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1681905

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2024
	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 take steps to include method of slaughter as an option in his recent consultation on consumer products food labelling.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	9496
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2024 answer text <p>In 2021, Defra ran a call for evidence to gather data on the impacts of different types of labelling reform for animal welfare, including considerations around imports, production systems and method of slaughter. We received over 1,600 responses and a summary of these responses is available on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>As recently announced by the Secretary of State, we will soon be launching a consultation on clearer labelling. This will explore options for labels and the animal welfare standards behind them, including the period of life which should be covered by these standards.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 22/01/2024 16:48:11 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1543989

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2022
	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	Water Companies: Fines
	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 investing fines given to water companies in improving waterways.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	92161
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2022 answer text <p>On Wednesday 30<sup>th</sup> November we announced we will be channelling money from water company fines into schemes to improve the environment. The announcement is available on gov.uk at the webpage here:</p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fwater-company-fines-to-be-channelled-into-environmental-improvements&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cbb732ac0ff064d7bcdde08dad4589cca%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638055774291251696%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=QaXsypjvfkUp%2FptNp7wOf3nuDszZXl856CCXopBg9Z4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/water-company-fines-to-be-channelled-into-environmental-improvements</a></p><p> </p><p>Under our new plans, money from fines handed out to water companies that pollute our rivers and seas will be re-invested in schemes that benefit our natural environment.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2015, the Environment Agency has concluded 56 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies securing fines of over £141 million.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 08/12/2022 14:54:39 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1279011

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2021
	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	When he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on animal sentience.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	911180
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2021 answer text <p>We have committed to bringing in new laws on animal sentience. Any necessary changes required to domestic legislation will be made in an effective and credible way and will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 21/01/2021 15:39:19 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

533489

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2016
	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	Nature Conservation: Crime
	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 she has made of the effectiveness of the National Wildlife Crime Unit in tackling wildlife crime and protecting endangered animals.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	905727
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2016 answer text <p>As part of the Government’s funding agreement, Defra regularly assesses the performance of the National Wildlife Crime Unit.</p><p> </p><p>Last year, for example, as part of an international law enforcement operation, the Unit supported 28 investigations and supported seizures of almost 700 illegal goods derived from protected species.</p><p> </p><p>Defra and the Home Office have guaranteed funding for NWCU until March 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 07/07/2016 14:50:34 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

416365

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support bees and pollinators.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	9045
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2015 answer text <p>Defra recognises the importance of pollinators, including bees, and their value to food security and sustaining the natural environment. This is why Defra published the National Pollinator Strategy in November 2014:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pollinator-strategy-for-bees-and-other-pollinators-in-england" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pollinator-strategy-for-bees-and-other-pollinators-in-england</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Strategy is a ten-year plan to bring about the best possible conditions for pollinators to flourish across all land types. It identifies specific policy and evidence actions for government and others, and actions that everyone can take to help expand food, shelter and nest sites. The Strategy also seeks to address key gaps in our understanding about the status of pollinators.</p><p>To raise public awareness a ‘Call to Action’, “Bees’ Needs: Food and a Home” (<a href="http://www.beesneeds.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.beesneeds.org.uk</a>) was launched in July 2014. This is a simple message on the essential needs of pollinators and how to fulfil them.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 14/09/2015 10:24:44 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

426372

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Pollinator Strategy since its publication in November 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	902034
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2015 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">We have established a programme of research to accurately assess our effectiveness, including a national framework for monitoring of pollinators. Over half of mid–tier applications to Countryside Stewardship contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package. Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme makes provisions for assessing the impact on pollinators. The Implementation Plan sets out details on progress with the Strategy and will be published shortly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We have established a programme of research to accurately assess the effectiveness of our pollinator strategy. Over half of mid-tier applications to the new Countryside Stewardship scheme contain the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package.</ins></p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 05/11/2015 16:57:06 question first ministerially corrected 05/11/2015 18:03:06 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice previous answer version 27965 answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

381991

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	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: Exports
	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 the Government plans to take to promote British food and drink exports.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	900422
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2015 answer text <p>The agri-food sector is worth over £100bn and employs one in eight people. The food and drink manufacturing sector – largest in the UK - exported nearly £19bn last year, including chocolates to Belgium, pork to China and chillies to India.</p><p> </p><p>Supporting and encouraging businesses to take the opportunities that exporting presents is one of my Department’s top priorities. Officials are working with the industry and UKTI to develop a new Action Plan.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 900420 900421 question first answered 18/06/2015 15:26:06 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1173858

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2020
	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	Waste Disposal: Crime
	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 her Department is taking to tackle (a) organised waste crime and (b) fly-tipping.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	8995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Waste crime damages the environment, is a blight on local communities and the Government is committed to tackling this criminal activity. We have given the Environment Agency (EA) an extra £60 million to tackle waste crime since 2014 and have also made a range of legislative changes. In addition, the Resource and Waste Strategy sets out an ambitious package of further reforms to modernise the way waste is regulated, clamping down on illegal operators and improving performance across the sector. Some of these commitments are being taken forward in the Environment Bill, including measures to further strengthen EA powers when dealing with criminal operators.</p><p> </p><p>The new Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC), a taskforce dedicated to tackling serious and organised criminality in the waste sector was launched last month. The JUWC will tackle criminal activity including the large-scale illegal dumping, or false labelling of waste so it can be exported abroad to unsuspecting countries. It brings together the EA, the National Crime Agency, the police, HMRC, Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in a concerted UK-wide effort to share intelligence and resources to tackle crime which costs the economy at least £600 million every year.</p><p> </p><p>Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land and tackling this crime is a priority for the Government. In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping. As well as enhanced powers to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, we have given them the power to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of up to £400 for fly-tipping offences, including to those caught fly-tipping and householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. FPNs provide local authorities with an efficient mechanism to hold fly-tipping perpetrators to account without having to go to court, which can be a time consuming, resource-intensive and expensive process.</p><p> </p><p>If a prosecution is taken, then a fly-tipper can receive a fine of up to £50,000, or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court. Defra has worked with the Sentencing Council to amend sentencing guidance for magistrates to ensure that they are aware of local fixed penalty levels for these offences, but will continue this work to help to secure tougher penalties in line with our manifesto commitment.</p><p> </p><p>We have also committed to the development of a fly-tipping toolkit, hosted by the National Fly Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG). This will be a web-based tool to help local authorities and others work in partnership to tackle fly-tipping. It will cover, for example, the use of new technology to report fly-tipping, sharing of intelligence within and between partnerships, dealing with unauthorised encampments and promoting the duty of care to individuals and businesses. The Government is also consulting at the moment about strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The NFTPG has also published a Fly-tipping Partnership Framework outlining best practice for the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipping and a series of fly-tipping prevention guides for householders, businesses and landowners.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/02/2020 17:23:33 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1681072

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2024
	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	Hunting: Animal Products
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the e-petition entitled Ban imports of hunting trophies of endangered animals; and whether the Government plans to introduce legislation on that matter in the 2023-24 parliamentary Session.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	8965
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government response to this e-petition was given on 9 January 2024. The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban imports of hunting trophies from endangered animals. We are aware of the Rt Hon. Member for Warley’s Private Member’s Bill on this topic. At this time, we have no further plans to introduce primary legislation on this matter.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/02/2024 14:09:41 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1541757

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2022
	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	Animals: Antibiotics
	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 the Answer of 7 June 2021 to Question 7936 on Animals: Antibiotics, what progress has been made on amending and supplementing the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	86448
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>The UK Government and Devolved Administrations remain committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals.</p><p>Over the past year the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has engaged in a comprehensive dialogue with stakeholders about a broad range of changes that we propose to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 as they apply in Great Britain. These changes will help us to improve the operating environment for industry, improve prescription and supply of veterinary medicines and ensure safe and effective medicines continue to be available, including by reducing the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.</p><p> </p><p>As required by the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021, we are preparing to publish a consultation paper setting out our proposals for changes to the Regulations. This will provide the opportunity for all affected stakeholders to express their views on the proposed changes. Following the mandatory consultation period, we anticipate laying new legislation in 2023.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 22/11/2022 15:21:46 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith