Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to work with local authorities to increase the number of successful prosecutions for fly-tipping.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We are committed to tackling fly-tipping as set out in the Government’s manifesto. In May this year we gave local authorities in England the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping. These new enforcement tools provide local authorities with an alternative to prosecutions and will assist them to take a proportionate enforcement response.
This builds on other actions to tackle fly-tipping, which has included:
Working with the Sentencing Council on its guidelines for sentencing for environmental offences.
Making it easier for vehicles suspected of being involved in waste crime to be stopped, searched and seized.
Working in partnership through the Defra-chaired National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to prevent and tackle illegal dumping. The group has representatives from central and local Government, enforcement authorities, the waste industry and private landowners. The group works to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste.
Publishing a series of fly-tipping prevention guides for householders, businesses, landowners and local authorities, including Fly-tipping responsibilities: Guide for local authorities and land managers. These documents can be viewed at www.tacklingflytipping.com.
Publishing a revised, waste Duty of Care Code of Practice that provides guidance to local authorities, regulators, the waste industry and all those that produce, keep, import, treat, have control or dispose of controlled waste on how to comply with their Duty of Care obligations.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to work with local authorities and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to improve air quality in West Yorkshire.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We are aware that local authorities have a crucial role to play in improving air quality across the UK. The Government is already taking a number of steps to support them in this role.
The national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide, published in December 2015, sets out a comprehensive approach for meeting air quality challenges by implementing a new programme of Clean Air Zones in five cities in England, one of which is Leeds. The Plan combines targeted local and national measures, forming part of a wider approach that exploits new and clean technologies, such as electric and ultra-low emission vehicles.
We have allocated funding to help Leeds City Council implement the Clean Air Zone and are working closely with City officials on its development. Delivery of the Clean Air Zone will also take account of the need to work closely with related authorities and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Local authorities additionally have a duty to evaluate local air quality against standards set by the Government. They designate air quality management areas (AQMAs) at locations where these standards are not met and take remedial actions to improve air quality at these locations. Six local authorities in West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and York - have declared AQMAs and are implementing remedial action plans to improve air quality in their areas.
Defra introduced regulatory and guidance changes in 2015 to provide better and clearer guidance to local authorities on local air quality management to enable them to improve air quality in their areas and achieve better health and environmental outcomes.
Defra supports local authorities through the Air Quality Grant Scheme, a competitive fund they can bid into to support local action to improve air quality. Details and criteria for this year’s scheme will be available later in the year.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle and prevent organised dog fighting.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government considers that the necessary laws to tackle dog fighting are already in place. The police have specific powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to tackle dog fighting and work closely with the Special Operations Unit of the RSPCA to gather intelligence against gangs involved in organised dog fights.