Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to commence the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022; and whether she plans to use the statutory powers in that Act to introduce a glue trap licensing scheme for England.

The Glue Traps (Offences) Act does not stipulate a commencement date but as stated during the passage of the Bill, the intention is to bring the Act into effect after a two year transition period.

I intend to use the statutory powers of the Act to introduce a licencing regime in order to permit the use of glue traps in England in the most exceptional circumstances by professional pest controllers for the purposes of preserving public health and safety, when there is no satisfactory alternative.