Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which computer systems used by His Majesty's Revenue and Customs have been supplied by Fujitsu since 2000.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
I understand that the honourable member has written in similar terms to Jim Harra (Permanent Secretary at HMRC) in her capacity as Chair of the Treasury Select Committee and that Jim Harra will be responding in due course.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent (a) discussions he has had and (b) correspondence he has exchanged with the Deposit Protection Service on the decision to pay 0.78% interest on tenants' deposits held on account.
Answered by Jacob Young
Mandatory tenancy deposit protection for deposits taken in connection with assured shorthold tenancies is provided by three independent companies authorised to operate under concession contract of the department. These companies protect deposits and provide free dispute resolution services.
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions or had any correspondence with the Deposit Protection Service regarding their recent decision to pay interest on tenants' deposits held on account however the decision to pay interest is welcome.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what his Department's remaining budgeting is for supporting Marshall scholarships in the current spending review period.
Answered by David Rutley
In this spending review period, FCDO funding to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (MACC) to manage the Marshall Scholarship, is £2.7 million per annum. In 24/25 the Prime Minister announced as part of the Atlantic Declaration in June 2023 an uplift to the MACC of £1.4 million, meaning £4.1 million will be provided to the MACC in the next financial year.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of heavy goods vehicles that use the A4104 through Old Street, Upton-upon-Severn when (a) the B4211 Hanley Road is operating as normal and (b) when the B4211 Hanley Road is closed due to flooding from the River Severn.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of heavy goods vehicles that use the A4104 through Old Street, Upton-upon-Severn when (a) the B4211 Hanley Road is operating as normal and (b) when the B4211 Hanley Road is closed due to flooding from the River Severn.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to permit protected cell companies to insure defined benefit pension plans in the United Kingdom to match the regulations in Gibraltar.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The Government keeps all legislation under review and actively seeks to learn from international jurisdictions. However, there are currently no plans to allow protected cell companies to insure defined benefit pension plans in the UK.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 the guidance entitled Apply for CITES permits and certificates to move or trade endangered species, published on 17 July 2019, whether he is taking steps to digitise the end-to-end process for importing horticultural products into the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
A project to move CITES permitting online and improve the functionality of the system used to consider and issue CITES permits and certificates, is nearing completion. The new system is due to be formally rolled out early in the New Year. Interested traders are welcome to join the testing platform, which includes live applications. An assessment of the feasibility of e-permitting for CITES documents is scheduled for a later phase of this ongoing work.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 extending the seasonal agricultural worker scheme on a multi-year basis.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We appreciate that farmers would like longer term assurances on the Seasonal Worker visa route, and we continue to work extensively to understand employers’ needs and demands on the visa route through regular engagement with industry. It is currently confirmed until the end of 2024, with an initial visa allocation of 45,000 for horticulture and 2,000 for poultry.
To inform future decisions on labour across the sector, the Government commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an independent review considering how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour could contribute to tackling labour shortages in our sectors, including horticulture. The report was published in June 2023, with the Government Response due shortly. At the same time, the Government will set out how it will support the sector to access the labour it needs alongside actions to reduce the sector’s reliance on migrant labour including via our work on automation and promoting domestic labour procurement and training.
The Migration Advisory Committee are also carrying out a review of the Seasonal Worker visa route, considering all aspects of the route, with a report due in early 2024.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 publishing an annual assessment of the potential impact of international trade deals on agriculture.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Government has published Impact Assessments for each of the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) we have agreed, which set out expected impacts for the UK economy and its regions and sectors. The agreements balance open and free trade with protections for the agricultural industry. Defra also monitors and evaluates the impact of FTAs on sectors to ensure that UK businesses are benefitting from FTAs.
Following the agreement of FTAs with Australia and New Zealand, a suite of products has been developed to help businesses understand and use new opportunities and make use of the preferential terms. This includes thematic guidance in business-friendly language on key FTA areas such as rules of origin and customs procedures, and sector-specific explainers for businesses looking to understand market opportunities and how to operationalise their export plans.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 (a) make an estimate of the level of rapeseed imports in each year since 2013 and (b) commission research on the potential impact of restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids on the level of rapeseed imports.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The details requested for imports of oilseed rape dated back to 2013 can be seen in the below table. These are published annually by Government in Agriculture in the United Kingdom, the data set can be found under Table 7.5 Oilseed rape production, value, supply and use.
Units 1,000 tonnes
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Total imports | 117 | 87 | 87 | 63 | 345 | 206 | 354 | 503 | 926 | 811 |
Oilseeds are internationally traded commodities. Subsequently, their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments in price and availability. Our fantastic British farmers are world-leaders and carefully plan their planting to respond to market developments, suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy including pest and disease management.
Together with the devolved administrations, Defra has established the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG) to monitor and assess the impact of market developments across the UK. It monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments, enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Low Pay Commission on the level of the national living wage in 2024-25.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wages rates for all eligible workers, including those in agriculture, are set by the Government, based on the advice of an independent advisory group, the Low Pay Commission.
Recruitment and retention of agricultural workers, of which wages are one element, were considered in the independent review of labour shortages in the food supply chain which the Government commissioned in 2022. The review focussed on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. The final report was published on 30 June 2023, and the Government Response will follow shortly.