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1110684

	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	Water: Pollution
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have conducted into the pollution of watercourses by antibiotics for both humans and livestock in the last five years; and what were the findings of any such research.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL15148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) monitors several antibiotics in watercourses as part of a surveillance network of substances on an EU Watch List. This dataset as a whole is collated across Europe to assess the level of exposure and prioritise substances for future inclusion under the Water Framework Directive. If selected, Europe wide environmental quality standards will be developed and implemented through this process.</p><p> </p><p>The EA has over the last five years continued working with the water industry via United Kingdom Water Industry Research to understand better and quantify levels of antibiotics in pre- and post-treatment effluents from sewage treatment works. This will continue in the next phase of work due to start in 2020.</p><p><br> Together these have demonstrated that:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Antibiotics are present in effluents and watercourses and will need to be assessed against any future environmental quality standards.</li><li>Wastewater treatment processes in common usage remove a relatively small proportion of the antibiotics studied (compared to other substances in effluents) before release into the environment.</li></ul><p> </p><p>A study report, reference number 18/EQ/01/13, is available from United Kingdom Water Industry Research <a href="https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports" target="_blank">https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/04/2019 12:45:35 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1110685

	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	Water: Pollution
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have conducted into the pollution of watercourses by hormones contained in human waste.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL15149
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) has worked over the last five years with the water industry via United Kingdom Water Industry Research (UKWIR) to understand better and quantify levels of hormones in pre- and post-treatment effluents containing human waste from wastewater treatment works. This will continue in the next phase of work due to start in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>A study report, reference number 18/EQ/01/13, is available from UKWIR <a href="https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports" target="_blank">https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports</a></p><p><br> The EA also monitors hormones in watercourses as part of a surveillance network of substances on an EU Watch List.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/04/2019 12:50:08 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1110686

	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	Water: Pollution
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of evidence that demonstrates the adverse effects on aquatic wildlife of hormones that have entered watercourses from treated sewage.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL15150
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) has previously carried out an extensive research programme into the feminising effects of hormones in treated sewage on wild roach populations (<em>Rutilus rutilus</em>) (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-identification-of-oestrogenic-effects-in-wild-fish).%20" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-identification-of-oestrogenic-effects-in-wild-fish). </a></p><p> </p><p>In the autumn of 2019 the EA will be publishing the results of research undertaken recently to investigate the current levels of feminisation in similar fish populations, as a comparison to the previous study.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/04/2019 12:49:38 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1105692

	registered interest
	date	27/03/2019
	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 assessment they have made of the research conducted by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in their report Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain, published on 26 March, in particular its finding that bee and hoverfly species have declined; and what assessment they have made of (1) the spread of losses of such species across the UK, and (2) the impact of such losses.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL14871
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government has worked closely with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) over a number of years on the development of the UK indicator of pollinator trends, which we publish annually.</p><p> </p><p>This indicator uses much of the same data as in the CEH paper and shows similar trends. It shows many bee and hoverfly species have become less widespread since 1980, leading to an overall, long-term decline, although some species have become more prevalent. It also shows that this overall decline has slowed, but not ceased, since the 1990s; and that since 2011, overall trends appear to have stabilised, although a number of individual species continue to decline.</p><p> </p><p>The Government acknowledges these long-term range contractions for many species and the changes in distribution amongst different types of pollinators. In response to the overall reductions we developed a National Pollinator Strategy (NPS) for England, a 10-year plan published in 2014. A core commitment of the NPS is to strengthen the evidence base so that we can better meet pollinators’ needs. We will continue to work with CEH and other research partners, and to understand better the CEH paper’s analysis of trends in upland areas and in southern Britain, and their impact across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>As part of ongoing work to improve the evidence base, CEH coordinates the UK-wide Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which is part-funded by Government. It is the only scheme in the world generating systematic data on the abundance of bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting insects at a national level. Furthermore, in March 2019, Defra published up-to-date evidence statements on UK pollinators and pollination services, to which CEH and other leading institutions contributed.</p><p> </p><p>We know that pollinators add substantial economic value to crop production through improving crop quality and quantity. Pollination’s economic benefit to UK crop production is approximately half a billion GBP annually, through increased yields of oilseed rape, fruit and vegetables. These crops are especially vulnerable to pollinator declines. There is no clear evidence, however, that UK crop pollination is being impacted, although a study has identified sub-optimal pollination in gala apples for example.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working with researchers to understand better such potential risks of pollinator declines to food production and biodiversity, and to better inform land management approaches. For example, the University of Reading is leading a three-year Research Council-funded project on mapping and managing risks to pollinators across the UK, to help support sustainable and resilient crop production and maintain sufficient pollination services.</p><p> </p><p>The NPS also commits us to provide habitat for pollinators. Certainly, we have seen success when landowners, farmers, conservation groups and Government collaborate to create new habitats and support reintroductions of lost species such as the barberry carpet moth, short-haired bumblebee and chequered skipper butterfly. We will continue to work in partnership with scientists and with practitioners to build on such successes and to see many more of our wonderful, vital insects thrive.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 09/04/2019 15:23:45 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1037617

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2019
	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	Hares: Myxomatosis
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 28 December 2018 (HL12294), what assessment they have made of reports that the hare population has been infected by myxomatosis; and if so, what action they are taking to minimise the threat to the hare population.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL12671
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>The UK’s hare populations are not of conservation concern. The Government is not aware of any evidence to indicate that myxomatosis is having a significant impact on the UK’s hare populations.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 16/01/2019 12:37:37 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1024854

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2018
	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	Hares: Hunting
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a closed season for the hunting of hares.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL12295
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/12/2018 answer text <p>Wildlife conservation is a devolved matter so this answer is for England only.</p><p> </p><p>The population of brown hares in England is believed to be stable. The majority of hare shooting occurs in regions where brown hares are locally abundant and leads to no long-term impact on hare populations. There is no evidence to suggest that a closed season would significantly benefit the conservation status of brown hares.</p><p> </p><p>An industry-led initiative resulted in the publication of a code of practice to protect hares in England. This provides for a voluntary close season covering the main breeding season, while allowing farmers to protect their crops from serious damage by hares.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 28/12/2018 13:12:13 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1024855

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2018
	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	Hares
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how the current hare population in the UK compares with the population of hares (1) 5, (2) 10, and (3) 25 years ago.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL12296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/12/2018 answer text <p>The UK has brown hare and mountain hare populations. The 2018 Mammal Society report <em>A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals </em>includes estimates for the populations of both. It concluded that the brown hare population in Great Britain is stable, with an estimated population of around 579,000 animals, although acknowledged the population could be between 427,000–1,990,000 animals.</p><p> </p><p>The first National Brown Hare Survey estimated the hare population at around 817,000 in 1991-1993 and a second survey in 1997-1999 estimated the population to be around 750,000. These estimates are within the range of the 2018 estimate but given the different methodologies used it is not possible to make a direct comparison.</p><p> </p><p>In the same Mammal Society review, the mountain hare population in Great Britain was estimated to be around 135,000 animals, although the study acknowledges that the population could be between 81,000–526,000 animals.</p><p><br> Population estimates published in 1995 concluded that there were around 360,000 mountain hares in GB. This is within the range of the 2018 estimate.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble grouped question UIN HL12294 question first answered 28/12/2018 13:11:37 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1110140

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government under what circumstances it is legal to sell wild UK species of birds as caged birds.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL15108
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>It is an offence to sell, offer for sale, possess or transport for sale or exchange, any live bird unless it is a species listed, as a bird which may be sold, in part 1 of schedule 3 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act. To be legally sold the bird must be bred in captivity and be fitted with a closed leg ring.</p><p> </p><p>The international commercial trade in certain species of wild caught birds also needs to comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to which the UK is party and which is implemented in the UK through the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations. This is a multilateral environment agreement which aims to ensure that trade in endangered species does not threaten their survival by controlling international trade in these specimens through a licensing system. CITES prohibits nearly all international trade in wild caught specimens of the most at risk species which are listed on Appendix I. Species that are not currently threatened with extinction but for which uncontrolled trade would not be sustainable, are included on CITES Appendix II and can only be traded internationally with the correct permits. These permits will only be granted if their trade is considered not to be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/04/2019 11:52:03 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1110142

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they monitor the internet regularly for evidence of a rise in criminal activity with regard to birds caught in the wild; and if so, what has been the result of such monitoring.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL15110
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The enforcement of all offences, including wildlife offences, is an operational matter for the police.</p><p> </p><p>The police monitor and gather intelligence on online activity relating to crimes against birds and other wildlife to inform their investigations.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/04/2019 12:42:08 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

1111047

	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	Birds: Conservation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend protection to nest sites for species which return to the same sites on an annual basis, such as swifts, swallows and martins; and what assessment they have made of the barriers to those birds returning to such sites, including the use of netting.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
	uin	HL15183
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>While swallows, swifts and martins have preferential nest sites, they will nest elsewhere. Therefore, protecting nests while they are in use is the most important consideration.</p><p> </p><p>We would expect those considering excluding birds from nest sites to do so only when truly necessary and in compliance with the relevant legislation, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has written to leading developers to remind them of their obligations in this regard, which includes existing planning practice guidance on the natural environment, and standing advice for local planning authorities to assess the impacts of development on wild birds.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 25/04/2019 16:24:49 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1934 label Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer