Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1716405

registered interest
date	08/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Wildlife: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the range of wildlife crimes which have notifiable status.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	25256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) to help tackle these crimes.</p><p>The NWCU provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. This includes supporting cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces. The NWCU is also the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity.</p><p>The NWCU uses this information to produce strategic and tactical assessments of wildlife crime across the UK. These assessments also take into consideration the views of the Wildlife Crime Conservation Advisory Group, which highlight priorities based on the conservation status of specific species and review all other non-priority intelligence to identify any emerging threats. It is these assessments which ultimately drive the operational response to tackling wildlife crime in the UK.</p><p>We will keep under review any legislative proposals to increase the range of wildlife crimes that have notifiable status. If a non-notifiable wildlife crime is reported to police it can still be investigated. Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 17/05/2024 13:59:35 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1715370

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	Wildlife: 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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the use of catapults to harm wildlife illegal.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	24563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously, including those involving the use of catapults. There is already sufficient legislation in place which protects wildlife against the use of catapults.</p><p> </p><p>The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. While the Act does not specifically include catapults in the list of weapons that a person must not use to kill an animal, it is still illegal under this Act to deliberately attempt to kill, injure, or harm protected species. There are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife under provisions not just in this Act, but also in the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Significant sanctions are available to judges to hand down to those convicted of crimes against wildlife under these Acts.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 07/05/2024 13:58:51 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1712688

registered interest
date	22/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Wildlife: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with the police on the potential merits of incorporating wildlife crime into the Policing Education Qualification Framework.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	22841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) to help tackle these crimes.</p><p>The NWCU provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. This includes supporting cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces.</p><p>The NWCU is also the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity. In addition, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.</p><p>Training standards and the national policing curriculum (covering initial training for all officers) are set by the College of Policing to ensure all officers benefit from the same high standard of initial training, regardless of which force they join. Officers undertake further training and development during their career, which may be tailored to their specific role.</p><p>We have not recently held discussions with policing on the potential merit to incorporate wildlife crime into the Policing Education Qualification Framework and there are currently no plans to undertake an assessment of the impact of crime on the economy in rural areas.</p><p /> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 22843 question first answered 30/04/2024 16:05:25 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1700058

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Wildlife: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to incorporate wildlife crime into the Policing Education Qualification Framework.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	20922
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) to help tackle these crimes.</p><p>The NWCU provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. This includes supporting cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces. The NWCU is also the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity.</p><p>In addition, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.</p><p>Training standards and the national policing curriculum (covering initial training for all officers) are set by the College of Policing to ensure all officers benefit from the same high standard of initial training, regardless of which force they join. Officers undertake further training and development in the course of their career, which may be tailored to their specific role.</p><p>We do not currently have plans to incorporate wildlife crime into the Policing Education Qualification Framework.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/04/2024 14:35:59 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1700287

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
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	Wildlife: 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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) classifying wildlife crimes as either-way offences with a maximum sentence of up to five years imprisonment, (b) giving wildlife crime notifiable status and (c) incorporating wildlife crime into the Policing Education Qualification Framework.
tabling member constituency	Wansbeck
tabling member printed	Ian Lavery
uin	21038
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously. In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25.</p><p> </p><p>Significant sanctions are already available to judges to hand down to those convicted of wildlife crimes - up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. Furthermore, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 realises the Government’s manifesto commitment to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty – including acts against wildlife - by increasing the maximum penalty for this offence to five years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Sentencing those convicted of wildlife crimes is, however, a matter for judges; these decisions are rightly taken independently of Government.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has actively supported stakeholders in making representations to the Home Office regarding the issue of making wildlife crimes notifiable. However, regardless of notifiable status, when it comes to responding to the most prevalent wildlife crimes, Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.</p><p> </p><p>Wildlife crime is not mandated as authorised professional practice and therefore is not a training requirement via the College of Policing. However, the NWCU (funded to a large degree by Defra) currently provides training to police officers across the UK. This training reflects the National Police Chiefs' Council wildlife crime strategy and provides comprehensive training in UK wildlife crime priorities and emerging trends. Since November 2022 the NWCU has trained 890 officers and is in the process of building a comprehensive digital training platform for wildlife crime which police officers and police staff will be able to access nationwide. Additionally, the NWCU provides a digital information hub for almost 1000 police staff, with up-to-date guidance on investigating wildlife crime.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 21248 question first answered 24/04/2024 14:49:39 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4139 label Biography information for Ian Lavery

1700361

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
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	Wildlife: 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, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on (a) increasing penalties for wildlife crime, (b) widening the range of wildlife crimes which receive notifiable status and (c) incorporating wildlife crime into the Policing Education Qualification Framework.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	21248
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously. In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25.</p><p> </p><p>Significant sanctions are already available to judges to hand down to those convicted of wildlife crimes - up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. Furthermore, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 realises the Government’s manifesto commitment to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty – including acts against wildlife - by increasing the maximum penalty for this offence to five years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Sentencing those convicted of wildlife crimes is, however, a matter for judges; these decisions are rightly taken independently of Government.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has actively supported stakeholders in making representations to the Home Office regarding the issue of making wildlife crimes notifiable. However, regardless of notifiable status, when it comes to responding to the most prevalent wildlife crimes, Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.</p><p> </p><p>Wildlife crime is not mandated as authorised professional practice and therefore is not a training requirement via the College of Policing. However, the NWCU (funded to a large degree by Defra) currently provides training to police officers across the UK. This training reflects the National Police Chiefs' Council wildlife crime strategy and provides comprehensive training in UK wildlife crime priorities and emerging trends. Since November 2022 the NWCU has trained 890 officers and is in the process of building a comprehensive digital training platform for wildlife crime which police officers and police staff will be able to access nationwide. Additionally, the NWCU provides a digital information hub for almost 1000 police staff, with up-to-date guidance on investigating wildlife crime.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 21038 question first answered 24/04/2024 14:49:39 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1697988

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
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	Wildlife: 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 discussions his Department has had with (a) the police and (b) animal welfare stakeholders on the actions of people involved in catapult groups on social media.
tabling member constituency	Penrith and The Border
tabling member printed	Dr Neil Hudson
uin	19982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2024 answer text <p>The use of catapults against animals, and the sharing of disturbing imagery associated with such use on social media, is an issue that has been relayed to my officials by certain local police forces and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. I am informed a new national group has recently been created to address the catapulting of wildlife, focusing on education, prevention, detection and justice. Officers from Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police are leading the group, named Operation Lakeshot, and they are working in partnership with the RSPCA and Nature Watch.</p><p> </p><p>The government takes wildlife crime seriously and it is a matter of concern. Under provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure, or inflict harm on wildlife. Furthermore, the Online Safety Act 2023 will also require social media firms to take action to tackle content that results in the unnecessary suffering of animals, or that encourages activity that causes the unnecessary suffering of an animal. This includes removing such content.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 28/03/2024 13:12:11 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4853 label Biography information for Dr Neil Hudson

1677340

registered interest
date	12/12/2023
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	Wildlife: 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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing vicarious liability for landowners who direct their employees to commit wildlife crimes.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	6542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>Defra does not currently have any plans to introduce vicarious liability in England. So far there is no compelling evidence that the introduction of the provisions in Scotland has had a significant deterrent effect on those who persecute wildlife.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to monitor the situation to consider whether this, or a similar offence such as strict liability, is necessary and proportionate to assist in tackling wildlife crime.</p><p> </p><p>There are strong penalties in place for offences committed against wildlife.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 18/12/2023 11:09:39 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1602876

registered interest
date	09/03/2023
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	Wildlife: 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 her Department’s timeline is for responding to (a) the UN Office of Drugs and Crime’s 2021 report on the UK's approach to tackling wildlife crime and (b) the recommendation for stronger regulation to properly address raptor persecution.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	162162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2023 answer text <p>We welcomed the UN Office of Drugs and Crime report and the fact that it recognised the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment.</p><p> </p><p>We have carefully considered all the recommendations of the report and they are informing our work to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).</p><p> </p><p>Progress has already been made in response to the report. For example, in 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in their team specialising in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Defra is not under any obligation to formally respond to the UNODC's assessment and has no plans to do so, but we will identify where we can act, including with stakeholders, to strengthen the UK's approach to tackling wildlife and forestry crime. This includes recommendations to address raptor persecution. Where any protected birds are killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to any proven perpetrators of the crime. We already have significant sanctions for this type of wildlife crime in place which includes an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. To address concerns about the illegal killing of birds of prey, senior government and enforcement officers have identified raptor persecution as a national wildlife crime priority. Defra continues to be fully involved with the police-led national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group which brings together police, government and stakeholders and the extra funding we now provide to the NWCU is also to be allocated towards wildlife crime priorities including crimes against our birds of prey.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 17/03/2023 11:14:27 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1547181

registered interest
date	30/11/2022
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	Wildlife: Crime
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 23 November (HL3268), when they expect the relevant agencies to consider the recommendations of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on developing sentencing guidelines for wildlife crime.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3879
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2022 answer text <p>We welcome this report and the fact that it recognises the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment.</p><p>We will carefully consider all the recommendations to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, National Wildlife Crime Unit and the Sentencing Council (who has responsibility for developing sentencing guidelines and monitoring their use).</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 12/12/2022 17:38:50 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle