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1126883

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Dogs: Imports
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported (a) in total and (b) from each country of origin via the Pet Travel Scheme in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham North
	tabling member printed	Alex Norris
	uin	254873
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">194,712</del> <ins class="ministerial">307,357 </ins>dogs were imported in total via the Pet Travel Scheme in 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is unable to provide a breakdown of the number of dogs travelling under the scheme by country as it does not hold that information.</p><p> </p><p>The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme is taken from APHA’s system for recording pets’ throughput based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals.</p><p> </p><p>The information that APHA has provided is a true reflection of the information that is held. APHA cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as it can only rely on the information that has been entered into the pets’ returns by a third party.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/05/2019 14:34:26 question first ministerially corrected 04/06/2019 10:12:59 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 119296 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4641 label Biography information for Alex Norris

1126606

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Farmers: Suicide
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to suicides in the farming sector, what steps he is taking to monitor levels of distress in that sector.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	254107
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Defra takes the issue of farmers and agricultural workers’ wellbeing very seriously. I am aware that rates of suicide are higher across the agricultural sector generally than they are for the general population. I know that they often have a solitary lifestyle, it is hard work and their businesses are subject to unpredictable factors such as the weather. As part of the Future Farming programme we are looking at the impact of policies on wellbeing, and we are also working with partners to foster personal and business resilience.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our on-going work using data on the farming sector, we monitor the published ONS statistics on suicides by employment group. As well as headline mortality numbers, we keep under review the issues that may affect broader experiences of positive and negative wellbeing.</p><p> </p><p>Officials meet regularly with farming and rural charities to hear first-hand about resilience in the farming sector. This provides an indication of how farmers and farm workers are responding to any pressures affecting the sector.</p><p> </p><p>Government launched its first ever Loneliness Strategy in October 2018. One of Defra’s commitments is to hold regular stakeholder roundtables to tackle the issues of loneliness and isolation in rural areas. The next roundtable, to be chaired by Lord Gardiner, is being held on 11 June 2019. Defra also provides financial support through an annual grant of £1.7 million to Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), whose network of 38 rural community councils work on housing and transport issues that we know can affect farming communities.</p><p> </p><p>Defra works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on this issue. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy highlights the higher risk of suicide experienced by certain occupational groups, and this includes agricultural occupations. Through the Strategy, DHSC has ensured that every local authority has a suicide prevention plan in place to implement tailored approaches to reducing suicides based on the needs and demographics of local communities.</p><p> </p><p>In October 2018, the Prime Minister announced the first Minister for Suicide Prevention, and she recently met the Farming Community Network to understand better the issues facing farmers.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that farmers are aware of the people they can turn to if they are going through difficult times. In particular, the farming charities – the Farming Community Network, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Addington Fund – all do a brilliant job in supporting farmers and their families. The National Farmers Union also has a regional network of advisers who can provide support.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 21/05/2019 14:49:38 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1127012

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Pollinators
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) highlight the importance to the planet of bees and other pollinators such as butterflies and bats, and (2) protect pollinator species.
	tabling member printed	Lord Pendry
	uin	HL15773
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. The Government supports two major events to raise awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators and encourage people to take action.</p><p> </p><p>Firstly, our ‘Bees’ Needs’ campaign, which we run with a number of partners. In July 2018, with the generous support of our hosts, Shaftesbury PLC, we put on a week long event in Carnaby Street (renamed ‘Carnabee’ Street for the week) to raise awareness of the steps we can all take to protect pollinators. With immense gratitude to our hosts Shaftesbury PLC, this event will be repeated this year from 8 to 14 July.</p><p> </p><p>Defra also organises, in partnership with the Green Flag Awards, an annual Bees’ Needs Champions Awards to recognise and celebrate examples of exemplary initiatives undertaken by schools, local authorities, universities, community groups and bee farmers to support pollinators.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking a range of other steps to protect pollinator species. In 2014 we published a ten year National Pollinator Strategy, setting out how the Government, conservation groups, farmers, beekeepers and researchers can work together to improve the status of the 1,500 or so pollinating insect species in England.</p><p> </p><p>We are also creating habitat for pollinators. In 2015, we introduced new and simple wildlife ‘packages’ within Countryside Stewardship to make it easier for farmers to provide flower rich margins or pollen and nectar plots on fields to support wild pollinators.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also recently announced £60,000 to develop pollinator habitat mapping and is supporting largescale projects to bring landowners and conservationists together to provide habitat in Devon and Hampshire. Natural England, our statutory nature conservation adviser, continues to work with a range of landowning and NGO partners to support the recovery of threatened species such as the barberry carpet moth, shorthaired bumblebee and chequered skipper butterfly.</p><p> </p><p>We are supporting monitoring work. In collaboration with research institutes and volunteer organisations, we have established a pollinator monitoring and research partnership to gather further data and improve our understanding of the status of pollinators and pollination services in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We are taking steps to reduce pressures on pollinators. We have implemented science led restrictions on neonicotinoids based on scientific evidence that they carry risks to pollinators. We continue to tackle threats from invasive species, such as the Asian hornet, and protect honey bees from pests and diseases through the National Bee Unit’s nationwide team of bee inspectors.</p><p> </p><p>We are safeguarding honey bee health. Collaboration has been a central tenet of the work by the Government and Bee Inspectors to protect honey bee health. Along with beekeeping associations, the Government has carried out a decade of work under the Healthy Bees Plan, drafted in 2009 as a means of sustaining our honey bee population. We will be reviewing this work this year and using valuable lessons from this to develop our future strategy.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 21/05/2019 15:04:18 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	457 label Biography information for Lord Pendry

1126873

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Dangerous Dogs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking against dog owners whose dogs have attacked (a) other dogs and (b) people; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
	tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
	uin	254725
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it an offence to allow a dog, of any breed or type, to be dangerously out of control. This includes instances where dogs attack other animals including dogs, as well as people. We have discussed this application of the 1991 Act with the police.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/05/2019 14:40:48 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1126504

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Animal Welfare
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) ensure local authorities have a duty to provide access to a fully trained Animal Welfare Inspector with responsibility for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and (b) provide additional funding for that role; what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities that do not employ an Animal Welfare Inspector; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	254174
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities, the Animal &amp; Plant Health Agency and the police all have powers of entry to inspect complaints of suspected animal cruelty and take out prosecutions where necessary. Local authorities must be able to make decisions based on local needs and resource priorities and the arrangements that work best for them. It is for local authorities to determine how to prioritise their resources. We do not hold data centrally on the number of inspectors appointed under the Act.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities will often work in close partnership with others, such as the RSPCA, to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 allows anyone to be able to investigate allegations of animal neglect and if necessary take forward a prosecution and it is on this basis that the RSPCA have been enforcing animal welfare legislation in this country. Although they have no specific powers under the 2006 Act, the RSPCA do investigate allegations of cruelty and successfully prosecute 800 to 1,000 people each year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/05/2019 14:57:36 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas