Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any other countries are being considered as potential partners for Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
AUKUS partners have announced we are ready to begin consultations in 2024 with prospective collaborators regarding areas where they can contribute to, and benefit from, Pillar Two work.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to page 75 of her Department’s consultation entitled Review of Electricity Market Arrangements: second consultation, published on 12 March 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on the power system if there was no role for unabated gas in 2035.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
We will need unabated gas in 2035 to play a small but important role when the wind does not blow or the sun does not shine. Our published Net Zero scenarios envisage a small but important role for unabated gas in 2035. Without a role for unabated gas, we would likely run an increased risk of blackouts.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle anti-democratic extremism.
Answered by Lee Rowley
On 14th March Government published its new definition of extremism, which identifies behaviour that seek to “to… undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of parliamentary democracy” as extremist.
The Government is undergoing a formal process of identifying and naming extremists. Before elections, the Government stands up the election cell, which works with the Police and Home Office to monitor threats to our democratic systems or institutions.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to include nuclear (a) power generation and (b) fuel manufacture as sustainable activities within the UK Green Taxonomy.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The Government has stated its intention to include nuclear in the UK Green Taxonomy, subject to consultation. This will incentivise private investment in this important technology alongside renewables and other sectors that are key to reaching our Net Zero goal. The Government expects to publish the consultation on the UK Green Taxonomy shortly.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the impact of each additional 0.5% of GDP spent on defence up to 3% of GDP on (a) force readiness and (b) levels of recruitment to the armed forces.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
It is not possible to provide this information as the Department does not undertake its planning activity in this way.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of when defence spending will reach 2.5% of GDP; whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of raising defence spending to 3% of GDP; and if he will have discussions with the Leader of the House on finding time to debate the Early Day Motion in the name of the hon. Member for Clacton, number 455, on Future defence spending.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The government has consistently prioritised defence spending. The Ministry of Defence was the first department to get certainty on its budgets in this Parliament. This settlement was the largest sustained spending increase in defence since the end of the Cold War, with a £24 billion uplift in cash terms over the four-year period. In March 2023, we also provided an extra £11 billion for defence and national security priorities over the next five years, with £4.95 billion over the next two years.
The government’s aspiration over the longer-term is to invest 2.5% of GDP on defence, when the fiscal and economic circumstances allow.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
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 reasons for changes in the amount of foie gras imported in 2023 compared with previous years; what information his Department holds on the number of businesses involved in importing foie gras in 2023; and when he plans to conclude the evidence base research phase of the foie gras importation ban consultation.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns.
Whilst we have domestic restrictions on the production of force-fed foie gras, it is possible to import foie gras from abroad. In line with the Government’s commitment to improving animal welfare standards as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform future decisions.
We do not currently have an end date for when this research will conclude.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total tonnage of foie gras imported in 2023; and whether he plans to ban its importation when produced via force-feeding.
Answered by Mark Spencer
In 2023 the UK imported 628 tonnes of fatty livers of geese and ducks, valued at £3.3m (source HMRC UK Trade Info; data for 2023 is provisional and subject to change).
The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns.
We are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform future decisions. Any proposals would be informed by the evidence base and likely subject to consultation.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using voluntary collective licensing schemes to enable the licensing of copyright protected material for use in the training of generative AI models.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the benefits of collective licensing, in delivering efficient outcomes for users of copyright material, but has made no specific assessment of the potential merits of collective licensing in relation to the training of AI models. Collective licensing was examined by the working group convened last year to develop a voluntary code of practice on copyright and AI, but no agreement on a way forward was reached between rights holders and AI companies.
The Government will continue to work closely with AI developers and rights holders, including collective management organisations, on these issues and will share a public update soon.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to prevent banks from providing (a) financial and (b) investment support to industrial livestock companies that contribute to deforestation.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The Government is committed to working with UK financial institutions to further tackle deforestation-linked finance. As we set out in the updated Green Finance Strategy, we have begun this work with Government-convened roundtables having commenced in Summer 2023.
The global approach on disclosure standards, such as the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) or the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is a vital condition for success in improving nature-related disclosure.
Following the making of the first relevant regulations under paragraph 1 of Schedule 17 of the Environment Act and as set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, HM Treasury will conduct a review to assess the extent to which regulation of the UK financial system is adequate for the purpose of eliminating the financing of illegal deforestation, and to consider what, if any, changes to the regulatory framework may be appropriate.