Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the role of Flood Re in the flood insurance market since 14 February 2020 .
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Defra ministers have not met with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) since the 14 February 2020.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent meetings he has had with representatives of (a) the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and (b) Nissan to discuss the Government's (i) net zero emissions and (ii) clean air targets.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not met the SMMT or Nissan. Defra officials have recently updated members of the automotive trade on plans to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Officials also met SMMT to discuss gathering vehicle data for the Clean Air Zone vehicle checker, which is directly related to the NO2 target.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of (a) shock collars and (b) other aversive training devices on animals' long-term health and wellbeing; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The Government remains committed to banning the use of remote controlled hand-held electronic training collars (e-collars) for dogs and cats in England. This is based on Defra funded research carried out between 2007 and 2010 which showed that e-collars compromise the welfare of some dogs. Anyone causing unnecessary suffering to a dog through the misuse or otherwise of a training device would be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and subject to a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The Government is committed to increasing the maximum custodial penalty for this offence to five years.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to prevent the Pet Travel Scheme being used to illegally bring dogs into the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously, and that is why we have committed to cracking down on the illegal import of dogs and puppies. This is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to puppies and puts the health of pets and people in the UK at risk.
All dogs entering the UK must be compliant with specific documentary and health preparations intended to safeguard their welfare and the biosecurity of this country. We have one of the most rigorous pet travel checking regimes in the world and any dogs found to be non-compliant with the Pet Travel Scheme rules may be refused entry or detained until compliant.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the provisions of Scotland’s wild camping laws in English law.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
We are considering a range of options for promoting access to the countryside to meet the ‘connecting people with nature’ goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan. There are no current plans or assessments underway to legislate for wild camping in England, including replicating Scottish camping laws.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant?to the Answer of 6 February 2020 to Question 11503 on Flood Control: North East, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of flood defences in the North East since (a) Storm Ciara and (b) Storm Dennis.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Following any storm or flood event, the Environment Agency (EA) carries out inspections of affected areas to assess flood defence assets. It does this to ensure that defences have operated effectively and will continue to do so. It also does this to assess any damages and defects as a result of the flood event. Any defects are used to inform where future investment is required.
After storms Ciara and Dennis, the EA visited communities and assessed flood defence assets in the North East where official flood warnings were issued or that were close to receiving a warning. These areas were prioritised as they were where water levels rose the furthest. Upon inspection, there were no asset failures during or following the two storm events and assets in these areas continue to operate effectively.
In addition, the EA examines the higher water levels to check flood warnings are being correctly issued and speaks with residents and businesses to ensure they have good awareness of the flood risk.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of flood defences in the North East.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
In the North East of England there are over 22,000 properties in areas at risk of flooding from Main Rivers and the sea. The Environment Agency (EA) maintain over 1,500 flood risk assets to protect communities in the North East against these risks. All EA-maintained assets are visually inspected on a routine basis as part of a risk based programme, with additional intrusive inspections undertaken where required. Where issues are identified during inspections the need for further works are prioritised through the EA’s programme of capital or maintenance works.
The overall investment in the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (NRFCC) in the North East of England for the 6 year capital programme Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management up to 20/21 totals over £100 million. This includes Local Levy and public and private sector contributions, with £48.8 million from Government funding.
The impacts of future climate change are taken into account when considering the levels of flood risk and the level of mitigation required as part of any investment decision.
There are a number of Risk Management Authorities, such as local councils, who also maintain flood risk assets to reduce the risk of surface water and groundwater flooding and better protect from the impacts of coastal erosion.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
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 through the 25 Year Environment Plan to promote learning on the environment and sustainability for children in schools with low levels of access to natural spaces.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018, sets out the government’s ambition to improve the environment within a generation. A key commitment is to encourage children to be close to nature, in and out of school. The government announced £10 million funding for the Children and Nature Programme which aims to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have better access to the natural environment. The programme has been designed to make it possible for schools to undertake a range of activities in natural spaces, including learning about nature and how to care for the natural environment.
As announced by the Environment Secretary on 31 January, grants have recently been awarded to projects in the Children and Nature programme. Resilience through Nature, a consortium of The Wildlife Trusts, YoungMinds, Groundwork, the Sensory Trust and Field Studies Council, have been appointed to the Nature Friendly Schools project which will help deliver greener grounds and pupil visits to green spaces for schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Social Farms and Gardens, working with Thrive, will deliver the Growing Care Farming project which aims to achieve a transformational change in the scale, scope and uptake of care farming services in England for children and adults with a defined health, education or social need particularly those from disadvantaged areas. Funding for the Community Forests and Woodland Outreach project is yet to be awarded.
The announcement on 31 January marked the beginning of the 2019 Year of Green Action. Over the next 12 months government will work with businesses and communities to create ways for people from all backgrounds to connect with nature, protect our environment, and contribute to restoring our natural world.
As part of the 2019 Year of Green Action, the nationwide #iwill4nature initiative, led by charity Step Up To Serve and backed by government will support a series of activities for young people to connect with, protect and enhance nature.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government’s policy is to introduce a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses as soon as Parliamentary time allows. In the interim, the welfare of any wild animals still being used by travelling circuses in England is protected by the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to improve management practices of grouse moors in rural England.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I set out the Government’s policies on this matter during the debate on driven grouse shooting on 31 October in Westminster Hall, organised by the Petitions Committee.