Tag: Kerry McCarthy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34699, when her Department expects to (a) receive advice from the UK Export Committee on Pesticides about the two applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids and (b) make a decision on whether to grant such authorisation.

George Eustice

The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) considered these applications at its meeting on 4 May. I expect to receive its advice shortly.

The decision on whether or not to grant the authorisations will be made once the ECP and other experts have concluded their examination of the applications and the Government has received and considered their findings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the additional costs incurred by a family raising a child with cystic fibrosis.

Jane Ellison

The Department has made no such assessment. The families of children with cystic fibrosis may be eligible for social care support, continuing care in the home, and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments, based on the level of the child or young person’s needs.

The number of children under the age of 18 with cystic fibrosis is not collected centrally. It is estimated that one in every 2,500 babies born in England has cystic fibrosis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on the management and regulation of the UK’s Marine Protected Areas and on Government plans to complete a coherent network of Marine Conservation Zones.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The Government remains committed to putting in place a well-managed Blue Belt to protect precious marine habitats and species. We are aiming for the third tranche of Marine Conservation Zones to be comprehensive and complete our contribution to the ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas in the North East Atlantic. This network plays an important part in helping stem the decline of marine habitats and species and in aiding their recovery. Marine Conservation Zones are provided for through domestic legislation.

We will be exploring options over the coming months for how best to protect the species and habitats that are found in our European Marine Sites set up under the Habitats and Birds Directives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Attorney General, how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of offences under the Badgers Act 1991 in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with, and prosecuted for, offences brought by way of the Protection of Badgers Act 1991. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with particular offences, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the Protection of Badgers Act 1991 during 2015. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.

2015
Protection of Badgers Act 1992	12
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the funding required to complete the Coastal Path around England by the target date of 2020; and what support her Department is offering to Natural England to achieve that target.

Rory Stewart

The Government has announced Defra’s capital allocation for the next five years, and funding to complete the coastal path around England by 2020 will be protected. When complete, the path will be one of longest coastal walking routes in the world at around 2,700 miles in length.

We will publish the detailed allocation of funding in the Department’s Main Estimate early next year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Written Statement of 12 January 2016, HCWS 462, on December Environment Council, what steps she plans to take to improve the implementation of EU Nature Directives.

Rory Stewart

The REFIT review of the Habitats and Wild Birds Directives is due to conclude in spring 2016. We will work with other EU Member States to identify how we can best work together to improve implementation of the Directives in the light of the Commission’s conclusions.

We are continuing to work closely with Natural England and business and conservation organisations to further improve our domestic implementation of the Directives. For example, Natural England is working with Woking Borough Council on a strategic plan for great crested newt conservation, which will protect and enhance newt populations whilst reducing burdens on housing developments.

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/great-crested-newt-pilot-scheme-in-woking-opportunity-to-comment

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26611, whether the Clean Growth Committee has met to discuss air quality.

Rory Stewart

The inter-Ministerial group on Clean Growth considers issues relating to air quality and decarbonisation where these have a cross-Departmental aspect. To protect the integrity of the policy making process, we do not comment on what was discussed at a specific meeting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the risk to the UK (a) posed by ballast water and (b) that diseases such as cholera may be transferred around the world through ballast water given rises in sea water temperature.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The UK has developed a number of voluntary procedures adopted by the maritime community to tackle the issue of invasive species and pathogens. Vessels on deep sea, international voyages are encouraged to undertake mid-ocean ballast water exchange. Within the North Sea and English Channel, ballast water exchange areas have been identified and vessels visiting UK ports are encouraged to use those areas where it has been assessed safe to do so.

The Government continues to be a strong supporter of the Ballast Water Management Convention that aims to minimise the threat posed by harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what climate change adaptation support her Department plans to make available to businesses after the closure of the Climate Ready Support Service.

Rory Stewart

The first National Adaptation Programme sets out more than 370 actions to help the UK better prepare for climate change – we continue to deliver on these actions and make sure adaptation is integrated across government policy making. We will carefully review how we work with business and industry as part of the preparations for the next National Adaptation Programme report which is due around 2018.

The Environment Agency continues to play an important role in helping businesses adapt to climate change, in particular as part of its core role on flooding, coastal risks, water management, freshwater habitats, and as a statutory adviser in the land-use planning system. In addition, the Environment Agency will continue to provide advice to businesses and other organisations on using the UK climate projections and it will continue to contribute to a range of stakeholder groups. Over 70 online tools developed by the Climate Ready Support Service are still available for use by businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the merits of public grant funded research on the environment, food and farming.

George Eustice

Evidence from assessments of the impact of research undertaken by Research Councils and through the 2014 Research Excellence Framework strongly indicates that research (which may be funded from a range of sources) has many benefits in helping to achieve positive outcomes for the environment and for food and farming. Defra has not however, undertaken any systematic evaluation of the merits of public grant funded research in these areas.