Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to eliminate seal shooting in UK waters before the US Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provision Rule deadline of 1 January 2022.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season (when they have pups) or to use certain methods to kill or take, unless permitted to do so under exceptional circumstances or by a licence issued under the Act. In the last ten years there have been no licenses issued to shoot seals to protect aquaculture or fisheries interests in England.
The UK Government and devolved administrations are in regular dialogue with the EU, the United States and stakeholders about our US Marine Mammal Protection Act preparation, including any implications for UK seal licensing regimes, to ensure future access to US markets.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that data obtained in respect of marine mammal bycatch monitoring meets the requirements of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provision Rule.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We have a long-term UK bycatch monitoring programme that uses dedicated observers to focus monitoring efforts on fisheries that pose a high risk of cetacean bycatch. The data from this programme have been used to complete our response to the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to fulfil requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
We continue to engage with the United States to discuss the details of the UK’s approach to cetacean bycatch monitoring and management and to ensure that we meet the requirements of the MMPA Import Provision Rule.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken in relation to the introduction of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provision Rule by that country.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is working closely with Marine Scotland, the Marine Management Organisation, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Seafish, the University of St Andrews, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the British Embassy in Washington DC on the UK’s approach to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Our aim is that the UK can continue to export to the United States when the MMPA is implemented on 1 January 2022.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many seals have been shot to protect (a) aquaculture and (b) fisheries interests in England in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season (when they have pups) or to use certain methods to kill or take, unless permitted to do so by a licence issued under the Act. In the last ten years there have been no licenses issued to shoot seals to protect aquaculture or fisheries interests in England.
Fishers have the legal defence to take unlicensed emergency measures in relation to individual seals to prevent damage to their fishing equipment or fish contained within it. There are no reporting requirements under this provision.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans his Department has put in place to mitigate disruption to air travel in the event of a large Icelandic volcanic eruption.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department prepares for a wide range of incidents that have the potential to disrupt air operations in the UK.
Details on the risk to aviation from an Icelandic Volcanic event are set out in “UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2017.” This document includes details on the actions taken by government and industry since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, as well as an assessment of the likelihood and impact of a future eruption. This covers both the risk of disruption from an ash rich eruption, as well as air pollution risks posed by a prolonged gas rich eruption, generating large amounts of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol.
We are confident that contingency plans developed by the government and the aviation industry, alongside actions taken by the Icelandic authorities, will reduce significantly the level of disruption arising from a similar eruption to that in 2010. Volcanic activity across Iceland is kept under constant scrutiny and the contingency plans can be deployed quickly if required.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the level of disruption to air travel as a result of the potential for an Icelandic volcanic eruption.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department prepares for a wide range of incidents that have the potential to disrupt air operations in the UK.
Details on the risk to aviation from an Icelandic Volcanic event are set out in “UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2017.” This document includes details on the actions taken by government and industry since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, as well as an assessment of the likelihood and impact of a future eruption. This covers both the risk of disruption from an ash rich eruption, as well as air pollution risks posed by a prolonged gas rich eruption, generating large amounts of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol.
We are confident that contingency plans developed by the government and the aviation industry, alongside actions taken by the Icelandic authorities, will reduce significantly the level of disruption arising from a similar eruption to that in 2010. Volcanic activity across Iceland is kept under constant scrutiny and the contingency plans can be deployed quickly if required.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to reduce the level of disruption to air travel since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department prepares for a wide range of incidents that have the potential to disrupt air operations in the UK.
Details on the risk to aviation from an Icelandic Volcanic event are set out in “UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2017.” This document includes details on the actions taken by government and industry since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, as well as an assessment of the likelihood and impact of a future eruption. This covers both the risk of disruption from an ash rich eruption, as well as air pollution risks posed by a prolonged gas rich eruption, generating large amounts of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol.
We are confident that contingency plans developed by the government and the aviation industry, alongside actions taken by the Icelandic authorities, will reduce significantly the level of disruption arising from a similar eruption to that in 2010. Volcanic activity across Iceland is kept under constant scrutiny and the contingency plans can be deployed quickly if required.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his Icelandic counterpart on the risk of a volcanic eruption in that region.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department prepares for a wide range of incidents that have the potential to disrupt air operations in the UK.
Details on the risk to aviation from an Icelandic Volcanic event are set out in “UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2017.” This document includes details on the actions taken by government and industry since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, as well as an assessment of the likelihood and impact of a future eruption. This covers both the risk of disruption from an ash rich eruption, as well as air pollution risks posed by a prolonged gas rich eruption, generating large amounts of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol.
We are confident that contingency plans developed by the government and the aviation industry, alongside actions taken by the Icelandic authorities, will reduce significantly the level of disruption arising from a similar eruption to that in 2010. Volcanic activity across Iceland is kept under constant scrutiny and the contingency plans can be deployed quickly if required.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the environment in the UK of a large volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department prepares for a wide range of incidents that have the potential to disrupt air operations in the UK.
Details on the risk to aviation from an Icelandic Volcanic event are set out in “UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2017.” This document includes details on the actions taken by government and industry since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, as well as an assessment of the likelihood and impact of a future eruption. This covers both the risk of disruption from an ash rich eruption, as well as air pollution risks posed by a prolonged gas rich eruption, generating large amounts of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol.
We are confident that contingency plans developed by the government and the aviation industry, alongside actions taken by the Icelandic authorities, will reduce significantly the level of disruption arising from a similar eruption to that in 2010. Volcanic activity across Iceland is kept under constant scrutiny and the contingency plans can be deployed quickly if required.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has reviewed on potential Icelandic volcanic activity and the effect of such activity on the UK.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department prepares for a wide range of incidents that have the potential to disrupt air operations in the UK.
Details on the risk to aviation from an Icelandic Volcanic event are set out in “UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2017.” This document includes details on the actions taken by government and industry since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, as well as an assessment of the likelihood and impact of a future eruption. This covers both the risk of disruption from an ash rich eruption, as well as air pollution risks posed by a prolonged gas rich eruption, generating large amounts of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol.
We are confident that contingency plans developed by the government and the aviation industry, alongside actions taken by the Icelandic authorities, will reduce significantly the level of disruption arising from a similar eruption to that in 2010. Volcanic activity across Iceland is kept under constant scrutiny and the contingency plans can be deployed quickly if required.