Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount that a person can be fined for having a dangerous dog.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, there are already strict penalties in place. The owner of any dog that is dangerously out of control may be put in prison for up to 14 years, banned from ever owning a dog and receive an unlimited fine. We have no plans to increase these penalties.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents regarding dangerous dogs have been reported in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This information is collected by the NHS, individual police forces or local authorities.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help encourage the building of wildlife-friendly neighbourhoods.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to deliver planning reforms and unlock the housing this country urgently needs while improving outcomes for nature. We already expect local planning authorities to plan for development incorporating green infrastructure.
Biodiversity net gain ensures development has a measurably positive impact on biodiversity, compared to what was there before development, and became mandatory (under the Environment Act 2021) in England for most major developments and small sites in early 2024. This means protecting existing habitats and ensuring that lost or degraded habitats are compensated for by enhancing or creating habitats with a greater overall value to wildlife and people, and with rules incentivising delivery on development sites.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published in December also expects planning policies and decisions to minimise impacts on and provide gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features that support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.
As part of our work to develop a set of national policies for decision making, the Government has committed to consulting on changes which require swift bricks to be incorporated into new buildings unless there are compelling reasons which preclude their use, or which would make them ineffective. As an interim step ahead of the consultation the government have published updated Planning Practice Guidance setting out how swift bricks are expected to be used in new development.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 is taking to protect hedgehog populations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government-led action is focused on addressing the main known drivers of hedgehog decline including habitat loss and fragmentation due to removal of field margins, hedgerows and scrub; the use of herbicides and insecticide; and road traffic.
The Environment Act 2021 introduced several policies, such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities, which will work together to support the creation and restoration of habitats which will support a range of species including hedgehogs and their prey species.
Natural England is co-funding the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered will produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of future practical conservation measures to address this challenge.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support his Department is providing for people struggling with water bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to this end.
We expect water companies to put robust support in place for vulnerable customers and keep current support schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing stronger penalties for owners involved with dangerous dog incidents.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, any dog that is dangerously out of control can be euthanised and their owners put in prison for up to 14 years and banned from ever owning a dog.
Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership. We have reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce and look forward to receiving their findings and recommendations in due course.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on water quality in (a) lakes and (b) rivers in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) holds historical and current water quality data for the rivers and lakes (water bodies) in the Ashfield Constituency. The EA monitors different aspects of water quality data to classify the overall health of these water bodies. The Catchment Data Explorer system provides data and information on the lakes, rivers and groundwater waterbodies in England, including the physical, chemical and biological, properties of that water. The water body data relevant to the Ashfield constituency can be accessed via the following links; Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton in Ashfield, Hucknall.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 adequacy of air quality levels in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities review and assess air quality in their areas and publish an annual report on their actions to improve local air quality including local monitoring data which is assessed by Defra. In their most recent report, the Council indicated they were monitoring NO2 levels at 25 locations and recorded continued reductions in concentrations in recent years. Ashfield District Council have no declared Air Quality Management Areas due to having recorded no exceedances of the Air Quality Objectives set by Defra.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 is taking to improve management of flood risk in high-risk areas of Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ashfield constituency suffered flooding to 58 properties in Storm Babet, October 2023 and to six properties in Storm Henk, January 2024.
Much of the flooding risk in Ashfield is from ‘ordinary watercourses’ or surface water run-off, both of which are the responsibility of Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs). Ashfield LLFA Nottinghamshire County Council can be contacted on flood.team@nottscc.gov.uk.
The LLFA published Section 19 investigation reports following the 2023/24 winter storms. These reports cover areas in Ashfield such as Pleasley, Kirkby in Ashfield, and Sutton in Ashfield, and can be accessed on the council’s website: : The Council's role | Nottinghamshire County Council
The Environment Agency contributed to the Section 19 investigations where relevant, for example in Pleasley, where we have a role in incident response, issuing flood warnings and supporting recovery efforts: 26. Appendix Y. Pleasley S19 Storm Babet Oct 2023
The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for managing flood risk from the River Meden that flows through Pleasley and a small stretch of the River Erewash headwaters.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been (a) fined and (b) received criminal records for breaking laws on log burning in each of the last five years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold a centralised record of fines or criminal records related to burning solid fuels, including wood.