Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to promote (a) safety of racing horses and (b) prevention of horse fatalities resulting from participation in equestrian performance sport.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), British racing's governing and regulatory body, is responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses. The BHA works alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible. Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) continue to engage productively with these organisations on equine welfare and safety matters.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 she has made of the level of potential risk of toxins from landfill sites leaking into public waterways.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In England, the Environment Agency regulates operational and closed landfills through environmental permits to ensure a high standard of protection for people and the environment. Permits require the site operator to design, build and manage their sites to minimise or prevent the uncontrolled emission of pollutants on a site by site basis. If the permit does allow water to be discharged, it includes limits on what the operator is allowed. If the Environment Agency identifies pollution in water it has powers to take enforcement action.
The Environment Agency is not the regulator for past historic landfills. Under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is the responsibility of local authorities to identify and prioritise contaminated land remediation where there is an unacceptable risk to health and the environment. Historic landfills are considered as part of local authorities Part 2A duties.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what way responsibility for research into green and blue infrastructure is shared between her Department, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Natural England.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Natural England launched the Green Infrastructure Framework: Principles and Standards for England in January 2023. During the course of developing the Framework they produced and commissioned research, working with government Departments for: Environment Food and Rural Affairs; Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Transport and Health and Social Care. They also sought wider from input from experts in public bodies and private organisations to steer and advise.
Natural England and Public Health England (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) published a Rapid Scoping Review of Health and Wellbeing Evidence as part of the project. In addition, Defra has also funded research into the economic modelling of accessible green space across England and Wales, known as the Outdoor Recreation Valuation tool.
As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023, we will use the Green Infrastructure Framework to track progress in our commitment for everyone to have access to green or blue space within 15 minutes from their front door
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has held with agricultural producers on the living and working conditions of migrant farm workers who live on-site.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office sponsor licence regime places a broad range of responsibilities on the operators of the Seasonal Workers visa route to safeguard migrant workers under the scheme, including protecting their rights and ensuring effective enforcement of UK employment laws.
The Government keeps these protections under close and ongoing review. A new team within the Home Office compliance network focuses on ensuring sponsors are abiding by workers’ rights by improving training and processes for compliance inspectors and creating clear policies and guidance for robust action for scheme operators where workers are at risk of exploitation. Should any of the selected operators fall short in these duties action will be taken, up to and including the revocation of their sponsor licence.
The Home Office and Defra maintain regular contact with scheme operators to ensure that they adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. All Seasonal Worker visa route operators are also required to hold a Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) licence, as a condition of maintaining their role as a scheme operator. The responsibilities and remit of the GLAA are set out on their website.
Defra continues to speak regularly with the agricultural sector including on matters relating to the welfare of seasonal workers. Defra also conducts an annual survey of workers, providing them with a route to provide direct feedback to us on their experience while working here including their living and working conditions. In addition, Defra officials engage with the industry and non-profit organisation led Seasonal Worker Taskforce, which focuses on practical actions to improve the responsible recruitment and employment of migrant workers into UK farms.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 her Department has made of the living and working conditions of migrant farm workers.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office sponsor licence regime places a broad range of responsibilities on the operators of the Seasonal Workers visa route to safeguard migrant workers under the scheme, including protecting their rights and ensuring effective enforcement of UK employment laws.
The Government keeps these protections under close and ongoing review. A new team within the Home Office compliance network focuses on ensuring sponsors are abiding by workers’ rights by improving training and processes for compliance inspectors and creating clear policies and guidance for robust action for scheme operators where workers are at risk of exploitation. Should any of the selected operators fall short in these duties action will be taken, up to and including the revocation of their sponsor licence.
The Home Office and Defra maintain regular contact with scheme operators to ensure that they adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. All Seasonal Worker visa route operators are also required to hold a Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) licence, as a condition of maintaining their role as a scheme operator. The responsibilities and remit of the GLAA are set out on their website.
Defra continues to speak regularly with the agricultural sector including on matters relating to the welfare of seasonal workers. Defra also conducts an annual survey of workers, providing them with a route to provide direct feedback to us on their experience while working here including their living and working conditions. In addition, Defra officials engage with the industry and non-profit organisation led Seasonal Worker Taskforce, which focuses on practical actions to improve the responsible recruitment and employment of migrant workers into UK farms.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which consultations published by their Department are awaiting a response; and when each of those responses (a) were initially planned to and (b) will be published.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Policy teams across Defra consult regularly during the policy development and implementation cycle.
Information is available on gov.uk all open and closed consultations published by Defra including the closing date for open consultations and, where available, the Government's response.
The Cabinet Office has published best practice ‘consultation principles’ for government departments.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the (a) number and (b) destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials in her Department in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All departmental travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
Domestic flights within the UK allow departmental representatives to visit more parts of the UK in the time available and reduce the need for overnight accommodation. Defra staff are based all over the UK and not just centred on London.
Defra’s Travel and Subsistence Policy states that air travel between locations on mainland England, Wales and Scotland is not permitted unless approval by exception is granted by a director and approval email should be attached to the claim.
Many of the destinations listed in the answer involve a flight over water. The alternative journey of using trains and ferries would often take significantly longer.
The following table sets out the number of domestic flights in each of the last five years along with the corresponding destinations.
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Number of Domestic Flights | 465 | 497 | 82 | 94 | 315 |
Destinations | Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Aberdeen |
Belfast City | Belfast City | Belfast City | Belfast City | Belfast City | |
Belfast Intl | Belfast Intl | Belfast Intl | Belfast Intl | Belfast Intl | |
Birmingham | Birmingham | Birmingham | Bristol | Birmingham | |
Bristol | Bristol | Bristol | Dundee | Bristol | |
Edinburgh | Cardiff | Edinburgh | Edinburgh | Dundee | |
Exeter | East Midlands | Exeter | Glasgow | Edinburgh | |
Glasgow | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Guernsey | Exeter | |
Guernsey | Exeter | Inverness | Isles Of Scilly | Glasgow | |
Inverness | Glasgow | London | Jersey | Guernsey | |
Isle Of Man | Inverness | London City | Leeds Bradford | Inverness | |
Jersey | Isle Of Man | London Gatwick | London City | Jersey | |
London City | Jersey | London Heathrow | London Gatwick | Leeds Bradford | |
London Gatwick | Leeds Bradford | London Stansted | London Heathrow | Liverpool | |
London Heathrow | Liverpool | Manchester | London Luton | London | |
London Luton | London |
| London Stansted | London City | |
London Stansted | London City |
| Newcastle | London Gatwick | |
Manchester | London Gatwick |
| Southampton | London Heathrow | |
Newcastle | London Heathrow |
|
| London Luton | |
Shetland Isles | London Luton |
|
| London Stansted | |
Southampton | London Stansted |
|
| Manchester | |
| Londonderry |
|
| Newcastle | |
| Manchester |
|
| Newquay | |
| Newcastle |
|
| Shetland Isles | |
| Newquay |
|
| Southampton | |
| Norwich |
|
|
| |
| Shetland Isles |
|
|
|
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to introduce a limit on the number of dogs that a person can walk at one time that would apply across the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Anyone walking dogs is required to comply with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which requires individuals in control of animals to protect them from unnecessary suffering and to provide for their welfare needs. The Government does not currently intend to introduce a legal limit on the number of dogs that a person can walk at any one time. The Canine and Feline Sector Group has published guidance to assist dog walkers. This can be found here: General Guidance Documents – CFSG.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help protect people from dangerous dogs.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The primary purpose of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is public protection. In addition, the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 includes community protection notices to enable the police and local authorities to tackle irresponsible dog ownership.
In December 2021 Defra published research in collaboration with Middlesex University investigating measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. In response to this research, we have established a Responsible Dog Ownership working group involving police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations. Conclusions and policy reform recommendations are expected later this year.
This summer Defra has also worked with stakeholders to launch a dog safety communications campaign to promote safe interactions between children and dogs. As part of this we have supported the Canine and Feline Sector Group to disseminate their Dog Safety Code, which incorporates key advice and resources to equip parents and children with the knowledge they need to enjoy spending time with dogs safely.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with food retail organisations on the impact of inflation on the price of (a) christmas pudding, (b) potatoes, (c) cranberry sauce, (d) brussels sprouts or (e) parsnips.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has regular discussions with retailers about a range of issues, including the impact of food price inflation.