The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental effects of the use of imported fox urine for the purposes of trail hunting.
Rory Stewart
The Government has no plans to make an assessment or issue guidance on the import and use of fox urine for the purpose of trail hunting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under the Wild Animals (Protection) Act 1996 in each police force area in 2015.
Rory Stewart
The Government is committed to tackling wildlife crime. The UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, which is part-funded by Defra, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities, including those relating to badger persecution and poaching, which are UK wildlife crime priorities. The Unit also provides assistance to police forces when required.
Court proceedings data for 2015, including those for the offences listed above, are planned for publication by the Ministry of Justice in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department issues on the import and use of fox urine for the purpose of trail hunting.
Rory Stewart
The Government has no plans to make an assessment or issue guidance on the import and use of fox urine for the purpose of trail hunting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in 2015.
Rory Stewart
The Government is committed to tackling wildlife crime. The UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, which is part-funded by Defra, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities, including those relating to badger persecution and poaching, which are UK wildlife crime priorities. The Unit also provides assistance to police forces when required.
Court proceedings data for 2015, including those for the offences listed above, are planned for publication by the Ministry of Justice in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 21517, whether funding for the Farming Recovery Fund has been increased since its extension to farmers affected by recent flooding in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
George Eustice
We will pay out on all eligible claims from farmers. Extending the Farming Recovery Fund to eligible farmers in Lancashire and Yorkshire impacted by Storm Eva will therefore increase the total amount that will be paid out from the fund.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Public Health England will be responsible for drafting and publishing the obesity strategy.
Jane Ellison
The Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, is being led by the Department with input from across Government, including Public Health England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the rural productivity plan published by her Department in August 2015, when she will publish the calls for evidence on reviewing the planning and regulatory constraints facing rural businesses and the measures that can be taken to address them.
Rory Stewart
The Rural Planning Review Call for Evidence will be published jointly by Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the publication of the obesity strategy; and what role (a) Public Health England and (b) his Department is playing in the drafting of that strategy.
Jane Ellison
The Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, is being led by the Department with input from across Government, including Public Health England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs in Wales have been placed on the register of exempt dogs under section 4A and section 4B procedures under the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.
George Eustice
The number of dogs in Wales that have been placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs under Section 4A and Section 4b of the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 in each complete year since 1997 is in the table below. There were no recorded entries in Wales for the period 1997 – 2003.
|
Year |
Number of Dogs |
|
2004 |
1 |
|
2005 |
1 |
|
2006 |
0 |
|
2007 |
2 |
|
2008 |
7 |
|
2009 |
7 |
|
2010 |
9 |
|
2011 |
17 |
|
2012 |
33 |
|
2013 |
41 |
|
2014 |
35 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Advice Note: 05/2015, paragraph 9 of the Harm-Benefit Analysis Process, how many project licences applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were recommended by the Animals and Science Regulation Unit in each year since 2012.
Mr John Hayes
The Harm-Benefit Analysis (HBA) is undertaken, on behalf of the Secretary of State, by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors, all of whom are veterinary or medically qualified and trained in assessing research proposals. The HBA is the process of considering a research proposal to make a judgement whether the likely harms that the animals will experience are justified by the likely benefits. Under section 18 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, inspectors advise the Secretary of State who decides whether and on what terms a project licence should be granted.
The number of project licences which were recommended for grant by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors between 2012 and 2015 are shown in table 1, column (c).
The Secretary of State has not rejected any of the recommendations for granting project licences made by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors between 2012 and 2015.
The Home Office does not keep records of applications that have been rejected or withdrawn at the concept or drafting stage [24507]. The Home Office does not keep records of which applications were withdrawn as a result of advice from the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors.
The Home Office refers project licence applications to both the Animals in Science Committee and external independent assessors for critical review. The number of project licences referred to both is given in Table 1 columns (a) and (b) respectively for the years 2012-15.
|
Year |
(a) Project licence applications referred to the Animals in Science Committee[1] |
(b) Project licence applications referred to independent assessors |
(c) Project licences granted |
|
2012 |
9 |
4 |
626 |
|
2013 |
3 |
0 |
604 |
|
2014 |
4 |
1 |
474 |
|
2015 |
3 |
0 |
577 |
[1] Prior to 2013 the independent advisory body was entitled the ‘Animals Procedures Committee’