First elected: 5th May 2005
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Reform the Grocery Supply Code of Practice to better protect farmers
Gov Responded - 27 Nov 2023 Debated on - 22 Jan 2024 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsWe want the Government to amend the Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCP) to require retailers, without exception, to:
- Buy what they agreed to buy
- Pay what they agreed to pay
- Pay on time
We believe the current GSCP is inadequate and doesn't protect farmers from unfair behaviour.
Repeal the current Dangerous Dogs Act and replace with new framework
Gov Responded - 24 Jan 2023 Debated on - 27 Nov 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsWe want the Government to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act and replace it with legislation that focuses on early intervention to prevent dog bites and tackle dog-related issues regardless of breed or type, based solely on their behaviour.
Bad owners are to blame not the breed - don't ban the XL bully
Gov Responded - 23 Nov 2023 Debated on - 27 Nov 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributions
I believe that the XL bully is a kind, beautiful natured breed that loves children and people in general, and are very loyal and loving pets.
End reviews of PIP and ESA awards for people with lifelong illnesses
Gov Responded - 10 Sep 2021 Debated on - 4 Sep 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsPeople with a lifelong illness should not be subject to regular reviews for eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). People suffering lifelong conditions should not have to prove they are still ill every couple of years.
End assessments and consider disability benefit claims on medical advice alone
Gov Responded - 21 Dec 2022 Debated on - 4 Sep 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe Government should remove the requirement for people claiming disability benefits, such as the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), to have to go through an assessment process. Claims should be based solely on evidence from medical professionals, such as a letter from a GP or consultant.
Full review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application process
Gov Responded - 1 Nov 2022 Debated on - 4 Sep 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsWe want the Government to conduct a full review of the PIP process. This should look at DWP policy and the performance of ATOS and Capita, which conduct the health assessments for applicants. We believe the current process is inherently unethical and biased, and needs a complete overhaul.
Make swift bricks compulsory in new housing to help red-listed birds
Gov Responded - 1 Dec 2022 Debated on - 10 Jul 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsSwifts have declined by over 50% in the UK. Adult swifts, known for site-fidelity, return to the same nests. We want swift bricks to be required in all new housing, to provide homes for these birds. Surveys show these are used by red-listed swifts, house martins, starlings and house sparrows.
Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex
Gov Responded - 26 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"
Commit to not amending the Equality Act's definition of sex
Gov Responded - 25 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsIt has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.
Create statutory legal duty of care for students in Higher Education
Gov Responded - 20 Jan 2023 Debated on - 5 Jun 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsNo general statutory duty of care exists in HE. Yet, a duty of care is owed to students, and the Government should legislate for this. HE providers should know what their duty is. Students must know what they can expect. Parents expect their children to be safe at university.
Make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum.
Gov Responded - 21 Oct 2022 Debated on - 13 Mar 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsWe want suicide spoken about in schools in a safe and age-appropriate way. Speaking about suicide saves lives
The Dept for Education are conducting a review of the RSHE curriculum; this petition calls on the DfE to include suicide prevention within the statutory guidelines of the new curriculum.
Limit the shooting season of Woodcock
Gov Responded - 11 Oct 2022 Debated on - 27 Feb 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsMark Avery , Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay (Wild Justice) want the opening of the Woodcock shooting season to be pushed back to 1 December. 160,000 Woodcock are shot for fun across the UK whilst their population is declining. The Defra Secretary of State has powers to vary the shooting season.
Create an emergency fund for ASD (autism) & ADHD assessments
Gov Responded - 14 Dec 2021 Debated on - 6 Feb 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe Government should create an emergency fund to deal with the massive waiting lists for autism & ADHD assessments for children AND adults. This would provide resources for local health services deal with current waiting lists and new patients.
Review management of ADHD assessments and increase funding
Gov Responded - 21 Apr 2022 Debated on - 6 Feb 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe Government should commission a review of how Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments are managed by the NHS, including through Shared Care Agreements, and increase funding to reduce waiting times.
Ban commercial breeding for laboratories. Implement reform to approve & use NAMs
Gov Responded - 27 May 2022 Debated on - 16 Jan 2023 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsRevoke all licences (PEL) for commercial breeders of laboratory animals. Require all Project Licences (PPLs) applications be reviewed by an independent Non Animal Methods (NAMs) specialist committee. Revise s24 ASPA 1986 to allow review. Urge International Regulators to accept & promote NAMs.
Automatically suspend PR rights of parent guilty of murdering the other parent.
Gov Responded - 16 Jun 2022 Debated on - 7 Nov 2022 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsProvide a mechanism within existing legislation whereupon a person with parental responsibility (PR) is found guilty of murdering the other parent with PR, has PR automatically suspended throughout the duration of the term of imprisonment of the aforesaid person convicted.
Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end
Gov Responded - 26 Oct 2021 Debated on - 11 Jul 2022 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsIn 2019 UK Government finalised a free trade agreement (FTA) with Faroe Islands which allows for £100 million of exports of wild caught and farmed fish to Britain per annum (20% of the Faroe Islands global trade). This FTA should be suspended until all whale & dolphin hunts on Faroe Islands end
VALERIE'S LAW Compulsory Training for Agencies Supporting Black DV Victims
Gov Responded - 6 Jul 2021 Debated on - 28 Mar 2022 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsMake specialist training mandatory for all police and other government agencies that support black women and girls affected by domestic abuse. Police and agencies should have culturally appropriate training to better understand the cultural needs of black women affected by domestic abuse.
Tougher sentences for hit and run drivers who cause death
Gov Responded - 28 Aug 2020 Debated on - 15 Nov 2021 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe maximum penalty for failure to stop after an incident is points and a 6-month custodial sentence. Causing death by careless/dangerous driving is between 5-14 yrs. The sentence for failing to stop after a fatal collision must be increased.
Ryan's Law: Widen definition of 'death by dangerous driving'
Gov Responded - 24 Mar 2021 Debated on - 15 Nov 2021 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe offence of causing 'death by dangerous driving' should be widened to include: failure to stop, call 999 and render aid on scene until further help arrives.
Ban Water Companies discharging raw sewage into water courses.
Gov Responded - 5 May 2021 Debated on - 15 Nov 2021 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsEnsure Water companies treat the sewage they are responsible for. Not discharge it into rivers and water courses. After all what goes into the ocean comes back as the fish we eat.
Ban Driven Grouse Shooting
Wilful blindness is no longer an option
Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery (Wild Justice) believe that intensive grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife. People; grouse shooting is economically insignificant when contrasted with other real and potential uses of the UK’s uplands.
Do not restrict our rights to peaceful protest.
Gov Responded - 6 Apr 2021 Debated on - 26 Apr 2021 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsThe right to peaceful assembly and protest are fundamental principles of any democracy and the proposed part of this bill that gives the police new powers to tackle disruptive peaceful protests should be removed from The Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Recognise animal sentience & require that animal welfare has full regard in law
Gov Responded - 13 Mar 2019 Debated on - 16 Mar 2020 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsEU law recognises animals as sentient beings, aware of their feelings and emotions. Animals are at risk of losing these vital legal protections, post-Brexit. We want a BetterDealForAnimals: a law that creates a duty for all Ministers in the UK to fully regard animal welfare in policy making.
End the Cage Age: ban cages for all farmed animals.
Gov Responded - 22 Mar 2019 Debated on - 16 Mar 2020 View Kerry McCarthy's petition debate contributionsAcross the UK, millions of farmed animals are kept in cages, unable to express their natural behaviours. This causes huge suffering.
We call on the UK government to end this inhumane practice by banning all cages for farmed animals. Cages are cruel.
These initiatives were driven by Kerry McCarthy, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Kerry McCarthy has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Kerry McCarthy has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to regulate supported housing; to make provision about local authority oversight and the enforcement of standards of accommodation and support in supported housing; to prohibit the placing of children in care in unregulated accommodation; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to impose a duty on public bodies in relation to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings.
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to make provision for a scheme to establish incentives to implement and encourage observance of the food waste reduction hierarchy; to encourage individuals, businesses and public bodies to reduce the amount of food they waste; to require large supermarkets, manufacturers and distributors to reduce their food waste by no less than 30 per cent by 2025 and to enter into formal agreements with food redistribution organisations; to require large supermarkets and food manufacturers to disclose levels of food waste in their supply chain; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require large food retailers and large food manufacturers to take steps to reduce food waste and donate surplus food to charities for redistribution and, where food is unfit for human consumption, to make it available for livestock feed in preference over disposal; to encourage and incentivise all other businesses and public bodies which generate food waste to donate a greater proportion of their surplus for redistribution; to protect from civil and criminal liability food donors and recipient agencies where food has been donated in good faith; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require the Secretary of State to make provision to extend the system of parental responsibility agreements to enable a kinship carer to obtain parental responsibility for a child they are raising without having to bring a case to court; and for connected purposes
Co-operatives (Permanent Shares) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Gareth Thomas (LAB)
Marine Protected Areas (Bottom Trawling) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Chris Grayling (Con)
Fur Trade (Prohibition) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Taiwo Owatemi (Lab)
Pig Husbandry (Farrowing) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - David Amess (Con)
Children (Access to Treatment) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Bambos Charalambous (Ind)
Clean Air (No. 3) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Geraint Davies (Ind)
Dockless Bicycles (Regulation) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Daniel Zeichner (Lab)
Tibet (Reciprocal Access) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Tim Loughton (Con)
Plastic Pollution (No. 2) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Alistair Carmichael (LD)
Sky Lanterns (Prohibition) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Ruth George (Lab)
Plastic Pollution Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Alistair Carmichael (LD)
Packaging (Extended Producer Responsibility) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Anna McMorrin (Lab)
Food Insecurity Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Emma Lewell-Buck (Lab)
Planning (Agent of Change) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - John Spellar (Lab)
Food Advertising (Protection of Children from Targeting) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Kirstene Hair (Con)
Short and Holiday-Let Accommodation (Notification of Local Authorities) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Karen Buck (Lab)
In developing proposals for the Autumn Statement, the Treasury took care to consider the equality impacts on those sharing protected characteristics, in line with its statutory obligations and strong commitment to promoting fairness.
Providing increased opportunities for everyone, including the most vulnerable in society, has been at the centre of the decisions taken at Autumn Statement 2023.
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill is a Private Member’s Bill. As the Bill is now in the Other Place, scheduling is a matter for the Lords Chief Whip. My officials and I are in regular contact with the Lords and Commons Whips offices in relation to this Bill.
The Government will respond to the recommendations in the report ‘A positive approach to parenting; Part 2 of the Independent Family Review’ in due course.
Since COP26, there have been 16 NDC submissions. This represents progress but the Government continues to work closely with partner countries and organisations to drive climate ambition, and to urge all countries to revisit and strengthen their NDCs by the end of 2022 to close the ambition gap and keep 1.5C within reach.
The COP President regularly discusses the climate commitments made by the US and others with his counterpart US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC), John Kerry , and has done so since the beginning of the UK’s COP26 Presidency.
Most recently, the COP President met with SPEC Kerry on Saturday 9 July to discuss a range of climate change issues, including the recent ruling of the US Supreme Court in relation to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use is an unprecedented commitment from over 140 countries covering over 90% of global forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. It is underpinned by almost $20bn of public and private finance, by commitments to sustainable trade and by support for indigenous peoples’ rights. We are working with other countries that endorsed the Declaration to convert this political commitment into strong action on forests and land use. This will include working through multilateral events in 2022 such as meetings of the G7 and G20, and at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
All Parties to the Paris Agreement must report on their progress towards its goals via their national Greenhouse Gas Inventories - which cover every emitting sector including forests and land use. In addition, where Parties have opted to include forests and land use in their nationally determined contributions, they will also be obliged to report on these to show progress towards achieving their emission reductions targets. At COP26, as part of the Glasgow Climate Pact, countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their current emissions targets to 2030 in 2022.
The Presidency has prioritised the issue of debt sustainability in the lead up to and since COP26. The UK has championed the IMF’s $650 billion allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to help boost global liquidity and we are supporting the IMF in establishing a Resilience and Sustainability Trust that will provide a long-term financing offer for vulnerable countries facing structural challenges including climate change.
To support low-income countries to tackle their debt vulnerabilities, in November 2020 the UK, alongside our G20 and Paris Club partners, agreed a new Common Framework for Debt Treatment beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative. This brings together G20 and Paris Club creditors to coordinate debt treatments following a request from any of the 73 eligible low-income countries. Private sector creditors will be expected to implement debt treatments on at least as favourable terms as those agreed by official creditors. The UK-led G7 Private Sector Working Group is also exploring Climate Resilient Debt Instruments (CRDIs), which will crucially suspend any debt service repayments in the event of a natural disaster in climate vulnerable countries.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity represents a historic opportunity to secure an agreement to ambitious global action over the next decade. The UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at COP15. The COP is due to take place in Kunming, China, later this year; though, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we expect a delay to the planned dates of 25 April to 8 May. Minister Goldsmith will head the UK delegation.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the lead department for the Convention on Biological Diversity, working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Cabinet Office. A core team is in place in DEFRA, drawing on expertise across DEFRA, its specialist arms-length bodies, working with other Government departments, civil society organisations and society at large. This includes working with the FCDO and our Posts across the diplomatic network, through which we are engaging host governments to support the delivery of our objectives. Nature is one of the key priorities in the UK’s COP26 Presidency, and so the Cabinet Office COP26 Unit is also supporting preparations for COP15 to ensure successful delivery of our COP26 objectives.
At the end of 2020 the total value of the Church Commissioners’ assets, less the estimated value of future pensions obligations, was £7,573m.
The Commissioners have additional and ongoing statutory funding obligations over and above pension liabilities, including support for the work of bishops and cathedrals. The Commissioners also make grants to support the work of the Church across the country, with a focus on supporting the poorest communities.
The Commissioners plan their spending in three year cycles and estimated expenditure in 2020-22 is £930m including £383m for pensions.
Further information is available in the most recent annual report of the Church Commissioners: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/church-commissioners-england/how-we-are-governed/publications
The year end balances for Dioceses in 2019 (the most recent information available) were £1,692m in investments (the majority restricted for particular purposes) and £184m in cash. For cathedrals this was £524m in investments and £50m in cash. The majority of investment assets are in property investments, which are less liquid than stock market investments. Typically around two-thirds of diocesan incomes come from parish share, the majority of which is funded by individuals’ donations to Parochial Church Councils. This funding stream has been impacted by the pandemic and resulted in a significant draw on diocesan reserves.
Dioceses, parochial church councils and cathedrals:
Government (DCMS) figures for grants equal to the value of VAT for works to listed places of worship over the past five years are below. These are grants to the value of VAT, not rebates. The Church Commissioners do not hold these figures broken down by Church of England diocese, parochial church council or cathedral:
2016 £20,689,034.00
2017 £23,839,469.00
2018 £24,773,038.00
2019 £24,522,362.00
2020 £24,665,225.00
This website, maintained by DCMS, contains details of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme and recent total disbursement: http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/
Like all bodies that have charitable status, Gift Aid on donations can be claimed by parochial church councils, dioceses and cathedrals. The funding model of the Church of England means that the vast majority of donations from worshippers, visitors and other supporters are made to parochial church councils and to cathedral chapters. The Church Commissioners do not keep a record of Gift Aid receipts by dioceses, but the amount claimed will be modest.
Parochial Church Council Gift Aid receipts for the past five years are:
2016 £91.9m
2017 £94.5m
2018 £94.3m
2019 £96.4m
2020 £91.3m*
*The figure for 2020 is provisional and yet to be fully reviewed.
See also Parish Finance Statistics 2019, page 12: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Parish%20Finance%20Statistics%202019.pdf
In 2018, the most recent year for which statistics are readily available, Church of England cathedrals reported in their accounts a total of £1.3m of Gift Aid from donations.
Church Commissioners:
The Church Commissioners have not received any Gift Aid on donations made by individuals.
Churches Conservation Trust:
The Churches Conservation Trust is an independent charity reporting to both Parliament and the General Synod. It receives income from donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and core funding from Government (DCMS) and the General Synod of the Church of England via the Church Commissioners.
2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | |
Tax Rebates / LPWGS* | £550,556 | £239,520 | £318,174 | £289,460 | £834,592 |
Gift Aid | £16,063 | £22,756 | £28,787 | £19,824 | £27,524 |
*figure includes grants from the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme
The Annual Report and Accounts of the Trust are laid before Parliament and are available at https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/annual-report-accounts.html*figure includes grants from the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme
Dioceses, parochial church councils and cathedrals:
The Church Commissioners do not hold figures broken down by Church of England diocese, parochial church council or cathedral, for National Lottery Heritage Fund or Government grants.
Grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to Church of England churches and cathedrals over the past five years are as follows. Brackets indicate the number of grants awarded:
2016 £ 49,292,200 (166)
2017 £ 25,264,900 (184)
2018 £12,458,450 (144)
2019 £11,652,300 (57)
2020 £3,376,200 (67)
Government (DCMS) figures for grants equal to the value of VAT for works to listed Church of England places of worship over the past five years are:
2016 £20,689,034
2017 £23,839,469
2018 £24,773,038
2019 £24,522,362
2020 £24,665,225
This website, maintained by DCMS, contains details of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme and recent total disbursement: http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/
Grants to Church of England listed places of worship under the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund in 2020-21 totalled £54,387,240, broken down as follows:
Building type | Number of grants | Total amount of funding |
Cathedral | 107 | £29,424,529 |
Major Parish Church | 154 | £14,903,597 |
Parish Church | 484 | £9,889,114 |
Church Commissioners:
The Church Commissioners do not receive funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund or Government grants.
Churches Conservation Trust:
The Churches Conservation Trust is an independent charity reporting to both Parliament and the General Synod. It receives income from donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and core funding from Government (DCMS) and the General Synod of the Church of England via the Church Commissioners. Funding for the last five years is as follows:
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
Lottery Grants | £1,325,882 | £683,053 | £537,795 | £1,394,687 | £2,193,611 |
Government Grant Funding | £2,749,000 | £2,738,001 | £2,604,000 | £2,608,000 | £4,533,451 of which £2,788,000 grant in aid |
Church Grant Funding | £1,355,000 | £1,355,000 | £1,655,000 | £1,430,000 | £1,430,000 |
The Annual Report and Accounts of the Trust are laid before Parliament and are available at https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/annual-report-accounts.html
The National Churches Trust October 2020 report ‘The House of Good’, found that the total economic and social value that church buildings generate in the UK amounted to at least £12.4 billion per year, an average of around £300,000 per church. The report can be viewed here: https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/
We are committed to working in partnership with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to keep 1.5 alive and deliver the Paris Agreement goals.
To better support those already experiencing climate impacts, the UK has committed to doubling our climate finance. We are calling on others to follow our lead.
We are amplifying the voices of SIDS and continue to drive action on their priorities - including through our hosting of the Climate & Development Ministerial, co-chairing of the NDC Partnership, and leadership of the Adaptation Action Coalition.
Over 60% of the tenancies within the Church Commissioners’ rural portfolio are Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (AHA) tenancies. AHA tenancies granted prior to 11 July 1984 provide for rights of succession. Forecasting the rate and date of tenancy succession with any accuracy is challenging. This is because AHA tenancies can only be succeeded upon the death or retirement of an incumbent tenant and these dates are typically not known.
Specific criteria need to be met by a prospective successor to allow succession to take place. The criteria are reviewed on a case-by-case basis in the context of the tenant and their proposed successor’s situation at the time a succession is proposed. Currently, 17% of the Church Commissioners’ AHA tenants have no rights to succession, 62% have rights to one succession and 21% two remaining successions. As such, we anticipate potentially eligible successors to 83% of the Commissioners’ existing AHA tenancies may apply to succeed the tenancy.
As a responsible landowner, the Church Commissioners comply with the requirements of the Land Registration Act 2002, and the Church Commissioners are only responsible for the land which they hold, not all Church of England land.
The Church Commissioner’s land has, to a large extent, been registered with the Land Registry, all such information is publicly available via the Land Registry. The 2002 Act does not provide for the Land Registry and the Church Commissioners to collaborate to undertake land surveys, nor does it require the Commissioners to have a policy on digital maps of their landholding.
As a responsible landowner, the Church Commissioners comply with the requirements of the Land Registration Act 2002, and the Church Commissioners are only responsible for the land which they hold, not all Church of England land.
The Church Commissioner’s land has, to a large extent, been registered with the Land Registry, all such information is publicly available via the Land Registry. The 2002 Act does not provide for the Land Registry and the Church Commissioners to collaborate to undertake land surveys, nor does it require the Commissioners to have a policy on digital maps of their landholding.
The Houses, acting as Parliament, have their own Environmental Policy Statement and set a target to reduce absolute carbon emissions from energy use by 34% by the end of 2020/21, against an independently validated 2008/09 base year. As at the end of October Parliament was on track to meet this commitment with a 51.3% reduction in absolute carbon emissions, equivalent to a reduction of over 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the last full year compared to our baseline year.
The House currently only measures and reports on scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions, and is working to produce a system to measure our scope 3 impacts such as those from our supply chain, travel and waste.
I am committed to ensuring rape and sexual assault cases are conducted effectively – in fact, I recently successfully referred a point of law to the Court of Appeal to ensure that the law is clear in cases of sexual assault.
I have also engaged closely on CPS rape work, including meeting with CPS South East in December 2020 to discuss how their RASSO unit approaches these complex cases. The CPS and police also published their Joint National Action Plan on rape in January 2021 which shows their commitment to improvement.
The Central Digital and Data Office have advised that it is for each department to make decisions individually.
The Cabinet Office, like all Government departments and employers, needs to provide modern equipment to its staff to ensure that they can work efficiently, effectively and securely.
As laptops/computers age they will become slower, due to upgrades to the operating systems (e.g. Microsoft Windows) and more complex software, which will reduce the efficiency of those using them. The operating systems will also eventually become out of date and the vendors will not supply security patches, thereby making them obsolete (due to being insecure). There are no fixed timelines to these changes. We therefore have to assess on a regular basis to determine whether change is needed.
Data on the total number of solar panels and wind turbines across the government estate, and how they are distributed, is not held centrally. However, the government is committed to driving forward the renewable energy agenda, both on its own estate and beyond. As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, the government aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. To support this, £2.5 billion is being invested through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme over the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25 to provide grants for public sector bodies in England to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures, including renewable electricity generation.
The Office of Government Property has published the Net Zero Estate Playbook providing guidance to support government property organisations to decarbonise their estate. This includes recommendations of how to reduce operational energy use, such as through improving renewable energy generation where appropriate through multiple channels.
8.23% of the government estate (Central Government & Arm's-length bodies) electricity volume is on a renewable or renewable blend tariff.
52.2% of the government estate (Central Government & Arm's-length bodies) electricity volume is being supplied from a zero carbon (nuclear) tariff.
The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is developing a route to market to contract directly with generators of renewable power and source an increasing amount of renewable power for the estate demand. The current timetable will see the agreement in place by the end of 2023.
In June 2021, the Government published Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21 - Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts - requiring suppliers bidding for contracts above £5 million per annum to commit to the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan.
Suppliers who fail to make such a commitment and publish their Carbon Reduction Plan risk being excluded from the procurement process.
In FY 2020/21, 5% (578) of all procurements awarded were above £5m per annum. These accounted for over 90% of the total value of procurements in the same period. Over 2,500 suppliers have submitted compliant Carbon Reduction Plans in response to PPN 06/21, and 40 bids have been rejected for failing to provide a compliant Carbon Reduction Plan since the policy was launched. We do not hold centrally the number of contracts terminated as a result of failure to comply with PPN 06/21.
Individual departments are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of Carbon Reduction Plans submitted by suppliers as part of their commercial activity. We do not hold this data centrally.
In June 2021, the Government published Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21 - Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts - requiring suppliers bidding for contracts above £5 million per annum to commit to the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan.
Suppliers who fail to make such a commitment and publish their Carbon Reduction Plan risk being excluded from the procurement process.
In FY 2020/21, 5% (578) of all procurements awarded were above £5m per annum. These accounted for over 90% of the total value of procurements in the same period. Over 2,500 suppliers have submitted compliant Carbon Reduction Plans in response to PPN 06/21, and 40 bids have been rejected for failing to provide a compliant Carbon Reduction Plan since the policy was launched. We do not hold centrally the number of contracts terminated as a result of failure to comply with PPN 06/21.
Individual departments are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of Carbon Reduction Plans submitted by suppliers as part of their commercial activity. We do not hold this data centrally.
In June 2021, the Government published Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21 - Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts - requiring suppliers bidding for contracts above £5 million per annum to commit to the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan.
Suppliers who fail to make such a commitment and publish their Carbon Reduction Plan risk being excluded from the procurement process.
In FY 2020/21, 5% (578) of all procurements awarded were above £5m per annum. These accounted for over 90% of the total value of procurements in the same period. Over 2,500 suppliers have submitted compliant Carbon Reduction Plans in response to PPN 06/21, and 40 bids have been rejected for failing to provide a compliant Carbon Reduction Plan since the policy was launched. We do not hold centrally the number of contracts terminated as a result of failure to comply with PPN 06/21.
Individual departments are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of Carbon Reduction Plans submitted by suppliers as part of their commercial activity. We do not hold this data centrally.
GOV.UK is updated regularly with the list of Cabinet Committees, their terms of reference, membership and who chairs each Committee.
My Rt Hon. Friend the COP26 President is working closely with Egypt in the run up to COP27. The composition of the UK Government's delegation will be announced in due course.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity represents an historic opportunity to secure an agreement to ambitious global action over the next decade. The UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at COP15. The COP is due to take place in Kunming, China, later this year; though, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we expect a delay to the planned dates of 25 April to 8 May. Minister Lord Goldsmith will head the UK delegation.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the lead department for the Convention on Biological Diversity, working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Cabinet Office. A core team is in place in DEFRA, drawing on expertise across DEFRA, its specialist arms-length bodies, working with other Government departments, civil society organisations and society at large. This includes working with the FCDO and our Posts across the diplomatic network, through which we are engaging host governments to support the delivery of our objectives. Nature is one of the key priorities in the UK’s COP26 Presidency, and so the Cabinet Office COP26 Unit is also supporting preparations for COP15 to ensure successful delivery of our COP26 objectives.
Government Ministers responsible for the supply chain ecosystem are working collectively, and in close partnership with industry, to drive the development and delivery of plans to strengthen supply chain resilience, supporting economic recovery and levelling up.
The Cabinet Office uses vehicles from the Government Car Service, alongside other providers.
The Government Car Service is already electrifying its vehicles, with nearly 50% of their fleet either full battery electric or plug-in hybrid.
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement published on 11 March. (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-03-11/hcws841).
The Reasonable Worst Case Scenario planning assumptions published on 23 September related specifically to the potential for disruption to freight travelling at the end of the Transition Period. The Government is using a broad range of approaches to planning and preparing for the next phases of border controls.
Freight levels have increased since the beginning of the year, and volumes are now at the equivalent 2020 levels. The Border Operations Centre in the Cabinet Office is monitoring border flow.
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement published on 11 March. (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-03-11/hcws841).
The Reasonable Worst Case Scenario planning assumptions published on 23 September related specifically to the potential for disruption to freight travelling at the end of the Transition Period. The Government is using a broad range of approaches to planning and preparing for the next phases of border controls.
Freight levels have increased since the beginning of the year, and volumes are now at the equivalent 2020 levels. The Border Operations Centre in the Cabinet Office is monitoring border flow.
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement published on 11 March. (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-03-11/hcws841).
The Reasonable Worst Case Scenario planning assumptions published on 23 September related specifically to the potential for disruption to freight travelling at the end of the Transition Period. The Government is using a broad range of approaches to planning and preparing for the next phases of border controls.
Freight levels have increased since the beginning of the year, and volumes are now at the equivalent 2020 levels. The Border Operations Centre in the Cabinet Office is monitoring border flow.
I refer the hon. Member to the letter from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to the Chair of the Future Relationship with the European Union select committee dated 7 October 2020 and published on the committee website.
Smart Freight will enable a driver or haulier to check and confirm that goods they are carrying are accompanied by customs and import/export documentation and are thus ready to cross the border.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 39669 on 4 May 2020.
The Department for Business and Trade works with the construction sector to support decarbonisation and achieving Government’s net zero targets.
This support includes increased delivery of energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation, the use of lower carbon materials and products such as cement and concrete, and tools to help the sector manage carbon and understand whole life carbon considerations of infrastructure and the built environment.
The approach on what materials and products, including lower carbon materials, could be used in construction projects is agnostic, and will be dependent on the type of infrastructure or built environment structure being constructed.
Since July 2022, we have seen Tata Group announce an investment of over £4bn in a UK gigafactory. JLR have also announced plans to accelerate their shift to electric vehicles and have committed to a £15bn investment in their industrial footprint, vehicle programmes, autonomous, AI and digital technologies and people skills. In addition, in the wider electric vehicle manufacturing supply chain, we have seen Johnson Matthey announce an investment of over £60m in Hertfordshire to develop hydrogen technologies, Pensana announce an investment of £145m in a rare Earth metal refinery, and Ford announce a further £150m investment in Halewood to manufacture Electric Drive Units, in addition to their £227m investment announced in October 2021.
Details of our support to companies will be published in due course as part of our regular transparency data.
The Department for Business and Trade has regular contact with the metals recycling sector and they have raised electrification of sites and access to hydrogen networks as potential barriers. The Government’s Electricity Networks Strategic Framework sets out a vision for the transformation of the electricity network, and the Government aims to respond to its consultation on hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure later this year.
To support decarbonisation, the sector can apply to the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, the Programme of Research and Innovation for the UK Steel and Metals sector, and the SUSTAIN Future Manufacturing Research Hub.
Metals recycling will play an important role in helping the domestic aluminium and steel sectors deliver net zero production, through the delivery of reduced residual scrap as a key feedstock.
There is no deep-sea mining currently happening in areas beyond national jurisdictions, there are no exploitation licences for deep-sea mining, and no exploitation regulations have yet been agreed.
In addition, the UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep-sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards have been developed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and are in place.
The Government commissioned this independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University to provide a comprehensive description of current research related to deep-sea mining.
Informed by evidence, we continue to contribute to discussions on deep-seabed mining at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), pressing for the highest environmental standards in relation to existing exploration activity, and potential future commercial exploitation should that be approved by the ISA.
The Government’s analysis shows that heat networks could provide about 20% of total heat by 2050 up from the 3% currently. They will provide a greater proportion in the urban areas that will be covered by the heat network zoning legislation in England which will designate areas where heat networks are expected to provide the lowest cost, low carbon heating.
As part of Heat Network Zoning the Government will provide local communities with the tools to accelerate the development of heat networks and ensure that more homes and businesses can have access to greener, cheaper heat. This will include tools that will enable them to identify the number of buildings that are likely to be connected to district heating in these zones.
The UK Government is investing over half a billion pounds in funds and programmes to develop new heat networks and improve existing ones. The Green Heat Network Fund is the primary funding mechanism to develop new and existing low carbon heat networks across England. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme can also fund connections to heat networks. With the introduction of heat network zoning, we will assess how the Green Heat Network Fund should evolve in the future. The recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission will be taken into account in this exercise.
Government is committed to delivering carbon savings through increased resource efficiency in industry, in line with the 2023 Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. Through UKRI, the Government has provided innovation support, including £30m for the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research programme and £66m for the Transforming Foundation Industries programme.
DESNZ has undertaken extensive research to support evidence-based resource efficiency policies. The first reports were published in November 2023. This will complement policies aimed at encouraging consumers to make green choices, such as eco-labelling and product standards. We are also processing the results of a call for evidence on scope 3 emissions reporting.
The Government committed to the Green Public Procurement pledge in its announcement at COP28 last year. As part of the pledge communiqué, the Government listed the actions it is taking to meet commitments under the pledge. The Government will provide the first annual update on the pledge later this year, which will include information on progress to date.
The pledge communiqué is available here: https://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/content/uploads/2023/12/iddi-gpp-pledge-announcement_5-december-2023.pdf
Regulation 2023/1670 applies Ecodesign requirement to smartphones and tablets. These are not priority products under the Framework but the Government is currently considering the implications of the EU’s Ecodesign programme and what the UK’s approach should be across a wide range of products.
The estimation of the impact of anthropogenic activities on seagrass meadows, salt marshes and other blue carbon habitats along the shores of the UK is currently precluded by widespread gaps in the data required to generate emission estimates in line with current guidelines.
We are working with the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership (UKBCEP) to resolve this. As a first step, a roadmap to inclusion of saltmarsh has been created and the UKBCEP are working to collect the necessary data.
The Government is already undertaking a significant amount of work at the subnational level to deliver net zero, as outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan. Therefore, the Government does not see a need to sign up to the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action at this time.
We engage regularly with local government through the Local Net Zero Forum. To date, the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action has not been raised as part of these discussions.