Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce price controls for food and other consumer products.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has no plans to introduce price controls for food.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether current (1) protected designation of origin, (2) protected geographical indication, and (3) traditional specialities guaranteed, schemes for products will be enforceable after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue to respect the EU regulations on protected geographical status for products following Brexit.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government recognises the economic and cultural importance of our Geographical Indications (GIs) and is working to ensure that they continue to be protected in the future.
Using the powers of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018, we will transfer into domestic law the EU schemes that currently protect our GIs. This will ensure that when we leave the EU there are UK GI schemes in place that comply with and go beyond the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make pet theft a specific criminal offence.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The theft of a pet is already a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968, with a maximum penalty of 7 years imprisonment. The independent Sentencing Council updated its guidelines in relation to sentencing for theft offences in February 2016. These guidelines take into account the emotional distress and harm that theft can have on the victim, such as theft of a much loved pet, and accordingly recommends higher penalties for such situations.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following completion of pre-legislative scrutiny by the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill, when they expect to introduce such a Bill before Parliament.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The public consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill closed on the 31 January 2018. We are currently considering the responses and will be responding shortly.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings they have had with animal welfare organisations campaigning for five-year sentences for animal cruelty, including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, since the consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill closed.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We have held several meetings with animal welfare organisations on a variety of subjects including this one.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 24 October (HL Deb, col 836) referring to the announcement on 30 September by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that HM Government will increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty from the current six months’ imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment, and stating that they will publish a draft bill later this year, whether they intend to propose that that draft bill be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Government announced on 30 September its intention to increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences from the current six months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine to 5 years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The policy was agreed by the relevant Cabinet committee. The announcement made clear we hope to publish draft legislation for consultation around the turn of the year.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 24 October (HL Deb, col 836) referring to the announcement on 30 September by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that HM Government will increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty from the current six months’ imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment, and stating that they will publish a draft bill later this year, whether any Cabinet committees have given their approval for that draft bill to be published; and if so, which
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Government announced on 30 September its intention to increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences from the current six months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine to 5 years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The policy was agreed by the relevant Cabinet committee. The announcement made clear we hope to publish draft legislation for consultation around the turn of the year.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what understanding they have reached with the EU on sharing out the tariff-rate quotas that govern the import of farm products into the EU from countries outside the bloc; when they anticipate those changes will come into effect; and what effect the proposed sharing out will have on overall quotas registered with the World Trade Organisation.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In preparation for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the UK Government and the European Commission have set out a number of proposals for future global trading arrangements in a joint letter to World Trade Organization (WTO) members.
The UK and EU Commission have proposed how they will separate the UK’s trading commitments to other WTO members from the EU. The UK’s current trading commitments to other WTO members, such as the tariffs it sets on goods they export to the UK, are applied through the EU’s schedules of commitments. As we leave the EU these will have to be set out separately for the UK.
The proposals in the letter cover how the UK’s commitments should be calculated. We are working to ensure the UK schedule replicates as far as possible existing trade flows. The UK aims to extract its share of trade commitments and entitlements from the EU schedule, including agricultural tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) and domestic support. The TRQs apply to a range of everyday items such as dairy products and meat.
The proposal is that the quotas for the EU 27 and UK are apportioned based on existing trade flows. Apportioning TRQs will ensure there is limited disruption to existing overall quotas. Using historic trade flows under the EU’s TRQs as a reference will maintain current levels of foreign market access. The total future quota amounts scheduled at the WTO by the EU 27 and the UK will therefore equal the current amounts in the EU schedule.
Upon EU exit, the UK will no longer be a member of the EU's Single Market or Customs Union. Therefore, regardless of any implementation period, the UK would still need to have established its own independent schedules at the WTO as it leaves the EU. These should be ready on day one of EU exit to protect UK trade interests and minimise the disruption to global trade.
The UK and the EU are committed to engaging with the WTO Membership in a spirit of cooperation, inclusiveness and openness on these matters over the course of the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what understanding they have reached with the EU on sharing out the EU allowance for providing domestic support to agriculture, known as the Aggregate Measurement of Support.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In preparation for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the UK Government and the European Commission have set out a number of proposals for future global trading arrangements in a joint letter to World Trade Organization (WTO) members.
The UK and EU Commission have proposed how they will separate the UK’s trading commitments to other WTO members from the EU’s. The UK’s current trading commitments to other WTO members, such as the tariffs it sets on goods they export to the UK, are applied through the EU’s schedules of commitments. As we leave the EU these will have to be set out separately for the UK. The proposals in the letter cover how the UK’s commitments, including on domestic agricultural support, should be calculated.
The Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) is the element of domestic support to agriculture which is treated as trade-distorting according to WTO rules, and is therefore subject to limits on what amount is allowable. The EU’s current commitment originated in 1994 reflecting how subsidies were used by the then EEC, including in the UK. As the EU has expanded, this limit has also expanded to have the commitments made by the new EU members added to it. As the UK leaves the EU, we are proposing to take the commitment relevant to the UK with us. The amount we have proposed to take is worked out by going back to original calculations made for the EEC in 1994 and establishing the portion relevant to the UK at the time.
The UK and the EU are committed to engaging with the WTO Membership in a spirit of cooperation, inclusiveness and openness on these matters over the course of the coming weeks and months.