Written questions by Mayer.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2.3.2 of the report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, published on 4 September 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendation that on trade rules the Commission should ensure (a) coherence between EU animal welfare standards and (b) that the EU livestock production model and EU Animal Welfare legislation are not undermined.

The Strategic Dialogue of the Future of EU Agriculture provided a mechanism for EU stakeholders to make suggestions to the European Commission to help inform its work shaping its Vision for Agriculture and Food. As this report represents those stakeholder recommendations to the commission, it is too early to say what potential implications it may have on current or future Government policies. This will depend on the positions developed by the Commission in response to the report. The UK and EU have shared ambitions and challenges in our agricultural sectors, including supporting farmers in the context of climate and food security demands, strengthening the position of farmers in supply chains, and exploring innovation and Agri-Tech to support production. The President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and UK. The UK and EU are like-minded partners with similarly high standards. The Government has already committed to seek to negotiate a veterinary/sanitary and phytosanitary agreement to help boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government on the potential impact of light pollution on animal populations; and what steps he is taking to reduce light pollution in (a) urban, (b) suburban and (c) rural areas.

Defra has not had direct discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government about the potential impact of light pollution on animal populations.  Defra will continue to work closely with researchers, non-governmental organisations and across the Government to improve our understanding of the impacts of light pollution and will continue to address key threats to biodiversity. For example, our Pollinator Action Plan includes an action to keep potential and emerging threats such as light pollution under review. Government policy is to encourage good design, planning policies and decisions to limit the impact of pollution from artificial light. In particular, lighting schemes for developments in protected areas of dark sky or intrinsically dark landscapes should be carefully assessed on their necessity and degree. The Government believes that any mitigating actions to reduce light pollution in urban, suburban and rural areas are best taken by local authorities as these are best dealt with at a local level.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of availability of veterinary surgeons; and what steps his Department is taking to help increase the capacity of veterinary surgeons.

We appreciate the incredibly valuable work completed by veterinary surgeons and recognise their essential role in achieving our ambitious goals of upholding high standards of animal welfare, supporting trade, and safeguarding public health and food security. The Government acknowledges the high demand for veterinary services and is working collaboratively across departments and with the profession to explore additional measures that will ensure sufficient staffing levels to support and sustain the sector effectively.

What the completion status is of each (a) key delivery objective and (b) activity in the UK REACH work programme for 2023-24.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), acting as the UK REACH Agency, submitted to Defra in April this year their annual report which detailed the completion status of key delivery objectives and activities contained in the 2023-24 UK REACH work programme. Once approved by Ministers, the annual report will be published on HSE’s website.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of variations in levels of positive autism diagnoses at NHS foundation trusts.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnoses, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England is aware of the variation between services that provide autism assessments in terms of the proportion of assessments which result in a diagnosis of autism. On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. In 2024/25, £4.3 million is available nationally to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services.

What training her Department provides for prosecutors on links between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and ending the scourge of domestic abuse is a crucial aspect of this.Prosecutors in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) must have regard to the Government’s statutory guidance framework for controlling or coercive behaviour (the “Framework”). The Framework is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/controlling-or-coercive-behaviour-statutory-guidance-framework.CPS guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship explicitly refers to and expands on this Framework. When considering evidence of coercive or controlling behaviour, the guidance states that relevant behaviour can include “threatening to hurt or physically harming a family pet”. CPS guidance is available here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/controlling-or-coercive-behaviour-intimate-or-family-relationship.CPS prosecutors can access a wide range of domestic abuse learning modules and instructor-led programmes, in which they are prompted to consult the CPS guidance above. Prosecutors also recently completed the roll out of a national course on domestic abuse, which all prosecutors who handle these cases were required to attend.

What discussions her Department has had with police forces on training on links between domestic violence and animal abuse.

This Government is committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms. Achieving the mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade will require a whole systems approach. Domestic abuse is a hidden crime and it is critical that all agencies and services that come into contact with victims can identify abuse, effectively assess risk and help victims access support.Domestic abuse can affect all parts of a victim’s life and relationships including, for example, through threats and harm to pets as a means of control. The Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance that accompanies the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 provides an explanation of the different characteristics of domestic abuse and includes reference to how pets can be used by perpetrators.It is essential that every police force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes. The College of Policing has developed specialist domestic abuse training, the Domestic Abuse Matters programme, which is being delivered in many police forces and this Government has committed to strengthening police training on Violence Against Women and Girls. We will work closely with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to do this.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8554 on Buses and Large Goods Vehicles: Carbon Emissions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the zero emission vehicle mandate to include (a) trucks, (b) buses and c) other vehicles.

The ZEV Mandate sets a clear pathway for the decarbonisation of new cars and vans and is the largest carbon saving measure across government. The Department is committed to decarbonising other vehicle categories and is exploring options for implementation that meet the needs of each segment of the market.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) scam and (b) nuisance calls.

The Department works closely with Ofcom, who are responsible for tackling silent and abandoned calls, and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who lead on enforcement of unsolicited direct marketing calls and ensuring companies adhere to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. The new Data (Use and Access) Bill will empower the ICO to take action against companies sending nuisance communications.To address scam calls, the Department works closely with Ofcom, and the Home Office (who are responsible for fraud policy). From January, new Ofcom rules will require telecoms operators to block calls from abroad presenting with a UK number.

With reference to the data dashboard on UK gynaecology waits published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on 24 July 2024, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential reasons for differences in growth of waiting lists for (a) gynaecology and (b) other elective specialties.

It is unacceptable that patients are waiting too long to get the care they need, including the nearly 600,000 on gynaecology waiting lists.We are looking into this issue to understand what is driving demand for gynaecology and what steps we could take to return to the 18-week standard. Women’s health hubs play a key role in shifting care from hospitals to the community. There are a range of efforts underway to address challenges identified, including support to trusts where performance is of concern, ongoing efforts to transform outpatient pathways, and the use of surgical hubs which provide high volume low complexity surgery, including for gynaecology.Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. The Government will prioritise women’s health as we build a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future, modernising care so that it takes place efficiently and closer to home, prioritising patient experience, and ensuring that regardless of what treatment you are waiting for, you will be seen, diagnosed, and treated in a timely way.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish a consultation on the regulation of dog behaviour and training services.

Defra are working with police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to promote responsible dog ownership. As part of this work, we will continue to consider the role of education and training (for both dogs and their owners) in encouraging responsible dog ownership.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a centralised database of licenced (a) breeders and (b) sellers of (i) dogs and (ii) other pets.

Interested parties can check whether a dog breeder or pet seller is licensed without separately referring to a database. Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licensed dog breeders and pet sellers must display a copy of their licence at any premises where the activity is carried out and their licence number and name on any website used for the activity. The associated statutory guidance also recommends that local authorities publish a list of licenced businesses and their star ratings on their website.

Whether her Department is taking steps to help improve the welfare of HGV drivers through improved lorry parking facilities.

My department recognises the need to ensure all hauliers have access to appropriate roadside facilities, including to attract and retain a more diverse workforce.That is why DfT and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in roadside facilities along the Strategic Road Network. This investment will improve working conditions for lorry drivers, supporting jobs, and getting us back on track for growth.The Department continues to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of more safe, secure, and high-quality lorry parking to improve driver welfare.

Whether her Department plans to update the cycling and walking investment strategy.

The second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2) sets out objectives to increase journeys in towns and cities that are cycled or walked. We will set out our plans beyond 2025 in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent (a) e-bike, (b) e-scooter and (c) other micro-mobility vehicle trials in England.

My department is running trials of rental e-scooters to better understand the benefits of e-scooters and their wider impact on public space, to inform options for future regulations. In December 2022 we published a national evaluation of the e-scooter trials. This project represents one of the largest evaluations of e-scooters internationally in terms of the breadth of evidence collected, which includes data on 14.5 million rental e-scooter trips and 1.8 million responses from users on mode shift, journey purpose, and feelings of safety.My department is not currently running e-bike or other micromobility vehicle trials.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the carbon footprint of the private jets registered in the UK.

The government is committed to delivering greener transport and is currently considering its strategic approach to decarbonising aviation.DfT commissioned research in 2022 which estimated the carbon footprint of UK-registered General Aviation aircraft arriving and departing from UK aerodromes in 2019. General Aviation consists of all non-scheduled civil aviation activity, including recreational flying, business aviation and other aviation activities. By considering the typical maximum takeoff weight of aircraft used for business aviation, this research indicates that approximately 370 ktCO2e were emitted by business aviation aircraft in 2019, although this figure may also incorporate emissions from larger recreational aircraft, or those engaged in specialty air services.

Communities and Local Government, how many fines have been issued for violating tree preservation orders in each year since 2010.

Fines for violating tree preservation orders are issued locally through Magistrates Courts and the government does not hold information on fines issued. Anyone found guilty of violating a Tree Preservation Order is liable to a fine of up to £20,000.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of bus fires.

In July 2023 the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) published a significant review into bus fires and safety: Investigation into bus fires reported to DVSA from 2020 to 2022 - GOV.UK DVSA has worked with industry and the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and agreed an approach where all parties can work together in a collaborative forum. This will not only apply the recommendations from the review but create a forum that will allow a continual improvement process to be adopted. DVSA continues this positive engagement with industry, with the latest working group having taken place last week.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory labelling on (a) furniture and (b) other products that have been tested on animals.

Animal testing of chemical substances is prohibited in all but a very limited number of circumstances where it is essential for the protection of human and animal health or environmental safety, as prescribed by the REACH Regulations. As a result, there are no plans to make it mandatory for labelling of furniture or other products to indicate whether animal testing has been undertaken in the manufacture of that product.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on catchment-based water systems planning.

Since taking office, we have prioritised engagement with our stakeholders to reap the benefit of their expertise through information sharing. The Secretary of State and I have held one-to-one meetings and shared panels with several organisations involved in catchment-based approaches such as the Rivers Trust. Defra is supportive of the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) and officials regularly meet with local catchment partnerships and nationally through attendance at the CaBA National Support Group. Wednesday 23 October we announced that the UK and Welsh governments are launching an independent commission, led by a chair and supported by expert advisors, to recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system. One of the objectives of the commission will be to ensure there is a strategic spatial planning approach to the management of water across sectors of the economy, tackling pollution and managing pressures on the water environment and supply at a catchment, regional and national scale. This approach should recognise the cross-border challenges that water can present. The scope of the independent commission will include catchment approaches and Stakeholder engagement will be a key component of the review. The commission will consult experts in areas like the environment, public health, engineering, customers, investors and economics, reporting to the Secretary of State for Environment and Wales’ Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs by Q2 2025.