The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues on the Hunting Act 2004.
Rory Stewart
The Secretary of State regularly discusses all relevant polices with her ministerial colleagues as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to establish a commission to examine the issue of hunting foxes with dogs before bringing forward proposals for a vote in the House on that issue.
Rory Stewart
The Government has no plans to establish a commission to examine the issue of hunting foxes with dogs. However, the Government continues to stand by its manifesto commitment to give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government bill in government time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of households affected by floods on 26 December 2015 in (a) Lancashire and (b) England.
Rory Stewart
Over 1,300 properties in Lancashire were affected by floods following Storm Eva with around 9,000 properties in England. These figures are subject to change and are based on local authority reporting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of homes affected by flooding in winter 2015-16 that do not have insurance.
Rory Stewart
We have made no assessment on the number of uninsured homes affected by flooding this winter.
To help those affected by the current flooding, including the uninsured, the Government has announced nearly £200m to support recovery efforts. This includes funding to make properties more resilient to future flooding. In addition, we are taking action to protect people at the highest flood risk by making sure that everyone can access affordable flood insurance, regardless of where they live. Flood Re has now been set-up and it is expected to begin in April.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of legal provision relating to rights to grant or withhold access to caves.
Rory Stewart
Defra has made no assessment of the effectiveness of legal provision relating to rights to grant or withhold access to caves. Cavers may use particular cave systems, where use has been traditional, or where the landowner allows or has given specific permission for cavers to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many jobs in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.
George Eustice
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, its executive agencies non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies have no offices in Stoke-on-Trent, and therefore no jobs have been abolished since 2010 nor are any to be abolished or relocated by 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings and communication Ministers and senior civil servants have had with Ruimte voor de Rivier regarding long-term flood prevention since June 2010.
Rory Stewart
Ministers and senior civil servants have not met or communicated with Ruimte voor de Rivier regarding long term flood prevention since June 2010.
The Environment Agency has a good and highly valued relationship with the Dutch flood agency, Rijkswaterstaat, and has been actively engaging with them for many years on coastal, and asset management issues. This has been both bilaterally and through mutual networks. There is a strong exchange of knowledge between our organisations, supported by a non-legal Memorandum of Understanding. This also supports mutual cooperation during an incident, where appropriate.
The Environment Agency was also grateful for the wider Dutch support offered during the 2013/14 flooding in the UK, with support from Dutch pumps and levee inspectors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many oil refinery workers have been killed as a result of UK airstrikes in Syria; and whether such workers are classed as civilian.
Penny Mordaunt
Oil workers operating oil production facilities in Daesh-controlled areas are treated as civilians, unless they directly participate in hostilities or otherwise can be shown to be members of Daesh. The UK takes appropriate measures to reduce the risk of collateral damage and we have a robust process in place to positively identify targets before we conduct airstrikes. To date there have been no reports of civilian casualties as a result of RAF airstrikes in Iraq or Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain -including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was recently held in November 2015. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its human rights obligations and to honour all conventions to which it is a party. We welcome the progress made by Bahrain on their reform programme particularly in the areas of youth justice, the establishment and increasing effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s office, the Prisoner and Detainees’ Rights Commission and the reformed National Institute of Human Rights. We continue to work with the Government of Bahrain to ensure momentum and progress on its reforms, for the benefit of all Bahrainis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the number of political prisoners held in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain – including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. If we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform.