Stella Creasy

The UK’s product safety and metrology framework is derived from EU law and has developed over the past four decades, while the UK was a Member of the EU. While there have been some product standard developments since 31 January 2020, the regulations in the EU and UK currently remain broadly similar.

No estimate has been made on the number of product standard regulations that will be issued by the EU in the next five years. Some expected changes to EU regulations have been identified, with outdoor noise regulations due to be implemented in May 2025 for instance.

The Government takes consumer protection very seriously which is why we are introducing the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. This Bill is intended to enable the UK to maintain high product standards, supporting businesses and economic growth, by allowing the UK Parliament the power to update relevant laws.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is the UK’s national product regulator within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). As well as policy responsibility for product safety and standards, OPSS delivers front line product regulation for DBT, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Transport.

The Department does not routinely publish separate data on the number of staff employed in OPSS. The last separately published figures for OPSS were that it employed 430 staff in the year 2021/22.

The UK-Egypt Trade and Investment Subcommittee is a forum for promoting further trade and investment between our two countries, and the inaugural meeting was held on 18 July 2023.

At this meeting, market access issues, including ongoing regulatory collaboration in areas of shared priority and interest, such as renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and financial services, were discussed.

The Subcommittee meets as circumstances require and officials in the UK and Egypt work together on an ongoing basis on trade and investment issues.

The Department is considering the outcome of the Finch case and the potential impacts of this across its portfolio and cannot comment further at this time.

The UK welcomed the creation of the Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders under the Aarhus Convention.

The Government is considering the issues raised in the Special Rapporteur's two recent letters, in the context of the UK's obligations under the Aarhus Convention.

We will respond in due course.

Monitoring and enforcing the border controls introduced under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is undertaken collaboratively between bodies including Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Border Force and HMRC.

Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk: It would be inappropriate for us to set out operational details such as the exact inspection details from 30 April.

Checking details, such as time taken to review consignments, could be used by bad actors looking for exploitable elements of the border to facilitate illegal imports.

Furthermore, this information is also commercially sensitive. HMG does not wish to impact trader choice of route as details of checks completed may advantage/disadvantage other ports as traders may BCP shop to find what appears on paper to be the “fastest route”.

HM Government is responsible for setting charges on imports coming into GB to recover operating costs for the government-run BCP facilities serving the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel. Further detail on the Common User Charge including on invoicing and ongoing support will be published imminently.

The Common User Charge (CUC) rate will not apply at privately-run ports; it is up to individual commercial ports to determine their own charging structure and rates.

The Government recognises the immediate issues affecting the National Health Service and is determined to fix them. We also recognise the need for investment in our estate across the country, including at Whipps Cross University Hospital, North East London.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked for an urgent report on the degree to which the New Hospital Programme is funded and a realistic timetable for delivery. He will consider this carefully then report back to patients, clinicians and local communities to confirm revision, if any, to the schedule.

The UK Government remains committed to securing the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. We continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government. The Egyptian Government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah's British nationality and is refusing consular access. The Foreign Secretary has raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions, most recently with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on 14 November. The Prime Minister also raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August. I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 15 October.

The UK Government remains committed to securing the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. We continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government. The Egyptian Government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah's British nationality and is refusing consular access. The Foreign Secretary has raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions, most recently with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on 14 November. The Prime Minister also raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August. I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 15 October.

Hurricane Beryl passed through the Caribbean at the beginning of July, devastating several islands in the Grenadines, including Union. On 5th July, the Foreign Secretary responded by increasing available UK response funding up to £500,000. This money has allowed us to send emergency shelter kits (capable of supporting up to 4,000 people) and freshwater storage solutions (for over 1,600 families) to affected islands, which included Union Island. The UK also supported the deployment of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) emergency response teams to assess needs and assist with relief, logistics and telecoms. St Vincent and the Grenadines also received US$1.86 million from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), to which the UK was a founder donor.

HMRC publishes the estimated cost to the Exchequer and number of claimants of various tax reliefs.

The estimated value of Income Tax and Class 1A National Insurance Contributions relief for “Employer Supported Childcare including workplace nurseries” can be found in the “Multiple_tax_types” worksheet of Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2023).

The figures include three forms of employer-supported childcare (ESC): workplace nurseries, childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare. Use of these reliefs is not reportable to HMRC and so administrative data on their use is not available, nor is a detailed breakdown between the three forms of ESC. The introduction of Tax-Free Childcare and closure of childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare to new entrants leads to the continuing reduction in the cost of ESC.

HMRC publishes the estimated cost to the Exchequer and number of claimants of various tax reliefs.

The estimated value of Income Tax and Class 1A National Insurance Contributions relief for “Employer Supported Childcare including workplace nurseries” can be found in the “Multiple_tax_types” worksheet of Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2023).

The figures include three forms of employer-supported childcare (ESC): workplace nurseries, childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare. Use of these reliefs is not reportable to HMRC and so administrative data on their use is not available, nor is a detailed breakdown between the three forms of ESC. The introduction of Tax-Free Childcare and closure of childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare to new entrants leads to the continuing reduction in the cost of ESC.

Regulating Buy Now Pay Later products is crucial to protect people and deliver certainty for the sector.

The government will be looking to work closely with all interested stakeholders and will set out its plans shortly.

The UK has made an important commitment to resettle Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK.

Data on the number of Afghans who were called forward and not able to board flights who have been subsequently resettled under ACRS Pathway 1 is not captured in the immigration statistics.

The latest published Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) show that (up to the end of March 2024) around 30,100 people have been brought to safety from Afghanistan and the region.

These statistics also show that:

• So far 9,703 people have been resettled under ACRS Pathway 1.
• A breakdown of the number of people that have been resettled under this pathway and the other Afghan resettlement routes since the evacuation in August 2021 may be seen in detail in the following table which was published as part of the last immigration statistics release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#asylum-and-resettlement.

It is unacceptable that anyone should be subjected to harassment or intimidation for exercising their legal right to have access to abortion services. We will quickly review where these arrangements have got to and commence safe access zones around abortion clinics imminently.

Everyone has the right to live in freedom from fear. Women and girls are still facing threats of violence and abuse and we will not stand by and let this continue.

This Government considers tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) a national emergency, and we are committed to halving levels of VAWG within the next decade.

This includes tackling public sexual harassment, which can have a devastating impact on victims and mean that women do not feel safe on our streets. The Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 will make it a specific offence and see perpetrators face up to 2 years in jail. We will confirm next steps imminently.

Guidance on the responsibilities of freeholders under the right to manage is provided by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) and is available on their website: https://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/right-manage.

This government is committed to the communities sector and community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the most to them. The English Devolution Bill will empower communities with a strong new ‘right to buy’ beloved community assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces.

We will make further announcements in due course.

Appropriate protections for victims of harassment or stalking are vital. We are carefully considering implementation of section 31 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to ensure data and safeguarding protections are built into the process. As part of this consideration, we have included a provision in the Data (Use and Access) Bill to ensure that section 31 extends UK-wide, given the nature of the UK’s data protection framework.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of special guardianship orders, however, information held centrally does not include whether the application was granted due to the child having no living parent. This information may be held on court records, but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.

Appropriate protections for victims of harassment or stalking are vital. We are carefully considering the measures within the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 and will provide an update on plans for implementation in due course.