Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees are planned to be planted in Hartlepool constituency in 2020.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
To drive an unprecedented step-change in planting rates and help reach our net zero target we will invest in tree planting with a new Nature for Climate Fund (NCF). A significant proportion of the NCF will help support our commitment to plant 30,000 hectares of trees per year across the UK by 2025.
The Government’s support for woodland creation is predominantly through grant schemes and incentives, these include the recently launched Woodland Carbon Guarantee, in addition to the existing Countryside Stewardship, Woodland Carbon Fund, Woodland Creation Planning Grant and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. These grants are available to local authorities, land managers and community led organisations wherever they are in the country. We do not have individual targets by constituency. We are working to increase the uptake of grant schemes and strongly encourage eligible organisations to do so.
The Government is consulting on ways to further incentivise land managers and owners to plant more trees. Later this year we will consult on a Tree Strategy for England, designed to set the Government’s future vision for the sector.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK no longer complying with the REACH regulation on the (a) costs and (b) administrative requirements for the chemical industry to continue trading with other EU states.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
When we leave the EU we will bring REACH into UK law, retaining what it sets out to achieve including a high level of protection of human health and the environment.
The nature of our future trading relationship with the EU is a matter to be settled during the next phase of negotiations.
The Government published “EU Exit: Long-term economic impacts” in November 2018. This paper provides estimates of the economic impact of a range of future trading relationships with the EU.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
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 effect on the number of jobs in the chemicals sector on Teesside of the UK diverging from REACH regulations.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
When we leave the EU we will bring Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) into UK law, retaining what it sets out to achieve including a high level of protection of human health and the environment.
The nature of our future trading relationship with the EU is a matter to be settled during the next phase of negotiations.
The Government published “EU Exit: Long-term economic impacts” in November 2018. This paper provides estimates of the economic impact of a range of future trading relationships with the EU by sector. One of the drivers of this estimate of impact is the cost of potential regulatory divergence.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
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 remove the responsibility for race horse welfare from the British Horseracing Authority and award it to a new, government-appointed, independent body.
Answered by David Rutley
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) works in collaboration with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to try and make racetracks as safe as possible. The number of racehorse fatalities at racetracks has been falling in general since 2012, except for an increase last year.
However, I and the BHA agree that more must be done to make horseracing safer and I have been in regular discussion with the horseracing authorities about how this can be achieved. I particularly welcome the establishment of the BHA’s Horse Welfare Board and I will be meeting the newly appointed independent chair shortly. I will await evidence of how effective these new arrangements are in practice. I am not currently planning to establish a new regulator in the interim.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
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 require the British Horseracing Authority to record the numbers of horses that leave horseracing each year.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra is keen that the welfare needs of racehorses are well met, both during their racing lives and afterwards. I am in active discussion with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on a range of issues relating to improving the welfare of horses in the industry, including the BHA’s programme of work on the traceability of thoroughbreds post-racing. The BHA works closely with the thoroughbred passport issuing office to record details on animal movement and career outcomes. This data includes broodmare and stallion registrations, and export certificates, to form a picture of post-racing careers. A project within the programme involves the creation of a database to track animal movements throughout their careers, including the movement out of racing, whether that be as a leisure horse, breeding horse, or otherwise. This work will continue in 2019 with the aim of producing a digital model of thoroughbred movements.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
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 hold discussions with representatives of the British Horseracing Authority on the compilation of information on horses that are sent (a) for breeding, (b) abroad and (c) slaughter after the finish racing.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra is keen that the welfare needs of racehorses are well met, both during their racing lives and afterwards. I am in active discussion with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on a range of issues relating to improving the welfare of horses in the industry, including the BHA’s programme of work on the traceability of thoroughbreds post-racing. The BHA works closely with the thoroughbred passport issuing office to record details on animal movement and career outcomes. This data includes broodmare and stallion registrations, and export certificates, to form a picture of post-racing careers. A project within the programme involves the creation of a database to track animal movements throughout their careers, including the movement out of racing, whether that be as a leisure horse, breeding horse, or otherwise. This work will continue in 2019 with the aim of producing a digital model of thoroughbred movements.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to prohibit the use of the whip in horseracing in the UK.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to horseracing, and irresponsible use of the whip is completely unacceptable. The British Horseracing Association (BHA) requires that whips be used responsibly and jockeys may only use the whip within certain strict rules. The BHA policy on the whip was drawn up in consultation with animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare. The latest rules include a threshold on the number of times the whip is used before racing stewards can consider an enquiry. If the rules are broken, the jockey may be banned from racing for a certain number of days depending on the seriousness of the offence. Defra is satisfied that the rules in place are sufficient to restrict and limit the use of the whip in horse racing.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
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 decision to ban the whip in horseracing in Norway; and whether there are plans to introduce such a prohibition in the UK.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to horseracing, and irresponsible use of the whip is completely unacceptable. The British Horseracing Association (BHA) requires that whips be used responsibly and jockeys may only use the whip within certain strict rules. The BHA policy on the whip was drawn up in consultation with animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare. The latest rules include a threshold on the number of times the whip is used before racing stewards can consider an enquiry. If the rules are broken, the jockey may be banned from racing for a certain number of days depending on the seriousness of the offence. Defra is satisfied that the rules in place are sufficient to restrict and limit the use of the whip in horse racing.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the number of breaches of the whip regulations in British horse racing.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to horseracing, and irresponsible use of the whip is completely unacceptable. The British Horseracing Association (BHA) requires that whips be used responsibly and jockeys may only use the whip within certain strict rules. The BHA policy on the whip was drawn up in consultation with animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare. The latest rules include a threshold on the number of times the whip is used before racing stewards can consider an enquiry. If the rules are broken, the jockey may be banned from racing for a certain number of days depending on the seriousness of the offence. Defra is satisfied that the rules in place are sufficient to restrict and limit the use of the whip in horse racing.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
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 make an assessment of what factors are behind an increase in the use of the whip in British horseracing.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to horseracing, and irresponsible use of the whip is completely unacceptable. The British Horseracing Association (BHA) requires that whips be used responsibly and jockeys may only use the whip within certain strict rules. The BHA policy on the whip was drawn up in consultation with animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare. The latest rules include a threshold on the number of times the whip is used before racing stewards can consider an enquiry. If the rules are broken, the jockey may be banned from racing for a certain number of days depending on the seriousness of the offence. Defra is satisfied that the rules in place are sufficient to restrict and limit the use of the whip in horse racing.