Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the progress the Canal and River Trust has made in securing alternative sources of funding.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Since it was established as a charity independent of Government in 2012 with the clear objective of reducing reliance on Government funding and moving towards greater self-sufficiency, the C&RT’s total income has grown by 11% between 2013/14 and 2022/23, while the proportion of that from the Government grant has remained relatively stable over this period at around 24%. Examples of C&RT’s alternative sources of alternative income in this period include a near-300% increase in charitable donations, a 14% increase in charitable activities income, a 9% increase in trading activity income (boat licences, mooring fees, utilities easements, etc), and a 3.5% increase in investment returns from the investment portfolio endowed by the Government to the C&RT in 2012 that is currently worth over £1 billion.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, what performance targets she has set for the Canal and River Trust for its role in delivering her Department's Environmental Improvement Plan.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Following the 10 July announcement of the future Government grant funding settlement for the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) from 2027 to 2037, Defra officials will be engaging with the C&RT in the coming months to agree appropriate monitoring arrangements in relation to a range of Government policy objectives.
The very substantial £401 million of new grant funding for the C&RT between 2027 and 2037 will provide the C&RT with certainty about the level of Government grant funding for its future business planning over the next three years or so, and continue to support the C&RT to maintain its canal network.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries on 25 May 2023, Official Report, columns 494 and 495, when she plans to bring forward (a) proposals to raise the age of import of brachycephalic dogs, (b) proposals to limit the import of pregnant bitches and (c) other proposals to stop the illegal importation of brachycephalic dogs.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
It is not illegal to import brachycephalic dogs into Great Britain.
We plan to take forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. That is why we would be supportive of legislating to ban puppies under six months (including brachycephalic dogs) and heavily pregnancy dogs as a single-issue Bill when Parliamentary time allows.
In August 2021, we consulted on proposed changes to the rules governing the commercial and non-commercial movement of cats, dogs and ferrets into Great Britain.
We are carefully reviewing the feedback from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published in due course.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains her policy that the draft Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 will come into force by 1 February 2024.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We remain committed to introducing a ban on electronic collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric shock to cats or dogs. Parliamentary business will be scheduled and announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) promote the Brachycephalic Working Group Strategy 2022-2025, (b) prevent images of dogs with brachycephaly being used in (i) advertising, (ii) marketing and (iii) social media and (c) help prevent the illegal importation of brachycephalic dogs.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Defra officials participate in the UK Brachycephalic Working Group’s (BWG) meetings to assist in identifying opportunities for improvements and engagement in relation to responsible dog ownership and dog health and welfare. The department also supports the work of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) and endorses their Advertising Standards, which can be found here: How to buy a pet - Advertising Standards (paag.org.uk). Defra promotes the work of the UK BWG and PAAG when press or communications opportunities arise.
To support consumers and reduce the opportunities available to unscrupulous breeders and sellers, Defra maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets, which provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. The step-by-step guide on buying a dog includes a reminder to ensure that the dog’s physical features have minimal adverse impacts on their physical well-being and welfare.
It is not illegal to import dogs into Great Britain solely on account of them being brachycephalic.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department are working on a consultation on the use of cages for (a) laying hens and (b) other animals.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra has a small team responsible for developing and implementing farm animal welfare policies and is currently examining the use of cages/crates for different species.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any staff in her Department have full-time responsibility for policies on the use of cages for (a) laying hens and (b) other animals.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra has a small team responsible for developing and implementing farm animal welfare policies. This includes examining the use of cages/crates for different species.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, from which organisations her Department has received representations on the use of cages for laying hens in the period since the publication of the policy paper entitled Action Plan for Animal Welfare on 12 May 2021.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We have received representations from a wide range of organisations on the use of cages for laying hens since publication of the Action Plan, including the British Egg Industry Council, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, the RSPCA, Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, The Humane League UK, Compassion in World Farming, FOUR PAWS UK, Humane Society International UK, Animal Equality UK, UK Centre for Animal Law, Mahavir Trust, Animal Interfaith Alliance, Christian Vegetarian Association and Catholic Concern for Animals.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 potential implications for her policies of the release of non-native (a) raptors and (b) other birds of prey into the wild.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Release of non-native birds of prey (also known as raptors) in England is regulated by section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) which prohibits the introduction into the wild of any animal of a kind which is not ordinarily resident in, and is not a regular visitor to, Great Britain in a wild state, or any species of animal or plant listed in Schedule 9 of the Act.
Section 16 of the WCA provides for the release of such non-native species into the wild if it is done under and in accordance with the terms of a licence. Any potential implications of the release would be assessed as part of the license issuing process.
The refreshed GB Invasive non-native species strategy, published in early 2023, follows internationally recognised principles and priorities of prevention, rapid eradication and management, which we are committed to continuing.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 take steps to review the legal requirements to register (a) ownership and (b) breeding of (i) raptors and (ii) other birds of prey.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government does not currently have any plans to amend legal requirements for the ownership and breeding of raptors.