Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
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 oral contribution of the Minister of State of 30 March 2017, Official Report, column 480-2, on animal welfare, whether she plans to strengthen legislation on animal cruelty.
Answered by George Eustice
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) provides clear offences relating to animal cruelty. One strength of the 2006 Act is that anyone can take out a prosecution. This has been a powerful tool in promoting animal welfare. In 2015, 936 people were sentenced for animal cruelty offences under the 2006 Act, of which 91 were given an immediate custodial sentence.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average sentence served has been by people convicted of animal cruelty in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
The table below provides the average custodial sentence length for offences under s4 (causing unnecessary suffering) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 for each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Average custodial sentence length (months) | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
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 oral contribution of the Minister of State of 30 March 2017, Official Report, column 480-2, on animal welfare, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals prohibiting puppy farms.
Answered by George Eustice
Commercial dog breeders already require a licence from their local authority in order to operate. The Government has reviewed these controls and has proposed that all licensed dog breeders comply with up to date animal welfare standards. We have also proposed to lower the threshold by which dog breeders will need a licence to three litters a year. Anyone breaching animal welfare standards risks having their licence revoked.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
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 amend the private sewer transfer regulations to allow residents of small flat complexes to transfer ownership of their existing private sewerage systems to regulated water companies.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
There are no current plans to amend the Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations 2011, which provided for the transfer of eligible private sewers and lateral drains to water and sewerage companies on 1 October 2011 and the transfer of pumping stations on 1 October 2016.
The last Government carried out an extensive review of private sewer ownership, including a full public consultation on the draft regulations. The issues raised during the consultation were considered in preparing the final regulations.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
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 amend the private sewer transfer regulations to bring all remaining private sewerage systems under the ownership of regulated water companies.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
There are no current plans to amend the Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations 2011, which provided for the transfer of eligible private sewers and lateral drains to water and sewerage companies on 1 October 2011 and the transfer of pumping stations on 1 October 2016.
The last Government carried out an extensive review of private sewer ownership, including a full public consultation on the draft regulations. The issues raised during the consultation were considered in preparing the final regulations.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
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 amend the private sewer transfer regulations to allow the transfer of private sewerage pumps to be regulated water companies by residents in a different curtilage.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
There are no current plans to amend the Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations 2011, which provided for the transfer of eligible private sewers and lateral drains to water and sewerage companies on 1 October 2011 and the transfer of pumping stations on 1 October 2016.
The last Government carried out an extensive review of private sewer ownership, including a full public consultation on the draft regulations. The issues raised during the consultation were considered in preparing the final regulations.