Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We want to see devolution extended to every corner of England, and have invited local areas without a devolution agreement to come forward with proposals on a sensible geography.
We recognise that in some parts of the country, such as Hull and East Yorkshire, local authorities had already worked with the previous government to develop devolution deals, which were put on hold over the general election.
We will work with local leaders, members of parliament and stakeholders, including those in Hull and East Yorkshire over the coming months, to ensure that our ambition for deeper and impactful devolution is expanded across the country.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government response to the consultation entitled Contractual practice in the UK pig sector, published on 6 April 2023, whether it is his policy to implement the next steps set out in that Government response.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness for farmers. We recognise that fairness in the supply chain is critical for farmers across all sectors. We want all farmers to get a fair price for their products and are committed to tackle contractual unfairness where it exists.
We will continue the work closely with the pig sector, and all farming sectors, on the best way to achieve this.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential threat of an outbreak of African swine fever in the pig population.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra and its agencies keep the spread of African swine fever (ASF) under continuous review and is prepared to rapidly implement import restrictions based on changing scientific and risk data. A finding of ASF in a wild boar in western Germany in 2024 represented a further move in disease distribution towards the United Kingdom, following similar movements elsewhere in Europe. While we consider that the overall risk of entry of ASF virus into the UK from all combined pathways remains at medium, the particular pathway of human-mediated transport of non-commercial, infected products from the EU is considered to be high risk (please see the latest Animal and Plant Health Agency’s risk assessment from June 2024 for more detail: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/667444bb64e554df3bd0dbed/Update_ASF_in_Europe_35.pdf).
UK safeguard measures are in place prohibiting live pigs, wild boar, or pork products from affected EU areas from entering Great Britain. There is also enforcement carried out by Border Force and Port Health Authority officers at seaports and airports.
To further safeguard Britain's biosecurity and pig industry, travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork products weighing over two kilograms into Great Britain, unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards and commercially packaged with an identification mark. These measures help limit possibly infected pig meat being brought into Great Britain through various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her policy is on East Riding of Yorkshire Council receiving reallocated HS2 funding.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The previous Government made a number of funding commitments in the Network North Command Paper and these will be examined closely by my Government in the coming months.