Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 increase the maximum sentence available under the Animal welfare (Service Animals) Act 2006.
Answered by David Rutley
I am pleased to say that the legislation needed to implement the increase in the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences - the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill – had its First Reading in this House on 26 June. The Bill will increase the custodial penalty for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, as well as other animal cruelty offences, from 6 months’ imprisonment to 5 years’ imprisonment.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 effectiveness of his Department's monitoring of the disposal of plastic exported to China for recycling.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Businesses involved in the shipment of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling.
The UK environmental regulators take an intelligence-led approach to checking compliance with these obligations, focusing on specific problematic wastes. The regulators intervene at source to stop illegal exports taking place. Enforcement activity also occurs in transit, at roadsides and at ports.
Last year the Environment Agency issued 130 stop notices prohibiting the export of unsuitable waste. It also stopped 4,565 tonnes of waste destined for illegal export at ports and intervened further upstream to prevent a further 15,113 tonnes of waste from reaching ports. This work ensures we are not exporting our problem wastes for unsuitable treatment or disposal.
There is a system of international rules on waste shipments which must be followed by both Chinese and UK authorities to ultimately ensure the environmentally sound management of waste.
Our ambition is to handle more of our waste in the UK. While there has been a significant increase in recycling over the last 10 years, there is more that needs to be done and we will set out proposals in our forthcoming Waste and Resources Strategy.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 effectiveness of the legislation regulating the release of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
There is no legislation that specifically regulates the release of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns.
The National Association of Balloon Artists and Suppliers, the trade association for the balloon industry, has published a code of conduct to minimise the environmental impact of balloon releases. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has published a code of practice for sky lanterns to help ensure that they are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly.
Local councils have powers to restrict or regulate the release of balloons and sky lanterns on land that they control. Councils can also take an individual to court, or issue a fixed penalty notice, if they believe them to be guilty of a littering offence.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 animal welfare in fur farms in (a) Poland, (b) Finland, (c) China and (d) France that export fur to the UK.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government shares the British public’s high regard for animal welfare and, after we leave the EU, the Government plans to retain the current regulations relating to fur imports. Strict rules apply to fur farming in the EU and there are legal frameworks for the farming of fur animals in some non-EU countries, including minimum standards and welfare inspections. Many major fur companies also have their own standards that they audit with their producers.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued to online marketplaces on the regulations that apply the sale of animals.
Answered by George Eustice
We are in the process of drafting guidance that will accompany the new regulations which will update the laws on the selling of animals as pets, including online. This will be available in due course and well before the new regulations come into force on 1 October. The guidance will be available to local authorities and all vendors of pet animals.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the ban on the sale of cat, dog and seal fur to other species.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government shares the British public’s high regards for animal welfare and, after we leave the EU, the Government plans to retain the current regulations banning the import of cat and dog fur and products, and seal skins and products from commercial hunts.
The Government has pressed for higher animal welfare standards worldwide to phase out cruel and inhumane fur farming and trapping practices in other parts of the world, which are banned here.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 effectiveness of the Theft Act 1968 on deterring the theft of pets.
Answered by George Eustice
Under the Theft Act 1968, the maximum penalty for the theft of a pet is 7 years’ imprisonment.
The Sentencing Council updated its guidelines in relation to sentencing for theft offences in February 2016.
The guidelines take account of the emotional distress and therefore harm that theft of personal items such as a pet can have on the victim and accordingly recommends higher penalties for such offences.
Since 6 April 2016, all dogs in England and Wales must be microchipped and registered to an approved database by the time they are eight weeks old. In addition to reuniting lost or stolen dogs with their owners, this will also help to reduce the numbers of strays that have to be kennelled and re-homed by local authorities and dog re-homing charities.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Denmark, (b) Sweden and (c) Germany on deposit return schemes for single use drinks containers.
Answered by George Eustice
The Minister responsible for this policy area, Minister Coffey, visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark late last year to find out more about the deposit return schemes (DRS) in those countries, including meeting the then Danish Minister for Environment and Food to discuss the Danish DRS.
The Secretary of State has not had any specific discussions on DRS with his counterparts in Denmark, Sweden or Germany
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 potential merits of implementing a deposit return scheme for aluminium cans.
Answered by George Eustice
From 2 October to 20 November 2017, an independent working group set up under the Litter Strategy for England held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included metal drinks containers that are sold sealed and used for the sale of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, often for consumption ‘on the go’. It involved seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes. Early this year, Ministers received and reviewed the working group’s report summarising its call for evidence and recommendations. This can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/drinks-containers-reducing-litter-and-increasing-recycling-call-for-evidence.
The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme in England, subject to a consultation later this year. The consultation will look at the details of how such a scheme would work, alongside other measures to increase recycling rates.