Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to improve measures to prevent the illegal importation of underage puppies after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
While the United Kingdom remains in the European Union we remain signed up to the Pet Travel Scheme and the rules by which dogs and puppies are imported into the United Kingdom.
Since December 2015 the Animal and Plant Health Agency teams have been working in partnership with the Dogs Trust, Kent County Council and Kent Police on a pilot to identify and seize non-compliant dogs at Dover and Folkestone. To date over 600 dogs have been seized the majority being under the minimum age permitted to enter the UK.
Leaving the EU provides us with an opportunity to develop gold standard policies on animal welfare. We are determined to get a good EU exit deal for Britain and we have been absolutely clear we will maintain and enhance our world-leading animal welfare standards.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 Answer of 4 July 2017 to Question 1761, when he plans to launch a consultation on further UK restrictions on the sale of ivory.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Bringing an end to elephant poaching is a priority for this government. We are currently considering next steps and will set these out in due course.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1556, how many people have received the maximum six months imprisonment for the most serious cases of animal cruelty in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for the maximum penalty for offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in England and Wales, from 2012 to 2016, can be viewed in the table below.
Defendants sentenced to the maximum penalty (1) for offences under selected sections of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, England and Wales, 2012 to 2016 (2)(3) | |||||
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Section of Act | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
5 | - | - | - | - | - |
6 | - | - | - | - | - |
7 | - | - | - | - | - |
8 | - | - | - | - | - |
'-' = Nil | |||||
(1) Six months imprisonment | |||||
(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. | |||||
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 steps taken to meet the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive to continue after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
In the Queen’s speech 2017 it was announced that a Bill will be introduced to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act. The Bill is to provide certainty for individuals and businesses on leaving the EU by converting current EU law, including that transposing the Water Framework Directive, into UK law. This will ensure a smooth and orderly transition as well as retaining legislation that protects our environment.
We remain fully committed to delivering our manifesto commitment to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than we found it.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of rivers in England and Wales meeting the 2027 EU Water Framework Directive deadline for good ecological status; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive within the UK is a devolved matter.
Updated River Basin Management Plans published in 2016 provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment, and focus on the improvements for the period 2016 to 2021. The plans for England confirm over £3billion of investment by 2021, leading to improvements in at least 680 water bodies, including an overall target to enhance at least 8000 km of waters by 2021. The plans will be reviewed and updated in 2021 taking account of progress that has been made and the best evidence then on what can be achieved by 2027.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the merits of the National Farmer Union's application for the use of neonicotinoids.
Answered by George Eustice
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) applied for authorisations to use two neonicotinoids to protect oilseed rape crops planted in England this year. This use of neonicotinoids is not routinely permitted but the legislation allows for “emergency” authorisation of the limited and controlled use of a pesticide to control a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means.
Decisions on whether or not to grant authorisation are made on the basis of an examination of the technical and scientific information submitted by the applicant. This assessment is made by the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) and the Health and Safety Executive.
The ECP has submitted its advice on the NFU applications to the Government. It finds that neither of the applications meets the requirements for emergency authorisation. The ECP’s full advice note has been published on the GOV.UK website.
Based on the evidence and the expert advice, Defra has rejected the applications.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 Answer of 18 April 2017 to Question 69570, whether she has seen a copy of the flooding impact assessment carried out by the Welsh Government; and if she will place a copy in the Library.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 Answer of 18 April 2017 to Question 69569, if she has seen a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment carried out by the Welsh Government; and if she will place a copy in the Library.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice and the Home Secretary on increasing the maximum custodial sentence for acts of animal cruelty to five years imprisonment; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
Ministers and officials in Defra have had regular dialogue with Ministers and officials in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. The issue of sentencing was discussed most recently in the context of two Private Members Bills tabled on this issue.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether an Environmental Impact Assessment has been carried out on the effect of sediment movements along the Severn Estuary following the development of the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
This is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government.