Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported under the Balai Directive in each month of (a) 2023 and (b) 2024 to date; and from which country did those dogs originate.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Please see attached Balai data for the number of dogs imported each month in 2023 and 2024.
The EU data may include animals that have originated from a non-EU country but have travelled through an EU Border Control Post (BCP). The database records the EU BCP Country as the Country of Origin for these imports. The Rest of the World data will not include any animals that have arrived through an EU BCP.
This information is drawn from the external Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS), not directly controlled by the department.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
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 adequacy of the enforcement powers of the Environment Agency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) publishes an annual Review of Activities Regulated by the EA setting out, details of enforcement action taken. The most recent of these reports was published in March this year and sets out statistics demonstrating the effectiveness of the regulatory activities of the Agency, including enforcement.
In 2018 the Government published the Noel Review: an independent review into serious and organised crime in the waste sector. The review made several recommendations for enhanced enforcement powers and regulations to control the management of waste. The EA’s powers to search and seize evidence and access communications data have been strengthened as a result. Wide ranging recommendations are being implemented through regulatory reform. In 2023, the EA requested and was provided with enhanced powers to sanction offenders using Variable Monetary Penalties.
In addition to the formal review, individual incidents and criminal investigation provide the regulators opportunity to learn lessons and identify further ways to frustrate the efforts of those who are determined to make profits, breaching environmental control with no regard to their impact on the environment and local people.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the ecological rating of rivers are in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency undertakes a programme of ecological, water quality and chemical monitoring on the Somerset Frome according to the requirements defined by the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 (WFD). This provides an understanding of the overall Ecological Status of the river.
The WFD monitoring classification shows the ecological rating of rivers in the Mid Leicestershire constituency as follows:
This information is publicly available on England Catchment Data Explorer.