Alicia Kearns

China Daily has been delivered to our mail screening centre in bulk, addressed to all Members since 2016. There is an unsubscribing email address that is passed to Members who no longer wish to receive it.

The bulk delivery has never been requested by the Administration. However, the Speaker has now asked the Administration Committee to review the process of bulk mail deliveries including the related costs.

As set out in the Plan For Change, this Government’s first duty is to make the UK safer, more secure, and resilient against growing and interconnected threats.

The Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary has announced plans to restructure and reorganise the Cabinet Office to make it more efficient and more effective. This programme is currently underway.

The UK government keeps new technologies under review to ensure that our existing policies and guidance are appropriate to mitigate any emerging risks. In the case of new Artificial Intelligence tools, we have a robust set of security policies in place to manage how information is handled.

The recently updated Artificial Intelligence Playbook for the UK Government outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process government information. The Mobile Device Management policy mandates that any application downloaded onto government devices must first be approved by security and technology teams. Everyone who works in government is also made aware of their responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share.

Everyone who works with government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.

Government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled, within our buildings, on our IT and by our staff. We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.

In conjunction, the Government's Generative AI framework outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process HMG information.

For management and staffing purposes the Prime Minister’s Office is part of the Cabinet Office. All staff in the Prime Minister’s Office support the work of the Prime Minister to ensure the effective running of government.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not met with Britten-Norman.

Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published routinely on Gov.uk as part of the Government’s transparency agenda. The latest returns can be found here for Ministers: DBT: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, July to September 2024 - GOV.UK

No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. The Department for Business and Trade will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the UK's existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools that are emerging, to ensure it can best tackle forced labour in supply chains, and work with businesses and international partners to understand the impact of measures to combat forced labour.

The Clean Energy Partnership, signed by the Energy Secretary, allows UK officials to engage with the equivalent Chinese ministry to share policy best practice and technical knowledge in support of enabling the UK and China’s respective energy transitions, which is key in tackling the climate crisis. It also provides a platform to address any concerns we may have around energy security directly with China.

This partnership is a private document, consistent with the precedent agreed by the previous government and China’s National Energy Administration.

We will always take a consistent, long-term strategic approach to managing relations with China, ensuring that we have the appropriate measures in place to mitigate any risks.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon Friend the Minister for Climate gave on 12 February to the Urgent Question tabled by the hon Member for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine).

We cannot comment on individual investment cases, but investment into the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny, and we will continue to work closely with industry to build secure supply chains and ensure the UK remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

The Government has robust powers under the National Security & Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that pose a national security risk to critical national infrastructure.

The National Security & Investment Act requires mandatory notification of some of the most sensitive acquisitions, including some acquisitions in the UK’s civil nuclear sector.

Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area, and we are exploring all options to ensure communities can benefit from our clean power mission.

In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the main trade body for the solar sector, will publish later this year a voluntary community benefits protocol and guidance for solar.

Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area, and we are exploring all options to ensure communities can benefit from our clean power mission.

In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the main trade body for the solar sector, will publish later this year a voluntary community benefits protocol and guidance for solar.

The government welcomes steps taken to remove this game from gaming platforms. The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls, including where it occurs online, in a decade. We expect all platforms, including gaming sites in scope of the Online Safety Act, to comply with the law. This currently requires all user-to-user and search services to have systems and processes in place to remove illegal content, and in the coming months, to protect children from harmful content.

The government takes the issue of global intellectual property crime and infringement seriously and engages with other governments, industry and law enforcement partners to tackle this issue. We also work with businesses to help them safeguard their innovations across international markets.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector; therefore, it is ultimately the responsibility of the industry to determine appropriate protections of intellectual property.

Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Eligible premises in the district council area of South Kesteven are set to benefit from three Project Gigabit contracts currently set to deliver new gigabit-capable connections between now and 2029.

We also want all areas of the UK to benefit from good quality mobile coverage. 4G coverage is now available from all four mobile network operators in 97% of South Kesteven. Our ambition is to go further, with all populated areas, including South Kesteven, having higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

The award of a £71.5 million Project Gigabit contract to the broadband supplier CityFibre to connect around 38,600 rural and hard-to-reach premises across Leicestershire and Warwickshire will deliver fast, reliable broadband, with the work due to commence in August. This contract includes homes and businesses in the Rutland and Stamford constituency that would otherwise miss out on a gigabit-capable connection. Parts of Rutland and Stamford are also set to benefit from other Project Gigabit contracts, including the £68.6 million contract that CityFibre is delivering across Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas.

The Government strongly sympathises with all customers who are impacted by the collapse of a gambling operator and appreciates the difficulties caused where significant sums of money are lost in such a scenario. However, there is no compensation scheme for losses caused by a gambling firm ceasing to operate and the Government does not think it would be appropriate to use public funds for these purposes. Money staked with a gambling business is not protected by the Gambling Commission or the Government in the same way as money in personal bank accounts.

The growth and development of digital radio and changes in listener behaviour have resulted in a clear shift away from analogue listening – digital listening now accounts for 74% of all radio listening (RAJAR Q3 2024). Although AM/FM platforms remain important for smaller commercial and community stations, significant numbers of listeners are migrating to digital platforms.

The licensing of AM/FM radio services is a matter for Ofcom, and in October Ofcom set out its current approach to licensing in a progress report on the rollout of small-scale DAB (SSDAB) technology. This report set out Ofcom’s current view that SSDAB offers audiences a wider range of services and makes a more efficient use of spectrum than FM, and committed to at least two further rounds of SSDAB licensing before considering the possibility of any further analogue licensing in the future.

The UK welcomes international partnerships, including with China, which make a positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, we will always protect our national security interests, human rights and values.

Any international arrangements made by registered HE providers in England must be within the law and comply with the registration conditions set by the Office for Students, including a commitment to their public interest governance principles. There are a set of further measures that protect against undue foreign interference in our universities. These range from the Academic Technology Approval Scheme, which vets students and researchers seeking to study in sensitive areas, to the provisions in the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act 2023, which will offer a focussed route for concerns, including relating to foreign interference in academic freedom and free speech, to be escalated.

To support universities to maximise the opportunities of international collaboration whilst managing the risks, the government offers practical advice through the National Protective Security Authority, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Research Collaboration and Advice Team. The department works alongside these partners and engages directly with the sector to increase their understanding of the risks and their ability to respond to them.

This government will take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must. The department is contributing towards the government’s audit of the UK’s relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.

The government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled. We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.

The government's Generative artificial intelligence (AI) framework outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process governmental information.

Everyone who works with government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.

It is for educational bodies to make their own decisions on how to manage the use of Generative AI in their specific organisational and technology contexts.

The department has not provided any funding to Confucius Institutes under this government.

This government is committed to ensuring our world leading universities remain free from foreign interference.

Any international arrangements English higher education (HE) providers who are registered with the Office for Students (OfS) make, including Confucius Institutes, should be within the law and comply with OfS registration conditions. These include a commitment to the public interest governance principles, which include academic freedom and freedom of speech. The OfS may take regulatory action if HE providers allow foreign governments to interfere in free speech or academic freedom.

The department expects the UK HE sector to be alert to a range of risks when collaborating with international partners and to conduct appropriate due diligence to comply with legislation and consider risks, including potential threats to freedom of speech and academic freedom.

The department’s proposals regarding the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 have reinforced our clear expectations that HE providers must uphold the principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom. The OfS can request information from HE providers registered with them about overseas arrangements, including financial transactions, if they believe registration conditions may have been breached. The measures we are now implementing through the Act will further strengthen opportunities for the OfS, by providing a new focused way for complaints about foreign interference on academic freedom to be escalated.

The department is also carrying out a full and comprehensive audit on the breadth of the UK’s relationship with China. This government, through the ongoing China audit, will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in the UK’s and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must.

This government is committed to ensuring our world leading universities remain free from foreign interference.

Any international arrangements English higher education (HE) providers who are registered with the Office for Students (OfS) make, including Confucius Institutes, should be within the law and comply with OfS registration conditions. These include a commitment to the public interest governance principles, which include academic freedom and freedom of speech. The OfS may take regulatory action if HE providers allow foreign governments to interfere in free speech or academic freedom.

The department expects the UK HE sector to be alert to a range of risks when collaborating with international partners and to conduct appropriate due diligence to comply with legislation and consider risks, including potential threats to freedom of speech and academic freedom.

The department’s proposals regarding the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 have reinforced our clear expectations that HE providers must uphold the principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom. The OfS can request information from HE providers registered with them about overseas arrangements, including financial transactions, if they believe registration conditions may have been breached. The measures we are now implementing through the Act will further strengthen opportunities for the OfS, by providing a new focused way for complaints about foreign interference on academic freedom to be escalated.

The department is also carrying out a full and comprehensive audit on the breadth of the UK’s relationship with China. This government, through the ongoing China audit, will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in the UK’s and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must.

Particulate matter emissions from quarries are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, including through emission limits and monitoring requirements on total particulate matter. We will keep standards for PM10 emissions from quarries under review to ensure emissions controls and monitoring requirements are up-to-date.

Monitoring stations measure PM10 levels in various locations across the UK. Information and data are available through the webpage UKAIR. All locations are currently assessed as being below the PM10 limit value set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010, based on monitoring and modelling.

Particulate matter emissions from quarries are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, including through emission limits and monitoring requirements on total particulate matter. We will keep standards for PM10 emissions from quarries under review to ensure emissions controls and monitoring requirements are up-to-date.

Monitoring stations measure PM10 levels in various locations across the UK. Information and data are available through the webpage UKAIR. All locations are currently assessed as being below the PM10 limit value set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010, based on monitoring and modelling.

The Government has stepped up measures to protect the UK from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) following recent outbreaks in Central Europe and Germany. This includes a ban on imports of live animals and certain animal products to Great Britain from Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. We have also imposed an equivalent ban from the region of Germany that experienced an FMD outbreak in January.

From 12 April 2025 we have also extended restrictions on personal imports. Travellers are no longer permitted to bring meat or dairy products from cattle, sheep, goats, or pigs into Great Britain from any EU country for personal use.

Together Government, travellers, animal keepers and the livestock industry must do everything we can to keep FMD out and protect animal health and welfare. We urge livestock keepers to be extra vigilant and report any suspicion of FMD or other notifiable disease immediately.

We do not think it would be appropriate to require take-away food vendors to implement a vehicle registration number printing and tracing system for packaging due to the potential costs involved, which may outweigh any benefits. Data protection concerns have been raised. However, we strongly support voluntary initiatives to reduce littering.

On the 30th July 2024, we announced a rapid review of the 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan which has now concluded. We published a statement of key findings from the rapid review on 30 January 2025. We will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery information to help meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets. This will be published later this year.

We are considering how to go further to reduce the impacts of deer on our woodlands and shall have an update in due course.