Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many bovine tuberculosis (a) new herd incidents and (b) officially free status withdrawn cases there were in the Nottingham-shire badger cull areas in each calendar year from 2010 to 2018.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The requested data is not available as no licensed culling has taken place in Nottinghamshire in this period.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
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.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to equines.
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.
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.
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.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the recycling rates in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2015.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra has calculated the Nottinghamshire District and Borough Councils' yearly percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting since 2015. They are as follows:
| 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
Ashfield District Council | 32.5% | 31.8% | 41.0% | 40.8% |
Bassetlaw District Council | 19.2% | 20.1% | 21.1% | 24.8% |
Broxtowe Borough Council | 39.0% | 38.5% | 39.9% | 38.5% |
Gedling Borough Council | 36.2% | 35.6% | 36.7% | 35.2% |
Mansfield District Council | 35.8% | 34.5% | 34.6% | 32.6% |
Newark and Sherwood District Council | 27.0% | 30.3% | 31.9% | 31.9% |
Rushcliffe Borough Council | 49.0% | 49.0% | 50.4% | 50.2% |
Nottinghamshire County Council | 42.8% | 42.5% | 44.2% | 43.7% |
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to tackle the decline in hedgehog numbers in the East Midlands.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has published advice on how to help hedgehogs through the creation of hedgehog havens and making gardens as welcoming as possible. This can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/news/five-simple-steps-to-transform-gardens-in-to-hedgehog-havens
We support the excellent work being undertaken by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, such as the Hedgehog Street campaign and their Conservation Strategy for Hedgehogs which sets out a ten year approach to supporting this species. Natural England is taking action to address some of the objectives in this strategy.
As set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, we are committed to creating or restoring 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat to provide benefits for species such as the hedgehog. Agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship provide funding to restore, extend and link important habitats and boost food resources for a range of species including hedgehogs.
These actions are at a national level. We do not hold information on how they are being taken forward in the East Midlands specifically.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve air quality in the East Midlands.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
We have consulted on our new world-leading Clean Air Strategy, which includes new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies to help us to clean up our air faster and more effectively. The Government has put in place a £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions. The £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality does not set allocations by areas and future funding awards cannot be prejudged. But some examples of spending under this plan in the East Midlands are as follows:
£495m of this funding is focused on supporting local authorities across England with the most significant air quality challenges; including Derby City Council, Bolsover District Council, Nottingham City Council, and Leicester City Council, all of which are developing local plans to ensure compliance with NO2 limits in the shortest possible time.
On 20 November, we approved Nottingham’s plan to bring forward compliance with NO2 concentration limits and issued a Ministerial Direction requiring the council to implement the plan, accompanied by £1 million of funding from the Clean Air Fund. Nottingham City Council has received further funding from the Government to retrofit 171 buses and to convert its own fleet. Derby City Council and Nottingham City Council been awarded grants totalling £3.1 million to support the implementation of early measures to improve air quality.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect ancient woodland in England.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has a manifesto commitment to ensure stronger protection for our ancient woodlands and the irreplaceable nature of ancient woodlands is recognised in our 25 Year Environment Plan. Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government are working together to identify further ways to protect ancient woodlands through the National Planning Policy Framework.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Pollinator Strategy to date.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
In 2017 the Government published its first progress report for the National Pollinator Strategy. It highlights positive progress with the Strategy’s 23 policy and 11 evidence actions.
For example, in 2015 we introduced a Pollinator and Wildlife Package to our Countryside Stewardship Scheme to provide a suite of habitats on farmland. We now have 2,000 new agreements in place that include the Package (47% of the total since 2015) and, together with other options, they are delivering 2,600 hectares of flower rich margins or pollen and nectar plots to support wild pollinators. We are currently evaluating the impact of Countryside Stewardship on wild pollinators. This research will be completed in 2019.
Through our investment in research, surveillance and planning we have been able to detect and eradicate the Asian hornet, an invasive species which poses a devastating threat to honey bees and wild pollinators.
We have established a dedicated UK pollinator monitoring and research partnership and, in 2014, we published a new indicator of trends in the status of pollinating insects. The indicator shows that the overall status of pollinating insects has declined since 1980. Although not definitive, there are early indications that this trend may have stabilised in recent years. We will continue to take action for pollinators and encourage others to do the same through our Bees’ Needs campaigns.