Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to give recipient countries as much notice as possible on the (a) number and (b) arrival dates of covid-19 vaccines that are planned to be sent by the UK Government.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Prime Minister has announced that the UK will share 100 million C-19 vaccine doses within the next year, of which 30 million will be delivered by the end of 2021. 5 million doses will be shared by the end of September, starting in the coming weeks, and 80% of these vaccines will go to COVAX. This was part of an agreement with G7 partners to donate 1 billion doses by June 2022.
Decisions on which vaccines will be shared will be based on the continued reliability of supply chains, regulatory restrictions, and advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. We will set out more detail in due course, including the number and type of vaccines, as well as estimated dates of arrival.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to prioritise Commonwealth countries when donating covid-19 vaccines overseas.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK has consistently stressed that we are all facing the same pandemic, and the threat of further waves and variants of the coronavirus makes cooperation with all our partners ever more vital and important.
Our G7 Presidency has championed equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, and on 11 June, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will donate 100 million C-19 vaccine doses within the next year, 80% of which will go to COVAX, the scheme to ensure vaccines are available affordably for everyone, including Commonwealth countries. The UK was one of the earliest and largest donors to COVAX, donating £548 million to the Advance Market Commitment. So far, COVAX has helped deliver over 81 million doses to 129 countries and territories. We will set out more detail on the prioritisation of our dose sharing in due course.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
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 preparedness of Border Control Posts for the import inspection of horticulture products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
Since 1 January, high-risk plants have been inspected at their places of destination. Defra is confident that the Border Control Posts (BCPs) will be ready to start physical inspections of high-risk plants and plant products when the new regime of checks commences on 1 January 2022. The BCPs will be ready to start physical inspections of low-risk plants and plant product checks from March 2022.
Defra continues to work directly with ports and airports to prepare the necessary infrastructure, staff and IT systems for SPS checks to be completed. We continue to monitor port BCP delivery and will support ports to achieve an initial operating capability as import controls are phased in.
The phased implementation reduces risk of BCP infrastructure not being ready and provides Port Health Authorities, importers, hauliers, exporters and their agents, sufficient time to prepare and familiarise themselves with these new requirements.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Northern Ireland Protocol on the horticulture sector in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The Northern Ireland Protocol obliges both the UK and EU to seek to streamline processes for trade between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI), and to avoid controls at NI ports as far as possible. In line with that obligation, through technical engagement with the European Commission, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have developed helpful practical arrangements to simplify checks and controls on goods to the maximum extent.
The Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland currently in place allows authorised traders, such as supermarkets and their trusted suppliers, to move a large proportion of agri-food goods from GB to NI without the need for official certification, until 1 October 2021. Exporters of fruit, vegetables or cut flowers from GB to the EU or Northern Ireland, may also be eligible for the Plant Health Exports Audited Trader Scheme. Under this scheme, exporters are able to complete their own inspections and apply for phytosanitary certificates to be issued, which means checks take place at a time which suits them and avoids the need for official on-site inspections of each consignment.
The Government has also put in place the Movement Assistance Scheme. This scheme means that businesses moving plants, plant products or agricultural machinery from GB to NI do not need to pay for the fees associated with inspections and issuance of the phytosanitary certificates. Defra will monitor the performance of the scheme and review it after three months to determine how to best provide ongoing support to traders.
In line with announcements made by the UK Government at the beginning of March, it is now much simpler to move plants with soil and growing media attached from GB to NI. This will remain the case whilst engagement with the European Commission continues to develop appropriate, risk-based arrangements for the long-term.
Despite horticultural goods being eligible for some of these arrangements, comprehensive data on the movement of such goods between GB and NI is not available. However, total trade in Defra related goods between GB and NI is estimated to have recovered after a brief dip in January. Overall horticultural businesses have adjusting well since the end of the Transition Period and are trading effectively.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the flow of plants, seeds and other horticulture products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The Northern Ireland Protocol obliges both the UK and EU to seek to streamline processes for trade between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI), and to avoid controls at NI ports as far as possible. In line with that obligation, through technical engagement with the European Commission, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have developed helpful practical arrangements to simplify checks and controls on goods to the maximum extent.
The Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland currently in place allows authorised traders, such as supermarkets and their trusted suppliers, to move a large proportion of agri-food goods from GB to NI without the need for official certification, until 1 October 2021. Exporters of fruit, vegetables or cut flowers from GB to the EU or Northern Ireland, may also be eligible for the Plant Health Exports Audited Trader Scheme. Under this scheme, exporters are able to complete their own inspections and apply for phytosanitary certificates to be issued, which means checks take place at a time which suits them and avoids the need for official on-site inspections of each consignment.
The Government has also put in place the Movement Assistance Scheme. This scheme means that businesses moving plants, plant products or agricultural machinery from GB to NI do not need to pay for the fees associated with inspections and issuance of the phytosanitary certificates. Defra will monitor the performance of the scheme and review it after three months to determine how to best provide ongoing support to traders.
In line with announcements made by the UK Government at the beginning of March, it is now much simpler to move plants with soil and growing media attached from GB to NI. This will remain the case whilst engagement with the European Commission continues to develop appropriate, risk-based arrangements for the long-term.
Despite horticultural goods being eligible for some of these arrangements, comprehensive data on the movement of such goods between GB and NI is not available. However, total trade in Defra related goods between GB and NI is estimated to have recovered after a brief dip in January. Overall horticultural businesses have adjusting well since the end of the Transition Period and are trading effectively.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
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 (a) potential merits of introducing a trusted trader scheme for importers of ornamental horticulture products and (b) the role such a scheme could play in providing value for money for tax payers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
As the phased introduction of EU-GB plant health import controls is completed in early 2022, Defra is exploring possible options for performing plant health controls away from the border on a longer term basis, such as increased uptake in the use of designated plant health control points, or a trusted trader scheme for checks at destination. We would consult on any long term option with industry, to ensure that our high standards of biosecurity are maintained.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the costs of establishing and operating Border Control Posts for the inspection of plants and other horticultural products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
Border Control Posts (BCPs) are not being built or operated by the UK Government. The Government has provided generous funding to help local authorities construct and operate BCPs. This includes up to £200 million in grant funding from the Port Infrastructure Fund and Defra has provided £14 million to help recruit and train staff to support the checking regime.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether wedding ceremonies will be unrestricted after the end of the Government roadmap from 21 June 2021; what restrictions will apply to wedding ceremonies during the phased return from 17 May to 21 June 2021; and what restrictions will be applied to sporting events from 17 May to 21 June 2021.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships was published on 22 March and can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships#wedding-and-civil-partnership-ceremony-venues
We recognise that any restrictions on wedding venues may be disappointing for those planning such events, but we have to take necessary steps to limit transmission of COVID-19. This includes the closure of some settings and restrictions on social contact, including wedding and civil partnership ceremonies. By their very nature, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are events that bring families and friends together, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. We appreciate the sacrifices people have had to make across the COVID-19 pandemic and we do not wish to keep any restrictions in place longer than we need to.
In the COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021, the Government has set out the gradual and cautious approach to reopening in England, guided by science and the data, including the staged return of weddings and civil partnerships, as well as sporting events.
In order to inform the pace and sequencing of the roadmap, the Government commissioned advice and modelling from SAGE and its sub-groups. Scientific evidence supporting the government response to coronavirus is regularly published here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fatalities have occurred due to a person between the ages of 14 and 17 using an airgun within the law unsupervised on private land with the permission of the owner in the last 14 years.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The requested information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further steps the Government can take to protect BNO passport holders who do not wish to move from Hong Kong.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK will not look the other way on Hong Kong, and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people. We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.