Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many schools in Birmingham are located in areas with pollution higher than World Health Organisation limits.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Defra does not hold information on schools in the city that are located in areas with pollution higher than World Health Organisation limits. Birmingham City Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality in its area. It declared a city wide Air Quality Management Area in 2005 and an action plan to tackle NO2 was put in place. Birmingham City Council is best placed to provide the information requested.
In 2015 measured concentrations of PM10 in the UK were below EU and WHO limit values. Measured concentrations of PM2.5 were well below the EU limit value of 20µg/m3 but slightly above the WHO value of 10µg/m3 by between 2 and 3µg/m3.
In 2015, Birmingham exceeded the EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in and around the city centre. The main source of NO2 emissions is road traffic.
In December 2015, the Government published the national air quality plan for reducing NO2 concentrations through a new programme of Clean Air Zones in five cities in England, including Birmingham. The plan combines targeted local and national measures and continued investment in clean technologies. These measures will also reduce particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations. A public consultation seeking views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework and on the draft regulation mandating the implementation of Clean Air Zones was published on 13 October 2016.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to maintain or enhance the UK's environmental protection standards following an exit from the EU.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
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. We are developing a 25 Year Environment Plan to deliver this.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced our plans for a Repeal Bill that will convert current EU law into domestic British law. This will give consumers, workers and businesses as much certainty as possible by maintaining the existing laws wherever practicable and desirable. Any future changes in the law will be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate. The decision to leave the EU means we now have a unique opportunity, in future, to design a set of policies tailored to the needs of the UK, its species and habitats.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with representatives of (i) Bayer CropScience and (ii) Syngenta in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
Ministers and officials meet with Bayer CropScience, Syngenta and other parties on a range of issues.
Information on Ministerial meetings with organisations is available on GOV.UK and is published on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses (a) died and (b) were destroyed as a result of training injuries in Britain in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.
Answered by George Eustice
Neither the Government nor the British Horseracing Authority holds information on racehorse fatalities as a result of training injuries.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses (a) died and (b) were destroyed at each of Britain's 59 racecourses in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government does not hold information on racehorse fatalities. However, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) publishes annual statistics on their website on the number of racehorse fatalities. The statistics do not record whether the horse died of its injuries or was destroyed at the racecourse and do not differentiate between the different sorts of horseracing, but according to the BHA the numbers of racehorses that died at racetracks for each of the last three years are provided in the table below:
Year | Number of racehorse fatalities at British racetracks |
2013 | 196 |
2014 | 189 |
2015 | 156 |
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses (a) died and (b) were destroyed on British racecourses or shortly afterwards due to injury sustained in (i) flat, (ii) all weather and (iii) national hunt racing in (A) 2013, (B) 2014 and (C) 2015.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government does not hold information on racehorse fatalities. However, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) publishes annual statistics on their website on the number of racehorse fatalities. The statistics do not record whether the horse died of its injuries or was destroyed at the racecourse and do not differentiate between the different sorts of horseracing, but according to the BHA the numbers of racehorses that died at racetracks for each of the last three years are provided in the table below:
Year | Number of racehorse fatalities at British racetracks |
2013 | 196 |
2014 | 189 |
2015 | 156 |
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK intends to maintain the EU ban on neonicotinoids (a) before and (b) after the UK leaves the EU; and whether the Government plans to conduct a review of the evidence of damage to bees caused by those pesticides.
Answered by George Eustice
While it remains within the EU, the UK will continue to meet its obligations under EU law. This includes restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids. As part of the preparation for EU exit, we are considering future arrangements for pesticides. Our highest priority will continue to be the protection of people and the environment.
The Government remains of the view that decisions on the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides should be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks. Pesticides that carry unacceptable risks to pollinators should not be authorised. The Government keeps the developing evidence on neonicotinoids under active review, advised by the independent Expert Committee on Pesticides.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the findings of the RSPCA report entitled, Breed Specific Legislation - A Dog's Dinner, published in August 2016, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of breed specific legislation.
Answered by George Eustice
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was reviewed as recently as 2014. At that time it was decided to make some changes, including extending the criminal offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to all places and increasing the maximum penalties substantially from 2 years’ imprisonment to (i) 14 years‘ imprisonment in cases of death of the victim; (ii) 5 years’ imprisonment in cases of injury; and (iii) 3 years’ imprisonment in cases where a dog attacks an assistance dog.
The Government does not consider that dogs bred for fighting, or those that share the characteristics of these animals, make ideal pets. However, the law allows individual dogs to be exempt from the general prohibition if a court is satisfied that they do not pose a threat to public safety and if the owner is considered a fit and proper person.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure that regulatory standards on clean beaches and seas, marine wildlife protection and fish population levels will not be lowered after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
In the 2015 Manifesto, we set the goal of being the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than that in which we found it. This is a big ambition to which the Government remains committed to today.
We also have a manifesto commitment to produce a 25 Year Plan for the environment which will be the basis of our approach to the environment.
As we start the process of leaving the EU, we will aim to deliver a stable and clear legislative framework for the environment, including maintaining standards that underpin trade and deliver on our international commitments.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses were slaughtered in abattoirs in Britain in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.
Answered by George Eustice
Information on the types of horses slaughtered in abattoirs in Great Britain is not recorded. The total numbers of horses slaughtered in Great Britain for that period are as follows:
Year | No. Horses Slaughtered |
2013-14 | 4,770 |
2014-15 | 4,008 |
2015-16 | 3,653 |