Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department is taking to strengthen national security.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Cabinet Office leads on, and coordinates across government, key elements of the UK’s national security policy. This includes the development and implementation of the Integrated Review Refresh. Published in March, the Refresh updated the government’s security, defence, development and foreign policy priorities to reflect changes in the global context since the Integrated Review 2021. Flowing from this, the Cabinet Office has played a key role in developing and overseeing the National Cyber Strategy, National Security and Investment Programme, and the Biological Security Strategy. The department is taking essential steps to ensure delivery of these and other issues.
Specific recent outcomes include the launch of the National Security and Investment Act call for evidence, and the leading role the department has played in coordinating the government’s response to several international and domestic crises.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of (a) updates to the programme manual used by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence including Rapid Access to Managed Access and (b) the introduction of the Innovative Medicines Fund.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Government is committed to supporting rapid patient access to effective new medicines in a way that is fair to all parties and represents value to the National Health Service. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) plays an important role in supporting patient access to effective new medicines and is able to recommend most new medicines for use in the NHS. Where there is too much clinical uncertainty for NICE to be able to recommend routine funding, it is able to recommend medicines for use through the Cancer Drugs Fund or Innovative Medicines Fund which make promising medicines available to patients while further real-world evidence is collected to inform a final NICE recommendation.
NICE is responsible for the methods and processes it uses in the evaluation of new medicines and the changes that it has recently made to its evaluation processes will enable it to produce faster guidance on simpler, low-risk treatments. NICE and NHS England are exploring options for rapid entry to managed access (REMA) that build on the experience of the Cancer Drugs Fund and Innovative Medicines Fund to support managed access to medicines. NICE has not yet made any changes to its health technology evaluation manual related to REMA.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) prepare for the World radiocommunication conference and (b) protect the UK's interests in space at that conference.
Answered by John Whittingdale
I recognise the importance of the decisions of the World Radiocommunications Conference to UK industry, especially the space sector.
Government and Ofcom have developed our negotiating positions since the last conference in 2019, balancing the interests of multiple operators, networks and services in both space and terrestrial environments. UK stakeholders have been given the opportunity to influence our approach and Ofcom consulted in 2022.
At the conference, Ofcom will lead the UK delegation which will include officials from departments and agencies with spectrum interests. This includes DSIT, the Ministry of Defence, UK Space Agency, and the Met Office.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the low carbon fuels strategy; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the use of hydrogen in aviation.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Department is planning to publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy in early 2024, which aims to support investment in the sector by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.
The Government’s Jet Zero Strategy published in 2022 recognises the role that hydrogen can play, both directly as a fuel in zero emission flight and as a feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, in our approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050.
In addition, the Government, through the Department for Business and Trade, is investing £685 million between 2022 and 2025 through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme to co-fund with industry the development of ultra-efficient and zero emission, including hydrogen, aircraft technology.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to page 22 of the Vegan Society’s report entitled, Catering for Everyone: How far are councils catering to vegans, published in September 2023, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report's findings on the level of recognition by local authorities of veganism as a protected characteristic.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
Ethical veganism has previously been found to be a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010 by an employment tribunal, in an employment context. While this is not binding in other cases, all employers and service providers, including local authorities, should have regard to the differing dietary needs of people who they provide meals to, whether these are determined by health considerations, religious or philosophical belief. They should be aware that employees or service users may bring claims under the Act, where they consider they have been treated less favourably because of their belief in ethical veganism.
In addition, councils are subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty which requires them, in carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to achieve the objectives set out under s149 of the Equality Act 2010 to:
(a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. Specific duties, set out in regulations, ensure transparency, and assist in the performance of this duty.
A person who believes that they have experienced discrimination because of a philosophical belief can take their case to a tribunal or court. Before doing so, they may wish to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), a Government-funded helpline, which is the initial point of contact for anyone with discrimination concerns. The EASS provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS also supports individuals to resolve issues using alternative informal dispute resolution and can advise you on what are the next steps to take when you feel you have been discriminated against. The EASS can also advise people on their options and can be contacted through their website at www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, by telephone on 0808 800 0082 or text phone on 0808 800 0084.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to support the provision of a nutritionally balanced plant-based meals on menus for staff in his Department.
Answered by Jacob Young
DLUHC offices are managed by the Government Property Agency.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to engage with tier 2 suppliers developing new hydrogen technology for the aviation sector.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department for Business and Trade is investing £685m through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme to co-fund the development of zero-carbon and ultra-efficient aircraft technology and cross-cutting enablers. This includes collaborative R&D projects to develop new hydrogen technologies.
We are funding the ATI’s Hydrogen Capability Network Phase 0 project to explore the operating model for open access facilities to accelerate the development of liquid hydrogen aircraft technologies and capabilities.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, a Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group is advising on how government and industry can work together to accelerate the adoption of zero emission flight.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Aerospace Technology Institute Fly Zero project, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the use of hydrogen in long haul aviation.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The conclusions made by the FlyZero project were used to inform the Government’s Jet Zero Strategy, which was published in July 2022, and sets out the Government’s approach to achieving net zero 2050 for UK aviation. The use of hydrogen is considered in the Zero Emission Flight chapter of the Strategy.
The Strategy anticipates that hydrogen will be first deployed in short haul aviation with recognised uncertainty on the potential for and timing of its scaling up for use in long haul. As with all measures in the Jet Zero Strategy the Government keeps the evidence base under regular review and any changes will be reflected in future updates to the Strategy.
Building on the recommendations of the FlyZero project, the Government, through the Department for Business and Trade, are funding the initial phase of a Hydrogen Capability Network. This project aims to define the operating model for open-access facilities designed to accelerate the development of liquid hydrogen aircraft technologies, capabilities, and skills in the UK.
The Government continues its work with industry and academia through the Jet Zero Council to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. In 2022 a Delivery Group of the Council was established on Zero Emission Flight, which considers the use of hydrogen in meeting net zero aviation by 2050.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative potential merits of different sustainable air fuels in the context of variation of lifecycle emissions within fuels denoted as the same type.
Answered by Anthony Browne
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be easily blended with conventional jet fuel and then used in existing aircraft and engines. We recognise that SAF can be made from different low carbon feedstocks and technology pathways, and that the detail of these impact the lifecycle emission savings from the fuel. When using sustainable feedstocks, such as wastes or renewable electricity, to produce SAF, its use can reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared to conventional jet fuel.
The SAF mandate, which will mandate jet fuel suppliers to supply increasing levels of SAF in the UK, will start in 2025. As a greenhouse gas (GHG) based scheme, it will encourage suppliers to source SAF that achieves the greatest emission reductions. It will also require the supplied SAF to meet a minimum emission reduction threshold, further strengthening our intention to support SAF that meets the highest sustainability criteria.
In 2022, under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) 48 million litres of SAF were supplied in the UK, with a reported average of 90% emission reductions. We expect the SAF mandate to build upon these volumes and increase the demand for SAF in the UK.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the processes it has in place for the licensing of hydrogen in aviation (a) testing and (b) programmes.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Government works closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s independent aviation regulator.
Baroness Vere met with new CAA CEO Rob Bishton on 26 October and discussions included the CAA’s approach to regulating innovative technologies that will support decarbonisation of the sector.
The CAA are active participants in the Jet Zero Council, the forum that brings together Government, industry and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions and co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Business and Trade and Energy Security and Net Zero. The CAA attended the ninth Jet Zero Council, held on 8 November, and also chair a Regulatory Sub-Group within the Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group of the Council.
The CAA is supporting the testing of hydrogen in aviation by a range of UK organisations. As one example ZeroAvia, with CAA permissions, are currently test flying an aircraft using hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion in Gloucestershire.
The CAA have also established a Hydrogen Regulatory Challenge which will run for 18 months from October 2023 supported by funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund.