Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the UK Chemical Strategy.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Delivery of a Chemicals Strategy was a commitment set by the previous Government and is being considered as part of our rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 implications for his policies of the risks to companion animals in England posed by the use of snare traps.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the setting of snares in England where they are likely to catch non-target species such as companion animals. Anyone using snares also has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure that their activities do not cause any unnecessary suffering. Defra is aware however that snares can capture a wide range of non-target species including companion animals such as pet cats and pet dogs. Many instances have been reported by the RSPCA for example.
The Government is to introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation and as outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce plastic waste in oceans.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The UK is committed to tackling the scourge of marine litter and we are making significant progress towards addressing this issue. Our approach so far has been to reduce needless plastic waste entering the marine environment in the first instance.
Our ban on microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, one of the strongest in the world, came into force in June 2018. Our plastic bag charge has led to a 90% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags in the main retailers and last year alone raised over £51 million for environmental causes. We have consulted on plans to extend the charge to all retailers and on increasing the minimum 5p charge to at least 10p. In May 2019, we announced that a ban on the supply of plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to the end user will come into force from April 2020. These policies are helping to deliver our Resources and Waste Strategy for England, our framework for eliminating all avoidable plastic waste. It builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to maximise the value we get from resources, minimise waste, promote a circular economy, and better protect the environment.
Marine litter is a transboundary problem which requires international cooperation; that is why we are leading action on the global threat of marine litter. We continue to actively engage internationally through OSPAR, the G7 and the G20, and the UN. In April 2018, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, a ground-breaking initiative working with our Commonwealth partners to reduce marine plastic pollution. To help deliver this, we committed an ambitious package of up to £70 million of funding to drive research and innovation.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on delivering a public information campaign alongside the introduction of the ban on commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in April 2020.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, known as ‘Lucy’s Law’, bans the commercial third party sales of puppies and kittens and will come into force in April 2020. We intend to launch a campaign focused on helping the public understand how to responsibly source a puppy or kitten in early 2020, in the run up to the ban coming into force. The campaign is currently under development.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if will bring forward legislative proposals on animal re-homing before the ban on the third party selling of puppies and kittens comes into effect in April 2020.
Answered by David Rutley
Legitimate rescue homes do incredible work rescuing and rehoming thousands of sick, abandoned and stray animals each year. I recognise that with the ban on commercial third party sales coming into force, stakeholders are concerned that disreputable dealers could reinvent themselves as rescues. We are actively exploring these issues with the rescue and rehoming sector.
We need to be confident of the benefits and the impacts of any regulations placed on rescue and rehoming centres, particularly on some of the smaller rescues. We will consider proposals once we have fully consulted with the sector and understood the impact of any proposals.
In the meantime, in order to prevent third-party sellers from presenting themselves as rehoming centres, we will work with the Canine and Feline Sector Group and local authorities to develop specific guidance to help distinguish between non-commercial rescue and rehoming centres, which are charities, and pet sellers which are businesses.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 7 June 2018 to Question 149081, if he will meet representatives of animal rescue charities to discuss the potential merits of introducing measures to license and regulate animal rescue centres.
Answered by George Eustice
Under The Animal Welfare (Licensed Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 anyone who is in the business of selling pet animals will need to be licensed. Depending on the circumstances that can include animal rescue charities where animals are re-homed and a set fee is charged. We regularly discuss these matters with the bodies represented on the Canine and Feline Sector Group, including animal welfare charities.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 had recent discussions with representatives of the animal charity sector on the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals for the regulation and licensing of animal rescue centres.
Answered by George Eustice
We do not have precise numbers available of the charities that have expressed an opinion on the regulation of animal rescue homes over the last five years. However, Defra is aware that animal rescue homes have expressed views on both sides of the argument in relation to the regulation of such establishments. Ministers have not held any recent discussions with animal charities about the regulation of animal rescue homes.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 Oral Answer of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of 26 April 2018, Official Report, column 1007, how many charities have made representations to his Department to register (a) concerns about the potential burden of and (b) support for introducing licensing and regulation for animal rescue homes in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
We do not have precise numbers available of the charities that have expressed an opinion on the regulation of animal rescue homes over the last five years. However, Defra is aware that animal rescue homes have expressed views on both sides of the argument in relation to the regulation of such establishments. Ministers have not held any recent discussions with animal charities about the regulation of animal rescue homes.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 his Department has made of the number of animal rescue centres with overcrowded living conditions.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government has not made any such assessments, but under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide for its welfare needs. If anyone has any concerns about the welfare of an animal in a rescue centre, they should report it to the relevant local authority which has powers to investigate, or to the RSPCA who can also investigate such matters. The Government supports the work of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes whose members must meet minimum standards of welfare.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 his Department has made of the number of animals that are unsuitably re-homed from animal rescue centres in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government has not made any such assessments, but under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide for its welfare needs. If anyone has any concerns about the welfare of an animal in a rescue centre, they should report it to the relevant local authority which has powers to investigate, or to the RSPCA who can also investigate such matters. The Government supports the work of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes whose members must meet minimum standards of welfare.