Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release by Natural England of 29 July 2016 to issue a licence permitting the control of up to 10 buzzards, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the granting of such licences does not endanger the buzzard population.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Buzzards are now widespread in England, with over 60,000 pairs in the UK (British Trust for Ornithology). The removal of a small number of birds will have no impact on the national population. Moreover, Natural England would not license any activity that would adversely affect the conservation status of a species.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release by Natural England of 29 July 2016 to issue a licence for buzzard control, whether she plans to issue further such licences during the current Parliament.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Responsibility for issuing licences for buzzard control is a matter for Natural England. All wild birds, including buzzards, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it illegal to take, injure, or kill a wild bird, or to disturb them while nesting and protects their nests and eggs except under the authority of a licence.
Section 16 of the Act gives provision for Natural England to grant a licence to manage wildlife for a number of reasons including preventing serious damage to livestock. Natural England considers each application on its merits but would not license any activity which would adversely affect the conservation status of a species.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
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 is taking to ensure that manufacturers of disposable wipes follow water industry guidelines and use the do not flush logo.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government is encouraging the water industry to act collectively, through initiatives such as 21st century drainage. This continues its work with the manufacturers of flushable products to agree appropriate labelling and campaigns to inform the public what should, and should not, be flushed down the toilet.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the flushability tests used by manufacturers of disposable wipes.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Sewer blockages can be a serious problem, and sewer flooding can cause great distress to householders.
We support the work that the industry is taking forward to reduce the number of blockages. Water UK, the representative body for the UK water and sewerage industry, has led on development of a voluntary test that sanitary manufacturers can use to establish whether or not their product is truly flushable.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
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 Answers of 19 November 2015 to Question 16305 and 26 November 2015 to Question 18647, if her Department will provide a date by which a decision will be made on funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016.
Answered by Rory Stewart
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, on 7 December 2015, PQ18534.