Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, whether the NHS routinely sends blood samples to the US for analysis when testing for Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are a number of laboratories in England which provide blood testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, although the Department has not made a specific formal estimate of how many there are. Several National Health Service laboratories across the United Kingdom also offer diagnostic testing for paraneoplastic antibodies. In England, these laboratories include the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The NHS in England does not routinely send blood samples to the United States for analysis when testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. There are specialised laboratories within the UK which the NHS in England uses to conduct these tests.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, how many laboratories provide blood testing for Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are a number of laboratories in England which provide blood testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, although the Department has not made a specific formal estimate of how many there are. Several National Health Service laboratories across the United Kingdom also offer diagnostic testing for paraneoplastic antibodies. In England, these laboratories include the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The NHS in England does not routinely send blood samples to the United States for analysis when testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. There are specialised laboratories within the UK which the NHS in England uses to conduct these tests.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the UK/EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement to improve the ability of businesses to trade in EU countries.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Prime Minister welcomed President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen and President of the EU Council António Costa to London for a UK-EU Summit on 19 May.
At that Summit we agreed the parameters for a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers, and increasing choice in the shops.
This agreement will reduce delays and paperwork at the border, make it easier and cheaper to take pets on holiday into the EU, and trade in products such as fresh sausages and burgers will be able to resume.
Further information can be found at UK-EU Summit - Explainer (HTML) - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of providing inspectors to carry out sanitary and phytosanitary checks at border control points after 5pm.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Border Control Posts (BCPs) and Control Points already operate on a range of schedules. The inspection hours are determined by the competent authorities and are based on factors such as the volume of traffic, arrival times, and the resources available at each specific point of entry.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 his Department's press release entitled Leading food experts join Government food strategy to restore pride in British food, published on 21 March 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure the planned Food Strategy incorporates all parts of the food supply chain in its development.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since announcing the food strategy in December 2024, we have been building a coalition with the food sector, academics, charities, civil society, citizens and key thinkers.
The Food Strategy Advisory Board serves to stress test ideas and provide advice. We have hosted roundtables with academics. Our four, multi-stakeholder workshops in May include people chosen to represent a broad range of food system interests. There will be ongoing sectoral and thematic conversations through May and June, utilising existing Defra stakeholder groups. We are also working with The Food Foundation and Food Farming Countryside Commission to ensure the citizen’s voice is heard. This is just the start of the conversation, and stakeholders across the food supply chain will be engaged.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 make an assessment of the potential impact of his Department's (a) collection and (b) packaging reforms on levels of private sector investment in advanced recycling infrastructure.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has published updated impact assessments of each of the projects within the Collection and Packaging Reforms: pEPR in 2024, DRS in 2024, and Simpler Recycling in 2024.
These impact assessments do not specifically present private sector investment in advanced recycling infrastructure. However, The Environmental Services Association, alongside by the Chief Executives of the UK’s largest waste management companies, have stated that in response to the Collection and Packaging Reforms they will invest £10 billion over the next decade in the UK’s recycling infrastructure.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to expedite the (a) rollout of the Authorised Operator Status (AOS) and (b) a POD+ (Place of Destination) system for the trade of high-risk plants.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Authorised Operator Status (AOS) pilot ran for 6 months and ended in Dec 2024. The evaluation stage is complete and Ministers are considering the findings. We will update stakeholders when a decision has been made.
The Place of Destination (POD) scheme ended in April 2024. It was only ever intended to be a temporary solution and Defra does not intend to re-instate it. Moving controls to Border Control Posts (BCPs) and Control Points is vital to achieving the biosecurity aims of the BTOM, by increasing the percentage of consignments we are able to inspect.
BCPs are designed to handle high volumes of imported SPS goods and offer extended opening hours with staff working shifts on site to carry out reliable checks which minimise friction on traffic flow. Most BCPs can process six or more vehicles at the same time with ample space to remove or inspect products. Checks at BCPs are handled by trained staff working to standard operating procedures, ensuring inspections are undertaken safely and efficiently.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to include food and drinks manufacturers in the development of the forthcoming industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Growth is the number one mission of the government. The UK's food and drink manufacturing sector plays a significant role in the UK economy, contributing £35.1bn to GVA in 2022. The UK presents many opportunities for investment right across the food and drink supply chain stages of product development.
The Industrial Strategy, alongside Sector Plans for the growth-driving sectors, will be published in Spring 2025, aligned with the multi-year Spending Review. These Sector Plans will set out the specific sub-sectors of focus, identify key barriers to growth, and describe how government and industry intend to achieve long-term growth for the sector.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support he is providing to the horticulture sector to encourage young people into its workforce.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Attracting bright new talent into land-based careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming.
Defra works closely with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) which is encouraging young people and new entrants into farming in its capacity as an industry -led professional body for the farming and horticulture industry. This includes leading a cross-industry initiative to address common negative misconceptions about the sector and providing free TIAH membership for students.
Furthermore, the Government has launched Skills England to ensure there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training, and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need. It will work with its partners to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an easement-extension of the deadline for UK Plant Passports to be affixed to retail-ready plants in the EU.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following a review in April 2025, the Plant Health Services in Great Britain have agreed to extend an easement that allows draft UK Plant Passports to be attached in EU Member States for plants for planting intended for final users from 30th June 2025 to 31st January 2027.
More information on the UK Plant Passports scheme is available on the Plant Health Portal here as well as on GOV.UK here.