Douglas Ross

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic approach that carefully considers all available plant protection methods and keeps the use of pesticides to levels that are ecologically and economically justified. IPM lies at the heart of our approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides and is a key tool for businesses facing the challenges of pesticide resistance, removal of pesticides from the market, and changing pest pressures due to climate change. Within the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (NAP) we will set out our policies to increase the uptake of IPM by farmers, growers, amenity managers and amateur gardeners.

Having an IPM approach can reduce the risks associated with pesticides, combat pesticide resistance, and support sustainable agricultural productivity. IPM aims to diversify crop protection and reduce reliance on the use of chemical pesticides by making use of lower risk alternatives and promoting natural processes. For example, creating habitats for natural predators of plant pests, or using crop rotations to break pest, weed and disease cycles. When alternative methods are ineffective or unavailable, IPM also aims to optimise and minimise the use of chemical pesticides through targeted and precise application.

We have recently commissioned a package of research projects that will bring together scientific evidence underpinning IPM and to look at ways of further encouraging its uptake. This work will support farmers’ access to the most effective IPM tools available and ensure that we understand changing trends in pest threats across the UK.

Defra is also a partner in the European Research Area Network (ERA-Net) Co-Fund on Sustainable Crop Production (SusCrop). This research network aims to enhance cooperation and coordination of different national and regional research programmes focussing on agriculture and climate change, sustainable farming systems and biodiversity, sustainable water management, resource efficiency and resilience in the food chain. It also seeks to increase productivity through technological innovation.

Projects within SusCrop ERA-Net include: ‘Eco-friendly solutions for the integrated management of late and early blight of potatoes (ECOSOL)’ which aims to Identify Effective Biological Control Agents and Plant Resistance Inducers for the Control of Potato Late Blight in the field.

Defra is aware of the concerns of GB potato growers about the Health and Safety Executives’ (HSE) proposed decision to withdraw approval of mancozeb. GB pesticides legislation requires that decisions on active substances are solely based on careful scientific assessment of risks, to provide a high level of protection for people and the environment.

HSE has reviewed the approval of mancozeb. In light of new scientific and technical information received, HSE has concluded that the active substance no longer satisfies the approval criteria. The review concluded that mancozeb has endocrine disrupting properties for humans and non-target organisms. In addition, non-dietary exposure exceeded the reference levels. HSE has therefore proposed to withdraw approval of mancozeb in GB. The withdrawal of products containing mancozeb will not be immediate; we expect HSE to set an 18-month grace period (six months for sale and supply, and 12 months after that for storage, disposal and use) to allow existing stocks in the supply chain to be used up.

Under certain circumstances, set out in Article 53 of Assimilated Regulation 1107/2009, it is possible to grant emergency authorisation for the placing on the market of a pesticide containing an active substance that is not approved. There must be special circumstances where limited and controlled use is necessary because of a danger to crops, other plants or the environment, including human or animal health, that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means.

We are not aware of any HSE proposal to withdraw any other multi-site fungicide.

Through our Plan for Jobs, the Department is providing broad ranging support for all jobseekers. Currently, support includes the Kickstart scheme, Job Finding Support, Sector Based Work Academy Programmes and Job Entry Targeted Support in Scotland.

In addition, the government is investing an additional £150 million into the Flexible Support Fund, which will increase the capacity of the Rapid Response Service, supporting people through redundancy and providing additional local support to claimants by removing barriers to work such as travel expenses for attending interviews and child care.

Our Jobcentre Work Coaches provide support on finding a job, help with retraining or skills advice, CV, job applications and access to the new vacancies we record every day, as well as signposting to our Jobhelp website.

To date, in Scotland, the Department has recruited 823 Work Coaches since March 2020, bringing the total number of Work Coaches in Scotland to 2,255. Within the Morayshire Cluster (Forres, Elgin and Buckie Jobcentres) six new Work Coaches have joined team with a further six due to start shortly.

The Morayshire Cluster works closely with the Moray Pathways which is a consortium of partners and providers across Moray offering customers skills, training, employment support. We deliver a multi-agency service to support our younger customers move forward towards employment from the Moray Community Hub.

Through our Plan for Jobs, the Department is providing broad ranging support for all jobseekers. Currently, support includes the Kickstart scheme, Job Finding Support, Sector Based Work Academy Programmes and Job Entry Targeted Support in Scotland.

In addition, the government is investing an additional £150 million into the Flexible Support Fund, which will increase the capacity of the Rapid Response Service, supporting people through redundancy and providing additional local support to claimants by removing barriers to work such as travel expenses for attending interviews and child care.

Our Jobcentre Work Coaches provide support on finding a job, help with retraining or skills advice, CV, job applications and access to the new vacancies we record every day, as well as signposting to our Jobhelp website.

To date, in Scotland, the Department has recruited 823 Work Coaches since March 2020, bringing the total number of Work Coaches in Scotland to 2,255. Within the Morayshire Cluster (Forres, Elgin and Buckie Jobcentres) six new Work Coaches have joined team with a further six due to start shortly.

The Morayshire Cluster works closely with the Moray Pathways which is a consortium of partners and providers across Moray offering customers skills, training, employment support. We deliver a multi-agency service to support our younger customers move forward towards employment from the Moray Community Hub.

Through our Plan for Jobs, the Department is providing broad ranging support for all jobseekers. Currently, support includes the Kickstart scheme, Job Finding Support, Sector Based Work Academy Programmes and Job Entry Targeted Support in Scotland.

In addition, the government is investing an additional £150 million into the Flexible Support Fund, which will increase the capacity of the Rapid Response Service, supporting people through redundancy and providing additional local support to claimants by removing barriers to work such as travel expenses for attending interviews and child care.

Our Jobcentre Work Coaches provide support on finding a job, help with retraining or skills advice, CV, job applications and access to the new vacancies we record every day, as well as signposting to our Jobhelp website.

To date, in Scotland, the Department has recruited 823 Work Coaches since March 2020, bringing the total number of Work Coaches in Scotland to 2,255. Within the Morayshire Cluster (Forres, Elgin and Buckie Jobcentres) six new Work Coaches have joined team with a further six due to start shortly.

The Morayshire Cluster works closely with the Moray Pathways which is a consortium of partners and providers across Moray offering customers skills, training, employment support. We deliver a multi-agency service to support our younger customers move forward towards employment from the Moray Community Hub.

I believe that my honourable friend is referring to the recent consultation on an “Alternative Method of VAT Collection - Split Payment”. The consultation has now closed, and HMRC and HMT are taking this forward. You can see the full details here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/alternative-method-of-vat-collection-split-payment

You may be interested to know that information on numbers of businesses in the trade sectors is published in the Annual UK VAT Statistics, which can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/value-added-tax-vat-annual-statistics

Further information is also available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/scottish-vat-assignment-experimental-statistics/scottish-vat-assignment-experimental-statistics-2020#about-this-release

Spending Review 2020 is for the whole of the UK. For Scotland, SR20 confirms an additional £2.4 billion for the Scottish Government on top of its baseline for 2021-22, building on an unprecedented upfront guarantee of £8.2 billion in 2020-21 to support the Covid response; SR20 confirms several UK-wide programmes, such as for vaccines, green growth clusters, offshore wind capacity and digital infrastructure, which will benefit people and businesses in Scotland; SR20 also provides targeted support by reprofiling City and Growth Deals in Moray, Tay Cities, Borderlands and the Scottish Islands from 15 to 10 years to accelerate investment in local economic priorities.

I’m sure my Honourable Friend was also pleased to hear the growth measures we will take to keep Scotland prospering that were announced at the Budget today.