If you participated in the joint Wild Justice, RSPB, Hen Harrier Action e-action and you live in England, and your MP is a Conservative, then it is quite likely that you have had a response either like the one below (the ‘new’ Tory response) or like this one, the ‘old’ Tory response – click here.
We’ve already had a small victory through pushing back on the first version, the second version has emerged.
I would ask you please, whichever version you have received, to reply to your Conservative MP along the following lines: ‘In my original letter to you I specifically asked you to pass my letter on to the relevant minister for their response. You seem to have ignored my request. Please confirm that you have passed on my letter to DEFRA and asked for their response.‘. This is a perfectly reasonable request and your MP is there to serve you as their constituent whether you voted for them or not (but if you did, you might want to mention that too).
Most non-Conservative Westminster MPs are indeed complying with their constituents’ requests and asking for a response from DEFRA. I will post the standard letters being sent out by other political parties across the UK over the next 10 days or so.
Meanwhile, the number of e-actions continues to mount with over 56,000 having been sent. If you haven’t yet sent an e-action to your MP (in England) or elected political representative elsewhere in the UK then please do by following this link https://wildjustice.eaction.org.uk/saveourskydancers.
The ‘new’ Tory response
Thank you for contacting me about the protection of birds of prey.
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife, with most wildlife crimes carrying up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. To address concerns about illegal killing of birds of prey, senior Government and enforcement officers have identified raptor persecution as a national wildlife crime priority. The National Wildlife Crime Unit monitors and gathers intelligence on wildlife crime, including raptor persecution, and aids police forces in their investigations when required.
Following representations by me and others, Ministers have accepted the need to phase out rotational burning of protected blanket bog to conserve vulnerable habitats. Real progress is being made in promoting sustainable alternatives and I am pleased to hear that legislation is being looked at which could help achieve this. Ministers have also been encouraging landowners to adopt sustainable options and continue to work with them constructively. The England Peat Strategy will be published later this year which will detail further how we can protect, restore, and reduce damage to our peatlands.
So far as hen harriers are concerned, it is clear that the Government shares my concerns about hen harrier populations, which is why it took the lead on the Hen Harrier Action Plan. This sets out what will be done to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution. If this is not effective, I will press for further action.
I recognise it is vital that wildlife and habitats are respected and protected, and that the law is observed. Indeed, if you become aware of any illegal activity in this regard, in *************, please do let me know.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
[registration_form]
No response apart from an auto response from South Cambs… his autoresponse says:
“This is an automatic response to confirm that I have received your email. You should not take this as a response to the content of your correspondence. If you are a constituent of mine in South Cambridgeshire, please note the following
• Response time: I or my office will respond to you as soon as possible. However, we do triage all correspondence by urgency, so that a constituent who is about to be made homeless takes precedence over a general policy query or a mass email campaign from a lobby group.
• Campaigns: I endeavour to respond to all mass policy campaigns, although in particularly busy periods this is not always possible. However, responses to all campaigns will be found on my website shortly after the first approach on each topic is received, here.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me.”
still waiting… I know I am not the onlyone, and when I last checked he hadnt put anything on his website where he refers to responses to campaign emails……
I’m disappointed to report that I’ve yet to have any response whatsoever (beyond a formal acknowledgement) from my Labour MP.
I’m still waiting for my (Tory) MP to respond, got a similar auto response. He was out, locally, last week campaigning about better road safety so at least he was in the UK and not sunning himself on a beach somewhere. Reminds me where is Boris?
Is Boris on Paternity leave maybe?………..ha
ha
ha
Pritti Patel hasn’t replied, then again she seldom does.
Too busy demonising refugees!
No response from tory M P Craig Whittaker as yet in Calderdale .Wonder if anyone else has had a response ?
Apart from an automated response acknowledging receipt of the e-mail, I have had no response as yet from my MP, Therese Coffey. The automated response said within 2 weeks so the should be the 25th. We’ll see.
I bet you can’t wait to see what surprise she will spring! Will she say ‘enough is enough – these criminals have got away with it for too long. We need to take a drastically new approach to bring an end to this shameful state of affairs’ or will she recycle some old tosh about vibrant countrysides and the squintillions of pounds contributed to the economy by the shooting industry? Hmmm! Place your bets please!
My MP has disappeared
I didn’t read a specific in the e-action email for my mp to contact DEFRA is there another version?
Cara – the letter asks the politician contacted to contact the environment department, in England that is DEFRA
Thanks. I must have missed it when I first read it. I had a reply from my mp (do you want a copy) I’m just drafting a response.
Still awaiting a reply from Lucy Fraser, East Cambs., Con.
To all those who have not had a response from their MP, Complain firstly to them and if that doesn’t get the required response to the parliamentary ombudsman.
I had this reply from Duncan Baker, our North Norfolk Tory MP. I have asked him to confirm that he has contacted the relevant environment minister:
Thank you for contacting me about the protection of birds of prey.
We are incredibly lucky in North Norfolk to live in a constituency which is world-renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and wildlife. Being a rural constituency, we also have a great heritage of safe and responsible shooting.
My colleagues and I recognise the conservation and economic benefits that shooting sports bring to rural communities. A study in 2010 by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust showed that various means of predator control resulted in significant increases in the breeding success of ground-nesting birds such as curlew, golden plover and lapwing. I believe that individuals should be free to manage wildlife within the law and that the Government should only intervene when there is good reason to do so.
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife, with most wildlife crimes carrying up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. To address concerns about the illegal killing of birds of prey, senior Government and enforcement officers have identified raptor persecution as a national wildlife crime priority. The National Wildlife Crime Unit monitors and gathers intelligence on wildlife crime, including raptor persecution, and aids police forces in their investigations when required.
Ministers have always been clear of the need to phase out rotational burning of protected blanket bog to conserve these vulnerable habitats. Real progress is being made in promoting sustainable alternatives and I am pleased to hear that legislation is being looked at which could help achieve this. Ministers have also been encouraging landowners to adopt sustainable options and continue to work with them constructively. The England Peat Strategy will be published later this year which will detail further how we can protect, restore, and reduce damage to our peatlands.
While there are no current plans to carry out a review of the management of grouse moors, I recognise it is vital that wildlife and habitats are respected and protected, and that the law is observed. I am pleased that the Government will continue to work to ensure a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between shooting and conservation.
It is clear that the Government is very concerned about hen harrier populations, which is why it took the lead on the Hen Harrier Action Plan. This sets out what will be done to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution.