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 of the closure of the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme on UK growers, fresh food supply chains and consumers; and what plans she has to support the fresh food sector after that scheme ends.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and its role in providing fresh home-grown produce that helps to feed the nation. The EU Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme was limited to Producer Organisations, with only about 20% of the sector benefitting. Future support for the sector will include Defra’s work to rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver maximum benefit for food security and the taxpayer. Significant investment is already underway – of the £200 million allocated to The Farming Innovation Programme through to 2030, nearly £40 million—- 26% of total awards—has funded research projects helping fruit and vegetable businesses become more profitable, resilient, and sustainable. Government has also put in place a five-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route, providing stability for growers, and an extension of easements on import checks for medium-risk produce ahead of the new SPS agreement with the EU.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish a new national Hate Crime Action Plan.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, and whoever is responsible for committing it. We expect the police to fully investigate these appalling offences and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
The Home Office is already working closely with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and other government departments, to strengthen the response to hate crime going forward so we can tackle this offending head on.
The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal called True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We also continue to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in the Bristol East constituency have been affected by faulty PIP breast implants.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The role of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to monitor all incidents that are reported to us, making sure that these incidents are investigated fully and that any necessary action is taken. The poly implant prothèse (PIP) issue was a result of the use of a non-approved silicone in the production of the breast implants and fragile shells. Not all PIP implants manufactured during the affected period used industrial-grade silicone or had more fragile shells. As a result, rupture rates vary depending on the batch received and early rupture typically occurs within the first five to 10 years. Due to the overall fraudulent activity, we do not know how many fall into this category.
We worked with the National Health Service and other health partners to ensure the issue was properly investigated. It is important to note that while PIP implants are associated with a higher risk of rupture, leading to symptoms such as tenderness or swollen lymph glands, there is no evidence linking ruptured PIP implants to serious long-term health issues. The PIP breast implants were withdrawn from the United Kingdom in 2010, and two independent reviews have identified lessons learned, the Howe Review (2012) and the Keogh Review (2013), with further information available on both, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-regulation-of-cosmetic-interventions
One of the concerning issues for women with breast implants at the time of PIP was that women didn’t know they had PIP breast implants. It is estimated that approximately 47,000 British women had PIP implants fitted. We are unable to provide the granularity for individual constituencies, although further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pip-implants/
However, please note that any PIP implants still in place have now exceeded 15 years in situ, which is the upper end of the 10 to 15 year typical life expectancy of a breast implant. As with any medical device reaching the end of its expected lifespan, clinical decisions regarding removal or replacement should be made on an individual basis in discussion between the doctor and the individual involved.
The health system has enacted important changes since the publication of reviews focused on PIP implants. As a result of the Keogh Review, since 2016 the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry collects data on all types of breast implant and removal surgery in England and Scotland, which aims to help detect emerging safety issues and trace patients if necessary.
As part of MHRA’s regulatory reform program, we are intending to also improve the traceability of medical devices through the introduction of Unique Device Identifiers (UDI) which will help identify individual medical devices and who manufactured the device or placed it on the market.
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 steps her Department is taking to ensure that trail hunting is not used as a cover for the illegal hunting of wild mammals with dogs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and we will consult on how to deliver a ban in the new 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, whether her Department has received recent representations on breaches of the Hunting Act 2004.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand substitution therapy interventions for those with opioid dependency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need, and this includes the provision of opioid substitution treatment such as methadone and both oral and long-acting injectable buprenorphine.
On 20 November, the Government announced an investment of over £13.4 billion, a 5.6% cash increase, over the next three years in local authorities’ vital public health work through a consolidated Public Health Grant. This includes the overall £1 billion Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant. The Department advises local areas to prioritise resourcing opioid substitution therapy prescribing from this funding if the current provision is not adequate. Opioid substitution therapy is currently available in all local authorities in England, but access to long-acting injectable buprenorphine is too limited in some.
The Department supports interventions to expand the provision of long-acting injectable buprenorphine. We are currently doing more analysis to understand cost-effectiveness, developing clinical guidance, and scoping how best to expand access to long-acting injectable buprenorphine further.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand access to drug detoxification services for people with substance abuse problems.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need as part of their public health responsibilities, and this includes the provision of drug detoxification services.
In line with recommendations in Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drug treatment and recovery, the Department created a distinct grant to support and expand inpatient detoxification for people who use drugs and alcohol. The £10 million a year grant ran between 2022/23 and 2024/25, before being consolidated into the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant in 2025/26.
The additional funding has enabled four units to open and has seen a substantial increase in the number of people who have been able to benefit from medically supported detoxification in an inpatient setting.
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 progress she has made on supporting the Fungal Conservation Pledge since the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To deliver against the statutory targets for biodiversity, in England, we are taking action at scale to create, restore, manage, and protect wildlife-rich habitats, reduce pressures on biodiversity, and take targeted action for species. This includes actions which support conservation and recovery of fungi.
Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme plays a vital role in taking targeted action for threatened species, including fungi. Additionally, we are aware of the initiative led by Plantlife and Natural England to develop a national fungi conservation plan, and we will continue to engage as this plan evolves.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making pensioners who live with a partner below State Pension age eligible to receive age-appropriate welfare benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have no current plans to do so. Ensuring that individuals, including those below State Pension age, can get into and stay in work is important for individuals in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contributes to the wider economy.
Since 2019, couples have needed to claim working age benefits (usually Universal Credit) until both members reach pension age.
Once in receipt of Universal Credit, the younger partner can access the same employment support that is available for customers below State Pension age. The partner above State Pension age can still receive their State Pension, but this will be taken into account in full when assessing entitlement and calculating the couple’s Universal Credit award.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to send information to home educating parents on the registration measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Following the Bill’s attainment of Royal Assent, the department intends to make regulations and publish statutory guidance outlining how local authorities must publicise the registers and the duties of parents in relation to the registers.
We will consult on the guidance ahead of implementation, so home educating parents can share their views on how they would like to receive information on the registration measures.