Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alex Burghart and Daniel Zeichner

Thursday 29th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Alex Burghart)]

Until this moment I had not thought of drawing up a list, but as the hon. Lady will have heard us say on a number of occasions, artificial intelligence provides a remarkable opportunity to create supplementary capacity and capability for the civil service and the Government. I have been very pleased to pilot a new programme called “red box”, devised by a fantastic young crack AI team, which summarises long documents and makes the work of my private office easier. However, it is enhancing capability, not replacing it.

[Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)]

T6. The Minister talked earlier about protecting our borders. I am sure he will know that Dover Port Health Authority has seized worrying amounts of contaminated meat over the last few months, but in just the last few days, we have learned that the Government are withdrawing the funds that make it possible for the authority to do that. Why are the Government ignoring the advice of experienced public health officials?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alex Burghart and Daniel Zeichner

Thursday 23rd November 2023 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)]

10. What recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the border target operating model on cross-border flows of goods.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Alex Burghart)]

The Government are delivering an ongoing programme of engagement with stakeholders across all sectors in all parts of the country and with key European Union trading partners to ensure goods continue to move across the border. We have not identified any specific risk to the cross-border flow of goods.

[Daniel Zeichner]

It has been a very long wait to get border checks in place on the UK side. What evidence does the Minister have that EU businesses have the appropriate systems in place, including enough vets, to make them work smoothly? What estimate has he made of the impact on UK food security?

[Alex Burghart]

The whole purpose of the exercise is to ensure that we have UK food security. The border target operating model will implement its next three major milestones on 31 January 2024, 30 April 2024 and 31 October 2024, which means that the regime will be introduced by increments. This will be good for British food and good for British animals.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alex Burghart and Daniel Zeichner

Thursday 16th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)]

It has recently been revealed that the Crown Commercial Service in the Cabinet Office is planning to replace local buying and distribution agreements for food and catering services with what it calls a single national prime supplier. That will have a profound effect on many local and regional wholesalers in Cambridge and across the country. Can the Minister tell us what assessment he has made of that impact, and will he meet me and representatives of those wholesalers to assess the situation?

[Alex Burghart]

The Crown Commercial Service is always looking at ways in which it can save taxpayers’ money, but it is also mindful to protect small and medium-sized enterprises, which remain a priority for this Administration.