1-8 of 8 results for subject:Weather
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to increase investment in (a) the UK’s medium-term weather and (b) real-time water availability forecasting capability for farming to support drought planning.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to increase investment in (a) the UK’s medium-term weather and (b) real-time water availability forecasting capability for farming to support drought planning.
BEIS is the lead department on matters regarding weather and the Met Office.
The Met Office weather predictions feed into the UK Hydrological Outlook which describes likely river flows and groundwater levels over the coming season and is used to support flood and drought risk assessments and adaptation planning. The Met Office also supports the National Drought Group, of which the National Farmers Union (NFU) is a partner, by providing briefing on the latest seasonal outlook.
The Environment Agency (EA) is developing a digital water resources licensing service. A pilot to make river information available in near real time was successfully undertaken this year in priority catchments. Current plans are to implement this across the country ahead of summer 2019 to enable more abstractors to manage their water abstraction during periods of prolonged dry weather. This is an enhancement to current support to abstractors, for example provision of advice and daily river flow data by phone or email.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times a monitor from Natural England is required to visit a proposed badger culling site to assess whether the weather conditions are suitable for a cull.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times a monitor from Natural England is required to visit a proposed badger culling site to assess whether the weather conditions are suitable for a cull.
Defra’s guidance to Natural England states that Natural England should monitor compliance with licence conditions, and that a risk based approach is adopted for site visits. Best practice guidance on cage trapping used by contractors states that traps should be positioned to take advantage of any natural cover available to give trapped animals shelter from the elements, including exposure to wind/rain and overheating from the sun. Operators have a legal responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 not to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal under the control of man – this includes a wild animal held in a trap.
Weather conditions will vary locally within cull areas. The correct placement and checking of traps by operators will mitigate any risks at individual sites. If mitigation measures are unlikely to be effective, then trapping will cease at particular sites until weather conditions change.
Natural England has written to everyone authorised to trap badgers to say they should cease trapping if there is a risk trapped badgers could suffer in the hot weather. Natural England also brought forward the time by which trapped badgers should be culled or vaccinated from midday to 8am – or within 3 hours of dawn – so that badgers are not in traps at the hottest time of day.
Defra’s guidance to Natural England can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-natural-england-preventing-spread-of-bovine-tb.
Best practice guidance on cage trapping can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cage-trapping-and-dispatch-of-badgers-under-licence-to-prevent-the-spread-of-bovine-tb-in-cattle.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will suspend all cage trapping of badgers in cull areas owing to the unusually dry and hot weather.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will suspend all cage trapping of badgers in cull areas owing to the unusually dry and hot weather.
Natural England has published guidance to provide clear direction to those licensed to carry out the cage-trapping and dispatch of badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle. It provides recommendations on best practice and highlights those areas of the technique that must be complied with, including licence conditions. The guidance ensures that licensed badger culling is done in a humane way, including reducing the risks of trapped badgers suffering exposure due to severe weather (extremes of hot or cold). Natural England keeps this under review during the course of licensed operations.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where the pilots on the joint work of the Environment Agency and Meteorological Office on the prediction of extreme weather events will take place; and if he will include Gloucestershire as a pilot area.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where the pilots on the joint work of the Environment Agency and Meteorological Office on the prediction of extreme weather events will take place; and if he will include Gloucestershire as a pilot area.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths there were in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths there were in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years.
| Table 1: excess winter deaths¹,² in Stroud parliamentary constituency³,1995-96 to 2004-05 | |
|---|---|
| Number | |
| Winter | Excess deaths |
| 1995-96 | 110 |
| 1996-97 | 80 |
| 1997-98 | 70 |
| 1998-99 | 130 |
| 1999-2000 | 100 |
| 2000-01 | 70 |
| 2001-02 | 60 |
| 2002-03 | 80 |
| 2003-04 | 0 |
| 2004-05 | 40 |
| ¹ The estimated number of excess winter deaths is the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. | |
| ² Data are based on deaths occurring in each month. | |
| ³ Using boundaries as of 2005 for all years shown. |
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned into the possible relationship between global warming and drastic weather events, with particular reference to (a) flash floods and (b) hurricanes.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned into the possible relationship between global warming and drastic weather events, with particular reference to (a) flash floods and (b) hurricanes.
That this House notes that the UK has less available water per person than any other major European country, that water is already a scarce resource in some parts of the UK, that per capita consumption in the UK is rising and that a second dry winter this year will cause almost certain drought in some parts of the UK next summer; further notes that climate change and planned growth areas will add to pressure on the water supply network; welcomes Waterwise, a new body working to reduce per capita consumption, and to build an evidence base and economic case for water efficiency in the UK, funded by the water industry but with an independent board which is holding its launch in this House on 2nd November and which represents the Government's fulfilment of its 2005 manifesto commitment to work with the water industry and others to promote water efficiency and help vulnerable customers to establish a water savings body; and congratulates the Government on bringing together the key players in the water sector in its new Water Saving Group, to progress water efficiency through joint action on an unprecedented scale.
That this House notes that the UK has less available water per person than any other major European country, that water is already a scarce resource in some parts of the UK, that per capita consumption in the UK is rising and that a second dry winter this year will...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has carried out into hydrometeorological disaster. - Inc ref to DEFRA website.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has carried out into hydrometeorological disaster. - Inc ref to DEFRA website.