Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with the Office for National Statistics on the potential merits of consulting (a) patients, (b) carers, (c) academics, (d) clinicians and (e) devolved Administrations on the design of long covid survey questions.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
No. The design of surveys is the responsibility of the ONS which is operationally independent and accountable to Parliament.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the amount of scrap metal produced in the UK, (b) the maximum demand for scrap metal that can be used in the UK and (c) the impact that a ban on scrap metal exports would have on the UK economy and metals recycling sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My department funded a Warwick University report entitled ‘Domestic Scrap Steel Recycling – Economic, Environmental and Social Opportunities’, published February 2021, which shows that UK produces around 11.3mn tonnes of steel scrap and 1.1mn tonnes of aluminium per year. The Government has not conducted research into the volume of other types of metal scrap.
The same report highlighted that in the years leading up to 2020, the UK’s demand for steel scrap was around 2.6mn tonnes and 800k tonnes for aluminium.
My department is in close discussion with steel and aluminium producers and metal recyclers on a range of options to improve the supply of scrap, including export controls.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with the Office for National Statistics on designing a standard set of long covid survey questions.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
No. The design of surveys is the responsibility of the ONS which is operationally independent and accountable to Parliament.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the Office for National Statistics was of (a) designing, (b) building and (c) running the winter covid infection survey in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1st April is attached.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting minimum recycled content requirements for (a) new infrastructure projects and (b) finished steels.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works with the Green Construction Board, part of the Construction Leadership Council, to reduce levels of waste within the industry, increase recycling, and support the transition to a circular economy. The Green Construction Board published its Zero Avoidable Waste Routemap in 2022, which covers issues such as designing out waste, encouraging refurbishment over demolition, reducing waste going to landfill and the recycling and reuse of energy intensive materials such as concrete and steel.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help increase levels of innovation in the semiconductor industry in south Wales.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is actively driving innovation in South Wales' semiconductor industry through strategic investments, collaborative research funding, and robust international partnerships. Recent initiatives include Vishay Intertechnology’s £250 million investment in Newport, supported by the government's Automotive Transformation Fund, creating over 500 high-skilled jobs focused on advanced semiconductors critical to electric vehicle production. Additionally, UK businesses, including those in South Wales, can now participate in the EU Chips Joint Undertaking, gaining access to €1.3 billion of collaborative R&D funding. Other UK wide schemes, such as the government backed ChipStart scheme also offer extensive opportunities for start-ups, further boosting innovation in the semiconductor sector. This government remains firmly committed to working closely with the Welsh Government and industry partners, ensuring investments deliver sustained growth and strengthen economic resilience across South Wales and beyond.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the expected (a) timescale, (b) operating budget and (c) scale of the proposed National Semiconductor Institute are.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This government recognises the strategic importance of semiconductors as a critical technology for the future of the UK and a significant enabler of the government’s growth and clean energy missions. The Department recognises a number of challenges to growth of the UK semiconductor sector, including industry fragmentation and a lack of long-term innovation strategy. We are currently reviewing a range of options to address this, including a national semiconductor body that can bring together the industry and unlock growth in the sector. We will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with international partners on fostering interfaith tolerance in Myanmar in light of the recent military attacks on churches, monasteries, and other religious sites; and what plans his Department has to integrate education on religious freedom and tolerance within its initiatives in the region.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports the protection of all religious minority groups in Myanmar. We consistently raise concerns about the discrimination of religious minorities and their places of worship in international fora, including co-sponsoring a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April 2024, which underlined the importance of addressing the root cause of violations against religious minorities. Additionally, we fund the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, and the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups. Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is incorporated within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's broader human rights training programme across the region, including workshops on religious engagement for our staff.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to Question 24202 on Lead: Health and Safety, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the work undertaken by the Environment Agency to asses the lead ammunition restriction.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Records show that the Environment Agency has spent approximately £425,000 on salary costs (including wages and direct overheads) for this work. This excludes wider organisational overheads (such as building maintenance and energy costs) and the Health and Safety Executive’s time and costs.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a nationwide kerbside collection for lithium-ion batteries and small Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy, including in electronic waste and batteries, as we develop our Strategy. Currently 100 local authorities in the United Kingdom operate Kerbside collection for small waste electricals and electronic equipment.