Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
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 (a) place in the Library and (b) publish a copy of the recent audit report by the EU Commission on the functioning of Border Control Posts in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The EU carried out a routine audit of various Border Control Posts in Northern Ireland from 21 to 30 June 2021. The purpose of the audit was to examine the system of official controls on the entry of animals and products of animal origin into Northern Ireland and verification of the compliance of border control posts in Northern Ireland with European Union requirements.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to review the UK Timber Regulations.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Timber Regulations are not currently under review. We have, however, committed in the Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan to increase the use of timber in construction, identifying it as key measure in encouraging commercial forestry. Our England Trees Action Plan includes measures to encourage both supply and demand for UK grown timber, including our commitment to increase public demand for sustainably sourced timber through procurement policies.We committed in the Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan to increase the use of timber in construction, identifying it as key measure in encouraging commercial forestry. Our England Trees Action Plan includes measures to encourage both supply and demand for UK grown timber, including our commitment to increase public demand for sustainably sourced timber through procurement policies.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
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 Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister’s decision to halt the construction of border control posts on 27 February 2021, what information he holds on the (a) outcome of legal advice sought by the Permanent Secretary to the Northern Ireland Agriculture department on his ability to comply with that decision and (b) steps that have been taken to progress work on the development of border control posts since that decision.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Decisions on the construction of Border Control Posts are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.
Defra officials continue to work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to comply with international obligations and give effect to the Protocol in a pragmatic and proportionate way, minimising impacts on the everyday lives of people in Northern Ireland, in line with its fundamental purpose.
The agri-food processes required under the Protocol continue to be discharged using the interim facilities that have been in place since 1 January.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
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 report by the Office for National Statistics on covid-19 deaths by occupation in England and Wales, published on 25 January 2021, if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the potential merits of classifying food production staff as a priority group for the second phase of the covid-19 vaccination rollout.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government has decided that the vaccine delivery plan should prioritise preventing mortality, by directly protecting those most at risk of death and hospitalisation. With this direction, the Joint Committee for Vaccines and Immunisation (JVCI) has been tasked with putting forward advice on prioritisation. This will carefully consider the arguments for prioritising sectors within the overall goal around health outcomes. We will ensure Defra sectors, including food production workers, are fully considered in this process.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the draft National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides will be published for consultation; and what steps it will include to encourage a reduction in pesticide use and increase in the uptake of integrated pest management by UK farmers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The revised National Action Plan for the Sustainable use of Pesticides (NAP) will be published for public consultation later this year. In line with the 25 Year Environment Plan, the NAP will put Integrated Pest Management at the heart of the Government’s approach to promote alternative techniques to protect crops, including physical, biological and other non-chemical methods. Through the NAP we aim to minimise pesticide use and reduce risks to human health and the environment while ensuring that farmers can protect their crops.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the addition of pesticides to the exclusions list in the UK Internal Market Bill means that devolved Governments will be able to (a) take additional action which goes beyond that of England to ban or restrict specific pesticide active substances due to concerns over effects on human health or the environment and (b) reduce maximum residue levels for specific pesticide active substances to levels below those of England due to concerns over effects on human health.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The intention of the pesticides provision in the UK Internal Market Bill is that each part of the UK will remain responsible for deciding which pesticide products can be authorised for sale and use in their respective territories, as they are now. After the end of the Transition Period, each administration in Great Britain will also have responsibility for approval of active substances, a pre-requirement for authorisation of products. This approach will ensure that each administration retains the ability to decide what pesticides can be used in their territory, and to take account of locally specific factors such as environmental conditions or farming practices should that be necessary.
While setting of maximum residue levels will also be devolved within Great Britain after the Transition Period, the intention of the Bill is that the mutual recognition principle will apply to rules on maximum residue levels in the same way it applies to rules on goods generally, to ensure effective functioning of the internal market. This will avoid the potential for new internal trade barriers on sale of food which has been produced lawfully should there be any divergence in maximum residue level decisions.
In practice, all administrations delegate their pesticide regulatory functions to the Health and Safety Executive to undertake on their behalf. This helps to ensure a consistent approach and we are committed to working closely together with the devolved administrations to continue to take joint decisions wherever possible.