Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility costs on the beer and pub sector.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a range of issues, including the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) costs on obligated producers, local authorities and the waste management sector. The updated assessment of the pEPR scheme, published in October 2024, evaluated overall effects on packaging producers without disaggregating by sector.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of HMRC's approach to preventing (a) VAT and (b) duty evasion in the off-road motorcycle industry.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC collected a record £858.9 billion in taxes in 2024/25, an increase of 3.7% from the year before, which included £171.0 billion in VAT. HMRC has a strong track record in tackling all kinds of non-compliance. HMRC takes a risk-based and intelligence-led approach to enforcement and is continuously developing its capabilities to target and tackle all types of non-compliance. Assessments of the effectiveness of HMRC’s approach to prevent VAT and duty evasion are not available at that level of granularity.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) VAT and (b) customs duty lost as a result of (i) undervaluation and (ii) misclassification of (A) imported off-road motorcycles and (B) related parts in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics and details of the estimate methodologies are published annually and are available at:

Measuring tax gaps 2025 edition: tax gap estimates for 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK

Estimates of the revenues lost from (i) undervaluation and (ii) misclassification of (A) imported off-road motorcycles and (B) related parts in each of the last five years are not available as the methodologies used in assessing the tax gap do not allow estimates to be made at such a granular level.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Cuban authorities on the detention of religious leaders; and what steps she is taking to ensure the promotion of religious freedom in the country.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of their faith. Our relationship with Cuba allows for frank dialogue, including on matters on which we do not agree. We continue to raise concerns where we have them, as we did through an open letter from the former Foreign Secretary in December 2024 to Pastor Lorenzo, expressing solidarity and calling on the Cuban authorities to release him. We were delighted to hear of his release in January.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to prevent off-road motorcycles being declared as (a) used vehicles and (b) components of vehicles.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There is no legal requirement for vehicles to be registered and licensed if they are used exclusively off the public roads. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does operate a voluntary registration scheme for off-road vehicles, which can assist in the identification of complete, stolen off-road motorcycles.

To qualify to register an off-road vehicle, the vehicle can be new or used but it must be complete. It is not possible to register component parts. A declaration that the vehicle will only be used off road is also required.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle unsustainable (a) purchasing practices, (b) pricing structures and (c) business models by UK businesses.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government expects all UK companies to respect human rights, workers’ rights and the environment throughout their operations and supply chains in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). If there are concerns related to a multinational enterprise contravening the OECD Guidelines, a case can be raised with the Office for Responsible Business Conduct.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government also launched a review into the UK’s approach to RBC, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he expects the review of responsible business conduct to (a) conclude and (b) report any policy recommendations.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The Government is progressing the review at pace while ensuring that we harness the insight of a range of stakeholders. We will continue to provide regular updates as we progress the review.

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 introducing legislation on (a) human rights and (b) environmental due diligence for businesses; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this on (i) the resilience of UK supply chains and (ii) the livelihoods of global producers.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. It will have due regard to the effectiveness of any measures on supply chain resilience and the livelihoods of global producers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make (a) human rights and (b) environmental due diligence mandatory for businesses.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. It will have due regard to the effectiveness of any measures on supply chain resilience and the livelihoods of global producers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure the views of producers in the Global South involved in UK supply chains are factored into (a) his Department's review of responsible business conduct and (b) any policy recommendations it makes.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains.

Throughout the review, we will harness the insights and expertise of civil society and our international trading partners, as well as businesses, investors, trade unions and academia. Stakeholders will also be given the opportunity to feed into the National Baseline Assessment on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which will run in parallel and inform the review.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that companies are held to account when they fail to prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) environmental harms in their supply chains.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all companies are legally obliged to prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) environmental harms in their supply chains.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the existing legislative framework for dealing with (a) human rights and (b) environmental harms in UK businesses supply chains.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct across the economy. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms.

The review will focus on the global supply chains of businesses operating in the UK. It will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK's current regime and the merits of alternative measures to support responsible business practices.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that all commercial fish stocks have catch limits that do not exceed scientific advice.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared fish stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of those stocks. This is principally advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of commercial fish stocks have catch limits set (a) at and (b) below levels recommended by scientific advice.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We strive to improve the sustainability of our fisheries and publish an annual independent assessment of the outcomes of our negotiations to set catch limits with other coastal states. The Government’s independent report for 2025 found that 46% of all assessed stocks had catch limits that were set at or below the recommended scientific advice.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that North Sea cod is fished at sustainable levels.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with the EU and Norway to set annual catch limits for shared North Sea cod stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of these stocks. This is principally advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. The UK continues to lead the trilateral (UK, EU and Norway) cod management working group to further our joint understanding and collaboration on existing management measures, and to consider improvements or modifications which could provide additional protection to cod substocks.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that overseas farmers and workers involved in UK agricultural supply chains are receiving living incomes.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is committed to advancing free and fair trade around the world that is inclusive, sustainable and reduces poverty. To do this, the UK supports a range of initiatives to drive inclusive growth and create more and better jobs at scale, including in agricultural supply chains.

Such initiatives include the recently concluded Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) programme, which aimed to advance women's economic empowerment in global supply chains. In Kenya, WOW supported over 300,000 tea farmers, over 80% of whom reported improved productivity and income through climate-resilient practices and diversified livelihoods.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential enforcement challenges associated with implementing the proposed generational smoking ban in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and will help to ensure the successful implementation of the smoke-free generation policy. Age of sale restrictions for tobacco products are already in place in Northern Ireland, with enforcement led by district councils. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland, through the Public Health Agency, funds tobacco control officers to conduct test purchases and support retailer compliance. These arrangements are expected to continue under the new legislative framework and will include additional products. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland is working closely with councils in preparation for implementation of the smoke-free generation policy on 1 January 2027.

The bill also gives ministers in Northern Ireland the ability to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products. This will strengthen enforcement, support legitimate businesses, and crack down on rogue retailers who breach the law. Once implemented, this will replace the existing retailer register for tobacco products in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Assembly provided its legislative consent for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on 10 February 2025.

Poppy Appeal in Northern Ireland

Eligibility variations in access to IVF

Extinction of the slender-billed curlew

Provision of trained Family Liaison Officers

Agriculture

National inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse

Digital ID

Found: Renfrewshire North) Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat; Tewkesbury) John Whitby (Labour; Derbyshire Dales) Sammy Wilson