Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
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 is taking to support the (a) health and (b) welfare of (i) pets and (ii) wild animals during fireworks season in Aylesbury constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Existing fireworks legislation controls the sale, availability, and use of fireworks. There is an 11pm curfew in place for the use of fireworks, with later exceptions only for the traditional firework periods. Using fireworks outside the curfew hours is a criminal offence.
Users of fireworks should be aware of animals in the neighbouring area and use them responsibly. As a matter of best practice, those organising displays should give neighbouring owners advance notice and ensure that fireworks are not set off near livestock or horses in fields, or close to buildings that house livestock.
Government officials have been working with Combat Stress, Help for Heroes and the Dogs Trust to share information about safe and considerate use of fireworks. The Government has recently launched an awareness campaign on the Gov.uk website to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks on people and animals.
Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
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 is taking to end the use of cages in farming.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.
The use of cages for farmed animals is an issue we will want to fully consider in due course.
Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
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 commissioning a review of horse rider safety standards; and whether he plans to legislate to strengthen those standards for solo riders.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Anyone in the business of hiring out horses is required to have a licence under the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals (LAIA) Regulations 2018.
It is a condition, under schedule 5 of the 2018 regulations, that all equipment provided to riders is in good and safe condition. Such activities are licenced by local authorities.
The statutory guidance for hiring out horses provides more details on safety standards, for example the requirement for assessments to be carried out for new riders.
Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
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 is taking to tackle illegal sewage discharges in waterways in Aylesbury constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Thames Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to cut sewage dumping and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.
The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.