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Tag: Richard Benyon

  • Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the availability of legal representation for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a dual UK-Iranian national. Iran does not recognise dual nationality for Iranian nationals and therefore does not permit our consular staff to visit British-Iranian dual nationals detained there. Nonetheless we continue to push for consular access to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and for more information about the charges against her – along with assurances that she has access to a lawyer.

  • Richard Benyon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Benyon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what strategic priorities her Department has given to the National Wildlife Crime Unit in each of the last five years; and on what key areas her Department has instructed that unit to focus until 2016.

    Norman Baker

    The Home Office recognises the importance of wildlife crime, and is providing specific funding of £136,000 for the National Wildlife Crime Unit in each of the next two financial years.

    The Home Office does not set specific priorities for the National Wildlife Crime Unit, other than to tackle wildlife crime. The Unit produces a tactical assessment of wildlife crime across the UK every six months. This assessment is then considered by the UK Tasking and Co-ordinating Group, which includes the Home Office and Defra.

  • Richard Benyon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Benyon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Declaration of the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, what consideration her Department has given to ensuring that wildlife crime offences are made recordable offences.

    Norman Baker

    Offences relating to the illegal purchase and sale of the world’s most highly endangered species are already included in the Home Office Counting Rules for police recorded crime, with the specific crime recording code of 99/3. This includes the illegal trade in iconic species such as elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers, which provided the focus to the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

  • Richard Benyon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Richard Benyon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what basic measures his Department takes in relation to (a) controls on abstraction and (b) prevent and control pollutants from diffuse sources in order to comply with Article 11.3 of the Water Framework Directive.

    Dan Rogerson

    Controls on water abstraction are applied through the licensing system operated by the Environment Agency, which sets out prior authorisation and control of water abstractions and impoundments.

    Measures to prevent and control pollutants from diffuse sources include:

    i. Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. These make it an offence to cause or knowingly permit a water discharge activity or groundwater activity, except under, and to the extent authorised by, an environmental permit. The Environment Agency regulates discharges under the environmental permitting regime. It can carry out works itself to rectify activities causing pollution, or issue anti-pollution works notices to require work to take place to prevent, remedy or prohibit pollution, as well as prosecuting offenders if pollution does take place;

    ii. the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008, which aim to reduce agricultural nitrate pollution and the risk of further such pollution occurring. The regulations implement the Nitrates Directive, and apply within designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (57% of England);

    iii. the Water Resources (Control of Pollution)(Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil)(England) Regulations 2010, which set standards for storing silage, livestock slurry and agricultural fuel oil to minimise the risk of water pollution. These are applicable nationally; and

    iv. cross-compliance requirements for those farmers claiming direct payments and those participating in various rural development schemes.