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1125145

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Ash Dieback Disease
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 support his Department provides to local authorities to help safely dispose of trees felled as a result of Ash dieback disease.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	251296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2019 answer text <p>Under the Occupiers Liability Act, individual landowners are responsible for the care and management of trees on their land. We encourage all landowners to think strategically about the management of their ash trees, and use the recently published Forestry Commission guidance and the Tree Council’s ash dieback toolkit, to adopt best practice and help reduce the impact of this disease on our landscape.</p><p> </p><p>Onward spread of ash dieback via wood/timber is considered to be a low risk, so ash wood may be moved without restriction within Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), to help landowners recover some of the value from the timber.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/05/2019 10:21:27 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1125146

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Ash Dieback Disease
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 on the cost to the public purse of Ash dieback disease.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	251297
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2019 answer text <p>We do not collate costs relating to felling of diseased ash. Individual landowners, including local authorities, are responsible for the care and management of ash trees on their land. The cost of ash dieback will differ between local authorities, depending on the prevalence of ash trees and the concentration of those trees that are affected by the disease. Council budgets for the care and management of trees on their land are determined by individual local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>Defra funds work on horizon scanning, border biosecurity, disease surveillance, contingency planning and research as part of an extensive programme of work on plant health. For example, since 2012 the Government has invested over £6 million in ash dieback research.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 14/05/2019 10:14:25 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1125161

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Bullying
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 number of cases of bullying and harassment that have been recorded against managers in his Department in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	251312
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>We do not record cases of bullying and harassment made specifically against managers. The table below shows the total number of cases per year.</p><p> </p><p>We have withheld the exact figure for years that involve less than five members of staff, to mitigate the risk of them being identified from the information provided.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of cases of bullying and harassment</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>Less than 5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>Less than 5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The overall number of staff working in Defra has risen substantially since 2017. Defra is committed to creating an environment where no one suffers from harassment, discrimination, bullying and victimisation, either directly or indirectly. We support the right of employees to be treated with dignity and respect at work, and our HR policies and procedures make it clear that the department will not accept inappropriate behaviours.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 15/05/2019 13:36:46 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1123149

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
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	Slaughterhouses
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 his Department has made of trends in the level of foreign ownership of abattoirs in England.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	247668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Abattoirs require veterinary control and approval by the FSA under Regulation (EC) 853/2004 - a full list of approved establishments can be found <a href="https://data.food.gov.uk/catalog/datasets/1e61736a-2a1a-4c6a-b8b1-e45912ebc8e3" target="_blank">here</a>. Whilst trends in the level of foreign ownership of abattoirs in England is not something that we are monitoring specifically, we are aware of and welcome foreign investment in our meat processing facilities. In particular, there is significant investment from Irish and Danish businesses in UK processing. Irrespective of ownership all abattoirs must comply with our high animal welfare and food safety standards.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/04/2019 15:57:13 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1123158

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
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	Food: Labelling
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 not to adopt the proposal by the EU to classify vegetarian and vegan burgers and sausages as discs and tubes.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	247673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government is aware of a proposed amendment by the European Parliament Agriculture Committee that terms used to describe meat products should be reserved exclusively for products made from meat. This proposed amendment has a long way to go through the legislative process.</p><p> </p><p>If the amendment is accepted, Defra will seek views from all UK stakeholders and, while we remain a member of the EU, consult with other EU Member States. Our objective will be, as always, to ensure the regulatory framework protects consumers’ interests while avoiding unnecessary regulatory burdens on food businesses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/04/2019 15:33:30 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

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

1121821

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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	Livestock Worrying
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 additional steps his Department will take to reduce the number of incidents of sheep worrying.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	245756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government abhors irresponsible ownership which leads to dogs becoming dangerously out of control and causing injuries to people or animals. There are a number of laws and measures which police and local authorities can take to tackle dog attacks on livestock.</p><p> </p><p>The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 includes provisions to prosecute owners whose dogs kill, attack or chase livestock, and to seize the dogs if they are out of control. This can lead to a prison sentence of up to six months, an unlimited fine or a disqualification order which prevents the owner from keeping dogs for a certain period of time. The police can also take action under the Dogs Act 1871. This is a useful measure to help police and local authorities to deal with dogs that are out of control and dangerous, which includes being dangerous to other animals. Section 2 of the 1871 Act allows a complaint to be made by any individual, or the police, local authorities, etc., to a Magistrates’ court that a dog is “…dangerous and not kept under proper control”.</p><p> </p><p>As well as these Acts there are anti-social behaviour measures, in particular the Community Protection Notice (CPN) which can be issued as a preventative measure. This means that the owner or keeper of an out of control dog could be prevented from walking it on a farmer's land. This will restrict access to when livestock is not out and ensure that the dog is kept on a lead when in fields with livestock. To breach a CPN is a criminal offence and attracts a maximum penalty of £2,500, or the option to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. It is worth noting that there are also seizure powers under the legislation.</p><p> </p><p>Since April 2016, we have required all dogs to be identified by a microchip. This is quick and easy to do and provides a failsafe method of connecting dogs with their owners and has encouraged more responsible dog ownership.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continues to work with the National Police Chiefs’ Council Livestock Working Group which is looking at ways to reduce livestock attacks. The NFU is represented at this group and we are encouraging others in the farming and countryside community. This includes supporting the work of SheepWatch, which has produced leaflets to encourage the reporting and recording of incidents and to follow the guidance that is available on what to do when there is a dog attack.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 25/04/2019 14:54:23 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1121556

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	Shipping: Noise
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 his Department has made of the effect of underwater noise emissions from commercial shipping on wildlife in UK territorial waters.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	244061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>Under the UK Marine Strategy, the UK Government is working to ensure that underwater noise-generating human activities do not pose a significant risk to marine ecosystems.</p><p> </p><p>We currently have a limited understanding of the distribution of noise in UK seas and its impact on vulnerable species. To address this in relation to sources of continuous noise such as shipping, the UK has established a noise monitoring network, consisting of long-term monitoring stations deployed in coastal waters. The information from this monitoring network will be matched with species distributions and used to inform future policy.</p><p> </p><p>At present, it remains unclear whether changes in shipping activity have resulted in an increase in continuous noise levels. The International Maritime Organization has made recommendations to improve efficiency standards in newly built ships, which will also make them less noisy (more hydrodynamic ships are more efficient and also tend to create less noise).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 29/04/2019 15:10:57 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1111207

registered interest
date	10/04/2019
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	Public Footpaths: Bicycles
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 his Department will provide guidance on the rights of cyclists to walk a bicycle along a public footpath.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	243417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2019 answer text <p>There are no current plans to provide guidance of this nature. Management of rights of way, including footpaths, rests with the relevant local authority. The expectation is for local authorities, whenever possible, to look at the needs of all users including cyclists.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 18/04/2019 09:11:58 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1110559

registered interest
date	09/04/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disclosure of Information
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 non-disclosure agreements his Department has entered into with departmental staff in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	242800
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>Core Defra has not entered into any non-disclosure agreements with departmental staff in the last five years.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 16/04/2019 11:03:57 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord