Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the regulation of tied-accommodation for seasonal agricultural workers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra, Home Office, and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Ministers and their Officials regularly engage regarding a range of issues, including accommodation standards for seasonal workers.
The Government will work collaboratively on this issue, across the relevant departments, to improve the rights and protections for seasonal workers. We are exploring approaches at the national and local authority level and through engagement with the sector itself.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet with the Seasonal Worker Interest Group to discuss worker welfare on the Seasonal Worker visa.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office, in collaboration with Defra, is arranging a meeting on seasonal worker welfare issues hosted by the Minister for Farming, Daniel Zeichner, and the Minister for Migration, Seema Malhotra MP, later this month. Invitations have been sent to the Seasonal Worker Interest Group, and other interested parties, for this event, which will provide an opportunity to discuss these matters further.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the primary source of NOx is in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The latest estimates made of annual pollutant emissions in the UK show that road transport accounts for 32% of NOx emissions, followed by emissions from energy generation (21%) and emissions from manufacturing and construction (17%).
Further information on the UK’s air pollutant emissions can be found on the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory website: https://naei.beis.gov.uk/.
Information is also reported in the UK emissions statistical release:
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department uses in respect of motorcycle emissions of NOx; how the practice of filtering is reflected in the emissions modelling that her Department uses; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The method for estimating emissions from road transport, including powered two wheelers, is available in the latest National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory’s (NAEI) informative inventory report: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1904121008_GB_IIR_2019_v2.0.pdf. It uses the internationally recognised COPERT methodology produced by Emisia and if the abatement technology is already incorporated in the emission factor, then it will be reflected in the emissions estimates. Emission factors are presented in the EMEP/EEA Guidebook. The NAEI results for 2017 show that motorcycles and mopeds account for less than 0.5% of road traffic NOx emissions. The NAEI is subject to rigorous international reviews and has a continuous improvement programme to incorporate the latest available evidence.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of closure of the seasonal agricultural workers scheme on the economic output of the horticultural industry of (a) the UK and (b) Scotland since 2014.
Answered by George Eustice
The Seasonal Agricultural workers scheme was closed in 2013, on the advice of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).
Defra has been monitoring the economic output of the horticultural industry and there has been an increase in output in real terms between 2014 and 2016 (latest available data) for both the UK and Scotland.
According to Agriculture UK 2016[1], output of vegetables and horticultural products in the UK saw an increase of £128 million in real terms between 2014 and 2016. Output of fruit in the UK saw an increase of £68 million from 2014-2015 with a subsequent decrease of £34 million in 2016 in real terms.
Output of the horticultural industry in Scotland increased between 2014 and 2015 by £25.1 million in total. These figures have been taken from the Scottish Government website.[2]
[2] http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/01/1031
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the agricultural sector on a new seasonal agricultural scheme.
Answered by George Eustice
Ministers meet regularly with the agricultural sector. Most recently, the Secretary of State met with industry representatives at the Royal Norfolk Show on 28 June. The impact of any restrictions on seasonal workers was also raised at an industry round table held at the Royal Highland Show on 22 June.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has received since 23 June 2016 from the agricultural sector on reopening the seasonal agricultural scheme.
Answered by George Eustice
Ministers meet regularly with the agricultural sector. Most recently, the Secretary of State met with industry representatives at the Royal Norfolk Show on 28 June. The impact of any restrictions on seasonal workers was also raised at an industry round table held at the Royal Highland Show on 22 June.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times she has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State has visited Scotland on two separate occasions since the 2015 General Election and met:
Diageo
Scotch Whisky Association
Scotland Food and Drink
NFU Scotland
Quality Meat Scotland
Ian Duncan MEP
Ruth Davidson MSP