Every parliamentary written question tabled by Chris Bloore this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–10 of 10 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, whether the planned consultation on hunting with dogs will accept submissions on potential amendments to Schedule 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.
The Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting, in line with its manifesto commitment. Defra will consult early this year on how to deliver a ban. All responses to the consultation will be considered carefully.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her department has made of the suitability of the penalties available under the Hunting Act 2004; and whether the planned consultation on trail hunting will include consideration of Part 2 of that Act.
The Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting, in line with its manifesto commitment. Defra will consult early this year on how to deliver a ban. All responses to the consultation will be considered carefully.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds information on the number of independent UK veterinary practices that offer out-of-hours emergency care.
Defra does not hold data on the number of independent UK veterinary practices that offer out-of-hours emergency care.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.
The department does not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off for staff who become kinship carers, but there are other provisions which may be applicable depending on the individual circumstances. In addition to annual leave and flexitime (if eligible), the following is available:Staff are able to make two requests for flexible working in a 12-month period in order to reach the right work/life balance for themIn addition to the statutory right to reasonable unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, and the statutory right to five days unpaid leave for those with caring responsibilities, we offer:o an additional five days’ off as paid leave for carerso an additional five days’ off as paid leave for those with dependentsUp to 18 weeks unpaid Parental Leave where the member of staff has acquired legal parental responsibility for the childUnpaid Special Leave and Career Breaks
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the benefits of introducing statutory recycling targets for local authorities.
The Government is committed to reducing waste by transitioning to a circular economy. To support the Government in achieving this goal, a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts has been established from across the Government, industry, academia, and civil society to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The taskforce will consider the evidence for sector-specific interventions from right across the economy and will be exploring a wide range of levers to drive circularity. Local Authorities are best placed to determine the effective delivery of local services. We want to provide the framework in which they do this and ensure that there is consistency in what is collected.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of a variable rate of deposit for the Deposit Return Scheme.
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) regulations provide the powers for the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) - who will be appointed by Government to administer the DRS. The regulations also set out what the DMO must consider and who they must consult in determining the deposit level, including whether a fixed or variable rate deposit is appropriate and, when doing so, have regard to the views expressed in responses to the consultation.
Food and Rural Affairs, what his (a) plans and (b) priorities are for tackling animal cruelty (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. We will be outlining more detail in due course.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the EU's revised Drinking Water Directive on UK manufacturers of water-related products; and what steps he is taking to support businesses to meet the new compliance requirements.
Our drinking water regulations and approved regulator specifications are designed, in part, to protect human health by reducing the likelihood of contamination of drinking water supplies. Our current Regulations allow certain other national specifications to be accepted by water undertakers, if they can demonstrate an equivalent level of protection and performance with our drinking water standards.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the divergence between (a) UK and (b) EU regulations on products in contact with drinking water; and whether he is taking steps to help with additional compliance costs for companies supplying the UK market.
Our drinking water regulations and approved regulator specifications are designed, in part, to protect human health by reducing the likelihood of contamination of drinking water supplies. Our current Regulations allow certain other national specifications to be accepted by water undertakers, if they can demonstrate an equivalent level of protection and performance with our drinking water standards.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that proposed increases to consumer water bills are used for infrastructure investment.
After writing to Ofwat, the Secretary of State has secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. If that money is not spent, it will be refunded to customers – not diverted for bonuses, shareholder payouts or salary increases.