Legitimate rescue homes do incredible work rescuing and rehoming thousands of sick, abandoned and stray animals each year. I recognise that with the ban on commercial third party sales coming into force, stakeholders are concerned that disreputable dealers could reinvent themselves as rescues. We are actively exploring these issues with the rescue and rehoming sector.<\/p>
<\/p>
We need to be confident of the benefits and the impacts of any regulations placed on rescue and rehoming centres, particularly on some of the smaller rescues. We will consider proposals once we have fully consulted with the sector and understood the impact of any proposals.<\/p>
<\/p>
In the meantime, in order to prevent third-party sellers from presenting themselves as rehoming centres, we will work with the Canine and Feline Sector Group and local authorities to develop specific guidance to help distinguish between non-commercial rescue and rehoming centres, which are charities, and pet sellers which are businesses.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4033", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Rutley"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Macclesfield"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Rutley"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-12T09:47:46.057Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pets: Sales"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if will bring forward legislative proposals on animal re-homing before the ban on the third party selling of puppies and kittens comes into effect in April 2020.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4673", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jo Platt"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leigh"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jo Platt"} ], "uin" : "261545"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130726", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130726/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Trees, woods and forests are a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Neither Defra nor the Forestry Commission records tree planting data except for trees planted in England with central government support.<\/p>
<\/p>
The latest figures from the Forestry Commission\u2019s Corporate Plan Performance Indicators, published on 13 June, show that from April 2018 to March 2019 at least 2.06 million trees have been planted with central government support, equivalent to approximately 1,273 hectares of woodland creation.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Forestry Commissioners are responsible for the control of tree felling under the provisions in Part II of the Forestry Act 1967 (as amended). However, there are a number of exemptions from the requirements for a Felling Licence, including trees growing in private gardens, trees felled directly as a result of the granting of planning permission, felling approved in a legacy English Woodland Grant Scheme and trees felled on the Public Forest Estate. There is also no obligation to fell the trees once a Licence, which can be valid for up to 10 years, has been granted. These are some of the reasons why we do not know how many trees have been cut down. In the vast majority of cases where clear felling has been approved there will be a restocking requirement attached to the Licence.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Forestry Commission also publishes, as part of its Corporate Plan Performance Indicators, the net change in woodland area based on the balance between new planting of woodland and woodland removal, this information was last updated on 13 June 2019 and can be found at:<\/p>
<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forestry-commission-corporate-plan-performance-indicators<\/a><\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4033", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Rutley"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Macclesfield"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Rutley"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-17T15:00:58.107Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Trees"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees were (a) planted and (b) cut down in the last 12 months.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Huddersfield"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Barry Sheerman"}
], "uin" : "261476"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130364", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130364/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Defra publishes the report: \u2018Air Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland\u2019 in the autumn each year. This report provides the total annual emissions in England of PM2.5<\/sub>. 2018 total emissions of PM2.5<\/sub> in England will be published in autumn 2020, and 2017 total emissions of PM2.5<\/sub> in England will be published in autumn 2019. The URL for the latest report is:<\/p> https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1810160958_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2016_Issue1.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> Emissions of PM1<\/sub> and PM0.1<\/sub> are not estimated for England, however they are estimated for the UK. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) website holds the database of UK annual emissions for a wide range of air pollutants including PM2.5<\/sub>, PM1<\/sub> and PM0.1<\/sub>.<\/p> <\/p> The database for UK emissions of particulate matter from 1970 to 2017 can be accessed from the following URL: http://naei.beis.gov.uk/data/data-selector?view=pms<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4098", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Suffolk Coastal"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Dr Thérèse Coffey"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-14T10:47:54.477Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Air Pollution"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total emissions were in England of (a) PM2.5, (b) PM1 and (c) PM0.1 in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2017.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/252", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr David Drew"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stroud"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr David Drew"}
], "uin" : "261096"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130431", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130431/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Each year the Government publishes an indicator of trends in populations of wild bees and other pollinators in the UK. The indicator measures changes in the distribution of almost 400 species of bees and other insects since 1980 and shows that, for all pollinating insects, the indicator has declined by 22% since 1980 although it has stabilised in recent years. For bees, the indicator has declined by 17% since 1980 although it shows evidence of a recovery since 2013.<\/p> <\/p> Trends are also available for managed honey bees. The number of beekeepers registered on BeeBase, the National Bee Unit\u2019s biosecurity system which underpins the Government inspectorate\u2019s actions for bee health, has increased significantly over the last 10 years from 12,000 to over 40,000 today.<\/p> <\/p> Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. Since 2014 we have been working with a range of partners to implement a National Pollinator Strategy to address declines in wild pollinators and concerns about bee health, including establishing a pollinator monitoring and research partnership to gather further data and strengthen the evidence base.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4098", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Suffolk Coastal"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Dr Thérèse Coffey"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-14T09:47:25.137Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bees"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the UK bee population.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "261132"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130433", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130433/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government has implemented a range of measures to both protect and increase biodiversity across the country. In London 6,000 hectares have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with some 141,000 hectares designated as SSSI across the south east. These protected sites host habitats and species of international importance for wildlife conservation. Examples include Walthamstow Reservoirs SSSI which is Europe\u2019s largest urban wetland, and the New Forest, the largest area of semi-natural habitat in England covering 29,000 hectares of heathland, grassland and ancient woodland.<\/p> <\/p> We provide substantial public funding for increasing biodiversity, spending £2.9 billion on agri-environment schemes in England through our seven year Rural Development Programme. Schemes are tailored to the specific biodiversity interests in London and the south east through our local targeting statements. In London priorities include wood pasture and parkland as well as wetland habitats such as reedbeds. In the south east there are a number of statements reflecting the diverse landscapes of the region including the heathlands of the Thames Basin, chalk grasslands of the North Downs and South Downs and wetlands of the Kent coast.<\/p> <\/p> The Government also supports a range of partnership activities. For example in London, at Walthamstow, Natural England has worked closely with a range of partners over ten years on a partnership project to expand wetlands and open them to the public. In the south east, Natural England is working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the RSPB and over 100 farmers and landowners to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee to Dungeness. The success of the project in creating extensive, wildflower-rich habitat has led to the recording of rare bee species in areas where they have not been seen for 40 years.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4098", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Suffolk Coastal"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Dr Thérèse Coffey"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-14T09:31:04.757Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Biodiversity: South East"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase biodiversity in (a) London and (b) the South East.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "261133"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130434", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130434/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. They are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. The National Pollinator Strategy is a 10 year plan setting out how Government, conservation groups, farmers, beekeepers and researchers can work together to improve the status of the 1,500 or so pollinating insect species in England.<\/p> <\/p> Alongside these partners, the Government is taking action to create and manage wildlife-rich habitat, raise awareness, improve bee health and strengthen the evidence base. Each of these actions will benefit solitary bees, honey bees and bumblebees.<\/p> <\/p>