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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to publish (a) the Elephant Welfare Group's report, (b) the Government's response to the Elephant Welfare Group's report; and what his Department's policy is on the future of elephants in UK zoos.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government’s policy on the keeping of elephants in zoos will be set out with the publication of the new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain. The new Standards, which will replace the current Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, will be published shortly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce a close season for the shooting of hares.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only, with the potential for relevant policy to extend and apply to Wales.

While the Government has no immediate plan to introduce a close season for hares in England, the policy remains under consideration as part of the Government’s plans to introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations will be consulted as part of the development of the Government's Food Strategy; and whether the expert panel will include representatives from the (a) sustainable food and (b) farming sectors.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As part of the development of the food strategy there will be multiple routes for stakeholders to share ideas and input into the strategy. The Food Strategy Advisory Board represents the first step in a wider stakeholder engagement plan which will continue to ensure and demonstrate the joined-up and systems-wide approach for the food strategy. The membership of the Food Strategy Advisory board was published on gov.uk on 21 March 2025 (Leading food experts join Government food strategy to restore pride in British food - GOV.UK).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publishing the welfare standards and guidance to accompany the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024; and which stakeholders he plans to consult on the guidance before it is published.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The accompanying guidance to the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 has been developed taking into account views from the consultation undertaken in 2023 and relevant experts. The guidance will be published shortly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the total value of trade (a) imports and (b) exports of fish and crustaceans between the UK and the Faroe Islands for financial year (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2022-23.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman or lady Parliamentary Question of 12th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the value of trade (a) imports and (b) exports between the UK and the Faroe Islands for financial year (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2022-23.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman or lady Parliamentary Question of 12th March is attached.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has plans to meet with the Faroese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade to discuss cetacean hunts.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. The Secretary of State currently has no plans to meet with the Faroese Minster of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade. However, the Department for Business and Trade regularly engages the Faroese government on this important matter. Officials meet annually under the Joint Committee of the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement, and UK officials highlight our strong opposition to the practice at every opportunity.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the New Economics Foundation report entitled Forecasting a better future: the case for a bucket approach to fiscal multipliers and more, published on 31 January 2025.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for preparing forecasts for the UK economy. This includes an assessment of the impact of Government policies, where the OBR regularly review and publish papers on their approach.

The Chancellor and OBR Budget Responsibility Committee speak regularly, and there is an ongoing dialogue at official level on a range of issues. This includes the OBR’s approach to preparing forecasts for the UK economy.

The OBR assesses the demand side impacts of policy using multipliers – these estimate the impact on real GDP from government policy. The OBR’s multiplier framework is described in Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts.

The OBR also take account of how specific policies affect the supply side of the economy. This approach is set out in Forecasting potential output - the supply side of the economy.

The OBR have also recently published a new framework for assessing public investment which can be found in the OBR’s Discussion Paper No. 5: Public investment and potential output. This framework was used in the Autumn Budget 2024, where the OBR judged the increase in departmental capital spending to raise potential output by 1.1 percent by 2073-74.

The next OBR forecast will be published on Wednesday 26^th March 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the OBR fiscal multipliers table in the document entitled Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts, published by the Office for Budget Responsibility, published on 9 November 2023, what discussions she has had with the Office for Budget Responsibility on the basis for its assumption that most government spending never has a multiplier effect above 1.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for preparing forecasts for the UK economy. This includes an assessment of the impact of Government policies, where the OBR regularly review and publish papers on their approach.

The Chancellor and OBR Budget Responsibility Committee speak regularly, and there is an ongoing dialogue at official level on a range of issues. This includes the OBR’s approach to preparing forecasts for the UK economy.

The OBR assesses the demand side impacts of policy using multipliers – these estimate the impact on real GDP from government policy. The OBR’s multiplier framework is described in Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts.

The OBR also take account of how specific policies affect the supply side of the economy. This approach is set out in Forecasting potential output - the supply side of the economy.

The OBR have also recently published a new framework for assessing public investment which can be found in the OBR’s Discussion Paper No. 5: Public investment and potential output. This framework was used in the Autumn Budget 2024, where the OBR judged the increase in departmental capital spending to raise potential output by 1.1 percent by 2073-74.

The next OBR forecast will be published on Wednesday 26^th March 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has established criteria to assess progress on climate adaptation.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra actively monitors progress against the actions in the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) through regular internal monitoring across government. The department is developing a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework to support the implementation of NAP3. Progress on adaptation is also assessed externally: by the end of April, the Climate Change Committee will publish its next biennial report on progress in adapting to climate change.

In addition, Defra working with other Government departments including the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, use the cross-government director level Climate Resilience Steering Board to ensure that climate adaptation is embedded into policy- and decision-making across government. The Board oversees strategic, cross-cutting climate adaptation and resilience issues to increase UK resilience to climate change

My department is exploring how to set out stronger objectives to drive action to increase our preparedness for the impacts of climate change up to and beyond the next National Adaptation Programme in 2028.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what degree of global temperature increase his Department's climate adaptation plans are intended for.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is the lead department for domestic adaptation to climate change, and as such it is responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008. Defra is the owning department for about half of the 61 risks and opportunities identified in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) and works closely with the departments who own the remaining risks.

The assessment of risks and opportunities in CCRA3 was based on global warming scenarios of 2ºC and 4ºC. The Government’s climate adaptation plans, as set out in the third National Adaptation Programme, follow the advice of the Climate Change Committee to plan for 2ºC. The Government remains flexible and responsive in our its approach, assessing for different scenarios.

The department is exploring how to set out stronger objectives to drive action to increase our preparedness for the impacts of climate change up to and beyond the next National Adaptation Programme in 2028.

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 a global temperature increase that is more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels on Government-owned infrastructure.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The third Climate Change Risk Assessment considered the impacts of climate change in the context of 2ºC and 4ºC global warming scenarios across the economy, including Government-owned infrastructure. Defra continues to work with other government departments, including Cabinet Office, to assess the potential impacts of global temperature increases on Government-owned infrastructure and to take action to improve its resilience.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

Israel’s military presence in the West Bank

Found: The new clause was negatived on division by 313 to 77 votes.230 New clause 34, proposed by Adrian Ramsay

Found: The new clause was negatived on division by 313 to 77 votes.230 New clause 34, proposed by Adrian Ramsay

Found: Siobhain McDonagh Chris Law Sir Bernard Jenkin Mr Mark Francois Tom Tugendhat Lewis Cocking Adrian Ramsay

Found: Siobhain McDonagh Chris Law Sir Bernard Jenkin Mr Mark Francois Tom Tugendhat Lewis Cocking Adrian Ramsay

Found: Law Dr Simon Opher Jon Trickett Helen Maguire Zarah Sultana Ayoub Khan Ms Diane Abbott Adrian Ramsay

Found: Sureena Brackenridge Mark Sewards Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Jess Asato Siân Berry Adrian Ramsay

Found: Hodgson Ellie Chowns Neil Duncan-Jordan Liz Jarvis Ian Lavery Dr Marie Tidball Siân Berry Adrian Ramsay

Found: Sureena Brackenridge Mark Sewards Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Jess Asato Siân Berry Adrian Ramsay

Found: Law Dr Simon Opher Jon Trickett Helen Maguire Zarah Sultana Ayoub Khan Ms Diane Abbott Adrian Ramsay