Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of green bonds issued by (a) Bruce Power and (b) Ontario Power Generation in Canada.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK’s Green Financing Programme (Green Gilt) is a key pillar of the UK government’s green finance agenda, raising money to fund projects with clearly defined climate or environmental benefits. There is significant demand from investors for these products, and it is expected that the ongoing Green Financing Programme will help catalyse further growth of the corporate green bond market. The Government would not normally assess or comment on specific corporate green bond issuances, but we are in the process of establishing a UK Green Taxonomy, which will provide a robust classification system for green economic activities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential increase in the average price of goods following the redirection of ships around the Cape of Good Hope.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since November, due to Houthi attacks, 12 international shipping companies have been forced to suspend passage through the Red Sed, causing lengthy delays and disruption to global supply chains. This has included causing insurance premiums for Red Sea shipping to increase ten-fold; although, this only contributes a small fraction of total costs passed onto the end-consumer.
These attacks therefore present a risk of increased prices for consumer goods and energy. Be assured that the Government is working closely with shipping operators to mitigate any potential impact on consumers, and the shipping and supply chain sectors are well practiced at putting contingencies in place to continue to meet their customer needs. The government continues to monitor the situation closely.
Freedom of navigation across international shipping lanes in the Red Sea must be protected. These illegal Houthi attacks are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening regional security, and harming the global economy. In all, we have seen more than 25 attacks against ships since the middle of November. This is why the UK and the US, with support from the Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain, and Australia, carried out targeted strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen. This action was necessary, legal, proportionate and right.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2024 to Question 9726 on Red Sea: Shipping, whether he had discussions with his international counterparts on the potential merits of countries other than (a) the UK and (b) the US taking part in military action in the Red Sea on 12 January 2024.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK and United States' military action on 22 January 2023 against Houthi targets was taken with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
The Defence Secretary continues to engage counterparts to ensure a robust international response to the Red Sea situation.
On 23 January, the US and UK were joined by 23 countries in issuing another Joint Statement condemning the illegal and reckless Houthis attacks against vessels transiting the Red Sea and surrounding waterways. The Joint Statement noted that the latest US and UK led strikes were in accordance with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence, consistent with the UN Charter. It also highlighted how the thirty-plus attacks that the Houthis have launched against commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to all countries that rely on international maritime shipping. It also underscored that those who supply the Houthis with weapons to conduct these attacks are violating UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received on (a) the sourcing of bearskin hats from Canada and (b) the method by which those bears are killed.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that the Department has received representations from organisations and members of the public concerning the sourcing of bearskin hats, and the methods by which the bears are killed, with which we continue to engage.
Please be assured however that bears are never hunted to order for use by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Bear pelts that are used by the MOD are by-products of legal and licensed hunts authorised by each individual Canadian Province and Territory to manage the wild bear population.
Furs used by Defence are only procured via local Canadian suppliers with a ‘Furmark’ accreditation. This is a global certification and traceability system for natural furs that guarantees animal welfare and environmental standards, and in turn ensures the ethical sourcing and sustainability of the fur.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister during the oral statement on Defending the UK and Allies of 15 January 2024, Official Report, column 577, for what reason only forces from the UK and USA took part in the action in the Red Sea on 11 January 2024.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK and United States' military action on 12 January against Houthi targets was taken with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
Ten countries, including Germany, Denmark, New Zealand and Republic of Korea, signed a joint statement on the strikes, re-iterating to the Houthis that we will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats.
This followed a 3 January joint statement from by the UK, US and ten allies, including Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, calling for the immediate end to the Houthis' illegal activities.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the positive impacts of the Canada Child Benefit that was introduced in 2016, and what lessons they have learned from it in developing their own policies.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We keep Child Benefit under regular review and part of that includes considering international comparisons.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) NATO (b) other international counterparts on reducing carbon emissions from military activities.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence engages with NATO and with key partners such as the USA, Canada, France and Australia at Official level through various fora and bilaterally to build shared understandings, increase climate literacy, and exchange methods and approaches on reducing carbon emissions and military adaptation.
At the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2023, I signed the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy on behalf of the department, which outlines the steps necessary to meet the commitment to decarbonise Defence’s aviation capability, whilst also mitigating potential risks to operational effectiveness that are likely to arise as a result of climate change.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of restitution payments made under the LGBT+ Veterans Independent Review.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence continues to work at pace with experts from across Government, and with reference to schemes developed by allies such as Canada, to establish an appropriate scheme for the financial award, working within the £50m limit recommended in Lord Etherton’s Review.
Development of the scheme is at an early stage and therefore Defence cannot yet confirm the details, the expected number of claimants, or the likely size of awards. However, the Government is committed to delivering the report’s recommendation, acknowledging that the process is intricate and must be followed correctly.
Defence will continue to engage with LGBT veterans as plans for the financial award progress. Defence are committed to providing updates on the development of the scheme, including eligibility criteria and the application process, which will be published to the ‘LGBT Veterans: support and next steps’ GOV.UK page as soon as possible.
Ministers are committed to maintaining the momentum of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review and so are exploring the possibility of holding a debate in the House as soon as parliamentary time allows, following publication of the Government response last year.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help British cheese producers maintain levels of exports to Canada.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As of 1 January 2024, U.K. exporters can export cheese to Canada tariff free if they do so through a Canadian importer with a licence for Canada’s “non-EU” World Trade Organisation quota. We continue to work closely with U.K. cheese exporters to monitor the impact of these changes.
We will also work closely with the sector to ensure that U.K. exporters are in a strong position to take advantage of the Canadian dairy quotas that the U.K. will be able to access through CPTPP.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the UK’s trading agreement with Canada on the British cheese industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As of 1 January 2024, U.K. exporters can export cheese to Canada tariff free if they do so through a Canadian importer with a licence for Canada’s “non EU” World Trade Organisation quota.
These changes only came into effect at the start of the year, and it is too early to determine the full impact.
We will continue to work closely with U.K. cheese exporters to monitor the impact of the changes, including what this means for the relationships between Canadian import licence holders and exporters.