Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 (a) call a meeting of representatives of the pig sector supply chain for the purposes of investigating the take up of (i) temporary visas for skilled butchers, (ii) Private Storage Aid, (iii) slaughter incentive payments for the processing industry and (iv) other measures announced by his Department on 14 October 2021 and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory Code of Conduct for that sector.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Secretary of State and I will be meeting with pig processors on Thursday 16 December to discuss various issues including the take up of measures that the Government announced on 14 October 2021.
The Agriculture Act 2020 contains powers to introduce statutory codes of contractual practice which would apply to businesses when purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers. We are in close touch with key representatives from the pig sector and we want to explore how best to tackle any contractual unfairness.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 call a meeting of representatives of the pig sector supply chain to investigate the take up of measures announced by his Department on 14 October 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Secretary of State and I will be meeting pig processors on Thursday 16 December to discuss various issues including the take up of measures that the Government announced on 14 October 2021.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to halt and reverse population declines in (a) puffins and (b) other seabirds.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK’s seabirds, including puffins, are an important part of our natural heritage, and their protection is a high priority for this government.
We are working with Natural England to develop a comprehensive and ambitious English Seabird Conservation Strategy which we are aiming to publish in summer 2022. This strategy will aim to assess the vulnerability of each seabird species in light of the pressures they are facing and propose actions to address them.
Forage fish such as sandeels play a crucial role in the health of the wider North Sea marine ecosystem. Seabirds and other sensitive marine species rely on sandeels as a food source. Sandeel stocks are highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions and this is affecting the resilience of the seabird populations. Defra and the UK Fisheries Administrations recently concluded a call for evidence on Sandeels and Norway pout to help inform future decision making to ensure these stocks are managed sustainably in the future. The responses are currently being analysed to feed into next steps.
We are also developing a UK Bycatch Mitigation Initiative which we will be publishing early next year. This document will outline actions to tackle the bycatch of sensitive marine species, including seabirds, in UK waters.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) mitigate the spread of trichomonosis amongst bird populations and (b) prevent the further decline of greenfinches.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Trichomonosis in garden birds is not a notifiable disease in the UK, but has caused a significant decline in greenfinch populations since it was first detected here in 2005. The disease has unfortunately also been documented in other garden bird species, including chaffinches, house sparrow, dunnock, great tit and siskin.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) provides advice about keeping bird feeders and water baths clean to prevent transmission between birds. The public can report any concerns to the Garden Wildlife Health (GWH) programme. Defra supports the GWH, which is a collaborative project between the BTO, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Froglife. The project aims to monitor the health of British wildlife and identify new disease threats. It focuses on garden birds, amphibians, reptiles, and hedgehogs. Members of the public can submit reports of sick or dead wildlife and send in samples to the GWH for analysis.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 implications for his policies of the findings of the fifth UK Birds of Conservation Concern report published on 1 December 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to the recovery of species, including wild birds, in England and that is why within the Environment Act 2021 we have a requirement for a new legally binding target halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. Furthermore, we plan to publish a Green Paper soon which will consider further actions that Defra can take to assist nature's recovery.
Our Agri-environment schemes continue to be the principal means of improving habitat provision for farmland birds and the wider environment on farmland in England. We were delighted to see a 40% uplift in Countryside Stewardship applications this year which will help drive immediate action to support birds and other species.
In the longer term we will transition to three new environmental land management schemes which will further this work. In the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, participants can select from an initial set of eight standards to build their own agreements. Several of these standards contain actions to support birds. For example, the Arable and Horticultural Land Standard aims to support increased farmland biodiversity, including wild bird and pollinator populations through specific actions that will provide year-round resources for farmland birds and insects.
In addition, the Government continues to support specific conservation action for birds. For example, supporting the establishment of the National Recovery Partnership for curlew in England, which brings together a range of organisations with a desire to protect and conserve this species, and funding a trial translocation and recovery project in the east of England. We have also supported successful reintroductions, including the white-tailed eagle to southern England.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff were in the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit in each of the last five years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The National Crime Agency collects the above information. However, it is not judged appropriate to publicly provide this information on operational and national security grounds.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 2 November 2021 to Question 64692, on Mortgages: Tax Allowances, for what reason his Department's estimate of the number of landlords affected by the decision to restrict tax relief on mortgage interest to the basic rate of income tax has changed from one in five to one in 10.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The original estimate that 1 in 5 landlords would be affected by the decision to restrict finance cost relief to the basic rate of tax was a forecast based on limited information. The latest estimate of 1 in 10 is based upon received self-assessment tax returns for the tax year 2017-18, the first year after the restriction was brought into force. The statistic refers to individual UK landlords of residential property who completed the main self-assessment property return. It does not include corporate landlords, members of partnerships with property income, landlords of property abroad, landlords who completed the SA200 short self-assessment return, or owners of Furnished Holiday Lettings.
For tax year 2017-18, of all individuals that had declared property income via their self-assessment tax return, around 11 per cent, or approximately 1 in 10, paid more income tax as a result of the decision to restrict tax relief on mortgage interest to the basic rate of income tax.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 2 November 2021 to Question 64692, on Mortgages: Tax Allowances, on what basis his Department has concluded that one in 10 landlords are affected by the decision to restrict tax relief on mortgage interest to the basic rate of income tax.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The original estimate that 1 in 5 landlords would be affected by the decision to restrict finance cost relief to the basic rate of tax was a forecast based on limited information. The latest estimate of 1 in 10 is based upon received self-assessment tax returns for the tax year 2017-18, the first year after the restriction was brought into force. The statistic refers to individual UK landlords of residential property who completed the main self-assessment property return. It does not include corporate landlords, members of partnerships with property income, landlords of property abroad, landlords who completed the SA200 short self-assessment return, or owners of Furnished Holiday Lettings.
For tax year 2017-18, of all individuals that had declared property income via their self-assessment tax return, around 11 per cent, or approximately 1 in 10, paid more income tax as a result of the decision to restrict tax relief on mortgage interest to the basic rate of income tax.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Treasury has made of the potential impact of taxation on the supply of homes for private rent.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government believes good quality private rental accommodation is important and is committed to reforming the Private Rented Sector. The Government plans to publish a White Paper in 2022 which will set out a balanced package of reforms that works for both tenants and landlords.
In April 2016, the Government introduced higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for those purchasing additional properties as a second home or as a buy to let property. The higher rates are three percentage points above the standard SDLT rates and are part of the Government’s commitment to support first time buyers and ensure an efficient use of housing.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure professional athletes can train visa free for more than 180 days outside the UK.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is up to the individual (including professional athletes) to check the rules of each country they intend to travel to ahead of time, whether an EU member state or non-EU country, in case they need to apply for a visa, work permit, or provide other documentation. UK nationals are able to travel visa-free to the Schengen Area for short-term visits (up to 90 days in 180) for a limited number of activities, including attending sporting events, tourism and short-term study. For those undertaking longer-term stays (exceeding the 90 days limit), a visa and/or work permit may be required directly from the host nation.