Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the final result of the consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations which concluded in November 2022.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We received 369 responses to this consultation from a wide range of stakeholders. We have been carefully analysing those detailed responses, while also discussing with the devolved administrations the best approach to consistent and effective policy implementation across the UK. We expect to publish a summary of responses and government response later this summer, concurrent with any necessary notification to the WTO.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to grant the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency powers to present its cases to the courts.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) works to prevent, detect and investigate fraud within our food system. The Unit develops and presents evidential case files to the Crown Prosecution Service in anticipation of proceedings in the criminal courts, achieving its first end-to-end conviction in 2021. Other cases are shortly to be before the courts. The NFCU’s existing suite of investigatory powers is not wide enough to enable the NFCU to carry out certain investigatory functions for criminal offences outside of general food law. The NFCU is therefore currently dependent on partners like the police to perform some functions such as obtaining search warrants.
Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care now has the power to grant through regulations access to powers such as those under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984 to NFCU officers. Following a public consultation last summer, work is underway on the necessary secondary legislation to grant these powers and bring the FSA under the Independent Office for Police Conduct oversight. Primary legislation would also be necessary to place the use of these investigatory powers by NFCU officers under the inspection remit of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and this is expected to be legislated for when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to institute a programme of testing of domestic premises to measures the risks of neutral current diversion.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates the safety of the public electricity network, including equipment owned by Distribution Network Operators. HSE have monitored developments carefully and continue to do so. Officials from HSE are of the view that no additional action is required by the regulator to manage this risk of neutral current diversion at the present time.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the issue of neutral current diversions leading to electricity flowing through gas meters following domestic gas explosions.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officials have advised neutral current diversions are a known phenomenon and can occur for a number of reasons. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations require additional electrical bonding when cutting conducting gas pipes to minimise the risk to workers. HSE are of the view that no additional action is required by the regulator to manage this risk at the present time but will keep emerging evidence under review.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any checks have been made by the Department of Health and Social Care regarding products it uses which contain cotton about where the cotton was grown.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Supply Chain, which supplies the majority of medical goods, products and consumables for the National Health Service, has had a Supplier Code of Conduct, based on the principles of the UN Global Compact, in place since 2009. Under the Code all suppliers, including suppliers of cotton products, are expected to adhere to these principles, which address issues including child labour, forced labour, wages, working hours and health and safety. NHS Supply Chain suppliers must undertake a Modern Slavery Assessment on the United Kingdom Government’s Supplier Portal.
Section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory duty for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to undertake a review into the risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place in NHS supply chains, specifically focusing on cotton-based products, and to lay a report before Parliament on its outcomes within 18 months. The Review is being undertaken by NHS Supply Chain, with oversight from NHS England.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the final result of the consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations which concluded in November 2022.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We received 369 responses to this consultation from a range of stakeholders. We have been carefully analysing responses and expect to publish a summary of responses and government response later this summer.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what limitations they have identified with respect to meeting the dates planned for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel internal combustion motor cars.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has set out ambitious targets for the transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and has identified three key areas which we are supporting to make that ambition a reality:
With more than one million plug-in vehicles on UK roads and industry figures showing that one in five new cars sold in 2022 had a plug, we are on track for mass adoption of zero emission vehicles over the next decade.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many contributions to the consultation in respect of Amending the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 which closed on 23 November were received from each of the target audiences listed in the consultation.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government and devolved administrations ran a public consultation on proposals to amend the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 from the 1st September – 23rd November 2022. Early analysis suggests Defra received around 369 responses although this is subject to verification checks. Respondents were asked which category of field or role best described the sector they belong to. The initial analysis of this is as follows: approximately 18% identified as belonging to one of the food industry categories (flour miller, premix supplier, retailer, food manufacturer), 1% enforcement authorities, 11% health care professionals, 56% consumers, 11% answered other, and 2% did not answer this question. It should be noted that several of these responses were received from representative trade associations. Detailed analysis and verification of responses is currently underway which may change the numbers above. A summary of responses received, including final figures on respondents and their field/role will be published alongside the government response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement they have had with governments of other countries which fortify foods with folic acid in order to reduce the prevalence of neural tube defects.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has engaged with New Zealand and Australia during the development of folic acid fortification policy. The proposed changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, including the introduction of mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid, will require notification to the World Trade Organization in respect of Technical Barriers to Trade in advance of any new requirements. When the notification is made, there will be an opportunity for WTO members, including the European Union, to comment on the proposals.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have engaged with the EU on the introduction by the UK of policy changes relating to food fortification with folic acid; and if so, what responses they have received.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has engaged with New Zealand and Australia during the development of folic acid fortification policy. The proposed changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, including the introduction of mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid, will require notification to the World Trade Organization in respect of Technical Barriers to Trade in advance of any new requirements. When the notification is made, there will be an opportunity for WTO members, including the European Union, to comment on the proposals.