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1122757

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Natural England
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Minister in his Department has Ministerial oversight of Natural England.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	246907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has overall ministerial insight. As the Environment Minister, I have regular liaison meetings with Natural England, while all Ministers do interact with Natural England in line with their portfolios.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 29/04/2019 14:13:46 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

1122758

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Birds: Pest Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which stakeholders Natural England consulted ahead of its decision to revoke General Licences 04/05/06.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	246908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>Natural England informed the following stakeholders that the licences were subject to challenge on 15 March, and again directly on 23 April when the decision to revoke the contested general licences was announced: the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, the RSPCA, the National Farmers’ Union, the Countryside Alliance, the Country Land and Business Association, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Moorland Association, the Local Government Association, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the National Gamekeepers Organisation, the National Pest Technicians Association, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the Tenant Farmers Association.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 29/04/2019 12:30:04 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

1122759

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Natural England: Licensing
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 discussions his Department had with Natural England ahead of its decision to revoke General Licences 04/05/06.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	246909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>Wild Justice’s legal challenge to the General Licences 04/05/06 was against Natural England, as the licensing authority. Defra discussed with Natural England its intention of withdrawing the three general licences to understand the arguments and implications of conceding. Natural England has also discussed with Defra its plans for urgent interim measures as a consequence of the legal challenge, as well as the longer term review of general and class licences.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 29/04/2019 14:07:12 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

1122760

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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, what steps his Department is taking to regulate animal rescue homes and centres.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	246924
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government takes the welfare of pets very seriously. The Government is committed to banning the third party sale of puppies and kittens in England and the necessary secondary legislation will be laid before Parliament later in this session.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the concern that some unscrupulous breeders may consider setting up as rescue and rehoming centres, and we will provide guidance to local authorities to help them distinguish between genuine rescue and rehoming centres and other commercial operations.</p><p> </p><p>In parallel we are working with stakeholders to understand the impact any licensing scheme would have on the sector. Further detail on the Government’s overall approach to the licensing of animal rescue and rehoming centres was set out in a Westminster Hall debate on animal rescue homes on 26 February 2019.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 29/04/2019 16:22:52 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1122784

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Agriculture
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 assessment he has made of the effect on investment in (a) farm infrastructure and (b) agri-environment schemes of uncertainty about when and on what terms the UK will leave the EU.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	246957
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>In the ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit’ consultation, which ran from February to May 2018, we asked ‘what are the main barriers to new capital investment that can boost profitability and improve animal and plant health on-farm?’ Over 3,000 responses were submitted to this question, and the most frequently selected option (77% of respondents) selected ‘uncertainty about the future and where to target new investment’.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-from-eu-programmes-guaranteed-until-the-end-of-2020" target="_blank">has guaranteed</a> that any Rural Development Programme projects where funding has been agreed before the end of 2020 will be funded for their full lifetime. This applies in both a negotiated and a no-deal scenario. It will ensure continued funding for these projects until they finish and means that Defra and the devolved administrations can continue to sign new projects after the UK leaves the EU during 2019 and 2020. The Government has also committed to provide the same total level of funding for farm support in cash terms until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The Countryside Stewardship scheme is open for applications for both multi-annual agreements starting on 1 January 2020 and capital works, such as for water quality and hedgerows and boundaries. For agri-environment schemes we are developing proposals for the scheme offer from 2021.</p><p> </p><p>As we develop the new Environmental Land Management system and evolve the Countryside Stewardship offer, we will work to ensure we can offer a smooth transition from Countryside Stewardship to the Environmental Land Management system when it becomes fully operational from 2024.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 30/04/2019 12:34:02 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1122785

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Beef: Prices
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 information his Department holds on the price of beef being achieved by UK producers in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	247005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Defra holds a range of beef cattle prices for Great Britain only. The monthly average finished price for clean cattle over the past 12 months has varied between a minimum of 185.2 p per kg (March 2019) and a maximum of 199.6 p per kg (May 2018), with an average of 193.2 p per kg across that time. In comparison to March 2018, the price for March 2019 has dropped by 6.4%. Other information is available and is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/commodity-prices" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/commodity-prices</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/04/2019 15:25:34 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1122801

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Environment Protection: Finance
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 much money his Department has allocated from the public purse to support the 2019 Year of Green Action.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	246990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2019 answer text <p>The purpose of the Year of Green Action is to encourage all sectors of society to play their part in taking action to improve the environment. We are supporting and amplifying the efforts of others through a small team co-ordinating promotional events and working with a number of charities, community groups and businesses to drive environmental action across Government and civil society. Key to this is our partnership with Step Up To Serve on the #iwill4nature campaign, which is seeking to encourage greater participation by young people from all backgrounds in environmental social action projects.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We have spent £94,000 on programmes to support the Year of Green Action to date and have allocated an additional £78,000 for the remainder of the financial year. This includes contributions to green action projects and events run by charitable bodies such as the Sensory Trust, Groundwork and the Campaign for National Parks, promotional materials and the development of a website to promote volunteering opportunities for all and amplify activity underway. This expenditure does not include in-kind contributions received from the many organisations promoting the Year of Green Action with Defra’s support. We also fund the staff costs of the team of policy and communications advisers supporting the Year of Green Action initiative.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 01/05/2019 09:16:43 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1122860

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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: Sentencing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, following the granting of Royal Assent to Finns Law, when he plans to bring forward the legislative proposals necessary to introduce five-year sentences for cruelty to animals.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	246905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, on 28 March 2019, PQ 236361.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 29/04/2019 16:24:23 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1122896

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Japanese Knotweed: Weed Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate glyphosate to continue to be available for treating Japanese knotweed; and if not, what steps they are taking to ensure that effective alternatives are available.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL15287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2019 answer text <p>Like all pesticides, glyphosate is subject to restrictions to ensure that its use will not harm people or have unacceptable effects on the environment. UK scientists participated in the European Food Safety Authority’s recent assessment of glyphosate and support its conclusions. The Government therefore agrees with the continuing approval of glyphosate. The European Commission decided in December 2017 to approve glyphosate for continuing use until December 2022.</p><p> </p><p>When the approval of glyphosate is next reviewed, we will consider our position based on a careful scientific assessment of the evidence and risks at that time.</p><p> </p><p>With regard to the second point, the Government is funding work by the <em>Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International</em> to trial biocontrol methods targeted at Japanese knotweed. A sap-sucking bug (psyllid) has been selected as a highly specific natural enemy to help control this invasive non-native species. The work is undergoing peer review and further regulatory scrutiny would be required before the psyllid could be released under strict licence conditions. The project team continues to work to establish the psyllid at a series of experimental sites. It is hoped that, in time, this method will prove effective in reducing the invasive capacity of Japanese knotweed as well as the effort and cost of managing it.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 08/05/2019 15:46:21 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

1122918

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
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	Birds: Pest Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the legal basis for the withdrawal at one day’s notice by Natural England of the general licences for bird control.
tabling member printed	Lord Willoughby de Broke
uin	HL15309
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>I refer the Noble Lord to the letter sent from the Chairman of Natural England to the Secretary of State <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-licences-for-controlling-wild-birds-letter-from-natural-england-chair-to-environment-secretary" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-licences-for-controlling-wild-birds-letter-from-natural-england-chair-to-environment-secretary</a></p><p>Natural England has issued three new licences.</p><p>Furthermore, the Secretary of State has now taken over ultimate decision making powers for general licences relating to the purposes covered by the three revoked general licences, recognising the scale of interest and concern that has been generated by the decision by Natural England to revoke the general licences that were in place prior to 25 April.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble grouped question UIN HL15310 question first answered 15/05/2019 16:53:07 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1775 label Biography information for Lord Willoughby de Broke