Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what provisions there are in recent free trade agreements to ensure imported food is produced to the UK standards.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All food and drink products imported into the UK must comply with the UK’s import requirements and standards. The UK’s Free Trade Agreements do not create any new permissions for imports and do not compromise on the UK’s high environmental protection, animal welfare, plant health, and food standards.

The UK’s food safety standards are overseen by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. Both provide independent advice to UK Health ministers. Alongside other government agencies, they oversee the regulation of imported food and feed to ensure that it complies with the UK’s high safety standards, protect ing consumers from unsafe food.

Without exception, the UK will continue to protect food standards in the UK under all existing and future Free Trade Agreements. Decisions on these standards remain a matter for the UK and will be made separately from any trade agreements. The Prime Minister has been clear that there will be no chlorine-washed chicken and no hormone-treated beef on the UK market.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase recruitment to the armed forces in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Armed Forces recruit nationally and do not operate a specific policy of increasing recruitment from particular geographic areas. Armed Forces Career Offices are spread across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, and continue to provide core support to the Armed Forces’ national recruiting activities. The geographic footprint of Armed Forces Career Offices across the UK is complemented by dedicated call centres and online recruiting operations, ensuring that all UK communities have the same opportunity to join the Armed Forces as anyone else. In addition, the Services conduct outreach engagement programmes across the whole of the UK, delivering events such as career fairs, tactical campaigns and roadshows, supported by web-based information services and social media campaigns. These recruitment activities are further supported through strategic partnerships such as with JobCentrePlus, who provide additional face-to-face touchpoints with potential Armed Forces applicants.

The Armed Forces regularly review their recruiting activities and associated resource in accordance with the requirement. A range of tangible short-term deliverables are being actioned to increasing the inflow into Armed Forces recruitment pipelines, all intended to increase the breadth of potential candidates and to drive efficiencies into recruitment systems. These ongoing and new initiatives are focused upon engaging the broad range of skills, experience and diversity needed to deliver that which our nation demands of our Armed Forces; and in the range of roles that are critical to enable this.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the HM Veterans Card to veterans living in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The new digital application and verification service for all pre-2018 service leavers went live at 00:01 on Sunday 28 January 2024. Alongside the launch, a promotional campaign to raise awareness of the HM Armed Forces Veteran recognition card's availability has been conducted covering social media, GOV.UK, Defence HQ and MOD-specific sites, Ministerial statements and the Sunday Express.

For veterans in Northern Ireland, an additional service will also soon be implemented whereby cards can be delivered to one of a number of MOD locations for those who do not wish to receive delivery at their home address. The Northern Ireland Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) continue to provide support to veterans and promote the card's delivery options via their links with local charities, support service and ex-Service organisations.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost associated with veterinary checks on horses moving from (a) Great Britain to Northern Ireland and (b) Northern Ireland to Great Britain since the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government's Movement Assistance Scheme is available to reimburse costs (including veterinary checks), in line with the terms of the scheme, for horses moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Horses moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain have unfettered access.

Found: Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby ) Claire Hanna MP (Social Democratic & Labour Party, Belfast South ) Carla

Found: Question on Carla Lockhart MP’s request for SoSNI to meet with representatives in the equine industry

Found: Q74 Carla Lockhart: I have a small point that I think is important to make so that Members are absolutely

Found: Q123 Carla Lockhart: Thank you for your evidence so far.

Found: Lockhart; Jim Shannon; Kelly Tolhurst.

Found: Lockhart; Jim Shannon; Kelly Tolhurst.

Found: Members present: Sir Robert Buckland (Chair); Stephen Farry; Sir Robert Goodwill; Claire Hanna; Carla

Found: Members present: Sir Robert Buckland (Chair); Stephen Farry; Sir Robert Goodwill; Claire Hanna; Carla

Found: Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby ) Claire Hanna MP (Social Democratic & Labour Party, Belfast South ) Carla

Found: Q577 Carla Lockhart: Thank you for your attendance and comments so far, Secretary of State.

Found: John McDonnell Tim Farron Carol Monaghan Mark Garnier Sammy Wilson Rob Butler John Penrose Carla

Found: John McDonnell Tim Farron Carol Monaghan Mark Garnier Sammy Wilson Rob Butler John Penrose Carla

Found: Letter dated 04/03/2024 from Andrew Murrison MP to Carla Lockhart MP in response to a Written Parliamentary