Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government will act to reduce reoffending by giving offenders leaving prison the tools to move away from crime.
This will include improving prisoners' access to purposeful activity, such as education; delivering pre-release plans for all those leaving custody; and ensuring that ex-offenders leave prison with a job and the skills needed to lead law abiding lives.
We are also supporting prisoners with a mental health or substance misuse need into treatment and are building stronger links with health partners to support continued engagement with treatment for prison leavers.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law, a practical framework to (a) enable the long-term phase-out of animal experiments in medical research and (b) support scientists with the transition to (i) computer modelling, (ii) organ-on-a-chip technology and (iii) other human-specific methods.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.
As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take with (a) scientists, (b) industry representatives and (c) civil society representatives to help phase out animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.
As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help improve relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Türkiye.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our diplomatic missions are in regular contact with the authorities in Turkey, as a close NATO ally, and Iraq. We reiterate to all parties the need for dialogue and cooperation between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians.
The UK recognises Turkey's right to self-defence but also fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. It is critical that Turkey and Iraq reach a way of addressing their security concerns that does not lead to greater regional instability.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) promote and (b) support democracy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues, including around Kurdish representation in Iraqi politics.
Elections are essential for the people of the KRI to express their voice and for the future of the region. We are monitoring the situation with long-overdue KRI elections closely and we are encouraging a solution that allows free and fair elections to take place as soon as possible.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote stability in (a) Kurdistan and (b) the surrounding area.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage greater cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve their outstanding issues, as well as between the political parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).
Our focus remains on bolstering the region's stability through our bilateral programming and defence offer. As a leading member of the Global Coalition, the UK supports the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga to tackle the threat from Daesh and promote stability. This is in addition to the UK's contribution to NATO Mission in Iraq.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of potential impact of Iranian interference in the Kurdistan region on that region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear eyed that Iran continues to destabilise the Middle East through its military, financial and political support for its proxies and partners.
Long-term peace and security cannot be achieved without addressing such activity. The UK works closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account and encourage de-escalation.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote relations with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a secure, stable and thriving Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. The UK regularly engages with leaders of the KRI and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including through their representations in London. We maintain our diplomatic presence in the KRI through the British Consulate General in Erbil. Through this platform, we continue to cooperate closely on our shared bilateral priorities, such as security and migration issues.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the criminal exploitation of children.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to preventing young people being lured into crime, drugs and criminal gangs. We will deliver on our Manifesto commitment and have already committed to bring forward new legislation to strengthen the law to tackle child criminal exploitation.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the levels of pollution in the River Exe and (b) what the sources of this pollution are.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This government is committed to tackling pollution. The Water (Special Measures) Bill, announced during the King’s Speech, delivers on our manifesto commitment to put water companies under tough special measures and begin the work of cleaning up our waterways.
Water quality assessments are underpinned by Environment Agency monitoring programmes, focussing upon a broad range of biological, chemical and physico-chemical parameters. Monitoring and assessment are undertaken throughout the River Exe catchment, from the headwaters on Exmoor, to the bathing waters at Exmouth and Dawlish Warren. Water quality data is publicly available via Ecology and Fish Data Explorer and Open WIMS. These data are assessed against standards set under the Water Environment Regulations (WER) and Bathing Water Regulations, and are published on Catchment Data Explorer.
In the River Exe catchment, there are 27 waterbodies. Of these, 10 are at good ecological status (under WER), 16 at moderate status and one at poor status. This equates to 37% of waterbodies in the River Exe catchment achieving good or higher status, compared to 16% nationally. Bathing waters at Exmouth and Dawlish Warren received a classification of ‘Excellent’ in 2023.
I would refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament