Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a vicarious liability for estate owners in relation to (a) the actions of gamekeepers and (b) the illegal killing of birds of prey.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government does not currently have any plans to introduce vicarious liability in England. The introduction of new legislation, such as vicarious liability, requires evidence that it will be effective. So far there is no compelling evidence that the introduction of the provisions in Scotland and Northern Ireland has had a significant deterrent effect on those who persecute such birds.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
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 letter of 18 November from the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to the hon. Member for High Peak on small abattoirs, if he will provide (a) a list the 79 LEADER groups in England and (b) the closing date of applications for each LEADER group in each area.
Answered by George Eustice
Full details of the 79 LEADER groups are available through the Rural Development Programme for England LEADER homepage on gov.uk.
At a national level, the LEADER programme is on track to commit the majority of its funds by March 2019 with more than half of these groups now closed to new applications.
Individual LEADER groups close their programmes when they have sufficient demand to spend their full allocation. As a result, the decision to close is made by the LEADER groups and is shown on their individual websites.
A list of LEADER programmes currently open is provided in the table below.
Beds and Hunts Claylands | Chilterns | Clay Vales |
Coast, Wolds, Wetlands and Waterways | Durham and Coast Lowlands | East Kent |
Eastern Plateau | Fieldfare | Greensand Ridge |
Heart of Wessex | Loddon and Test | Mersey Rural |
New Forest | North Nottinghamshire | North Pennine Dales |
North Warwickshire Hinckley and Bosworth | North Wessex Downs | North York Moors, Coast and Hills |
Northern Lincolnshire | Northumberland Coast and Lowlands | Northumberland Uplands |
Plain Action | Rural Surrey | South East Cornwall |
South Nottinghamshire | South Pennines | Vale Action |
Wealden and Rother Rural Partnership | West Cheshire and Warrington | West Kent |
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
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 has undertaken an economic impact assessment of the effects of clean air zones and associated air quality measures on businesses in (a) Manchester and (b) Greater Manchester; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government assessed the impacts of charging clean air zones on businesses nationally in the technical report accompanying the 2017 UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. This did not look at the impacts on Manchester, or Greater Manchester as whole, or in isolation.
As set out in the UK plan, it is the responsibility of local authorities, as part of their feasibility studies, to assess the impact a local plan could have on individuals and businesses, including through an economic impact assessment and a distributional and equalities impact analysis. This also includes the consultation of relevant stakeholders where appropriate. In the case of Greater Manchester, Transport for Greater Manchester is coordinating work with local authorities to develop their local air quality plan.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Manchester and (b) Greater Manchester on the financial effect on their businesses of proposed clean air zones and associated air quality measures.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not had direct discussions with small and medium-sized businesses in Manchester or Greater Manchester about the financial effect of clean air zones.
We assessed the impacts of charging clean air zones on businesses nationally in the technical report accompanying the 2017 UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations.
This did not look at the impacts in Manchester or Greater Manchester in isolation. The UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations and the documents associated with it, such as the clean air zone framework, were consulted on, inviting relevant stakeholders to submit their views.
As set out in the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations, it is the responsibility of local authorities, as part of their feasibility studies, to assess the impact a local plan could have on individuals and businesses, including through an economic impact assessment and a distributional and equalities impact analysis.
This also includes consultation of relevant stakeholders where appropriate. In the case of Greater Manchester, Transport for Greater Manchester is coordinating work with local authorities to develop their local air quality plan.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the funding for the maintenance of the England Coast Path will be in line with the National Funding Formula for National Trails.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Funding for the maintenance of the England Coast Path will be in line with the National Funding Formula for National Trails as the new access rights come into force on stretches of the path.
Natural England has written to each of the National Trail Partnerships to let them know that it will be funding the existing National Trails in 2018/19 at the same level of funding as in 2017/18.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
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 fund from the public purse the 13 National Trails for £1.6 million annually until 2021.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Business planning and financial allocations have not yet been completed and we are therefore not yet in a position to announce the future level of funding until 2021 for the 13 national trails.
Natural England wrote to each of the national trail partnerships last December making an interim offer of 50% of the funding made to each of the national trails in 2017/18. The offer was an advance contribution towards the costs the partnerships would incur in 2018/19 in the absence of Natural England being able to confirm its overall funding position for 2018/19.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will uphold Natural England's agreement to commit to a three-year funding cycle for the National Trails.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Business planning and financial allocations have not yet been completed and we are therefore not yet in a position to announce the future level of funding until 2021 for the 13 national trails.
Natural England wrote to each of the national trail partnerships last December making an interim offer of 50% of the funding made to each of the national trails in 2017/18. The offer was an advance contribution towards the costs the partnerships would incur in 2018/19 in the absence of Natural England being able to confirm its overall funding position for 2018/19.