Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing to improve flood defences.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is investing a record £5.2 billion over six years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England.
In addition, at the last spending review the Government increased funding for maintaining existing flood defences by £22 million per year, bringing the total to over £200 million per year.
Our investment in flood defences has seen over 600,000 properties better protected from flooding since 2010, including over 71,000 since 2021.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce pet theft.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
While stealing a pet is already a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968, we understand the devastating impact that the theft of a pet can have. That is why we intend to legislate to make pet abduction a specific offence, building on the recent work of the Pet Theft Taskforce to clamp down on this heartless crime.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
What steps he is taking to prevent animal cruelty.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government is leading the way in promoting animal welfare by bringing forward legislation that will increase the maximum custodial penalty for animal cruelty in England from 6 months’ to 5 years’ imprisonment. We have also made it a requirement for all slaughterhouses to have CCTV; updated and improved the laws regulating dog breeding and pet sales; and banned the third party sale of puppies and kittens.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
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 introducing a registration and licensing system for animal sanctuaries and re-homing activities.
Answered by George Eustice
In reviewing the licensing systems for dog breeding, pet sales and other animal activities in England we considered extending the licensing requirement to animal sanctuaries and re-homing centres. We were not provided with evidence that such operations need to be regulated in the same way. We support the work of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes who have developed sector guidance for dog and cat rescue and rehoming centres which we endorse.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
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 potential benefits of using blockchain technology to store information on (a) food safety and (b) animal welfare; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has been looking at how blockchain technology is already being used within the food and farming industries to improve data transparency and efficiency for suppliers, processors and consumers.
We have also undertaken a ‘proof of concept’ project to explore how blockchain technology could be used to improve traceability of food throughout the supply chain. This will contribute to our wider work looking at how blockchain technology could bring benefits across Defra’s policy areas, including for food safety and animal welfare.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
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 extent of contaminated land across each of the four Black Country boroughs; and what funding is available for remediation of such contamination.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has made no assessment of the extent of contaminated land. It is the statutory duty of local authorities to identify contaminated land in their areas and to ensure that risks to human health and the environment are removed.
The Contaminated Land Capital Grant Programme ended in March this year (2017).