Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 16 June 2021 to Question 14142 on Chemicals: Health and Wildlife, when she expects the UK Health Security Agency to publish the biomonitoring data collected on the exposure of UK citizens to chemicals under (a) Horizon 2020, (b) the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative and (c) the Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Human Biomonitoring for Europe (HBM4EU) project, funded under Horizon 2020, the feasibility of integrating human biomonitoring data into an existing United Kingdom health examination survey was explored. However, no UK biomonitoring data was collected in the project.
As a result of the HBM4EU work carried out by the UK Health Security Agency in collaboration with Imperial College London, a human biomonitoring module was implemented into the NHS Health Survey for England 2022/23 programme. Samples collected in this study are currently being analysed to ascertain exposure within England to a number of priority substances. This data for England will be integrated into the Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals alongside that of other participating countries.
Data on background levels of metals, bisphenols, and phthalates in the population samples are expected to be published by Autumn 2026, with data on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances and flame retardants to follow at a later stage.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to increase the significance of improving animal welfare within the work of the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Animal welfare is, and will continue to be, a high priority for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Through its knowledge and expertise, effective delivery of regulatory functions, and provision of guidance and advice, APHA plays a critical welfare role.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of migration from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit on care charges levied on disabled people by local authorities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care 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.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Nicaraguan counterpart on the imprisonment of Efrén Antonio Vílchez López.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 17 October 2025 to question 81287. We remain concerned by the harassment and arbitrary detention of members of the Church in Nicaragua and urge the Nicaraguan authorities to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will create new regulatory protections from hazardous chemicals similar to those of the EU in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The revised Environmental Improvement Plan will set out our approach to chemicals management.
The ‘UK REACH Rationale for Prioritising Substances in the UK REACH Work Programme: 2025 to 2026’ policy paper set out our strategic approach to chemicals regulation. Notably that we are seeking to draw more from regulatory decision-making in other jurisdictions, and that this should enable new protections to be applied more quickly, more efficiently, and in a way which is more aligned with our closest trading partners.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which active substances used in biocidal products are approved for use in the UK and not approved in the EU by (a) name of active substance, (b) product type (c) CAS Registry Number and (d) entity name.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The only active substance that is currently approved for use in biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Product Regulation (BPR) in GB, and which is not approved in the EU under EU BPR, is sulfuryl fluoride, in product types 8 and 18, CAS 2699-79-8. The entity that supported the first approval of sulfuryl fluoride is Dow AgroSciences GmbH, and the company supporting the renewal of the approval in GB is Douglas BLG BVBA.
The EU BPR continues to apply in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that migration from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit does not adversely impact disabled claimants financially.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to ensuring that customers, including those with disabilities, are supported when moving from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to Universal Credit (UC). For those moved under managed migration, we provide transitional protection to their legacy benefit entitlement at the point of claiming UC.
In addition to transitional protection, customers receiving income-related ESA receive a two-week run-on of their legacy benefits to ensure the move to UC is as smooth as possible.
To support customers moving from ESA who require more support to claim the Department has developed the Enhanced Support Journey. The Enhanced Support Journey helps ESA claimants with potential barriers through proactive measures such as outbound calls, system checks, and home visits to ensure they are not left without support during migration. Key features include safeguards to prevent benefit termination before a UC claim, tailored adjustments like alternative communication channels, and national Complex Case Coaches for vulnerable claimants.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which chemical substances have received EU Harmonised Classification and GB Mandatory Classification since 1 January 2021 by (a) chemical name, (b) European Community number, (c) CAS Registry Number, (d) EU harmonised classification (i) hazard class and category code and (ii) hazard statement code and (e) GB Mandatory Classification (i) Hazard class and category code, (ii) Hazard statement code and (iii) date of entry into legal effect.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since 1 January 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the regulator, has acted as the Agency for the assimilated Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures as amended in Great Britain (or the GB CLP Regulation).
HSE is responsible for the GB mandatory classification and labelling system (GB MCL) and for updating the GB MCL List on the HSE website with new/revised or deleted entries in accordance with a timetable set out in UK law. The GB MCL List entries provide information on chemical substances that have GB MCLs including: a) chemical name, (b) European Community number, (c) CAS Registry Number, (e) GB Mandatory Classification and Labelling (i) Hazard class and category code, (ii) Hazard statement code and (iii) date of entry into legal effect.
The GB MCL List does not include information on the EU harmonised classification and labelling, hazard class and category code and hazard statement code for these chemical substances. This information is available on the European Chemicals Agency website in the unofficial ‘Table of harmonised entries containing all updates to the harmonised classification and labelling of hazardous substances, available in Table 3 of Annex VI to the EU CLP Regulation’.
The GB MCL List includes 4430 entries. Since 1 January 2021, 206 chemical substances have received GB MCLs, following a recommendation by HSE as the Agency and a Ministerial Decision made with the consent of Scottish and Welsh Ministers. The GB MCL entries for the 206 entries, including the requested information, are published in the GB MCL List on the HSE website – please see https://www.hse.gov.uk/chemical-classification/classification/mcl-list.htm.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Animal and Plant Health Agency's guidance entitled Animal welfare on farms inspection, published on 12 January 2016, requiring complaints to be lodged before inspection of a farm.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
APHA carries out inspections for a number of different reasons, including (but not limited to) in case of allegation of poor animal welfare on farm. Any allegations of poor animal welfare are logged and assessed. Where there are non-compliances with the regulations, appropriate action is taken, this includes unannounced inspections carried out within 24 hours and follow-up inspections at a later date to confirm compliance.
Information on how to report an animal welfare concern is available on this page:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-farm-animal-welfare-concerns.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to require the Animal and Plant Health Agency to publish the (a) outcomes of inspections, (b) rates of compliance and (c) types of non-compliance on farms.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra publishes data in the Multi-annual National Control Plan (MANCP) annual reports, relating to animal welfare official controls and enforcement activities undertaken within GB, which the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) contributes to. Outcomes of inspections, rates of compliance and types of non-compliance on farms are included in the report.
MANCP reports are available here.