Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what current legislative proposals there are for the better control of Japanese knotweed.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 and subject to Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to plant this species in the wild or cause it to grow in the wild.
Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 provides local authorities with a discretionary power to require the landowner to clean up 'land adversely affecting the amenity of the neighbourhood’. Local authorities also have the power to undertake clean-up works themselves under Section 215 and to recover costs from the landowner. However, the decision whether to take action in individual cases is a matter for the local authority concerned, which will need to take into account all the local circumstances.
Since 20 October, local councils and police have the power to issue Community Protection Notices (CPNs) under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. CPNs can be used against individuals or businesses who are acting unreasonably and who persistently or continually act in a way that has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality. If this test is met then a written warning should be given. If this warning fails to stop the anti-social behaviour then a CPN may be issued. This will require an individual or business to stop the anti-social behaviour identified in the notice, for example to control or prevent the growth of Japanese knotweed or any other invasive species. A breach of a CPN is a criminal offence.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
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 property and mortgage industries regarding the impact of Japanese knotweed on property values.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the property and mortgage industries regarding the impact of Japanese Knotweed on property values.
The Government does not intervene directly in such matters as it is the right of mortgage lenders to choose to whom they lend money and what conditions should apply to any agreement, which could include the seller having to provide insurance.
An information paper was published in 2011 by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to encourage mortgage lenders to view Japanese knotweed as just one of the many factors that may affect property value. It advocates that mortgage lenders draw up knotweed management plans with the buyer and, where possible, owners of affected neighbouring properties.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne 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 she has made of the effectiveness of Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in controlling the spread of (a) Japanese knotweed and (b) other non-native plant species.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Listing species on Schedule 9 is just one measure, adopted in line with the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy, used to tackle the establishment and spread of invasive non-native plants. The GB Strategy is currently in the process of being reviewed. However, without the restrictions provided by section 14(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it would be legal to plant, or cause to grow in the wild, those species listed on the Schedule, including Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK upholds its international obligations to prevent the illegal trade of ivory and rhino horns.
Answered by George Eustice
The UK Government is taking a leading role in global efforts to end the illegal wildlife trade.
In February 2014 we hosted a high-level international conference for leaders from over 40 nations. The Conference resulted in the London Conference Declaration, containing 25 commitments to action on enforcement and criminal justice, demand reduction and sustainable livelihoods. The UK is actively supporting Botswana in hosting a further Conference to review progress in March 2015.
We are engaged with a wide range of international organisations and initiatives focused on combatting the illegal wildlife trade and supported the development of a UN resolution on illegal wildlife trade at the UN Environment Assembly earlier this year. The UK also supports organisations active in this field, such as the International Consortium for Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), a partnership of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank and the World Customs Organization.
The global effort to regulate international wildlife trade, which includes work to combat illegal wildlife trade, is undertaken within the framework of CITES, in which the UK plays a leading role. The UK is chair of the Rhino Working Group of the CITES Standing Committee and has funded an ICCWC coordinator post within the CITES Secretariat.
In December 2013, Defra and the Department for International Development announced a £10 million package to support efforts to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife products, including rhino horn and elephant ivory. This will enable the Government to support projects from developing countries which tackle the illegal wildlife trade, to be allocated through a competitive “Challenge Fund”. We hope to announce shortly the projects which were successful.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is in relation to the public forest estate; and what assessment she has made of the implications for that policy of the recommendations of the 2012 Independent Panel on Forestry.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Government’s policy on the future of the public forest estate is set out in its Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January 2013. The Government is committed to maintaining the public forest estate in public ownership and to establishing a new operationally-independent public body to manage the estate for the long-term benefit of people, nature and the economy.
The Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement was firmly based on the Independent Panel on Forestry’s recommendations, including those in relation to the public forest estate.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers' payroll service in his Department and its agencies.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
This response covers Core Defra, Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
Defra and its agencies allow the following organisations to collect subscriptions through its payroll services:
AXA Sun Life (FERA only)
Benenden Healthcare Society
Birmingham Hosp Saturday Fund (AHVLA and RPA only)
Charitable Giving
Charity for Civil Servants
Civil Service Benevolent Fund
Civil Service Club
Civil Service Pension Scheme (inc stakeholder)
Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
Civil Service Sports Council
Commercial Union Life Assurance
Customs & Excise Sports Club (core Defra only)
Customs Fund Insurance (core Defra only)
Cyclescheme (FERA only)
Defra Lottery
Department of Environment Recreational Association (core Defra only)
Dimensions Fitness
Fideliti
First Division Association
Forester Health Plan Scheme
General, Municipal & Boilermakers (AHVLA only)
Give As You Earn (RPA and CEFAS only)
Halfords
HAS Crown Plan & Individual (RPA only)
Hospital Savings Association
Land Registry Sports & Social (VMD only)
Leeds Hospital Fund (AHVLA only)
Medicash Health Scheme (CEFAS and RPA only)
Minerva Sports & Social (VMD only)
Prospect
Public and Commercial Services Union
Simply Health (core Defra and FERA only)
Sodexo (FERA only)
Sovereign Health Care (core Defra and FERA only)
SSA Lottery (CEFAS only)
Sun Life Assurance Company
Welsh Hospitals (AHVLA only)
Welsh Office Sports & Social Association (core Defra only)
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of plastic bags on marine environments.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Defra has funded a number of studies to investigate the potential for the absorption of contaminants by organisms that consume plastics. These studies are published in scientific literature. Defra is also currently conducting an analysis of the costs and benefits of the carrier bag charge, including on the marine environment.
In addition, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has been monitoring seabed litter since 1992 through fisheries stock assessments and marine litter surveys.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects to be able to announce his proposals for a single use plastic bag charge.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Last September the Government announced plans to introduce a charge on single use plastic bags with effect from October 2015. We are developing our proposals and in doing so are considering the recent report of the Environmental Audit Committee, together with the response to our Call for Evidence. We will announce our response as soon as possible.