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Written Question
Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timetable for the (1) introduction, and (2) implementation, of activity regulations under the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.

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

The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of future bans on the advertising and offering for sale, in England and Northern Ireland, of low-welfare animal activities abroad.

Future decisions on which specific animal activities will fall in scope of the advertising ban will be evidence-based and subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Sufficient, compelling evidence will be required to demonstrate why any specific advertising ban is needed.

This Government continues to make animal welfare a priority and we are currently exploring a number of options to ensure progress as soon as is practicable.


Written Question
Biodiversity
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expedite the delivery of the apex goal set out in the Executive Summary of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 to halt the decline in biodiversity and achieve 'thriving plants and wildlife'.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are committed to meeting our ambitious target to halt and then reverse species decline and are accelerating action towards delivery.

In June last year we launched a multi-million-pound Species Survival Fund to provide early progress towards our species abundance targets and support the recovery of declining species. The fund will support projects focussed on the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, including on protected sites.

Through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme, launched April 2023, we have also provided £14.5M of funding for 63 projects delivered in partnership with 74 different organisations to take action to halt and reverse the decline of 150 rare species, including the critically endangered European eel and the Greater Mouse-eared bat.

In November we announced the 34 projects selected for the £25 million second round of our Landscape Recovery scheme. These projects will collectively restore more than 35,000 hectares of peatland, sustainably manage more than 20,000 hectares of woodland, including some temperate rainforest, create over 7,000 hectares of new woodland and benefit more than 160 protected sites (SSSIs). This builds on the success of the first 22 Landscape Recovery projects which are already underway, aiming to restore more than 600 km of rivers and targeting the conservation of more than 260 flagship species. This is alongside increased incentives, announced in January, for farmers to deliver environmental outcomes which will support habitats and species through our Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship schemes.

We are also rolling out Nature Recovery Projects across the country to create improved and better-connected habitats for wildlife and improve public access to nature. In July 2023 we launched a further six projects covering over 176,000 ha of land across England. These projects build on the G7 legacy project in Cornwall launched in 2021 and the five other nature recovery projects launched in 2022 which together span around 120,200 hectares.


Written Question
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the marine protected area surrounding South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is currently undertaking the second 5-year review of its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The review is considering the effectiveness of the current MPA measures, including whether the underpinning scientific research and monitoring is sufficient, particularly in light of climate change, and whether effective monitoring and surveillance capacity is in place. The review will determine whether additional measures are required to achieve the stated MPA objectives. GSGSSI is committed to reporting on its review by early next year.


Written Question
Fisheries: Sustainable Development
Friday 15th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish a timebound strategy to meet their legal obligation to aim that fishing occurs at sustainable levels.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As an independent coastal state, the UK now sets catch limits through negotiations with other coastal states, led by the best available science. In line with the sustainability objective in the Fisheries Act 2020, our aim is to achieve environmentally sustainable outcomes as well as socio-economic benefits. The UK Joint Fisheries Statement, published last November, lists 43 Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) to be developed across the UK and sets out a timetable for their publication. The FMPs will set out policies to maintain or increase stocks to sustainable levels (or contribute to doing so). Our FMPs will contain short-, medium- and long-term time bound actions to be delivered over the lifetime of the plan. The actions are to support the sustainable management of fish stocks – they are based on the best available evidence and input from the fishing sector. We plan to publish the first FMPs by the end of this year.


Written Question
Fishing Catches
Friday 15th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, in agreeing sustainable fishing catch limits for 2024–26 with the EU, what consideration they have given to advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, and whether these limits will or will not exceed this advice.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As an independent coastal State, the UK sets total allowable catches (TACs) through negotiations with other coastal States led by the best scientific advice, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on maximum sustainable yield (MSY). For the majority of stocks TACs will be set for 2024, with a small number agreed biennially through to 2025.

Per our obligations under the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement, we seek to achieve, or contribute to the achievement of the fisheries objectives. In particular, we strive to deliver environmental sustainability, including increasing the total number of stocks fished at MSY, as well as economic benefits. In early 2024, following the conclusion of the annual fisheries negotiations, the Government will publish an independent assessment of the number of TACs set consistent with ICES advice for 2024.


Written Question
Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries
Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Immigration on 23 June (HC189553), what progress they have made towards negotiating bilateral youth mobility schemes with EU countries, particularly France, Greece, Italy and Spain.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The UK remain open to negotiating Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with other countries and territories, including EU Member States. However, as each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal agreement which also provides benefit to UK nationals, with the detail negotiated and agreed between the relevant parties, we are unable to disclose the status of negotiations as they occur.

We have recently agreed new YMS arrangements with Andorra and Uruguay. From 31 January 2024, nationals of these countries will be eligible to travel to and experience life in the UK for up to 2 years.

We have also agreed to enhance our existing schemes with Australia, Canada and Japan. For Australian and Canadian citizens who are looking to take advantage of the UK’s YMS, the age range will be increased from 18-30 to 18-35 and they will have the option of extending their YMS visa for an additional year, taking the total length of stay in the UK from 2 to 3 years. UK citizens will also have the same access into those countries. The annual quota associated with the UK’s youth mobility arrangement with Japan will increase to 6,000 places on a reciprocal basis. We are intending to implement these enhancements on 31 January 2024.

We remain committed to expanding our YMS to more nations, including but not limited to those within the EU. Further details of additional YMS agreements will be announced once they are concluded.


Written Question
Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries
Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps if any they are taking to negotiate bilateral youth mobility schemes with countries across Europe to ensure UK travel businesses can hire UK citizens for critical tourism roles overseas.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The UK remain open to negotiating Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with other countries and territories, including EU Member States. However, as each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal agreement which also provides benefit to UK nationals, with the detail negotiated and agreed between the relevant parties, we are unable to disclose the status of negotiations as they occur.

We have recently agreed new YMS arrangements with Andorra and Uruguay. From 31 January 2024, nationals of these countries will be eligible to travel to and experience life in the UK for up to 2 years.

We have also agreed to enhance our existing schemes with Australia, Canada and Japan. For Australian and Canadian citizens who are looking to take advantage of the UK’s YMS, the age range will be increased from 18-30 to 18-35 and they will have the option of extending their YMS visa for an additional year, taking the total length of stay in the UK from 2 to 3 years. UK citizens will also have the same access into those countries. The annual quota associated with the UK’s youth mobility arrangement with Japan will increase to 6,000 places on a reciprocal basis. We are intending to implement these enhancements on 31 January 2024.

We remain committed to expanding our YMS to more nations, including but not limited to those within the EU. Further details of additional YMS agreements will be announced once they are concluded.


Written Question
Lord-Lieutenants: Middlesex
Monday 24th July 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to re-establishing the roles of Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The allocation of Lieutenancies to counties was set out in the 1997 Lieutenancies Act and there are currently no proposals to amend it.


Written Question
Chemicals: Recycling
Thursday 6th July 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Penn on 27 April (HLWS735), when they plan to publish the consultation into chemical recycling; and whether they intend to explain why there has been a delay in publishing it.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

To signal support for the developing chemical recycling sector, at Tax Administration and Maintenance Day, the government announced a consultation on allowing a mass balance approach for calculating recycled content in packaging made from chemically recycled plastic, for the purposes of the Plastic Packaging Tax. The government also confirmed the consultation would be published this year.

The government is committed to developing an approach which supports the commercialisation of the UK chemical recycling sector, whilst maintaining the integrity and supporting the objectives of the Plastic Packaging Tax.


Written Question
Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have set a date for the Joint Ministerial Council with the Overseas Territories in respect of the meeting postponed in November 2022.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

The UK Government greatly values the Joint Ministerial Council with the Overseas Territories as the main forum to discuss issues of mutual interest and to agree actions to tackle shared challenges. The next Joint Ministerial Council will be held on 11-12 May 2023.