Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
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 the data published by Natural England on 15 December 2021 on the number of satellite tags on hen harriers that have stopped transmitting since November 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For many years Natural England (NE) has been involved with monitoring, tagging and satellite tracking hen harriers. When a bird goes missing, it may be due to natural causes, an issue with the device, or there is a possibility that it could have been illegally killed. In the first instance, NE staff communicate with the police and will attempt to retrieve the bird to establish the cause of death. If there is evidence of illegal killing, police will investigate, assisted by NE.
As of the end of the last breeding season, NE was tracking 29 hen harriers: 17 newly-fledged juveniles and 12 adults. Of the 17 juveniles hatched and tagged in 2021, in 10 cases the tags have ceased transmitting, with the birds believed to have died. Of those, three have been found, of which two appear to have died due to natural causes, and one is pending further investigation. The other seven were not found, with no police investigations due to the absence of any information about cause of death. Of the 12 adults being tracked, one tag has ceased transmitting, with the bird believed to have died, and has not been found. NE is therefore still tracking seven juveniles and 11 adults. Natural mortality of juvenile hen harriers is much higher than adults, and it would not be surprising for at least 50 per cent to die naturally in their first year, even in the absence of persecution. There is currently an ongoing police investigation into t he death of an adult bird that went missing last year before the end of the breeding season.
The Government takes wildlife crime seriously, with most wildlife crimes carrying an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. To address concerns about the illegal killing of birds of prey, senior Government and enforcement officers have identified raptor persecution as a national wildlife crime priority. NE and Defra continue to be fully involved with the police-led Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group and NE continues to work closely with Wildlife Crime Officers. Additionally, since 2016, Defra and the Home Office have contributed approximately £300,000 annually to the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which monitors and gathers intelligence on wildlife crime, including raptor persecution, and aids police forces in their investigations when required.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
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 welfare of reindeer being used at seasonal events during winter 2021-22.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare. Anyone who is cruel to an animal, or does not provide for its welfare, may be banned from owning animals. They may also face an unlimited fine, be sent to prison, or both.
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 require that anyone in the business of keeping or training animals for exhibition needs a valid licence from their local authority. Licences must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. The 2018 Regulations are accompanied by statutory guidance notes developed to help local authorities enforce the licensing regime: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-activities-licensing-guidance-for-local-authorities
The 2018 Regulations are due to be reviewed five years after they came into force (2023) and so this will be an appropriate time to re-examine the minimum standards, the associated guidance and consider any major changes.
If anyone has any concerns about the welfare of any animal that is being temporarily exhibited at a seasonal event, they should report the matter to the relevant local authority who have powers to investigate.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial payments his Department makes to its non-executive directors; how many times his departmental Board will meet in 2021-22; and what work do non-executive directors undertake.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This information is published in the department’s annual report and accounts, available on gov.uk at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/defras-annual-report-and-accounts-2019-to-2020
The department’s report and accounts for 2021-22 will be published in due course, in the usual way.
Departmental boards provide strategic leadership for each central Government department, as well as advising on/challenging how the department is performing. Each board is chaired by the Secretary of State and includes junior ministers, the permanent secretary and non-executive board members. Non-executives are appointed to Government departments from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Their role is to provide advice and bring an external perspective.
A summary of the work of non-executive directors across Government can be found in the Government Lead Non-Executive's annual report, available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-lead-non-executives-annual-report-2019-to-2020. The Non-Executive Directors’ Report in the annual report and accounts provides more information on the work of Defra’s non-executive directors (link above).
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what declaration of interests has been made by his Department’s non-executive directors; and when that declaration will be published.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Non-executive directors comply with the provisions of the Cabinet Office’s Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies.
In Defra, board members are required to submit any declarable interests twice a year; this information forms part of the independent National Audit Office review ahead of the publication of Departmental annual report and accounts. Information on any relevant interests will be published shortly on gov.uk and this will be referenced in the Department’s annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
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 Government’s plan to introduce management measures in 40 English offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPA) over the next three years, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential benefits to mobile fish stocks of banning supertrawlers from the offshore MPA network.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We will manage fishing within existing, sustainable use MPAs to ensure recovery of the features to a good, healthy condition, and will designate Highly Protected Marine Areas to allow full recovery. We are developing ambitious plans to protect our existing MPAs from any fishing activity that could prevent them achieving their conservation objectives, such as trawling on the seabed. 98 MPAs in inshore waters have management measures in place to protect sensitive features from bottom towed fishing gears. All existing MPAs in our offshore waters will be protected from fishing as required through a three-year programme being undertaken by the Marine Management Organisation.
Supertrawlers generally target pelagic species of fish within the water column and are unlikely to damage the seabed habitats for which most MPAs are designated. We are currently reviewing our policy on these vessels and working to develop more robust management of non-quota stocks which these vessels are targeting, as well as quota stocks.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many requests for advice on handling freedom of information requests the central Cabinet Office Clearing House has received in each year since 2016.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra has referred requests to the Cabinet Office Clearing House where appropriate and in line with the published criteria which are available on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
What funding his Department is providing for the maintenance of flood defences.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of maintaining flood defence assets. Investment in Environment Agency asset management in England will be £178 million in 2021-22, an increase on the previous year. The Government will continue to review the future requirements for flood defence maintenance investment as part of future Spending Reviews.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
Whether he has plans to reallocate (a) new and (b) existing UK fishing quota to small boat fishers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We recently consulted on how to apportion additional quota between the UK administrations. We also consulted on how we allocate England’s share. We will publish the Government’s response and our English allocation policy after annual negotiations conclude. It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their share.
We have been clear since the 2018 White Paper that we would allocate our existing quota using the current method.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
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 ensure the effectiveness of the UK’s offshore marine protected areas.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine protection is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.
One of Defra’s biggest challenges in seeking to ensure effective management of offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been the need to secure the agreement of other countries through the Common Fisheries Policy process. This requirement will end when the Transition Period has finished.
The Fisheries Bill proposes a new power enabling the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to implement fisheries management measures for conservation purposes both within our MPAs and more widely across English waters. The MMO will be able to use this power after the expiry of the Transition Period.
Activities within MPAs that require planning or licensing consent are assessed by the relevant regulator, including the MMO, to prevent damage to these designated areas.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
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 the effect of supertrawler fishing on the UK’s offshore marine protected areas.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine protection is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.
The Common Fisheries Policy has restricted our ability to implement fisheries management measures within offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The Fisheries Bill proposes a new power to allow the introduction of measures for conservation purposes, both within our MPAs and more widely across English waters.
Not all fishing activities within MPAs will require management, only those likely to damage the designated features, such as trawling on the seabed. The Marine Management Organisation monitors activity to ensure fishing boats are complying with current rules, and will ensure compliance with new measures as they are introduced.