Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her Department's position in EU Council negotiations to develop Multi-Annual Fisheries Plans that ensure fishing limits do not exceed the maximum sustainable yield.
Answered by George Eustice
The UK supports the development of Multi-Annual Fisheries Plans that assist the delivery of Common Fisheries Policy objectives, including the achievement of maximum sustainable yield exploitation rates by 2015 where possible, and by 2020 at the latest.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the BBC on the potential implications of its decision no longer to use the Met Office's forecasts and expertise on resilience to flooding; and what response she has received to those representations.
Answered by Rory Stewart
This is a commercial matter between the Met Office and BBC. This decision will not affect our work to reduce flood risk or our free flood warnings service. Defra, the Environment Agency and the Flood Forecasting Centre will continue to work closely with the Met Office to forecast rainfall impacts and the risk of flooding.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made on discussions of deep sea fishing at the Council of Ministers; and what steps she is taking to help bring those discussions to an early conclusion.
Answered by George Eustice
Member States are close to a Council position being reached on the Commission’s proposal to update the EU deep sea access regime, which will enable it to progress to agreement with the European Parliament and final adoption.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what account she takes when deciding on measures to reduce the mortality in bass stocks of the (a) value to the UK economy and the economies of other member states of recreational angling compared to commercial fishing, (b) mortality of bass stocks caused by recreational anglers compared to that caused by commercial fishing and (c) tax receipts from recreational angling compared to those from commercial fisheries.
Answered by George Eustice
I take full account of these factors when making such decisions. At EU level the European Commission has published proposals for interim bass management measures to apply to both commercial fishing and recreational angling sectors in 2015. When these measures are agreed in December the UK will seek a more balanced approach than proposed, which more closely reflects the relative levels of mortality on bass stocks incurred by each sector, while contributing to the aim of stock recovery on a more proportionate basis.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
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 take steps to introduce at an EC level measures to reduce sea bass mortality by 80 per cent by 2015.
Answered by George Eustice
The Commission has proposed EU bass management measures for 2015, which will be considered at December Fisheries Council. As part of those discussions I will continue to press for an approach which will ensure bass stocks recover and become sustainable.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish the review commissioned in 2012 into the evidence supporting an increase in the minimum landing size for sea bass.
Answered by George Eustice
The 2014 Solent bass survey provides confirmation of five successive poor year classes (2008 – 2012) and some initial indications of an improvement in numbers of one‐year‐olds from 2013, although the impact of the latter on future stocks will depend on subsequent survival.
These findings are consistent with the most recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), reflecting an ongoing trend on a wider scale that European bass levels are unacceptably low and action must be taken at EU level to reverse the decline.
The EU has published draft proposals for measures to apply to both recreational and commercial sectors in 2015. We expect these will be discussed at December Fisheries Council. Once the final form of any EU agreement is known we will subsequently consider additional domestic measures that will include a review of the minimum landing size.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
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 recent Solent bass survey; and what steps she plans to take in response to the findings of that survey.
Answered by George Eustice
The 2014 Solent bass survey provides confirmation of five successive poor year classes (2008 – 2012) and some initial indications of an improvement in numbers of one‐year‐olds from 2013, although the impact of the latter on future stocks will depend on subsequent survival.
These findings are consistent with the most recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), reflecting an ongoing trend on a wider scale that European bass levels are unacceptably low and action must be taken at EU level to reverse the decline.
The EU has published draft proposals for measures to apply to both recreational and commercial sectors in 2015. We expect these will be discussed at December Fisheries Council. Once the final form of any EU agreement is known we will subsequently consider additional domestic measures that will include a review of the minimum landing size.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to introduce domestic bass conservation policies.
Answered by George Eustice
The 2014 Solent bass survey provides confirmation of five successive poor year classes (2008 – 2012) and some initial indications of an improvement in numbers of one‐year‐olds from 2013, although the impact of the latter on future stocks will depend on subsequent survival.
These findings are consistent with the most recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), reflecting an ongoing trend on a wider scale that European bass levels are unacceptably low and action must be taken at EU level to reverse the decline.
The EU has published draft proposals for measures to apply to both recreational and commercial sectors in 2015. We expect these will be discussed at December Fisheries Council. Once the final form of any EU agreement is known we will subsequently consider additional domestic measures that will include a review of the minimum landing size.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Core Department has spent the following amounts on televisions in the periods specified:
(a) £1,559
(b) £376
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials employed by his Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Since 2010, 1294 staff in Core Defra have remained in the same grade. Of these, 1139 have received an increase to salary. The table below shows a breakdown of the number of staff by grade. Non-consolidated awards are not included.
Grade | No. remained in Grade since 2010 | No. received an increase to salary since 2010 |
AA | 11 | 11 |
AO | 138 | 133 |
EO | 218 | 127 |
HEO | 307 | 292 |
FS | 32 | 27 |
SEO | 184 | 176 |
G7 | 294 | 281 |
G6 | 48 | 43 |
SCS | 62 | 49 |
In 2010 and 2011 the majority of staff were subject to a pay freeze. Staff with salaries of £21,000 and below received an increase of £250 each year. In 2012 and 2013, staff received pay increases averaging 1% each year.