Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capability of the Animal and Plant Health Agency IT equipment.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The APHA and Defra leadership teams have benefited from internal audits undertaken each year which look at issues including spend, governance, resilience, cyber security, and asset management. Additional insight into the need for investment in the APHA's IT capability has also come from 3 recent Government Internal Audit Agency audits on; Disaster Recovery, Cyber Security and a more targeted APHA Shadow IT Audit.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal and Plant Health Agency has carried out scenario planning for potential (a) outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and (b) other significant biosecurity breaches.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) scenario modelling has been completed, and initial outputs received. A report is being drafted with the deadline being end of March. APHA is undertaking assessments in relation to other diseases including ASF.
FMD scenario modelling has been carried out multiple times, for such reasons as Contingency Exercises (Exercise Rowan) and to support development of livestock traceability systems. The majority of APHA exercises are based around a plausible scenario, developed from expert opinion, and/or demonstrated incursion, and/or simulation model. Scenarios are designed to reflect plausible, whilst testing, conditions.
APHA have carried out assessments of the risk of incursion of FMD from the continent and publish these via GOV.UK.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the last time was that Animal and Plant Health Agency IT systems were upgraded.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has a wide range of applications and IT systems all of which require maintenance, update, and refresh
As these activities are regular and carried out independently per system, each year work is continually undertaken to assess and then either remediate, modernise or replace IT systems
The level of development undertaken depends on several factors including government investment during a Spending Review period, evidence from formal IT Health Checks and an assessment of the level of risk held within the IT estate
Defra has different programmes underway which invest in the APHA's IT estate, including the Legacy Application Programme and the APHA's Delivering Sustainable Futures programme. The Delivering Sustainable Futures programme seeks to enhance the APHA's IT estate by developing modern, stable, lower cost and more interoperable IT architecture.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional support for pharmacies to dispense medication in multi-compartment compliance aids to vulnerable patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Equality Act 2010 requires pharmacies to make reasonable adjustments for patients with protected characteristics. Multi-compartment compliance aids are one of many reasonable adjustments available, however, they are not always the most appropriate option. Patients should be assessed on a case-by-case basis to find the right intervention for them.
Pharmacies are expected to fund reasonable adjustments required under the Equality Act 2010 from the fees they receive for essential services as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. We are working at pace with Community Pharmacy England to ensure that the funding we have available is used to support community pharmacy in the best way possible.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) veterinarians, (b) veterinary technicians and (c) other veterinary experts to manage potential future outbreaks of foot and mouth disease.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra and APHA appreciates the incredibly valuable work completed by veterinarians, technicians, and support staff, recognising their essential roles in achieving our ambitious goals of upholding high standards of animal welfare, supporting trade, and safeguarding public health and food security. The Government acknowledges the high demand for veterinary services and is working collaboratively across departments and with the profession to explore additional measures that will ensure sufficient staffing levels to support and sustain the sector effectively during times of disease outbreaks.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the contribution of Midlands Engine to (a) attracting international investment and (b) supporting export growth for Midlands businesses.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Midlands Engine have undertaken a range of valuable work and have supported collaboration on shared growth opportunities. This has included launching the Midlands Engine Investment Portfolio at The UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum in May 2024 and holding a Midlands Wide Kings Awards Event to encourage more firms to export.
Following the recent consultation, the Government has confirmed its decision not to extend core funding for Midland Engine and other pan-regional partnerships. We are moving to a different model of economic collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by mayors and their partners.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to assist the continued freedom of movement of BN(O) visa holders whose passports have been cancelled by Hong Kong authorities.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Following introduction of the National Security Law, the Hong Kong authorities have cancelled the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passports of some British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O)), including some currently residing in the UK. Where such individuals have a BN(O) passport, they can generally use that for travel. However, those whose sole passport is a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport, which has been cancelled, may face travel restrictions.
In those circumstances, individuals may be eligible to apply for a Home Office travel document. This is available, in some cases, for individuals who do not hold British nationality, but are residing in the UK, have permission to stay and who cannot use or get a passport from their country’s national authorities.
A Home Office travel document enables a person to travel, subject to any conditions that may be required. The onus is on the individual applying for a Home Office travel document to demonstrate they are eligible, in line with the published guidance. Further information on Home Office travel documents can be found at: Apply for a Home Office travel document: Overview - GOV.UK.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the implementation of the recommendations of the report by British Future entitled Working it Out: Hong Kongers, Employment and the Cost of Living, published on 29 October 2024, that fall within the remit of the Department for Education.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has noted the report. We continue to support Hong Kong British National (Overseas) on these issues through our Welcome Programme, including through specific English language provision, the network of Welcome Hubs and online resources that provide advice on employment, childcare and accessing public services.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that sanctions placed on Russia by (a) the UK and (b) other countries are not being circumvented by Serbia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia is making extensive efforts to circumvent sanctions in order to maintain its military machine. Our focus is on stopping these critical goods from reaching Russia and deprive Russia from generating revenue to fund the war. That includes ensuring our sanctions are as effective as possible. We are coordinating closely with G7 partners on our efforts to tackle circumvention risks across a number of priority countries including Serbia, and our support has ranged from technical assistance to diplomatic engagement at all levels.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has considered re-joining the EUFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of a new security pact with the EU.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Europe's security is critical to our own and we recognise the contribution of many of the EU's military operations and missions to regional security. We see the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) as vital for peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We are open to discussions about opportunities for the UK to cooperate more closely with EU missions, considering UK engagement on a case-by-case basis. We will continue to support security and stability in BiH through our bilateral contributions in support of their Euro-Atlantic aspirations.