Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to reduce microplastic pollution as part of the proposed Circular Economy Growth Plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to delivering a more circular and resilient economy for good growth in every place. We established a Circular Economy Task Force to co-design our approach and plastics is one of the sectors they considered. We will outline our next steps shortly.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which public authorities are responsible for enforcing the requirement for cats to be microchipped under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities and the police have powers to enforce breaches of the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) enforcement notices have been issued and (b) prosecutions have been brought for failure to comply with cat microchipping requirements under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 since 10 June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested on enforcement and prosecutions is not held centrally by Government.
Defra will keep under review whether to grant local authorities the power to issue conditional fixed penalty notices for non-compliance with microchipping regulations for dogs and cats.
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, Defra will continue to support the roll out of cat microchipping.
Defra has not carried out a formal assessment of trends in compliance with the statutory requirement for cats to be microchipped since 10 June 2024.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many financial penalties have been imposed for offences relating to the requirement to microchip cats since 10 June 2024; and what the total value of those penalties was.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested on enforcement and prosecutions is not held centrally by Government.
Defra will keep under review whether to grant local authorities the power to issue conditional fixed penalty notices for non-compliance with microchipping regulations for dogs and cats.
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, Defra will continue to support the roll out of cat microchipping.
Defra has not carried out a formal assessment of trends in compliance with the statutory requirement for cats to be microchipped since 10 June 2024.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of compliance with the statutory requirement for cats to be microchipped since 10 June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested on enforcement and prosecutions is not held centrally by Government.
Defra will keep under review whether to grant local authorities the power to issue conditional fixed penalty notices for non-compliance with microchipping regulations for dogs and cats.
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, Defra will continue to support the roll out of cat microchipping.
Defra has not carried out a formal assessment of trends in compliance with the statutory requirement for cats to be microchipped since 10 June 2024.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to consult horticultural businesses in the design and testing of new digital systems and processes for the movement of plants and plant products before those systems become mandatory.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government remains committed to delivering for traders and removing unnecessary trade barriers. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement will mean most movements of plants and plant products between Great Britain and the European Union being undertaken without the certificates or SPS border controls that are currently required.
Defra is engaging with key stakeholders to understand business needs ahead of the implementation of the SPS Agreement. This includes plans to work with sector stakeholders on how best to support businesses with preparing for and transitioning to new digital systems and processes under the SPS agreement.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of school attendance policies and attendance reward schemes on pupils with serious or chronic health conditions, including those undergoing treatment for cancer.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Our ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance recognises that pupils with additional needs, including serious or chronic health conditions, may face complex barriers to attendance. Schools should take a sensitive, ‘support first’ approach.
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to support pupils with medical conditions. The ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ statutory guidance makes clear that pupils should be properly supported and not penalised for absences related to their condition, such as hospital appointments. Schools should work with families to understand barriers and provide appropriate support or reasonable adjustments.
The department does not prescribe how attendance rewards or incentives should operate. Where schools link attendance to activities, we expect them to act carefully, proportionately and without discrimination, ensuring schemes are inclusive and appropriate for all pupils, including those with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 adequacy of availability of gastric neurostimulators.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 June in response to Question HL316, and to the answer provided on 3 July in response to Question 10258. There is no further update to provide at present.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the timetable for introducing a retail licensing scheme for tobacco, vape and nicotine retailers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 July in response to Question 18891 regarding the timetable for introducing the retail licensing scheme.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the accountability of mobile network operators where people are victims of fraud.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Tackling fraud is a priority for this Government. My Department works closely with Ofcom, the telecoms industry and law enforcement to strengthen operators’ counter-fraud measures. Ofcom has introduced requirements to disrupt the criminal use of telephone networks, while the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter sets commitments for industry action. Victims should report incidents to Report Fraud and their mobile provider