Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 to modernise the licensing scheme for dog breeding and selling to improve the welfare of dogs.
Answered by George Eustice
In February, Defra published its proposals to update the laws that regulate the breeding and selling of dogs to improve their welfare. The proposals are currently being finalised and a Statutory Instrument should be laid before Parliament next year.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has recently conducted into the effects of neonicotinoids on the health of the UK bee population.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has supported a range of research relevant to improving understanding of the effects of neonicotinoids (and other pesticides) on bees. Recently completed work includes studies on: quantifying the exposure of bumblebees to neonicotinoids and mixtures of pesticides (commenced 2013), interpreting pesticide residues in honeybees (published 2015), using radio-frequency identification devices to assess effects of pesticides on foraging bees (commenced 2013), and protection goals for bee colonies (commenced 2015).
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the 25 Year Environment Plan will include measures to help manage the UK's impact on the environment in other countries through the products it imports.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Our 25 Year Environment Plan will set out not only how we will improve the natural environment in this country, but also how we will use the UK’s position and influence to improve the environment around the globe.
We want to provide even stronger global leadership on environmental issues in the coming decades.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 effect of banning the landing of bass by fixed nets on reducing the incidence of accidental catching of those fish.
Answered by George Eustice
The EU bass measures that apply this year are intended to further reduce the landings of bass across all fishing gear groups – trawl, hook and line, and netting (both fixed and drift) as Member States work together to recover this important stock. Limited derogations from a complete ban were agreed for application this year, including a monthly limit of 250kg per eligible vessel to allow for limited landings of unavoidable by-catches when using fixed gillnets to catch fish other than bass.
In the first six months of this year, we have seen a reduction of bass landings in the UK fleet netting gear group of 54% from the 2011-13 baseline average in the same period, i.e. 54 tonnes landed from January to June, down from 117 tonnes in the earlier six month baseline average.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 assess the feasibility of raising the maximum sanction to five years in prison for animal cruelty sentences in England and Wales to align sentences with Northern Ireland.
Answered by George Eustice
Anyone who is cruel to an animal or does not provide for its welfare needs may be banned from owning animals, given an unlimited fine or sent to prison. We are aware of the penalties which apply in other parts of the United Kingdom. As the Secretary of State told the House on 20 July, we are actively reviewing penalties in England.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of including the permeable ammonia-recycling crust within the Farming Ammonia Reduction Grant.
Answered by George Eustice
In order to deliver grants to farmers under the scheme by the European Commission’s deadline of 30 September 2017, it was necessary to use equipment that had already been costed by Natural England. The permeable ammonia-recycling crust was not on the list of equipment that had been previously costed.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pairs of hen harriers nested in the Bowland Fells and North Pennine Moors special protection areas for birds in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The number of pairs of hen harriers that nested in the Bowland Fells and North Pennine Moors special protection areas (SPAs) are set out below:
| Bowland Fells SPA | North Pennine Moors SPA |
2012 | 0 | 0 |
2013 | 0 | 2 |
2014 | 2 | 0 |
2015 | 1 | 1 |
2016 | 0 | 1 |
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 in (a) the UK and (b) Wiltshire have been prosecuted under sections (a) 1(3), (b) 3(1) and (c) 3(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts in 2015 for offences, under the requested sections of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in England and Wales, and specifically for Wiltshire, is in the table below. Data for 2016 is not yet available.
Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under selected sections of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England and Wales (with breakdown for Wiltshire Police Force Area), 2015 (1)(2) | ||||
Section of Act | Coverage | |||
Section 1(3) | England and Wales | 199 | ||
of which | ||||
Wiltshire | 1 | |||
Section 3(1) | England and Wales | 1,501 | ||
of which | ||||
Wiltshire | 11 | |||
Section 3(3) | England and Wales | 8 | ||
of which | ||||
Wiltshire | - | |||
'-' = Nil | ||||
(1) 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. | ||||
(2) 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. | ||||
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. | ||||
Ref: 557-16 PQC 48656 | ||||