Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to develop routine antimicrobial resistance surveillance across UK aquaculture sectors.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2022 the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) initiated a collaboration with the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture science (Cefas) with the support of the British Trout Association (BTA), to establish AMR surveillance in bacteria responsible for disease in UK farmed trout. Results from this pilot scheme have been reported in the UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance Reports (2023 & 2024). Building on this work the development of a national surveillance programme for AMR in healthy aquatic animals – including finfish and shellfish – is currently under consideration.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has also established the Private Laboratories Initiative (PLI) to strengthen national AMR surveillance by capturing clinical data from private veterinary diagnostic laboratories, which are not currently included in government surveillance programmes. Addressing this surveillance gap will improve our ability to understand of AMR trends and detect emerging threats. This work includes aquaculture, with work underway led by Cefas. Further details can be found in the UK‑VARSS 2024 report (p.169).
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 21 January (HL13085), what evidence they received from trading partners to confirm that antimicrobials used for growth promotion have not been used in food-producing animals or animal products exported to Great Britain for human consumption; and whether they will publish examples of that evidence.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra requires all trading partners that export food-producing animals and animal products for human consumption to Great Britain to submit residue control plans each year.
The plans monitor for the presence of pharmacologically active substances, including antimicrobials used for growth promotion. Where non‑compliance is detected, Defra can impose safeguard measures, including compulsory pre‑ or post‑import testing and import bans.
Trading partners must also provide guarantees that antimicrobials intended for growth promotion or yield enhancement have not been used. Although returns are not published, the lists of countries with approved residue control plans can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Israel sprayed glyphosate over areas of south Lebanon; what assessment they have made of the impact of spraying glyphosate on environmental and human health; and whether they have discussed that matter with the government of Israel.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned by reports that Israel sprayed herbicide over Lebanese territory in early February and that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon operations were impacted by this operation. The UK urges all parties to adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities agreement in place since 2024 and in particular to avoid any threat to civilians or the UN Mission.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial stability of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, including debt levels; and what assessment they have made of whether the (1) budget, (2) contents, or (3) availability, of free school meals has been reduced at schools in that trust.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department continues to work with the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Where financial non-compliance or governance concerns are identified, the department will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education and free school meal provision.
The Education Act 1996 as amended places a duty upon academies to provide free school meals to pupils of all ages that meet the criteria.
The government is delivering on its manifesto commitment by legislating to introduce Ofsted inspection of academy trusts and related intervention powers for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Trust inspection will help drive better outcomes for children and provide greater confidence for parents.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Designing Out Economic Abuse in the UK Banking Industry: A Call To Action, published by Northumbria University in November 2025.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the devasting impacts economic abuse can have on people’s financial independence. Tackling economic abuse is a priority for the Government as part of its mission to halve Violence Against Women and Girls within a decade.
Reflecting this, economic abuse was considered as a theme across the Government’s recently published Financial Inclusion Strategy, in recognition of the challenges victim-survivors can face in accessing financial products and services. The strategy sets out an ambitious programme of measures for Government and the financial services sector to improve financial inclusion. This includes supporting victim-survivors to regain financial independence through interventions to increase access to banking services and improving the impact of economic abuse on victim-survivors’ credit files.
The Government is committed to continuing to work closely with industry, civil society, and across government to deliver the strategy successfully and ensure interventions are informed by a range of expertise and perspectives. This includes engaging regularly with the banking sector on their continued response to economic abuse.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the economic risks, (2) social impacts, and (3) costs, of prediction markets; and what consideration have they given to further regulation or restriction of such systems.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In order to operate in Great Britain, any prediction market would require a licence from the Gambling Commission, the independent regulator for gambling. If approved, they would be classified as a ‘Betting Intermediary’ and subject to regulation under the Gambling Act 2005. We will monitor the potential impacts of prediction markets and consider further action if needed.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comparative levels of loss of experienced upper pay range teachers in academy and local authority-controlled schools; and what assessment they have made of the (1) extent, and (2) impact, of the use of settlement agreements and confidentiality clauses when such teachers leave employment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not collect or publish teacher leaving rates broken down by teacher pay band. We publish the number and rate of qualified teachers who join and leave the state-funded sector each year in the ‘School workforce in England’ publication. The latest data was published 5 June 2025 and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. In 2023/24, 40,813 fulltime equivalent (FTE) qualified teachers left the state-funded sector, compared with 42,554 in 2022/23. This equates to 9% of all qualified teachers, one of lowest leaver rates outside the pandemic years.
The department is not the employer of school staff and does not collect data on the use of settlement agreements or confidentiality clauses by academy trusts or local authorities.
Settlement agreements should be entirely voluntary for all involved and schools, as employers, are required to comply with all aspects of employment law. Additionally, academy trusts must also comply with the Academies Financial Handbook, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-financial-handbook.
Where a settlement agreement includes a confidentiality clause, existing law means such clauses cannot be used to prevent someone from making a protected disclosure such as whistleblowing. Further information about whistle blowing for employees is provided here: https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 28 January (HL Deb col 923) indicating that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will shortly publish a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) plan, (1) whether they plan to consult health experts and campaigners in addition to industry, (2) whether they are using the precautionary principle in considering the use and environmental presence of PFAS, and (3) when the plan will be published.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government published the PFAS Plan on 3 February 2026.
The plan will serve as a platform to engage further with industry, other bodies, and the public on PFAS. This will include engagement with health experts and campaigners.
In addressing the risks posed by PFAS, the Government has given due regard to the environmental principles policy statement, pursuant to the Environment Act 2021. This includes the integration, prevention, rectification at source, ‘polluter pays’ principle, and the precautionary principles.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of European Union proposals to ensure that all imported plastic labelled as recycled is in fact recycled and produced under appropriate environmental and labour conditions; and whether they plan to mirror those proposals.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra will consider EU proposals on imports containing recycled plastic as part of their ongoing review of EU packaging and packaging waste regulations.
This Government is committed to rooting out human rights, labour and environmental abuses from global supply chains.
In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched the Responsible Business Conduct review, to evaluate the UK’s current approach, and assess the merits of alternative policy options to support responsible business. (DBT) Ministers will update Parliament when the review is complete.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Cost-Benefit Analysis of Synthetic Nucleic Acid Screening for the UK, published in December 2025 by The Centre for Long-Term Resilience.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DSIT regularly engages the Centre for Long-Term Resilience (CLTR), including through their membership of the Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel. CLTR was invited to present this Cost-Benefit Analysis to DSIT and members of the Advisory Panel in January 2026.
DSIT agrees that synthetic nucleic acids are a core building block of the UK’s bioeconomy and this is why we published voluntary guidance on Synthetic Nucleic Acid Screening in 2024. DSIT continues to monitor uptake of this voluntary guidance and assess its impact and effectiveness.