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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department used to make the decision on new licenses for badger culling in Cornwall, Herefordshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset.

The criteria Natural England uses when assessing applications for licences for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine tuberculosis under section 10(2)(a) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 can be found on the gov.uk website at www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-natural-england-preventing-spread-of-bovine-tb