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Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Children
Wednesday 14th February 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help tackle underage vaping.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. The health advice is clear: if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape.

The Government’s response to the recent smoking and vaping consultation sets out our plan to introduce powers to crack down on youth vaping by restricting flavours, point of sale and packaging for vaping products. We will introduce legislation as soon as possible. The consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response

In the consultation response, we also announced that disposable vapes will be banned, due to their appeal to young people and environmental concerns. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs will be taking forward the ban and are looking to legislate as soon as possible.

We have also developed new training resources and support available for teachers and schools, working with the Department for Education to update the curriculum to include the health risks of vaping, and publish new online content on the potential risks of vaping for young people.

Finally, we will also introduce a £100 fixed penalty notice for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. This will enable trading standards officers to take quicker and more proportionate enforcement action against the irresponsible retailers who allow underage sales.


Written Question
Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Finance
Tuesday 13th February 2024

Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority was in each financial year since 2010-11.

Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

Allocation of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority’s (GLAA) annual budget has been the responsibility of the Home Office since April 2014. Prior to this, the budget was held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The Home Office does not have readily available access to information on total budgets covering the period of 2010-2014 when it was held by DEFRA.

Accordingly, the total GLAA budget in each financial year since its transfer to the Home Office in 2014 is presented in the following table:

Year

Total Budget (£Ms)

2014-2015

£1.61

2015-2016

£1.97

2016-2017

£5.60

2017-2018

£7.66

2018-2019

£6.70

2019-2020

£6.70

2020-2021

£6.75

2021-2022

£7.12

2022-2023

£6.62

2023-2024

£7.77


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Environment Protection
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty. The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are:

  • made by Ministers of the Crown; and
  • not covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.

The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.


Written Question
Convention on Biological Diversity
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which members of His Majesty's Government will attend COP16.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK’s delegation to COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity was led by the Environment Secretary, who attended along with Ministers from two other Departments. The details of the delegation for COP16, including Ministerial representation, will be determined closer to the time but will be led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Written Question
Convention on Biological Diversity
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Ministers will attend COP16 to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK’s delegation to COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity was led by the Environment Secretary, who attended along with Ministers from two other Departments. The details of the delegation for COP16, including Ministerial representation, will be determined closer to the time but will be led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)

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 his Department’s transparency data Spending over £500 with an electronic purchasing card solution for September 2023, updated on 20 December 2023, what the purpose was of spending £630 with See Tickets on Other Miscellaneous Expenses.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The expenditure of £630 relates to the purchase of 30 tickets to a UK Parliament Multimedia Tour on 9 August 2023. This formed part of a summer internship induction day. The tour gave interns knowledge on the history, heritage and work of UK Parliament today as they begin working for Defra.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministers' Private Offices
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2024 to Question 11394 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministers' Private Offices, what the cost of each refurbishment was.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.


Written Question
Food: Waste Disposal
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness O'Neill of Bexley (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter issued on 9 January to local authorities by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the indicative capital transitional costs for the introduction of weekly food waste collections, whether they have plans to defer the deadline of 19 January for local authorities to respond to the banking details request until after the Department has responded to the concerns of local authorities about the level of Government funding offered to cover the cost of these collections.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

So that we can provide funding this financial year, we have asked local authorities to provide bank details by 19 January. If local authorities have requested a review of their funding, then we will still need a record of their bank details.

If local authorities are undergoing a review process with our Defra team, we intend to still pay the funding indicated in their indicative letter. Subject to the result of the review, if a local authority requires further funding, then this will be provided separately.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many digital roles within his Department are vacant.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra’s Digital, Data and Technology Services has 240 approved vacancies. This represents 19% of 1,285 full time equivalent. 206 of these vacancies are roles on the Government Digital and Data framework.


Written Question
Convention on Biological Diversity
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other countries on COP16 to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ministers and senior officials across Government, led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, are in close and ongoing contact with their global counterparts about preparation for COP16. In addition, the Environment Secretary and Lord Benyon spoke to a number of their international opposites at the COP28 meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).