Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency to obtain the full powers to operate as set out in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit works to prevent, detect and investigate fraud within our food system. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to grant food crime officers access to specific investigative powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The drafting of secondary legislation to grant these powers and to bring food crime officers under the necessary remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for complaint handling purposes is at an advanced stage and is currently undergoing final review by both IOPC and the FSA.

It is intended that a regime of scrutiny by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will also be placed on a legislative footing. A recent FSA bid for primary legislation included a Private Member’s Bill within the handout list for the first session, though this was not taken forward. However, in October 2024, HMICFRS agreed to a voluntary inspection regime for the FSA’s use of investigatory powers whilst work progresses to secure primary legislation. The FSA is working with HMICFRS to put appropriate arrangements in place for the voluntary inspection regime and Home Office officials are updating their minister of this arrangement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 24 October (HL1589), what costs will fall on food premises in England if a requirement to display food hygiene rating certificates is introduced.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Mandatory display of ratings at premises in England would not impose additional burdens on businesses other than requiring them to display the rating stickers which are provided to them free of charge following food hygiene inspections. In its most recent assessment in 2022, the Food Standards Agency estimated a one-off cost of £3.5 million for the approximately 490,000 food businesses within scope of the scheme for familiarisation with the new requirements. This would equate to a one-off cost of £7 per business. There are no expected recurring costs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency within the remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit works to prevent, detect and investigate fraud within our food system. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to grant food crime officers access to specific investigative powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The drafting of secondary legislation to grant these powers and to bring food crime officers under the necessary remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for complaint handling purposes is at an advanced stage and is currently undergoing final review by both IOPC and the FSA.

It is intended that a regime of scrutiny by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will also be placed on a legislative footing. A recent FSA bid for primary legislation included a Private Member’s Bill within the handout list for the first session, though this was not taken forward. However, in October 2024, HMICFRS agreed to a voluntary inspection regime for the FSA’s use of investigatory powers whilst work progresses to secure primary legislation. The FSA is working with HMICFRS to put appropriate arrangements in place for the voluntary inspection regime and Home Office officials are updating their minister of this arrangement.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any evidence that the fare cap has affected bus operations leading to accidents.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department does not hold any data which suggests that the national bus fare cap has led to accidents.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any research into whether bus contracts prioritising speed lead to increased accidents or injury.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people hospitalised each day as a result of bus accidents.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the incidence of bus accidents leading to death or injury.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they hold a national database of people killed or injured in bus accidents.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Road safety is a priority for the government, and we expect bus operators to uphold the highest standards of safety, policed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and upheld judicially by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities on developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans makes clear that these should include plans setting out how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. That same philosophy applies also to franchising and contracting by local transport authorities and to their operators.

The Department for Transport maintains a database of road injury collisions and casualties, including those involving buses or coaches, based on data reported by police using a system known as STATS19. Statistics on the number of people killed and injured in bus or coach collisions are published annually on GOV.UK.

The latest figures can be found in published Table RAS0601 and show that in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, 59 people were killed and 4,286 injured in collisions involving buses or coaches. The number of casualties which were hospitalised is not recorded within the STATS19 dataset.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to Written Answers by Baroness Merron on 4 November (HL1904 and HL1905), when they plan to publish the upcoming regulations under section 12ZC of the National Health Service Act 2006.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) was laid in both Houses of Parliament on 21 November to launch the consultation on the proposed modern slavery regulations for the National Health Service, and is available on the parliament.UK website, in an online only format. As stated in the WMS, the regulations and guidance have been published in draft form alongside the consultation and, subject to the outcome of the consultation, the Department intends to lay draft regulations before Parliament in due course.

The published guidance, which is available on the GOV.UK website in an online only format, refers to a risk assessment tool that NHS England is currently developing based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks, as set out in Public Procurement Policy Note 02/23 -Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains, a copy of which is attached. These characteristics are: industry type; nature of the workforce; supplier location; context in which the supplier operates; commodity type; and business or supply chain model.

The Department would of course welcome ideas and suggestions on risk assessment tools and methodologies in responses to the consultation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce forensic analysis to the NHS supply chain to identify whether cotton from China is in the supply chain.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) was laid in both Houses of Parliament on 21 November to launch the consultation on the proposed modern slavery regulations for the National Health Service, and is available on the parliament.UK website, in an online only format. As stated in the WMS, the regulations and guidance have been published in draft form alongside the consultation and, subject to the outcome of the consultation, the Department intends to lay draft regulations before Parliament in due course.

The published guidance, which is available on the GOV.UK website in an online only format, refers to a risk assessment tool that NHS England is currently developing based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks, as set out in Public Procurement Policy Note 02/23 -Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains, a copy of which is attached. These characteristics are: industry type; nature of the workforce; supplier location; context in which the supplier operates; commodity type; and business or supply chain model.

The Department would of course welcome ideas and suggestions on risk assessment tools and methodologies in responses to the consultation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have consulted companies engaged in forensic analysis of products to improve the NHS supply chain.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 mandated my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to conduct a review of risks associated with slavery and human trafficking in National Health Service supply chains, with an emphasis on cotton-based products. The report was laid in Parliament on 14 December 2023.

The supply chain mapping undertaken for the purpose of the review was identified as inappropriate for the size and range of the products supplied to the NHS, requiring extensive effort by the buyers and suppliers to collect information, that was still insufficient to affect change. Many of the suppliers identified as having high risk supply chains are based in the United Kingdom, however their supply chains are global.

In response to the findings, the review made a series of recommendations, outlined in detail in the publication. Upcoming regulations under Section 12ZC of the NHS Act 2006 will further aid the NHS in assessing and mitigating modern slavery risks in individual procurements, alongside the introduction of a consistent risk assessment embedded into the health family’s e-commerce system, Atamis.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make planning permission for a new Chinese embassy dependent upon the government of China making a full disclosure of products entering the UK that contain cotton which is grown in Xinjiang.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

An appointed Inspector will hold a public inquiry which will hear a range of evidence for and against the proposals, after which a decision will be made by MHCLG ministers. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment further. Decisions on planning applications are based on material planning considerations.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 4 July to assess the commercial links between the UK and Xinjiang, and measure the flow of products entering the UK from Xinjiang.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK does not publish data on the levels of trade between the UK and specific regions of mainland China. However, the UK’s Overseas Business Risk guidance makes clear the government’s serious concerns about the widespread and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang and urges companies to conduct appropriate due diligence when making business decisions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 4 July to monitor the actions that the government of China has taken against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.

We continue to monitor the situation closely. For example, the Government conducts independent visits to areas of major concern wherever possible, and supports NGOs in exposing and reacting to human rights violations.

We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account, for example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang at the UN General Assembly on 22 October.

Found: Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick; Lord Layard; Lord Londesborough; Lord Rooker

Found: Earl of Lindsay Lord Cunningham of Felling Lord McLoughlin (Chair) Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Lord Rooker

Found: Lindsay Lord Cunningham of Felling Lord McLoughlin (Chair) Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Lord Rooker