Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 publish (a) the minutes of the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee, (b) a full list of Ministers who attended the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee, (c) a list of all attendees of the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee and (d) the date of the next scheduled meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The minutes and attendees of the first meeting of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures are published on the GOV.UK website: Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The meeting is co-chaired by senior officials from the UK and EU.
As set out in Article 8 (7) and (8) of the TCA, the Committee shall meet at least once a year, and the meeting schedule is set by mutual consent. No date has yet been agreed for the second meeting.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking towards a veterinary agreement between the UK and the EU to help reduce trade barriers on both imports and exports between the UK and the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) includes a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) chapter which allows the UK and the EU to take a risk-based approach to our respective SPS border controls and provides a basis for cooperation on avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade.
We are open to discussions with the EU on additional steps to further reduce trade friction, but these cannot be on the basis of future alignment with EU rules. This would compromise UK sovereignty over our own laws. Our focus continues to be on supporting businesses adjust to the new trading arrangements. This includes:
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Export Health Certificates (a) have been issues in each of the last five years and (b) his Department has estimated will need to be issued in each year between 2022 and 2026 inclusive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) issues Export Health Certificates (EHC) for animals and products of animal origin.
EHCs issued in the last four years | ||||
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Total EHCs issued | 87,618 | 108,462 | 112,660 | 410,529 |
Due to APHA’s data retention period for export certification, APHA no longer holds any records for export consignments carried out during 2017.
Estimated volumes based on percentage increase from previous years (Figures rounded to nearest 1,000) | |||||
Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
EHCs to be issued | 427,000 | 444,000 | 462,000 | 480,000 | 500,000 |
Percentage increase based on 4% rise from 2019-2020. 2021 data is following EU exit which shows an increase of 264%.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Animal Health Certificates (a) have been issued in each of the last five years and (b) his Department has estimated will need to be issued in each year between 2022 and 2026 inclusive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For the purposes of the EU Pet Travel Scheme, Great Britain and the Crown Dependencies are considered a Part 2 listed third country which requires an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for pet travel to the EU and Northern Ireland (NI). AHCs are issued for a maximum of five pets.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not issue the actual AHCs but provides Unique Certificate Numbers (UCNs) to Official Veterinarians (OVs), on request, which they then use to issue individual AHCs to their clients.
APHA has issued 38 batches of UCNs (with 50 UCNs in each batch) to OVs since 1 January 2022 to date, allowing for approximately 1,900 AHCs to be issued by vets. Prior to 1 January 2022, AHCs were not required to enter the EU and NI with UK pet passports being issued instead, so the number of AHCs issued for previous years is zero.
APHA is unable to estimate the number of AHCs which will need to be issued in each year between 2022 to 2026 inclusive. APHA has been issuing UCNs since 1 January 2022 so does not have previous year trends to estimate figures, and with the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic it is difficult to predict future numbers.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for International Trade regarding the potential merits to the UK’s commitment on sustainable fishing of an Economic Partnership Agreement with the Republic of the Maldives; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra and DIT officials work closely together on trade negotiations. The Republic of the Maldives did not have a trade agreement (a Free Trade Agreement or a development-focused Economic Partnership Agreement), with the EU, and therefore, the UK could not include the Maldives as part of its continuity programme. We currently trade on World Trade Organisation terms with the Maldives.
The UK Government is strongly committed to tackling unsustainable fishing and would welcome the opportunity to continue its engagement with the Maldives through the London Stock Exchange Group on raising green and blue bonds and financing options to fund sustainable projects.
Additionally, both the UK and the Maldives are contracting parties to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, where the UK is continuing to seek adoption of new measures for the protection of tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had any (a) financial contract and (b) meetings with (i) Clifford Chance LLP, (ii) FTI Consulting and (iii) Fenchurch Advisory Partners in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra has not identified any records of any financial contracts with Clifford Chance LLP, FTI Consulting or Fenchurch Advisory Partners within the last five years.
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he or his Cabinet colleagues at COP26 had with their international counterparts on the impact of deposit return schemes on tackling plastic pollution.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The consultation held earlier this year proposed the scheme would go live in late 2024, subject to views from the consultation. Final details of the timeline for bringing the deposit return scheme (DRS) into operation, as well as the scope of the scheme for material and size of drinks containers to be included, will be presented in a Government response which will be published in due course.
No specific discussions were had by the Secretary of State or Cabinet colleagues at COP26 regarding DRS. However, we know that successful international schemes have achieved upwards of 90% collection rates for drinks containers which can play a big part in tackling plastic pollution.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timetable is for the Government’s planned Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to begin operation; whether that DRS will be an all-in scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The consultation held earlier this year proposed the scheme would go live in late 2024, subject to views from the consultation. Final details of the timeline for bringing the deposit return scheme (DRS) into operation, as well as the scope of the scheme for material and size of drinks containers to be included, will be presented in a Government response which will be published in due course.
No specific discussions were had by the Secretary of State or Cabinet colleagues at COP26 regarding DRS. However, we know that successful international schemes have achieved upwards of 90% collection rates for drinks containers which can play a big part in tackling plastic pollution.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints his Department has received on lost or delayed Export Health Certificates since 1 January 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra and APHA do not have a record of complaints specifically on lost or delayed Export Health Certificates (EHCs). If an EHC is lost, delayed or incorrect a certifier or exporter may apply to cancel the existing EHC and have it replaced. Between January 2021 to October 2021, 79 requests for cancel and replace certificates for EU exports were received.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with her counterparts in the EU to ensure that there is uniform acceptance of valid Export Health Certificates across all ports in the EU; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has written to the European Commission on several occasions since January, raising technical issues relating to Export Health Certificates. These include issues arising from consistency of interpretation. We have received helpful clarifications from the Commission and these have been sent to all EU Member States, meaning there are fewer incidences of differing approaches. The EU Member State relations team have liaised directly with EU Member States where we have had issues with individual Border Control Posts. The CVO has also had many meetings on this issue.