Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of UK Government policies between 2010 and 2024 on excess deaths.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Excess deaths are defined as the difference between the actual number of deaths registered in a particular period and the number expected based on recent trends. Headline figures for England are reported weekly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The following table shows the trends in excess deaths in England and Wales, from 2011 to 2024:

Source: ONS statistics for 2011 to 2023, and ONS statistics summed up from weekly figures for 2024, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales

The drivers of excess deaths are not fully understood, and the excess is likely to be the net effect of many complex and potentially related factors. The attribution of excess deaths to these factors is complex and is beyond the scope of the ONS’ methodology. For this reason, the potential impact of Government policies on excess deaths cannot be assessed accurately.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of continuing to permit UK (a) businesses, (b) investment firms and (c) trading entities to (i) invest, (ii) trade and (iii) import goods from and within illegal settlements in (A) Western Sahara, (B) Occupied Palestinian Territories and (C) occupied territories.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK Government has a clear position that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law. Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK's current trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Israel. There are clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity.

Similarly, it is for companies to take their own decisions on whether to do business in Western Sahara.The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion entitled Legal Consequences Arising From The Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Including East Jerusalem, published on 19 July 2024, if he will ban UK trade and investment with illegal settlements in (a) Western Sahara and (b) Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK Government has a clear position that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law. Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK's current trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Israel. There are clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity. The UK is committed to international law and respects the independence of the ICJ. We are carefully considering the Court's advisory opinion with the rigour it deserves.

It is for companies to take their own decisions on whether to do business in Western Sahara. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38512 on Trade: Occupied Territories and Western Sahara, whether his Department has issued guidance on the nature of the risks related to economic and financial activities in (a) Western Sahara and (b) Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK government provides guidance to British businesses on potential business risks which may affect economic and financial activity in Western Sahara and Occupied Palestinian Territory on the Overseas Business Risk webpage on gov.uk. This guidance is routinely updated.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of hydrogen production on land-locked bodies of water.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero works collaboratively with other government departments and relevant regulators to understand the water impacts of a developing hydrogen economy, including the potential impact of abstraction on water bodies.

The Government expects all planned hydrogen production projects to have robust plans in place for sustainable sourcing of water that comply with relevant regulations.

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