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1600414

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2023
	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: Conservation
	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 she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that both landowners and the people responsible are brought to justice in cases of raptor persecution.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	156289
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>This government takes wildlife crime seriously. We have significant sanctions for crimes against birds of prey in place which include an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence.</p><p> </p><p>Raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority. Defra continues to be fully involved with the police-led national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group and Natural England continues to work closely with wildlife crime officers. In 2022, Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25 to tackle priorities including crimes against birds of prey.</p><p> </p><p>Where any birds of prey are killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime. Vicarious liability occurs where one person can be held liable for the actions of another person. In relation to raptor persecution this means a landowner (or shooting manager) can be held criminally liable for unlawful acts of others on their land such as the shooting of a bird of prey. It has been introduced in Scotland but it is unclear whether it has had a significant deterrent effect. We will continue to monitor the situation in Scotland to consider whether it is necessary and proportionate to assist in tackling wildlife crime in England.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 156290 156291 156292 question first answered 09/03/2023 15:43:31 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1600415

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2023
	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: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take additional steps to prevent the killing of (a) raptors and (b) other birds of prey in England.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	156290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>This government takes wildlife crime seriously. We have significant sanctions for crimes against birds of prey in place which include an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence.</p><p> </p><p>Raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority. Defra continues to be fully involved with the police-led national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group and Natural England continues to work closely with wildlife crime officers. In 2022, Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25 to tackle priorities including crimes against birds of prey.</p><p> </p><p>Where any birds of prey are killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime. Vicarious liability occurs where one person can be held liable for the actions of another person. In relation to raptor persecution this means a landowner (or shooting manager) can be held criminally liable for unlawful acts of others on their land such as the shooting of a bird of prey. It has been introduced in Scotland but it is unclear whether it has had a significant deterrent effect. We will continue to monitor the situation in Scotland to consider whether it is necessary and proportionate to assist in tackling wildlife crime in England.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 156289 156291 156292 question first answered 09/03/2023 15:43:31 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1600418

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2023
	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: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason landowners of country estates are not subject to vicarious liability in instances of raptor persecution.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	156292
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>This government takes wildlife crime seriously. We have significant sanctions for crimes against birds of prey in place which include an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence.</p><p> </p><p>Raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority. Defra continues to be fully involved with the police-led national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group and Natural England continues to work closely with wildlife crime officers. In 2022, Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25 to tackle priorities including crimes against birds of prey.</p><p> </p><p>Where any birds of prey are killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime. Vicarious liability occurs where one person can be held liable for the actions of another person. In relation to raptor persecution this means a landowner (or shooting manager) can be held criminally liable for unlawful acts of others on their land such as the shooting of a bird of prey. It has been introduced in Scotland but it is unclear whether it has had a significant deterrent effect. We will continue to monitor the situation in Scotland to consider whether it is necessary and proportionate to assist in tackling wildlife crime in England.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison grouped question UIN 156289 156290 156291 question first answered 09/03/2023 15:43:31 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1121542

	registered interest
	date	11/04/2019
	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: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is issuing guidelines to local authorities on the use of mesh netting which prevents birds from nesting.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	244035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the Rt. Hon. Member for Birkenhead, Frank Field, on 23 April, PQ 243353.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 24/04/2019 13:00:36 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1542353

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2022
	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: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds entitled 2021: Birdcrime: fighting raptor persecution, published 15 October 2022; and whether her Department has taken recent steps to help tackle raptor persecution.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
	tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
	uin	88037
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2022 answer text <p>The RSPB 2021 Birdcrime report, was published on 15th November so, as yet, we have not fully assessed the findings of the report.</p><p>The Government takes wildlife crime seriously. Raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife. Most wildlife crimes carry up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence.</p><p>Defra supports the work of Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle raptor persecution. This year Defra has more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from £165,000 per year to over £1.2 million over the next three years to target wildlife crime priorities, in particular crimes against birds of prey. In addition, we are providing funding to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to develop DNA forensic analysis for the police and other organisations investigating crimes against peregrine falcons.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 23/11/2022 19:02:51 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake

1184408

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2020
	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: Conservation
	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 estimate he has made of the size of the populations of (a) nightingales, (b) turtle doves and (c) corn buntings; what steps he plans to take to protect those bird populations.
	tabling member constituency	Meon Valley
	tabling member printed	Mrs Flick Drummond
	uin	28063
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2020 answer text <p>The Avian Population Estimates Panel (made-up of representatives from the main bird conservation organisations and Government conservation agencies) estimates that the breeding populations for the three species are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Species</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Population estimate</strong> <strong>(<em>Number of breeding territories</em>)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>GB</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(a) Nightingale</p></td><td><p>5,550</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(b) Turtle dove</p></td><td><p>3,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(c) Corn bunting</p></td><td><p>11,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Agri-environmental schemes, such as the current Countryside Stewardship scheme, are the principal mechanism for supporting farm land birds, including these three species. The schemes deliver significant areas of habitat in England by providing suitable nesting and foraging conditions.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, nightingales are an interest feature of a number of woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in England, most notably the Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI which supports a nationally significant breeding population.</p><p> </p><p>The turtle dove is the focus of a joint Natural England-RSPB Species Recovery Programme project for over ten years which has involved developing novel land management solutions for the species.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 18/03/2020 14:05:54 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4459 label Biography information for Mrs Flick Drummond

1521456

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2022
	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: Conservation
	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 hold discussions with the RSPB on its decision to stop publishing its annual counts of the number of birds in its reserves.
	tabling member constituency	Huntingdon
	tabling member printed	Mr Jonathan Djanogly
	uin	61772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2022 answer text <p>It is for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to decide how and when it publishes information collected from across its reserves, and as such, the Secretary of State has no plans to hold discussions with the RSPB on their internal decisions around publishing data.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 25/10/2022 12:07:15 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	1425 label Biography information for Mr Jonathan Djanogly

1016449

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2018
	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: Conservation
	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 of the phase two recommendations of sites qualifying in relation to bittern are (a) existing Special Protection Areas (SPA) that require reclassifying to add bittern as a feature, (b) restored reedbed habitat outside of existing SPAs and (c) newly created reedbed habitat outside of existing SPAs.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	196767
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2018 answer text <p>Phase two of the current review of the UK Special Protection Area (SPA) network includes a number of options to promote conservation/protection of bittern. Four existing SPAs appear to support bittern in significant numbers and which are not currently classified for bitterns. In relation to restored and newly created reedbed habitats outside of existing SPA a number of sites have been identified that could be considered for SPA classification.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 04/12/2018 17:28:43 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1506678

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2022
	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: Conservation
	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 potential merits of seabird conservation in preventing outbreaks of avian influenza in UK seabird populations.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	51938
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2022 answer text <p>The United Kingdom’s seabirds are an important part of our natural heritage, and we continue to support actions to address the range of threats they are facing. We recognise the significant threat posed by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to the United Kingdom’s seabird populations and the role conservation can play in increasing the resilience of seabird populations in the face of avian influenza outbreaks.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has commissioned Natural England to assess the vulnerability of seabird species in light of the pressures they are facing and to propose actions to address them. We will work closely with stakeholders to understand the best way to implement and prioritise these actions in early 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is working with Joint Nature Conservation Committee to establish an Advisory Group to advise, recommend actions and develop guidance on minimising the impact of HPAI on wild bird populations in England and Wales and recovering populations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Scott Mann question first answered 30/09/2022 13:14:06 answering member 4496 label Biography information for Scott Mann
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1582867

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2023
	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: Conservation
	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 she will make an estimate of the number of (a) sparrows, (b) robins, (c) blue tits, (d) gold finches and (e) green finches in the UK (i) as of 1 February 2023 and (ii) in 2012.
	tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
	tabling member printed	Matt Western
	uin	137892
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>Annual population estimates do not exist for most UK bird species. The Avian Population Estimates Panel estimates of the for these species in 2020 and 2013 are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Species</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>UK population estimate in 2020</strong> <strong>(number of breeding pairs)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>UK population estimate in 2013</strong> <strong>(number of breeding pairs)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>House sparrow</p></td><td><p>5,300,000</p></td><td><p>5,100,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tree sparrow</p></td><td><p>245,000</p></td><td><p>200,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Robin</p></td><td><p>7,350,000</p></td><td><p>6,700,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Blue tit</p></td><td><p>3,400,000</p></td><td><p>3,600,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Goldfinch</p></td><td><p>1,650,000</p></td><td><p>1,200,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Greenfinch</p></td><td><p>785,000</p></td><td><p>1,700,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 07/02/2023 16:10:45 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western