Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Q329 of the oral evidence given to the Work and Pensions Committee by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions on 10 January 2024, what progress his Department has made on formulating an adequate means of redress for Atomic Energy Agency Technology pensioners; and what his time-scale is for implementing remedial action.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following the Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) on the 10 January, The Department of Work and Pensions officials have met with their Cabinet Office counterparts who have responsibility for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Conversations with Cabinet Office are ongoing. This is a complex issue requiring further consideration, therefore there is no set timescale.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of retired Atomic Energy Agency Technology personnel who have died in the last (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years without having resolved matters relating to their pensions.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information on members of the Atomic Energy Agency Technology pension scheme.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Question 12881 on Food: Imports tabled by the Rt hon. Member for New Forest East; and if he will include in that Answer (a) the reasons for which sealed refrigerated food vehicles entering the UK via the Port of Dover and intended for embarkation on cruise ships from the Port of Southampton are required to undergo biosecurity checks at an inland border security facility in Sevington, Kent and (b) whether a biosecurity risk would manifest itself between the port of arrival and the border security facility.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Answer to Question 12881 was published on 7 March 2024 and I trust it addresses the concerns raised by the Rt Hon Member. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the location of the new border control post in Sevington on biosecurity risk.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Until now, goods from the EU enter the UK without certification and checks, apart from those required for the highest-risk live animals and plants. Now that we have moved away from the EU’s rigid biosecurity surveillance and reporting systems, we are responsible for mitigating our own biosecurity risks, which otherwise could devastate UK industries and our ability to export food, as well as posing risks to the environment, public health and the wider economy: by taking a risk-based approach our controls will be focused on consignments proven to cause the most significant biosecurity risk.
Defra has worked closely with the relevant designating authority so we are confident that Sevington will have the necessary measures in place to appropriately mitigate biosecurity risks that relate to this facility being located away from the point of entry. The approach to physical checks at inland Border Control Points has already been successfully adopted for plants. Work is also underway with key stakeholders, including the Food Standards Agency, to ensure robust operational procedures for vehicles travelling from port of entry to Sevington. These measures will ensure that biosecurity and food safety are not compromised.
Where a consignment is called to Sevington inland border facility for a physical inspection, those goods will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have attended and been cleared at the Border Control Post (BCP). Where the BCP has concerns, either due to non-attendance or evidence of non-compliance, there are existing provisions, including requiring return or destruction of the goods, or for the goods to be referred for inland controls by the local authority. These are part of the established processes for Border Control facilities like Sevington that sit outside the controlled zone of ports, including those at Liverpool Birkenhead, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Tyne. Other EU ports like Dublin also carry out checks at control posts outside of the port itself.
African Swine Fever safeguard checks will be conducted with Border Force at the point of entry. It has never been our intention that these would move to any inland border facility.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral reply of 19 February 2024 to the Rt hon Member for New Forest East on HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, Official Report, column 458,, whether his assurance that one of those ships will always be being made ready to sail means that neither will be mothballed.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that neither HMS ALBION nor HMS BULWARK will be scrapped or mothballed before their planned out of service dates in 2033 and 2034 respectively. As has been the case since 2010, one Landing Platform Dock ship will be held in extended readiness such that she will be capable of being regenerated if we have strategic notice that she will be needed.
As such, HMS ALBION will take HMS BULWARK's place in extended readiness. While you would not expect me to reveal the fine detail of readiness forecasts for security reasons, I can confirm HMS BULWARK will be regenerated from extended readiness and maintained so that she can be ready to deliver defence outputs if required.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason sealed refrigerated vehicles containing food for cruise ships sailing from UK ports are included in the Border Target Operating Model regime; if he will re-examine submissions made to the consultation on the provisional operating model in 2023 about this category of transit; and if he will make it his policy to exclude from the operating model sealed ships' stores that are in transit and not destined for use in the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In response to stakeholder feedback on the draft Border Target Operating Model, we made a change to the timeline for the introduction of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls. Delaying the introduction of the SPS controls by three months has provided stakeholders additional requested time to prepare for the model. It also has the added benefit of bringing the implementation of controls closer to the introduction of further benefits to industry through the upcoming UK Single Trade Window. Movements of SPS animal origin goods that enter Great Britain for the purposes of supplying a ship due to leave from a different port to the one of entry follow the requirements for transit movements, with a reduced burden compared with imports for placing on the GB market. Unlike health certificates for medium risk products being imported into GB, public health attestations are not required for transit health certificates. This means they do not have to meet the same regulatory requirements as goods that are imported into GB, and it is therefore crucial that SPS controls are introduced on these products to prevent them from entering the GB internal market. Identity checks will be performed on medium risk goods for the purpose of supplying a ship at the same percentage as both identity and physical checks would be performed on an import of a medium risk good.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what biosecurity restrictions on imported foodstuffs arriving in sealed refrigerated vehicles (a) were in place prior to and (b) have been in place following the UK's departure from the European Union; and for what reason was the Border Target Operations Model introduced.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
When the UK left the European Union, we became responsible for designing and implementing our own border controls. The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is key to protecting the UK’s biosecurity and ensuring our trading partners have confidence in our standards. The longer we do not have full visibility and control over sanitary and phytosanitary imports, the greater the risks to our public health, our food and farming industries, and our natural environment. The risks of keeping imports unchecked is massive for the UK economy. For example, an African Swine Fever outbreak such as that on the continent would see stocks of pigs slaughtered and make our pork unexportable to the rest of the world. The BTOM strikes the appropriate balance between protecting the UK’s public health, food supply chains and farming industries and natural environment, and setting a pragmatic, proportionate controls regime.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Researchers at Risk programme, organised by the British Academy in collaboration with the Council for At-Risk Academics and other UK National Academies, in rescuing and supporting researchers from Ukraine; and if he will make it his policy to help expand the programme to cover academics from other countries where they face serious risk.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
More than 170 Ukrainian academics have been supported in the UK under the 'Researchers at Risk' programme, launched in March 2022. £3 million was initially allocated to the programme. A further £9.8 million, announced by the Government in June 2022, helped it to expand significantly to meet demand. The first priority of the programme was to enable Ukraine-based researchers to continue their research at UK institutions, whether they were fleeing the conflict or already in the UK and unable to return home. The Academy hopes to open the scheme more widely, when possible, subject to funding.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ending the stamp duty penalty for operators of integrated retirement communities modernising the terms of leases of homes units before they are resold to new residents.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has been made aware of a proposal for a Stamp Duty Land Tax relief for operators of integrated retirement communities. All taxes are kept under review.Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Government Departments will contribute towards the recently announced £2.5 billion assistance package for Ukraine; how much each Department will (a) provide towards that total, (b) receive in extra sums granted by the Treasury to offset that contribution and (c) donate in terms of resources towards that total without reimbursement from the Treasury.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
This is new funding. No department is being asked to contribute to this package.