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1090897

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Marine Protected Areas
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 cost of enforcing marine protected areas per sq km in (a) the UK and (b) UK overseas territories in each of the last four years.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	233444
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2019 answer text <p>a) We do not currently hold the requested data, however, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) estimates compliance costs for each Marine Protected Area (MPA) byelaw it makes. These estimates are documented in the impact assessment (IA) accompanying each byelaw, which are available on GOV.UK. These estimates include compliance activity such as monitoring and boardings to detect and deter offences, but do not include costs related to any prosecutions for offences committed. These figures relate to England only. There are additional costs arising from the enforcement of Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (IFCA) byelaws but these are not currently centrally compiled.</p><p> </p><p>b) Under the Blue Belt programme, £2 million per year over the past 4 years has been allocated to the MMO to support surveillance and enforcement of designated MPAs, and to support the development of legal frameworks and surveillance and enforcement strategies for further MPA designations.</p><p>At the start of the Blue Belt programme, there was 2.5 million km² of MPAs around the UK overseas territories and by 2020, there will be over 4 million km². Additional funding support for enforcement of Pitcairn Island was provided by Pew Charitable Trusts during years 2015-present.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 21/03/2019 10:10:10 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1090917

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Donkeys and Horses: 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 recent steps his Department has taken to reduce horse and donkey abandonment.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	233564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to equines.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Control of Horses Act 2015 means landowners and occupiers can remove horses and other equines, including donkeys and their hybrids, that are unlawfully left on their land and immediately take them to a place of safety. Landowners must notify the local police within 24 hours of doing so, as well as the equine’s owner if identifiable.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Local authorities have powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to investigate concerns about the ill-treatment or neglect of animals, and any person or organisation, such as the RSPCA, can take forward a private prosecution under the 2006 Act if there is sufficient evidence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, from October 2020 it will be mandatory for all owners to microchip their horses, ponies and donkeys. The new Central Equine Database will then allow local authorities and police to track down the owners of abandoned horses and ensure that appropriate action is taken, and the animals are given the care they deserve. It will also mean lost or stolen horses will be reunited with their owners more easily.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 27/03/2019 17:38:55 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1090942

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Cephalopods: 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, whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) the sentience of cephalopods and (b) their capability to feel pain; and whether cephalopods are included in the definition of animal in the draft sentience Bill.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	233508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>We are continuing to engage with stakeholders to further refine the Government’s proposals on animal sentience. As part of this we are continuing to assess which animals should be covered by those proposals.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 27/03/2019 17:21:59 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1090954

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Flood Control: West Midlands
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of flood defences in the West Midlands.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	233453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) and its partner Risk Management Authorities continually assess the adequacy of flood defences across the West Midlands. This includes developing future schemes, maintaining existing assets and operating equipment in response to current flood risk.</p><p> </p><p>The EA asset maintenance programme covers over 3,600 assets in the West Midlands, including barriers, embankments, trash screens and pumps. These assets are all maintained on an annual cycle to ensure their good condition and operational effectiveness at the cost of £3.2 million for 2018/19. 16,906 inspections have been completed on these assets so far in the financial year 2018/19.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the planning and development of new schemes, the EA oversees a programme to efficiently fund, design and build schemes. This currently includes investigating the potential for flood schemes at Binley Road and The Riddings, Earlsdon, in Coventry.</p><p> </p><p>Many assets, equipment and staff are currently in operation at numerous locations across the West Midlands protecting communities and the wider economy from the impacts of flooding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 21/03/2019 10:07:40 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1090956

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Horses: Imports
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 the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System will enable horses to be traced post-import and check-tested.
tabling member constituency	Penistone and Stocksbridge
tabling member printed	Angela Smith
uin	233513
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>If we leave the EU without a deal, horse movements into the UK from countries outside the EU will have to be notified before arrival in the UK using the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS). Those horses will need to enter the UK via an appropriate Border Inspection Post in the UK for checks.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notifications before arrival will also be required for horses coming into the UK from the EU, with the exception of horses travelling from the Republic of Ireland which will be exempt.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For an initial period, these notifications for horses travelling from the EU will not be raised through IPAFFS. The importer should download and complete a notification form from <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-import-of-animals-and-products-food-feed-notify-authorities" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-import-of-animals-and-products-food-feed-notify-authorities</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This form should then be sent to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for all imports coming into England, Wales and Scotland, or to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for movements into Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Those authorities will issue a unique notification number, which is required to complete the health certificate that must accompany consignments. Health certificates are available here: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-import-health-certificates" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-import-health-certificates</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>APHA and DAERA will, after the arrival of the horses in the UK, carry out risk-based checks at the final point of destination as they do now.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>From autumn 2019, notifications will be made using IPAFFS.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Detailed guidance for importers is available at <a href="http://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-animals-animal-products-and-high-risk-food-and-feed-not-of-animal-origin-after-eu-exit" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-animals-animal-products-and-high-risk-food-and-feed-not-of-animal-origin-after-eu-exit</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 27/03/2019 17:32:26 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	1564 label Biography information for Angela Smith

1090974

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Water Companies: Standards
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 recent discussions he has had with water companies on improving their performance; if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	233597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the water companies on improving their performance. In a published letter to Water UK on 31 January, the Secretary of State set out his key expectations for water companies following Ofwat’s initial assessment of business plans.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 25/03/2019 10:08:52 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1090975

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Ivory
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 he is taking to help end the trade in ivory overseas; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	233598
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government recently brought global leaders together in London for the fourth international illegal wildlife trade (IWT) conference. It was attended by 1,300 representatives from 73 countries and over 400 charities, conservation groups and businesses. Sixty-four countries and the UK adopted the London 2018 declaration: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/declaration-london-conference-on-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-2018. This declaration includes commitments to tackle the illegal trade in ivory and to close ivory markets.</p><p> </p><p>We established the international Ivory Alliance 2024, which was launched at the London IWT conference and is chaired by Defra’s Secretary of State; this brings together global leaders, conservationists and public figures to close ivory markets and improve enforcement. It aims to reduce the poaching of elephants for their ivory by one third by 2020 and by two thirds by 2024, through tackling ivory demand and lobbying for domestic market closure, stronger enforcement of bans or other ivory legislation in key demand and transit markets.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the UK has to date provided £18.5 million to support 61 projects to combat IWT, addressing many different ways of tackling IWT such as demand reduction, strengthening enforcement and providing alternative livelihoods. This includes projects that tackle the poaching of elephants and trade in ivory. The UK Government remains committed to stopping the abhorrent illegal wildlife trade.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 25/03/2019 10:13:18 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1090979

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Air Pollution
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 using large-scale hydrogen conversion projects to deliver improvements in air quality.
tabling member constituency	Redcar
tabling member printed	Anna Turley
uin	233602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2019 answer text <p>This question concerns both energy and air quality. Defra is the Government Department with policy responsibility for air quality and energy policy is within the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>We are working across Government to ensure future electricity, heat and industrial policies will together improve air quality and tackle climate change. Phasing out coal-fired power stations, improving energy efficiency, and shifting to cleaner power sources will reduce emissions of air pollution, as well as carbon.</p><p> </p><p>As we phase out oil and coal heating, we will ensure this transition improves air quality wherever possible and cost-effective to do so.</p><p> </p><p>Although Defra is unable to comment on hydrogen specifically, as part of our cross-departmental review into the role of biomass for heat and power, we have established a framework of principles and processes to ensure air quality is considered at the outset of policy development and appropriate tools and evidence are used to assess the impact on public health.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 21/03/2019 10:16:44 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4449 label Biography information for Anna Turley

1090992

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Disposable Wipes: Biodegradability
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 ban the marketing of single-use wipes as flushable if they do not conform to the Water UK approved fine to flush standard.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	233610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, the actions we will take to encourage producers to take more responsibility for the lifespan of their products and make sure these are more carefully designed with resource efficiency, and waste prevention in mind. This includes wet wipes.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is working with the water industry and wet wipe manufacturers to prevent wet wipes entering our waterways and damaging our marine environment. I hosted a cross industry wet wipes roundtable in November 2016, to tackle the issue of wipes being incorrectly flushed and causing sewer blockages. Following the meeting, revised wet wipe industry guidance requires a ‘Do Not Flush’ label to be displayed far more prominently on non-flushable wipes.</p><p> </p><p>We support the water industry’s ongoing work on their voluntary ‘Fine to Flush’ label, to ensure that any wipes which are marked as being ‘flushable’, are plastic free and are truly flushable, meaning they can enter the sewage system without causing blockages or harming the environment. We are actively encouraging the water and wet wipe industries to work together to develop an agreed ‘flushability’ standard for those wipes that are intended for disposal via toilets.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 25/03/2019 10:05:50 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1091001

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 230932 on Animal Welfare Act 2006, when he plans to increase the custodial maximum penalty for animal cruelty from six months imprisonment to five years imprisonment; and whether that change will require primary legislation.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	233614
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to increasing the maximum custodial penalty for animal cruelty from 6 months’ to 5 years’ imprisonment, and will do so as soon as Parliamentary time allows. Primary legislation is required.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 27/03/2019 17:24:35 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock