Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency planning they have undertaken to manage any disruption to imports to the UK resulting from any potential problems with the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) outlines a pragmatic and phased implementation approach starting from January 31 2024, designed to give all relevant parties sufficient time to prepare ahead of its introduction.
We will continue to engage with and monitor the sentiment of stakeholders across all parts of the United Kingdom, affected sectors, and our trading partners around the world to ensure readiness for the phased introduction of our new model.
The Government will run a series of in-person and online engagement events, and publish guidance detailing actions required as a result of the changes on GOV.UK. For example, we will work closely with our key trading partners to ensure the capacity and availability of certifiers for Export Health Certificates does not become a barrier to trade.
To ensure our own readiness for implementing the Model, departments with specific responsibilities will run and end-to-end operational testing, working with industry to identify any issues and support a smooth transition for each phase of the Model.
The Model represents an estimated £520 million saving for all importers compared to the Model originally planned for introduction in 2022. The actual cost to business will greatly depend on how businesses adapt their business models and supply chains to integrate the Model. As outlined in the BTOM, we estimate the costs of the Model at £330 million per annum overall, across all EU imports, which is around 0.13% of the overall value of EU goods imports to Great Britain. We estimate the measures introduced through the BTOM would have a minimal impact on consumer food price inflation of less than 0.2% in total over a 3-year period.
In contrast, an outbreak of a major disease could have a much more significant impact: the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease cost £12.8 billion in 2022 prices, £4.8 billion of which was cost to Government and £8 billion cost to the private sector.
The Government ran a consultation on charges for Government owned Border Control Posts from 12 June to 9 July, including a call for views on our intention to administer a single Common User Charge for eligible Sanitary and Phytosanitary consignments at government-run Border Control Posts. The outcome of this consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the readiness of EU vets for undertaking processes related to importing goods into the UK under the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) outlines a pragmatic and phased implementation approach starting from January 31 2024, designed to give all relevant parties sufficient time to prepare ahead of its introduction.
We will continue to engage with and monitor the sentiment of stakeholders across all parts of the United Kingdom, affected sectors, and our trading partners around the world to ensure readiness for the phased introduction of our new model.
The Government will run a series of in-person and online engagement events, and publish guidance detailing actions required as a result of the changes on GOV.UK. For example, we will work closely with our key trading partners to ensure the capacity and availability of certifiers for Export Health Certificates does not become a barrier to trade.
To ensure our own readiness for implementing the Model, departments with specific responsibilities will run and end-to-end operational testing, working with industry to identify any issues and support a smooth transition for each phase of the Model.
The Model represents an estimated £520 million saving for all importers compared to the Model originally planned for introduction in 2022. The actual cost to business will greatly depend on how businesses adapt their business models and supply chains to integrate the Model. As outlined in the BTOM, we estimate the costs of the Model at £330 million per annum overall, across all EU imports, which is around 0.13% of the overall value of EU goods imports to Great Britain. We estimate the measures introduced through the BTOM would have a minimal impact on consumer food price inflation of less than 0.2% in total over a 3-year period.
In contrast, an outbreak of a major disease could have a much more significant impact: the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease cost £12.8 billion in 2022 prices, £4.8 billion of which was cost to Government and £8 billion cost to the private sector.
The Government ran a consultation on charges for Government owned Border Control Posts from 12 June to 9 July, including a call for views on our intention to administer a single Common User Charge for eligible Sanitary and Phytosanitary consignments at government-run Border Control Posts. The outcome of this consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the readiness of (1) EU exporters, and (2) rest of world exporters, for importing goods into the UK under the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) outlines a pragmatic and phased implementation approach starting from January 31 2024, designed to give all relevant parties sufficient time to prepare ahead of its introduction.
We will continue to engage with and monitor the sentiment of stakeholders across all parts of the United Kingdom, affected sectors, and our trading partners around the world to ensure readiness for the phased introduction of our new model.
The Government will run a series of in-person and online engagement events, and publish guidance detailing actions required as a result of the changes on GOV.UK. For example, we will work closely with our key trading partners to ensure the capacity and availability of certifiers for Export Health Certificates does not become a barrier to trade.
To ensure our own readiness for implementing the Model, departments with specific responsibilities will run and end-to-end operational testing, working with industry to identify any issues and support a smooth transition for each phase of the Model.
The Model represents an estimated £520 million saving for all importers compared to the Model originally planned for introduction in 2022. The actual cost to business will greatly depend on how businesses adapt their business models and supply chains to integrate the Model. As outlined in the BTOM, we estimate the costs of the Model at £330 million per annum overall, across all EU imports, which is around 0.13% of the overall value of EU goods imports to Great Britain. We estimate the measures introduced through the BTOM would have a minimal impact on consumer food price inflation of less than 0.2% in total over a 3-year period.
In contrast, an outbreak of a major disease could have a much more significant impact: the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease cost £12.8 billion in 2022 prices, £4.8 billion of which was cost to Government and £8 billion cost to the private sector.
The Government ran a consultation on charges for Government owned Border Control Posts from 12 June to 9 July, including a call for views on our intention to administer a single Common User Charge for eligible Sanitary and Phytosanitary consignments at government-run Border Control Posts. The outcome of this consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with Wilko on their announcement of bankruptcy and the potential closure of stores.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is not appropriate for Government to involve itself in the running of an independent business. Nor is it appropriate to be involved in the independent exercise of the administration of a business.
Officials at the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service have been working with the Administrators of Wilko to ensure that statutory redundancy payments can be made to the former employees as soon as possible. Retail officials have had regular engagement with the administrators, PwC, the GMB Union, as well as DWP, the Cities and Local Growth Unit and the Insolvency Service.
I remain concerned for the many employees who now face an uncertain future. We will continue to provide support to those employees directly impacted by the outcome.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to minimise the disruption of import checks on food products arriving from the EU.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
From 30 April, our approach to compliance and enforcement will balance an expectation that businesses will do their best to comply, with an understanding that there will be a period of adjustment, and the importance of minimising disruption to supply chains. We will continue to pursue an approach of supporting businesses towards full compliance via guidance and warnings, and only escalating enforcement where necessary.
To support business in preparing for controls, Defra is engaging stakeholders in all SPS sectors within the United Kingdom, across the EU and with global trading partner. Information will be shared through a series of live and virtual engagement events. Online guidance will be available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Civil service turnover in Defra was 8.7% in the 12 months up to March 2023, including all four executive agencies: the Animal and Plant Health Agency; the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; the Rural Payments Agency; and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
Defra is addressing turnover by using the following approaches:
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Office of Artificial Intelligence 2021 Grant.
Answered by Paul Scully
In 2021 the UK published the National AI Strategy which set out our ten year plan to strengthen the UK’s role as a global AI leader and which built on the success of the 2018 AI Sector Deal and continuing commitments to improve the AI skills and talent of the UK workforce.
The AI Sector Deal committed to an Industry-Funded Masters in AI (IMAI) programme, which included support for up to 200 AI Masters places at UK universities, starting in September 2019.
The programme successfully leveraged £3.3 of industry funding for AI Masters for every £1 of public spend. Beyond the financial benefits, the design of the programme facilitated engagement between Higher Education Institutions and large companies, including DeepMind, Quantum Black, BAE Systems and others. The government provided an opportunity for students across the majority of regions to develop their skills in AI, with twelve out of seventeen institutions located outside of London and the South East. By facilitating partnerships between industry and academia, participating universities were able to improve the business relevance of their AI Masters’ courses, helping to meet the demand for industry relevant skills.
Despite these significant accomplishments, the evaluation highlighted several limitations in the programme. A lack of appropriate data collection meant there were limited mechanisms for evaluating student participation and graduate outcomes. The initial targets were set relatively high and future programmes would benefit from a more evidence based approach to set more realistic targets. Finally, stakeholders indicated that more could have been done to publicise the programme to industry, Higher Education Institutions and students.
The successes and limitations of the IMAI programme have already shaped and informed the design and delivery of the AI and Data Science Conversion Course programme, announced in 2019 – including how to successfully leverage industry funding – which has been incorporated into the design of the second phase of the AI and Data Science Conversion Course programme. The appointment of a dedicated employer engagement partner is ensuring a targeted focus on building strong relationships between industry, academia, participating students, and the wider AI skills community to drive stronger stakeholder involvement in the programme. The programme is also focused on improving the diversity of students taking up AI courses, and emerging findings from our improved data collection process has enabled us to demonstrate the value of scholarships in improving diversity and the representation of women, as well as black and disabled students in the AI ecosystem.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Civil Service turnover in the Department for International Trade (DIT) was 8.1% in 2022/23.
As part of Machinery of Government changes, DIT has since become The Department of Business and Trade (DBT).
As part of the leavers process for DBT each leaver is sent a link to a survey to gather more information around the reasons the individual is leaving, such as career development or better pay and conditions. This narrative is beneficial to inform future policy decisions.
Examples of current activities to support attraction and retention:
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) the Secretary of State, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have participated in foreign visits as part of the City of London Overseas Engagement Programme in the period since 2010.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
My department does not have a team or individual dedicated to supporting the Lord Mayor of London’s overseas engagement programme. Officials from my department have provided support to individual elements of the Lord Mayor’s programme where it delivers the Government’s trade and investment objectives. On each occasion support will have been provided by DBT teams in the relevant Embassy or Consulate as a small proportion of individuals’ overall activity. We do not capture data on time or cost at that level of detail.
No Secretary of State or Ministers in DBT or DIT participated in foreign visits as part of the Lord Mayor’s overseas engagement programme in the last 3 years for which we have records. Officials will have participated as described above.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of her Department's work on the Lord Mayor of London’s Overseas Engagement Programme in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
My department does not have a team or individual dedicated to supporting the Lord Mayor of London’s overseas engagement programme. Officials from my department have provided support to individual elements of the Lord Mayor’s programme where it delivers the Government’s trade and investment objectives. On each occasion support will have been provided by DBT teams in the relevant Embassy or Consulate as a small proportion of individuals’ overall activity. We do not capture data on time or cost at that level of detail.
No Secretary of State or Ministers in DBT or DIT participated in foreign visits as part of the Lord Mayor’s overseas engagement programme in the last 3 years for which we have records. Officials will have participated as described above.