Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment has he made of the adequacy of the UK’s chemical safety regulations.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK’s chemical regulations play an important role in protecting human safety and health as well as the environment and wildlife. The Government ensured that an operable regime for chemicals was put in place at the time the UK left the EU.
Following EU exit, the government continues to assess how best to provide ongoing protection in an effective, proportionate and targeted way, taking into account the full range of regulatory options. Several government departments have responsibilities within the UK chemicals regulatory framework.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is considering opportunities for legislative reform within their areas of legislative remit.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with pharmaceutical companies on making the Covid vaccine commercially available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government is committed to protecting those most at risk from COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Those eligible receive vaccination for free through the National Health Service. Whether and when a private market for COVID-19 vaccines emerges is a matter for private companies, and the Government has no formal role in this. However, the Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines to increase choice for consumers. I have engaged with relevant interested parties who may seek to enter the private market this year, including vaccine manufacturers and pharmacies.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2024 to Question 9914 on Universal Credit: Farmers, whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of moving from Working Tax Credits to Universal Credit on recipient farmers in the last five years; and if he will undertake an assessment in the next three months.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made and there are no plans to make an assessment.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using alternative methods of calculating monthly Universal Credit rates for self-employed recipients with seasonal income and expenditure patterns.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using annual income as the basis for Universal Credit rates for self-employed recipients with seasonal income and expenditure patterns.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the financial impact of moving from Working Tax Credits to Universal Credit on recipient farmers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No recent assessment has been made.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will raise with the Moroccan Ambassador the potential release of detained Saharawi human rights activists.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life. We regularly discuss migration and treatment of refugees with partners, including through our embassies, and we remain committed to supporting them to manage this effectively.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett Formula consequential funding for Wales will be of the announcement of 29t November 2023 of £30 million for women and girls football in England; and when the Welsh government will receive that funding.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Barnett formula is applied when departmental budgets change – not when departments announce how they are spending their budgets. When the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s budget changes in relation to this funding, the Barnett formula will apply in the usual way as set out in the published Statement of Funding Policy document.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Internal Market Act 2020 on plans to implement a deposit return scheme in Wales.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK Government is working cooperatively with all the devolved administrations to deliver interoperability and alignment of deposit returns across the whole of the UK. The interaction with the provisions of the UK Internal Market Act 2020 are being fully considered as part of those discussions.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing restrictions on use of the term probiotic (a) on food labels and (b) in marketing for foods containing probiotic microorganisms.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
‘Probiotic’ is a term commonly used to describe the effect of one or other strains of live bacteria used in food and food supplements. Food information rules require that the name given to a food, or an ingredient of a food, should be its legal name or, in the absence of this, its customary name. In the case of ingredients described as ‘probiotic’ this will be the specific strain of live bacteria used. There are no other specific restrictions within general food information rules.
Regulations governing the use of nutrition and health claims on foods, for which the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has responsibility, protect consumers from being misled by ensuring that any health claims made are backed by substantiated scientific evidence. A health claim is any claim that states, suggests or implies a relationship exists between the product or one of its constituents and health.
Under the Regulation, the term ‘probiotic’ can be considered a non-specific health claim. It can already be used, providing it is accompanied by an approved health claim for the specific strain of live bacteria. No further assessment of merit has been undertaken although the Department for Health and Social Care continues to engage with industry on any potential future application for new assessment. To date DHSC has not received any application for approving claims on specific strains of live bacteria. Companies would be required to include the specific strain in the ingredient listing.