Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many successful prosecutions have been made in respect of the sale of ivory in the UK under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
I am sorry but the Home Office does not hold this information.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make it a statutory duty for fire and rescue services to deal with flooding.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We have no plans to make it a statutory duty for fire and rescue services to make provision to protect life and property in the event of flooding.
Fire services already respond to flooding under their general duties in the Fire Services Act and Civil Contingencies Act, and in response to the risks set out in their Integrated Risk Management Plans.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further training they intend to provide to the police and the National Crime Agency in preparation for their plan for a complete ban on the sale of ivory.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
With the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which provides intelligence, analysis and specialist assistance to individual police forces and other law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom that allows them to deal effectively with wildlife crime investigations, including cases that involve the illegal trading of ivory.
The Unit will provide briefing notes for all UK police forces with regards to the enforcement of any changes arising from the Government’s plans to ban the sale of any post-1947 worked ivory. The police may also receive expert advice about ivory from organisations such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Police and NCA are given appropriate training as their deployment requires.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guarantees of the right to remain will be given to EU citizens living in the UK and working in the agricultural and food production sectors after Brexit.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme and Sectors Based Scheme for agricultural and food production sectors were closed at the end of 2013 when the transitional employment restrictions applied to nationals of Bulgaria and Romania were lifted. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.
There are a number of options as to how EU migration might work once we have left. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out further positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.
The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are giving consideration to the establishment of variable immigration rules to take account of the specific needs of the agricultural and food production sectors.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme and Sectors Based Scheme for agricultural and food production sectors were closed at the end of 2013 when the transitional employment restrictions applied to nationals of Bulgaria and Romania were lifted. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.
There are a number of options as to how EU migration might work once we have left. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out further positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.
The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what training is provided to staff in the UK Border Agency to help them deal with abuses of the Pet Travel Scheme by those involved in illegal puppy smuggling for commercial purposes.
Answered by Lord Bates
Core skills training provided to Border Force officers includes awareness training on controls on the movement of live animals into the UK. Specific guidance is also available to officers on the application of the Pet Travel Scheme. Border Force is also developing its targeting capability across all border related risks, including bio-security risks.
Border Force is working closely with the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), the lead government department with responsibility for imports of live animals, to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation governing the import of animals.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 February (HL5437), when an announcement will be made about the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from April 2016 onwards.
Answered by Lord Bates
A decision on funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016 will be made shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government fully understands the importance of tackling wildlife crime and the important contribution that the National Wildlife Crime Unit makes to this, both here in the UK and internationally. That is reflected in the fact that the Government is providing over £270,000 worth of specific funding to support the work of the Unit in 2015/16. As far as funding beyond March 2016 is concerned, a decision will be made in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the written answer by Lord Bates on 2 March (HL5145), why draft revised guidance on obtaining passports for donor-conceived children has not yet been circulated; and when it will be.
Answered by Lord Bates
Drafting of the guidance will be completed shortly and consultation with interested parties will commence at the end of June 2015.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps HM Passport Office intend to take to respond to a complaint made in January 2013 on behalf of the Donor Conception Network about misleading public information on gov.uk and in printed leaflets about obtaining passports for donor-conceived children.
Answered by Lord Bates
Information was removed from gov.uk in 2013 at the request of the Donor Conception Network. Revised draft guidance will be circulated to the Donor Conception Network and others in April 2015 for comment before being added to the website.