Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the local environment of sheep farming.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The sheep sector plays a vital role in contributing to rural life, local economies and the iconic landscapes of the UK. With over 50% of the national flock being in Wales and Scotland, the sheep sector is an important sector across the UK.
The climate and topography of the UK mean that much of it is unsuited to commercial crop production, especially in Wales, Scotland and the north and west of England, where livestock production is the main use of agricultural land. Sheep are a major part of that, with breeds adapted to thrive in areas of harsh climate, topography and low feed-value vegetation. Furthermore, grazing of sheep has a key role in maintaining open habitats, primarily grasslands and heathlands, by hindering succession to scrub or woodland in the lowlands and sub-montane zone. In doing so they are an important land management resource.
We are currently developing our own farming policies as we prepare to leave the EU. Our intention, as laid out in the Agriculture Bill, is for our future policies to primarily reward farmers for providing environmental benefits. We are currently working with farmers, land managers and representative bodies including the National Farmers Union, Tenant Farmers Association and National Sheep Association to ensure that our future Environmental Land Management system can work with livestock farms including sheep farms in lowland and upland areas.
Defra undertakes and coordinates research across the whole food production system, looking at factors including environmental impacts, productivity, efficiency, waste reduction etc. This includes research into sustainable diets, local and seasonal produce, environmental labelling, supply chain efficiency, and sustainable consumption.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on developing its policy on imposing a ban on hunting trophy imports.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government takes the conservation of species seriously. The import of hunting trophies of endangered species into the UK is subject to strict controls. A permit will only be issued if no detrimental impact on the sustainability of endangered species is demonstrated and the trophy has been obtained from a legal and sustainable hunting operation. We will always do whatever we can to protect the world’s most iconic species.
Some conservation non-governmental organisations have set out how in certain limited and rigorously controlled cases, scientific evidence shows that trophy hunting can be an effective conservation tool.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions in his Department in the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
We do not currently collect socio-economic background data of employees at any grade.
The Civil Service is currently looking at the best way to start implementing the recommendations on measuring socio-economic background published in June by the Cabinet Office, across Government Departments, to better understand the background of people appointed in senior positions. The publication can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/socio-economic-background
The Government is committed to social mobility, and we are committed to creating an organisation in which everybody can thrive. We will work with Cabinet Office to implement their recommendations.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
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 effectiveness of the powers available to local authorities to tackle fly-tipping in urban areas.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping in both urban and rural areas. It is for local authorities to use the full range of enforcement powers available to tackle fly-tipping in their areas. We have recently strengthened these powers by introducing fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping and enhancing the ability of local authorities to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. We have also consulted on proposals to introduce a new fixed penalty for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. As two thirds of fly-tipping contains household waste, these additional measures will give local authorities another tool to tackle fly-tipping.
The 2016/17 fly-tipping statistics for England were published last October. The statistics show a year-on-year increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents over the last five years. The statistics cover all local authorities and so represent both urban and rural areas. They are available publically and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.
We engage with a variety of local authorities and the Local Government Association through the Defra-chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) and work flowing from that. The NFTPG has been meeting regularly for over 10 years to share best practice in partnership working with a common aim to help prevent and tackle fly-tipping together.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
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 trends in the level of fly-tipping in urban areas.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping in both urban and rural areas. It is for local authorities to use the full range of enforcement powers available to tackle fly-tipping in their areas. We have recently strengthened these powers by introducing fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping and enhancing the ability of local authorities to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. We have also consulted on proposals to introduce a new fixed penalty for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. As two thirds of fly-tipping contains household waste, these additional measures will give local authorities another tool to tackle fly-tipping.
The 2016/17 fly-tipping statistics for England were published last October. The statistics show a year-on-year increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents over the last five years. The statistics cover all local authorities and so represent both urban and rural areas. They are available publically and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.
We engage with a variety of local authorities and the Local Government Association through the Defra-chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) and work flowing from that. The NFTPG has been meeting regularly for over 10 years to share best practice in partnership working with a common aim to help prevent and tackle fly-tipping together.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has received from local authorities on fly-tipping in urban areas in the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping in both urban and rural areas. It is for local authorities to use the full range of enforcement powers available to tackle fly-tipping in their areas. We have recently strengthened these powers by introducing fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping and enhancing the ability of local authorities to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. We have also consulted on proposals to introduce a new fixed penalty for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. As two thirds of fly-tipping contains household waste, these additional measures will give local authorities another tool to tackle fly-tipping.
The 2016/17 fly-tipping statistics for England were published last October. The statistics show a year-on-year increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents over the last five years. The statistics cover all local authorities and so represent both urban and rural areas. They are available publically and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.
We engage with a variety of local authorities and the Local Government Association through the Defra-chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) and work flowing from that. The NFTPG has been meeting regularly for over 10 years to share best practice in partnership working with a common aim to help prevent and tackle fly-tipping together.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of playgrounds which are within 150 metres of roads with above legal levels of air pollution.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Department does not hold this information.
Data from monitoring sites is available on https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk
Local authorities can choose where to monitor air quality.