Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the deer management strategy.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Native wild deer are an important component of our landscape but if left unchecked, they can cause serious problems to agricultural crops, tree planting schemes, conservation and biodiversity.
In the England Trees Action Plan and Environmental Improvement Plan, we committed to addressing these pressures through developing a National Deer Management Strategy. This strategy will be published in due course.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the provisions in her Department's guidance for the appointment of Parish Councillors to National Park Authorities which exclude co-opted councillors are mandatory and enforceable by the National Park Authority.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Park Authorities do not appoint members to their boards. Parish members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs following an election among the eligible parishes. It is our policy that only democratically elected Parish Councillors are eligible. This is to ensure that those seats on the board provide the vital democratic legitimacy and accountability that Parish and Local Authority members bring to National Park Authority boards.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent the export of seed potatoes to Russia.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK Government is delivering the largest package of sanctions in our history, cutting off funding to Putin's war machine.
I welcome commitments already made by several seed potato exporters to divest from Russian exports. I am urging firms to think very carefully about further investments in Russia; I am clear that there is no case for new investment in Russia.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
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 help raise public awareness of the consequences for cattle of Neospora and its connection dog faeces.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Neospora is a parasite. Neospora caninum may cause abortions in cattle and paralysis in dogs. It is not considered to be infectious to humans. Clinical disease in dogs is rare and owners may not be aware of infection in their pet.
The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs was presented to Parliament in December 2017. It makes clear that a dog’s handler has a legal obligation to clean up after it (Welfare of Dogs). Similarly, the statutory guidance within the Countryside Code: Advice for Countryside Visitors, updated 01 April 2021, (Countryside Code) highlights the risk of illness to people and livestock, and sets out that dog handlers must clean up after the dog.
Guidance and advice for cattle owners on preventative measures has been provided by the National Animal Disease Information Service NADIS - National Animal Disease Information Service.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) staff were working from home in response to the outbreak of covid-19 as at 24 November 2021; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of home working on the effectiveness of the MMO.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
In line with the wider Defra response to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) currently operates an office based blended working model where all MMO staff can mix office based and home working, subject to safe office capacity. The MMO has also continued to operate sea and shore-based assurance inspections throughout the pandemic.
No assessment on the effect that home working has had on the effectiveness of the MMO has been undertaken.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what targets are in place for the Marine Management Organisation to determine applications from marine enterprises for major investment projects.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Marine Management Organisation operates several key services to support the development of major investment projects from marine enterprises, including grant funding and marine licensing. All these services include targets subject to regular performance review, including quarterly at Board level, and are published annually.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics his Department uses to measure the efficiency of the Marine Management Organisation; and what recent assessment he has made of the MMO's performance against those metrics.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The efficiency of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is measured through specific service-based targets which are subject to regular performance review, including quarterly at Board level. Like all government departments, the MMO is also required to publish an annual report each year which provides information on its purpose, the key risks in achieving its objectives, and how it has performed. The latest published annual report from the MMO is available online.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to facilitate the importation of rescue dogs from Bosnia after the 31 March 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Dogs imported into Great Britain (GB) for rescue or rehoming must be moved in compliance with the rules on the commercial movement of dogs. Since the transition period ended, the health requirements for entering GB have not changed and there have been no restrictions placed on the importation of rescue dogs from Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, importers must ensure that they meet the requirements as laid down by the European Union (EU) where consignments transit within the EU during the journey to GB.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
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 received representations on the establishment of a recreational sea angling live release fishery for bluefin tuna; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Yes, Defra has received such representations. We continue to work closely with stakeholders, regulators (the Marine Management Organisation, and Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities) and scientists, to explore whether it would be possible to support a recreational scientific bluefin tuna research, catch and release tagging programme in English waters.
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached with the EU secures the UK a share of the EU’s current bluefin tuna allocation. No decisions have yet been taken on how to use the UK’s new national quota. Stakeholders will be consulted on potential options in due course.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that campsites on Crown Land in the New Forest open in summer 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Camping in the Forest is an independent operator of campsites in Great Britain. It is majority owned by the Camping and Caravanning Club. The decision not to open campsites in the New Forest in summer 2020 was taken by the Camping in the Forest business. Forestry England is disappointed in this decision and has been in regular dialogue with CITF seeking the opening of the sites.