Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 the European Commission announcement entitled Vision for Agriculture and Food, published on 19 February 2025, if he will hold discussions with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of implementing the same regulations as proposed in the EU on (a) phasing out the use of cages for farmed animals and (b) introducing animal welfare labelling.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare.
The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are considering very carefully.
A public consultation on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling was undertaken last year by the previous Government. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.
We await the EU Commission proposals on phasing out the use of cages for farmed animals and animal welfare labelling with interest.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in Official Development Assistance from 2027 on people with disabilities; and what steps he is taking to (a) fund and (b) otherwise resource the FCDO Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy to 2030.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on people with disabilities - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.
At 16 per cent of the global population, people with disabilities are among the world's most vulnerable, particularly at times of crisis. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is committed to mainstreaming a disability inclusion and rights approach across our work and we will also drive stronger international coordination to advance global disability inclusion progress.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve data capture on the (a) number of private law proceedings that involve allegations of child sexual abuse and (b) outcomes of these cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be introducing a new case management system for private law children‘s cases, Manage Cases. This system will identify each type of abuse or harm allegation made by an applicant, including child sexual abuse. This will support data capture of the number of proceedings in which child sexual abuse is a factor and the outcome of these cases. The national roll out of the new digital system is expected to begin later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his (a) Kazakhstani and (b) Tajikistani counterpart on obligations under international law prohibiting the (i) expulsion and (ii) return of refugees to countries where they would face (A) risk of persecution and (B) serious harm.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassies in Astana and Dushanbe monitor the situation in country for refugees, including from Afghanistan, and lobby relevant authorities on their obligations under international law when necessary. I raised human rights with my Kazakh and Tajik counterparts in February 2025 and October 2024 respectively. We continue to encourage all states, including Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to uphold international human rights obligations.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to publish a timeline for the Fair Work Agency becoming fully operational.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Creating the Fair Work Agency (FWA) is a complex process that requires primary legislation. The Employment Rights Bill is the first phase of delivering the FWA.
Implementation will occur in phases following Royal Assent to ensure a smooth and effective transition. We will provide more information on timings in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that only suppliers that (a) offer secure jobs, (b) treat workers fairly, (c) pay a decent wage and (d) recognise trade unions can (i) bid for and (ii) hold public contracts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This government is committed to creating jobs that provide security, treat workers fairly, and pay a decent wage. The government’s Social Value Model provides an opportunity to reward suppliers who provide good working conditions for staff working on public contracts.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 press notice entitled Government announces reforms to boost profits for farmers with a cast iron commitment to food production, published on 9 January 2025, whether his Department plans to monitor food currently bought by (a) all public sector bodies and (b) Government departments.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the Oxford Farming Conference in January, I announced that, for the first time ever, the government will review food currently bought in Government Departments and the wider public sector, including where it is bought from. This is in line with the National Procurement Policy Statement, published in February alongside the Procurement Act coming into effect, which sets out the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 38992 on Mental Health Services: Children, what metrics his Department uses to provide a comparative assessment of the impact on long-term outcomes of children and young people’s well-being practitioners with (a) accredited school-based counsellors and (b) other relevant professionals; and if he will take steps to commission an independent review on the impact of different mental health practitioners on children and young people’s well-being.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All interventions delivered by mental health practitioners, including those in mental health support teams, are evidence-based and use a range of clinical evidence.
An early evaluation of the children and young people’s mental health trailblazer programme examined the development, implementation, and early progress of the 25 ‘trailblazer’ mental health support teams created as the first step of the programme. The interim report was published in January 2023, and highlights the impacts of the mental health support teams on improving pupil mental health and improving teacher mental health. The report is available at the following link:
There are currently no plans to commission an independent review on the impact of different mental health practitioners on children and young people’s well-being.