Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he will publish the results of the Department's consultation on the Voluntary Carbon and Nature Markets: raising integrity.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government welcomes the many responses to the Voluntary Carbon and Nature Markets consultation. Officials are undertaking analysis of the responses received and the Government intends to publish its response in the first half of this year.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will review current guidance under the school milk scheme to ensure consistency with NHS Eatwell guidance, which includes fortified dairy alternatives such as plant-based milks as part of a balanced diet.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and this response applies to England only.
Milk and relevant dairy products only are eligible under the School Milk Subsidy Scheme. There are no plans to amend the scheme requirements to include non-dairy drinks or associated products.
The Government recognises that some children with clinical and dietary needs are unable to consume milk and expects schools to make reasonable adjustments for those with such specific needs.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce legislation to prohibit (a) octopus farming in the UK and (b) imports of commercially-farmed octopus.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government have no current plans to prevent the import of farmed octopus products to the UK. Defra is not aware of any plans to establish octopus farming in the UK. Any such plans would be subject to relevant existing regulatory regimes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits to children’s health and inclusion of expanding the School Milk Scheme to include fortified plant-based alternatives.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and this response applies to England only.
Defra regularly reviews the administration and outcomes associated with the School Milk Subsidy Scheme, most recently following the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s assessment report of health benefits and risks of consuming plant-based drinks published in July 2025.
Only milk and relevant dairy products are currently eligible for subsidy in the School Milk Subsidy Scheme and there are no plans to extend the scheme to include fortified plant-based alternatives.
The Government recognises that some children with clinical and dietary needs are unable to consume milk and expects schools to make reasonable adjustments for those with specific needs.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure coherence between the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and other Government frameworks, including nutrient profiling, dietary guidance and restrictions on foods high in fat, sugar and salt.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
When considering the reforms to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) announced at Budget 2025, HM Treasury worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care throughout the process, including to consider whether the SDIL minimum sugar content threshold could, and should, align with the nutrient profiling model (NPM). However, it would be complex to align the SDIL, which applies only to drinks and is based on sugar content alone, with the NPM, which determines what are ‘less healthy’ foods and drinks by balancing a range of beneficial and less beneficial nutrients.
The government judges that the new SDIL threshold of 4.5g total sugar per 100ml strikes a fair balance between delivering on the SDIL’s health objectives and supporting producers with the process of reformulation.
Given the government recognises that these reforms ask soft drink producers to adapt and invest in further reformulation, and that certainty is required to support this process, the Chancellor has committed to not make any further changes to the design of the SDIL this Parliament.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 impact global deforestation and desertification on the UK’s national food security, supply chains and food prices.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK imports 40% of its food and is therefore exposed to supply chain risks such as deforestation and desertification via food security and price impacts associated with food imports.
Defra routinely conducts and updates assessments on a range of threats. HMG pub-lishes assessments in the National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, includ-ing on biodiversity loss and its interactions with ecosystems, on gov.uk.
The Government is committed to supporting sustainable production, trade and use of deforestation linked products. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee, sponsored by Defra, have created the Global Environmental Impacts of Consumption indicator, an indicator which includes analysis of the impact of forest risk commodities in global supply chains. The indicator estimates that UK consumption drove 29,300 hectares of deforestation in 2023.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025 to question 91282, what assessment she has made of the relative merits of (a) the forest-risk commodities regime and b) the approach of the EU Deforestation Regulations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK and the EU share the common commitment to tackle deforestation in supply chains. The UK is continuing to monitor and engage with international frameworks on deforestation, including measures such as the EU Deforestation Regulation, and their impact on global supply chains which will inform any UK measure.
We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is currently considering its approach to forest risk commodities and will set out plans in due course.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2025 to question 85098, when she will bring forward due diligence measures on forest-risk commodities.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK recognises the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation.
The Government is carefully considering the best regulatory approach to address deforestation in UK supply chains; we will set out this approach in due course. We need to balance a range of factors, including the broader policy landscape and relevant international frameworks.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will publish in full the Global Ecosystem Assessment report.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra routinely conducts and updates assessments on a range of threats. The Government publishes assessments in the National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, including on biodiversity loss and its interactions with ecosystems, on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the decision by Israel to recognise Somaliland and the implications for the UK's own policy on recognition.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK's long-standing position that the settlement of Somaliland's status is an issue for authorities in Mogadishu and Hargeisa to decide through a consultative process and dialogue, in line with the principles of the UN charter.