary legislation to effect a ban on ethical grounds.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the licensing scheme for wild animals in circuses has cost since its introduction; and what proportion of those costs are incurred by licensed operators.
Answered by George Eustice
Since its introduction in January 2013, only two circuses have been licensed under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012.
Costs to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for the day-to-day administration of the licensing scheme are covered by the application fee payable each year by a circus. The application fee is set at £389.36. For the period 2013 to 2017, APHA have received £3,893.60 in applications fees from the two licensed circuses.
Costs of inspections under the licensing scheme are also paid for by licensed circuses. Inspection fees are set at £72.53 per hour and inspectors can also claim reasonable travel and subsistence costs. For the period 2013 to date, the total costs of inspections incurred by the two licensed circuses are £23,555.76.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to allow individual ports to ban live animal exports after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Until exit negotiations are concluded the UK remains a full member of the European Union (EU) and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.
The government has not yet reached a position on the nature of future arrangements once we leave the EU.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47328, if she will provide the information requested in the specified format.
Answered by George Eustice
As previously stated, further information on Ministerial meetings with organisations is available on Gov.UK, as part of the quarterly transparency information.
Data on meetings with Departmental officials is not centrally recorded. Any further information could only be obtained by incurring disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47784, if she will make it her policy that changes to environmental protections deriving from EU legislation should be made through primary legislation.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government is considering future arrangements for existing EU legislation. We look forward to working with the industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for a future outside the EU.
As I said in my previous answer, any future changes in the law will be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to put mechanisms in place to maintain the UK's air quality (a) targets and (b) levels after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK has a long commitment to improving the environment even before the EU; for example the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956. Our strong commitment to improving air quality will continue after the UK leaves the EU.
As we prepare to negotiate our exit the Government will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.
DEFRA will soon be publishing a 25 Year Environment Plan Framework, in line with our manifesto. The publication of the Framework will be a clear message on our world-leading ambition to leave the environment in a better state for future generations than we find it.
Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades; we are working at local, national and international levels and will continue to do more.