Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of climate change on the prevalence of wildfires in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Under the 2008 Climate Change Act, the Government is required to publish every five years a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA). The likely effect of climate change on the prevalence of wildfires in the UK is considered in the evidence report underpinning the 2017 CCRA, which was published in June 2016.
Since the publication of the CCRA, this July we published the National Adaptation Programme which sets out actions that the Forestry Commission will carry out over the next five years to ensure that woodlands are more resilient to natural hazards, including wildfires.
In terms of moorland wildfires, Defra is currently conducting a targeted policy review that will look at the relationship between land management and wildfire.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans for the UK wide frameworks on agriculture to cover a joint agreement on the permissibility of the allocation of subsidies to farms that are not commercially viable independent of subsidies.
Answered by George Eustice
Each devolved administration will have the freedom to design policies that support their farming sectors and enhance their environment. Common frameworks should only be established where they are necessary and this includes the maintenance of a functioning UK internal market. Provided that policies comply with this framework, each administration can choose which sectors they want to support and which public goods they wish to buy.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of fish processed in the UK was sold to other EU member states in the last twelve months.
Answered by George Eustice
In 2016, the UK exported 324,000 tonnes of fish and fish preparations (excluding products such as oils, meals and flours) to EU member states (worth £1,165million). It is not possible to determine the proportion of fish processed in the UK from these figures. Further details on the UK’s trade in fish products can be found in the Marine Management Organisations UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sea-fisheries-annual-statistics.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the findings of its consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill.
Answered by George Eustice
I refer the Honourable Member to the reply given to the Honourable Member for Bristol East, on 27 March 2018 PQ UIN 133919.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the UK fishing quota has been auctioned to vessels owned by non-UK companies.
Answered by George Eustice
The UK does not have a system of auctioning for fishing quotas. UK quota is only allocated to vessels registered and licensed in the UK, but case law established the rights of those in other EU Member States to invest in, or purchase, UK licensed vessels, thereby entitling those with UK registered vessels to obtain UK quota shares.
The economic link conditions currently associated with UK fishing licences were introduced in 1999 to make sure a genuine economic benefit is accrued to the UK from economic activities derived from UK fishing opportunities. We are reviewing the economic link condition as part of the development of our future fisheries management arrangements.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of puppies sold by third party dealers in England in the last twelve months.
Answered by George Eustice
We recently undertook a call for evidence on a ban on the commercial third party sale of puppies and kittens in England. Evidence from the RSPCA in response to that exercise suggests between 40,000 and 80,000 puppies are sold by licensed pet shops each year.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which external recruitment agencies are used by his Department's non-departmental public bodies.
Answered by George Eustice
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to make an assessment of the effect on animal welfare of banning the import of furs.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government shares the British public’s high regards for animal welfare and after we leave the EU the Government plans to retain the current regulations banning the import of a number of furs such as cat and dog fur, and seal skins and furs from commercial hunts.
The Government believes that the best way of phasing out cruel and inhumane fur farming and trapping practices in other parts of the world, which are banned here, is to press for higher animal welfare standards worldwide.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
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 bring forward proposals on increasing environmental protections or food product standards in 2018.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is committed to having strong environmental protections, and on 12 November the Secretary of State set out plans to consult on a new, independent statutory body to regulate environmental policy and hold government to account on environmental commitments once the UK has left the EU.
The Government is also committed to delivering and promoting robust food standards nationally and internationally, to protect consumer interests, facilitate international trade, and ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people sentenced under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 received the maximum tariff for animal cruelty as set out in sentencing guidelines in the 2016 calendar year.
Answered by George Eustice
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and sentenced at all courts by maximum sentence length for offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in England and Wales, from 2012 to 2016, can be viewed in the table.
Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, sentenced by maximum sentence length at all courts for selected offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (1), England and Wales, 2012 to 2016 (2)(3)(4) | |||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
Proceeded against | 1,429 | 1,295 | 1,042 | 800 | 768 |
Sentenced | 1,132 | 1,021 | 815 | 624 | 585 |
of which | |||||
Fine | 182 | 170 | 146 | 97 | 116 |
Immediate custody | 108 | 84 | 82 | 58 | 63 |
of which | |||||
Maximum sentence 6 months | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
(1) Includes offences under SS 4, 5, 6(1), 6(2), 7, 8.
(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(4) The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown Court, may be sentenced in the following year.