Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 123660 on Television: Internet, whether her Department’s definition of universal access to free-to-air television requires that households be able to receive television services without taking up a fixed broadband subscription.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There is no single agreed definition of what it means for audiences to have universal access to free-to-air television, but – supported by the work of the Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum in particular – the Government has been considering a number of important elements, including the availability, affordability and accessibility of the different methods by which audiences can receive television services at present and how these are likely to evolve in the future.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the levels of imported chicken products from China since July 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. While poultry imports from China to the UK are permitted they are subject to stricter, updated certification requirements as of December 2024, requiring approved premises.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department holds data on the quantity of chicken products imported from China in each month since July 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Date | Number of Consignments | Total Net Weight |
Jul-24 | 170 | 2,585,700.29 |
Aug-24 | 261 | 4,015,899.31 |
Sep-24 | 280 | 3,961,455.90 |
Oct-24 | 214 | 3,053,346.90 |
Nov-24 | 250 | 4,052,208.76 |
Dec-24 | 197 | 2,879,896.97 |
Jan-25 | 250 | 3,656,965.02 |
Feb-25 | 215 | 3,081,240.87 |
Mar-25 | 290 | 4,255,461.46 |
Apr-25 | 239 | 3,765,926.54 |
May-25 | 263 | 3,998,849.32 |
Jun-25 | 283 | 4,172,640.20 |
Jul-25 | 300 | 4,270,514.57 |
Aug-25 | 373 | 5,353,145.81 |
Sep-25 | 320 | 4,173,131.59 |
Oct-25 | 293 | 4,314,525.73 |
Nov-25 | 381 | 5,222,383.73 |
Dec-25 | 297 | 4,171,925.29 |
Jan-26 | 353 | 5,139,804.74 |
Feb-26 | 391 | 5,754,842.52 |
Mar-26 | 474 | 7,055,846.71 |
The data provided relates to imports from China where the species is recorded as either Aves or Gallus. Where the species has been recorded as Aves, it is not possible to confirm that the product is chicken, due to the way species information is captured in the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS).
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 she has made of whether chicken products from China have been produced in compliance with UK animal welfare standards.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Imports into the UK must comply with our existing import requirements. While poultry imports from China to the UK are permitted they are subject to stricter, updated certification requirements as of December 2024, requiring approved premises.
Products produced to different environmental and animal welfare standards can be placed on the UK market if they comply with these requirements. This has always been the case and includes products from the EU and other longstanding trading partners.
While production methods vary in line with different climates, diseases, and other contextual reasons, the Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, this Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at the Government’s disposal to protect the UK’s most sensitive sectors
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 she has made of whether chicken products imported from China comply with UK food standards.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Imports into the UK must comply with our existing import requirements. While poultry imports from China to the UK are permitted they are subject to stricter, updated certification requirements as of December 2024, requiring approved premises.
Products produced to different environmental and animal welfare standards can be placed on the UK market if they comply with these requirements. This has always been the case and includes products from the EU and other longstanding trading partners.
While production methods vary in line with different climates, diseases, and other contextual reasons, the Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, this Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at the Government’s disposal to protect the UK’s most sensitive sectors
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the extent to which chicken products from China are used to fulfil public procurement contracts in the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government remains committed to its ambition that half of all food served in public settings is either locally sourced or certified to higher environmental standards and is open to considering all lawful means of achieving this. The Government recognises that there is limited existing data about the origin and sustainability of food in the public sector supply chain and the data landscape is complex and fragmented. Public bodies are not required to report on the origin of the food they procure. However, the Government is currently assessing what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. In due course, this will provide us with detailed insights on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food, including chicken, from local and sustainable sources, and what more can be done.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much of the funding allocated to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal remains to be spent.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The UK Government has committed £65 million to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. Across Scottish and UK Government investment into the deal, around 6% of Government funding has been drawn down by Deal partners so far.
The slow start to spending is a result of supply chain issues, inflationary and other pressures driven by external factors such as the Covid pandemic or cost increases of raw material.
To boost delivery progress, the UK and Scottish Government approved a reset of the Deal in March - confirming a more affordable and deliverable financial profile for projects.
As a result of this, drawdown will significantly accelerate this financial year.
All of this means the Borderlands Growth Deal is now well placed to deliver an additional 5,500 jobs and attract over 4 million new visitors to the region.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on household costs of a transition from digital terrestrial television to IPTV, in the context of the requirement for broadband subscriptions to access television services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable and accessible to all households, and that universal access to free-to-air public service broadcasting is maintained.
No decisions have been taken on the future of TV distribution. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to consider the full range of factors relevant to the future of digital terrestrial television.
Any future decisions would take into account the impact on household costs, including in the context of broadband requirements, and the need to ensure that audiences can continue to access public service content easily and affordably, while maintaining universal access to free-to-air television.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of how universal access to free-to-air television would be guaranteed under any IPTV-only system.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable and accessible to all households, and that universal access to free-to-air public service broadcasting is maintained.
No decisions have been taken on the future of TV distribution. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to consider the full range of factors relevant to the future of digital terrestrial television.
Any future decisions would take into account the impact on household costs, including in the context of broadband requirements, and the need to ensure that audiences can continue to access public service content easily and affordably, while maintaining universal access to free-to-air television.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the gap between broadband availability and household take-up in the context of a transition from digital terrestrial television to IPTV.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable, reliable, and accessible to all households. The Government’s Future of TV Distribution project is undertaking work to assess the future of digital terrestrial television after 2034 and no decisions have been made at this time.
As part of the project, officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working closely together to consider the range of issues that could arise under different long‑term scenarios, including implications for how households access television and questions of affordability, reliability and accessibility.
Through commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government is ensuring future-proofed and reliable, gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises, and are monitoring and supporting market development for alternative technologies to deliver reliable broadband to more remote premises.