Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the 2010 Study to determine whether cage-based breeding can meet the needs of game birds, and if not, to identify best practice - AW1303 did not include an objective of assessing whether cage-based breeding could meet the welfare needs of game birds; and if he will make such an assessment.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Timing of the call for evidence is still to be determined and needs to be considered in light of the challenges the gamebird sector is currently facing, not least the ongoing Avian Influenza outbreak.
Responses to a public call for evidence would help to inform a review on gamebird welfare by the expert Animal Welfare Committee, whose recommendations may then form the basis of a public consultation on any proposed reforms. The timeframe of these stages could only be considered once the outcome of the call for evidence was known.
The Defra study AW1303 was commissioned under a previous administration in 2010. Details of the study, including its objectives, are available at: Defra Science AW1303 game birds
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2022 to Question HL7651, if he will publish details of (a) how he expects the Animal Welfare Committee’s work to feed into the consultation on the welfare of game birds and (b) the expected duration of that part of the process.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Timing of the call for evidence is still to be determined and needs to be considered in light of the challenges the gamebird sector is currently facing, not least the ongoing Avian Influenza outbreak.
Responses to a public call for evidence would help to inform a review on gamebird welfare by the expert Animal Welfare Committee, whose recommendations may then form the basis of a public consultation on any proposed reforms. The timeframe of these stages could only be considered once the outcome of the call for evidence was known.
The Defra study AW1303 was commissioned under a previous administration in 2010. Details of the study, including its objectives, are available at: Defra Science AW1303 game birds
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2022 to Question HL7651, if he will provide further details of the call for evidence on gamebird welfare including (a) expected date of commencement, (b) expected duration and (c) whether it will be open to the public.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Timing of the call for evidence is still to be determined and needs to be considered in light of the challenges the gamebird sector is currently facing, not least the ongoing Avian Influenza outbreak.
Responses to a public call for evidence would help to inform a review on gamebird welfare by the expert Animal Welfare Committee, whose recommendations may then form the basis of a public consultation on any proposed reforms. The timeframe of these stages could only be considered once the outcome of the call for evidence was known.
The Defra study AW1303 was commissioned under a previous administration in 2010. Details of the study, including its objectives, are available at: Defra Science AW1303 game birds
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 create more habitat for nature in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Environment Act 2021 requires a new legally binding target to be set to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This world leading target will drive wide-ranging actions to deliver nature recovery. We know that to meet it we will need large-scale habitat creation and restoration and that by improving connectivity we will maximise the benefits of newly created and restored habitat.
The Environment Act introduced a number of policies that will support these outcomes. Biodiversity net gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities will work together to drive action, including to create or restore habitats that enable wildlife to recover and thrive, while conservation covenants will help secure habitat for the long term. LNRSs will provide the spatial framework for the Nature Recovery Network, which will guide creation, restoration and connectivity of habitats and sites to create mosaics of wildlife-rich habitat; and incentivise private partnerships.
The Environmental Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship schemes help land managers deliver environmental benefits on their land. This includes the creation of habitats for wildlife including birds, small mammals and pollinators. Agreement holders can choose from actions ranging from general habitat creation benefitting a variety of species, such as hedgerow or wildflower plot creation, or actions to target specific species, such as skylark plots.
The Nature for Climate Fund provides £750 million for the creation, restoration and management of woodland and peatland habitats. The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is estimated to deliver 0.6mha of habitat creation and restoration within & outside SSSIs. We set a target to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature's recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion by 2030. This includes investment in protected sites and other landscape-scale action through delivery of the Nature Recovery Network.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature and the G7 2030 Nature Compact; and what steps he is taking to prevent degradation of nature.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The degradation of nature is a global problem that needs a global solution. Government recognises the merits of supporting international actions, alongside taking steps domestically to assess and address this crucial issue.
The UK was pivotal in driving the Leader's Pledge for Nature in 2020 and remains fully committed to working towards global implementation of the important commitments contained in the Pledge. This week the UK contributed to a highly impactful Leader's Pledge for Nature event (co-hosted with the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the Global Ocean Alliance) in the margins of the UN General Assembly where countries came forward with ambitious commitments to finance biodiversity and move to nature positive economies.
The UK led the drafting and agreement of the G7 2030 Nature Compact by Leaders during our G7 Presidency in 2021, and we are committed to the full implementation of all the commitments contained within it by 2030, including the headline target to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
Domestically, Government is committed to addressing the biggest environmental priorities of our age, including restoring and enhancing nature.
We have set out clear goals for habitats and species in England in our 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP). The 25YEP marked a step change in ambition for wildlife and the wider natural environment and we are already taking action to fulfil this ambition. We are maintaining and extending key protections; introducing new legislation and new funding streams; we are supporting partnerships and we are working across Government to secure broad action.
Our world-leading Environment Act 2021 puts environmental ambition and accountability at the very heart of government, by establishing a comprehensive legal framework for environmental improvement. The act includes a range of specific measures and actions to directly tackle biodiversity loss and sets a new and ambitious domestic framework for environmental governance now we have left the European Union.
Notably, the Act requires a new, legally binding target to be set to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This is in addition to setting at least one long-term legally binding target for biodiversity alongside targets on water, air quality and waste reduction.
We will set out all of our long-term targets, and our approach to meeting them, in our revised Environmental Improvement Plan in January 2023. This plan will mean that progress can be monitored, and Government will be held accountable for actions to recover nature.
The Environment Act also introduces measures that will strengthen our action for nature and lay the foundation for the Nature Recovery Network, a network of places that are richer in wildlife, more resilient to climate change and provide wider environmental benefits including carbon capture and recreation. Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities will work together to drive action towards our targets for nature recovery, alongside wider action and investment to create or restore habitats that enable wildlife to recover and thrive, while conservation covenants will help secure habitat for the long term.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to amend fishing licenses in 2023 to reference destructive fishing.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine conservation is a devolved competence and the following information on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) therefore relates to England only.
The Fisheries Act 2020 requires that all vessels fishing commercially in UK waters must have a licence to do so. All licences have a set of conditions which specify the area in which fishing is authorised, the time period permitted for fishing, the quantities and description of which species may be caught and the permitted fishing method. These conditions are subject to periodic review and are based on scientific evidence.
98 MPAs in English inshore waters already have byelaws in place to protect sensitive features from damaging fishing activities and the first four offshore byelaws have now been established. The Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities and Marine Management Organisation continue to assess and implement measures to manage damaging fishing within MPAs. We are aiming to have all MPAs in English waters protected from damaging fishing activity by 2024.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 potential merits of banning all types of destructive fishing from Marine Protected Areas.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Marine Management Organisation and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities assess on a site-by-site basis which fishing activities could prevent MPAs from achieving their conservation objectives. Byelaws are developed using an evidence-led process to determine what management is required to protect sites and to not unduly restrict legitimate fishing activity.
98 MPAs in English inshore waters already have byelaws in place to protect sensitive features from damaging fishing activities and the first four offshore byelaws have now been established. A Call for Evidence on byelaws in 13 more MPAs has recently closed. We aim to have protection in place for all our offshore MPAs by 2024.
In July, we also launched a consultation on five candidate Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English waters. With the highest level of protection in England’s seas to enable the ecosystem to fully recover, many activities including commercial and recreational fishing would be prohibited. HPMAs would complement the existing MPA network. Any HPMAs Government decides to designate following the consultation would be designated by July 2023.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to incentivise the establishment of allotments in London.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of access to local green spaces including allotments in enabling and supporting healthy lifestyles within our communities. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space and opportunities for new provision, which can include allotments, and their plans should then seek to accommodate this. The National Model Design Code highlights that design considerations vary with the type of space and that open space design needs to consider factors such as: access, maintenance, ecology and also allotments and community growing for food production, learning and community engagement.
Natural England is also promoting the use of allotments and gardening projects in London through its work with Thriving Communities & The National Academy for Social Prescribing.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 potential merits of introducing legislation to ban water company bosses from awarding themselves bonuses unless leak reduction targets are met.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Government and Ofwat have set an expectation that companies must be transparent about how performance related executive pay and dividends are linked to services for customers, including leakage and environmental performance.
David Black, Ofwat CEO recently reiterated that “performance related pay for CEOs should be clearly linked to their performance for customers, the environment and society. Performance related pay can't be a one-way street, if companies are not performing that should be reflected in executive pay."
Ofwat plans to report on an analysis, it is completing, of whether it feels companies have clearly made the link between performance and performance related pay.
In July, Ofwat released new figures showing that three quarters of the companies are meeting their leakage targets and some have reduced leakage by more than 10% over the past two years. Industry-wide leakage has been reduced by 11% since 2017-18, heading towards a target of a 50% reduction by 2050.
Water companies already face automatic financial penalties when leakage performance commitments are missed and Ofwat can take enforcement action if a company is also breaching its legal obligations or licence conditions.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 increase public access to (a) rivers and (b) waterways for (i) leisure and (ii) sport.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government recognises that taking to our inland waters can have a positive effect on people’s physical and mental wellbeing. We are aware that there has been a considerable increase over the last few years in numbers of people taking up water-based activities such as canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and open water or wild swimming. Access to regulated waterways can be granted through licenses from the appropriate navigation authority. Access to unregulated waterways can be arranged through voluntary access agreements. The Government encourages interested parties to work together to increase the access to unregulated rivers and waterways through encouraging and incentivising voluntary access agreements.
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The Government also welcomes applications for designated bathing waters for both coastal and inland waters such as rivers. Local authorities, groups, and individuals can apply, with Government encouraging applications by writing annually to the Chief Executive of every local authority in England and other stakeholders such as swimming associations.