Blog

  • Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recorded number of sea bass was discarded in the (a) Irish and (b) Celtic Sea by UK registered vessels in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    Under long standing Irish national measures to protect bass stocks their commercial fishing vessels are not permitted to land bass for sale, which means a degree of discarding of bass by-catch from mixed fishing activity will occur. We have no data available to us, however, on the level of such discards by Irish vessels.

    For UK vessels we have discard estimates for the last five years combined for the Irish and Celtic Seas. These relate to otter trawlers, netters and beam trawlers, based on the numbers of sampled trips (see table (b)). We do not sample hook and line boats although these report a sizeable fraction of bass landings in these areas, as survival rates for discarded bass from commercial rod-and line or hand-line boats (under 10 metre inshore vessels) are considered potentially relatively high.

    (a) Numbers (thousands) and weight (tonnes) landed and discarded for sampled fleets (otter, nets, beam) in Irish and Celtic Seas, raised to fleet landings for each gear, based on at-sea observer sampling by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).

    Number ‘000s

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Mean

    Landed

    48

    36

    29

    39

    30

    36

    Discarded

    8

    9

    10

    10

    4

    8

    % discarded

    14

    20

    25

    21

    11

    18

    Tonnes

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Mean

    Landed

    107

    58

    71

    94

    80

    82

    Discarded

    3

    3

    4

    6

    2

    3

    % discarded

    3

    5

    5

    6

    2

    4

    (b) Number of trips sampled, Irish and Celtic Seas

    No. trips sampled

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Total

    Beam trawls

    1

    1

    2

    Netters

    4

    4

    16

    12

    10

    46

    Otter trawls

    23

    20

    21

    21

    12

    97

    Grand Total

    28

    24

    38

    33

    22

    145

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many rabbit farms are operating in England.

    George Eustice

    Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) do not conduct routine welfare inspections of rabbit farms. There is no specific requirement to register rabbit farms with APHA.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that consumers are fully informed of the manner in which rabbit meat on sale in England was raised.

    George Eustice

    Food labelling rules are set at EU level and require that food information must be accurate and must not mislead. This Government has pressed for better information for consumers during negotiations relating to food labelling in Europe.

    The European Commission has no plans to introduce further production method labelling for rabbit or any other farmed game. However, the Commission is due to produce a report on country of origin labelling for meats such as rabbit in the first half of this year.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in which countries rabbit meat sold in the UK in each of the five most recent years for which data is available was produced.

    George Eustice

    Rabbit meat was imported into the UK from the following countries. We have no data on whether this meat was then sold in the UK.

    Country

    Volume and Value

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Jan to Nov 2014

    Belgium

    Tonnes

    19

    38

    42

    137

    108

    £000s

    77

    160

    160

    556

    428

    France

    Tonnes

    237

    232

    225

    475

    334

    £000s

    905

    848

    838

    1,221

    794

    Germany

    Tonnes

    1

    0

    £000s

    4

    6

    Irish Republic

    Tonnes

    1

    22

    72

    87

    £000s

    3

    67

    227

    301

    Italy

    Tonnes

    6

    11

    14

    14

    9

    £000s

    22

    41

    41

    40

    26

    Netherlands

    Tonnes

    2

    75

    170

    84

    £000s

    5

    119

    984

    817

    Poland

    Tonnes

    0

    £000s

    1

    Portugal

    Tonnes

    5

    4

    6

    9

    8

    £000s

    24

    15

    21

    22

    26

    Spain

    Tonnes

    12

    75

    54

    £000s

    43

    284

    191

    Crown Copyright

    Source: HM Revenue and Customs

    “

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward species-specific legislative proposals to (a) prohibit the use of barren cages for new rabbit farm developments and (b) make other provision for protecting the welfare of farmed rabbits.

    George Eustice

    There are existing provisions which protect the welfare of rabbits kept for meat production. Whilst there is no specific EU-wide legislation for rabbits, any kept for meat production in cages or in other systems in this country are protected by the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause suffering to an animal. The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 specifically covers the welfare of rabbits kept for the production of food. In addition, the statutory welfare code for rabbits provides good husbandry advice including recommendations for housing, feed, water and space allowances which should be regarded as absolute minimum.

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the loss of state funding by the ACRE Network on that organisation’s ability to deliver support to rural communities.

    Dan Rogerson

    We value the work that the ACRE Network does at the local level to ensure the rural voice is heard and to inspire community action. Future funding is being carefully considered and no final decision has yet been made. No assessment has therefore been prepared.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the definition of energy subsidies used by his Department is the same as the definition set out in the report, Subsidies and costs of EU energy: an interim report, published by the European Commission on 10 October 2014; and if he will make a statement.

    Matthew Hancock

    The European Commission study on Subsidies and costs of EU energy notes the OECD’s conclusion that there is “no universal definition of what constitutes a subsidy”, hence the use throughout the study of the term “public interventions.” The study was developed on the basis of information and data which has been estimated and utilised methodologies developed by the Commission’s consultants which were not endorsed or assured by Member States prior to its publication. Accordingly its approach reflects the views of those consultants, not those of the UK or Member States generally.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of cases in which two or more babies born to the same mother were put into kinship care.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The information requested is not collected.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential for misuse of the kinship carer system.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Children live with kinship carers for a wide range of reasons: parental difficulties, mental or physical ill health, divorce or separation, imprisonment or bereavement. The circumstances and legal statuses of children and carers in these arrangements vary widely. There is not, therefore, a single “kinship carer system” and for this reason the Government has not given consideration to making an assessment of the potential for any general misuse of kinship care arrangements

    In 2011, the Department for Education issued ‘Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’,[1] this guidance is clear that children and young people unable to live with their parents should receive the support they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare, whether or not they are looked after.

    [1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-act-1989-family-and-friends-care

    “

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial rewards her Department makes available to kinship carers.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Children placed in a kinship care arrangement by a local authority are looked after children, in which case their carer must be approved as a foster carer. In these circumstances, kinship carers must receive the same support, including financial support, as all other foster carers.

    The majority of kinship carers will be caring for children who are not looked after.

    Relatives caring for a child in these circumstances are entitled to support, such as child benefit and any other benefits available to parents, subject to the usual eligibility criteria.

    In 2011, the Department for Education issued ‘Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’ which sets out a requirement on local authorities to develop clear, publically accessible policies to describe how they will assess and support children cared for by kinship carers. Such support could include financial help for carers of children who are not looked after, where the local authority assesses this is appropriate.