Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the scientific evidence underpinning the prohibition of kava-kava under the Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 3170 The Medicines for Human use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 prohibits the sale, supply, and importation of Kava-kava for use in unlicensed medicines in the United Kingdom.
The Prohibition Order was reviewed after it had been in force for two years by an Expert Working Group of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, which announced in February 2006 that the prohibition was justified and proportionate and should remain in place. No further review of the prohibition order has been made.
The 2002 Prohibition Order does not exclude applicants applying for a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation under Regulation 125 or Regulation 49, respectively, of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Should a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation application for a Kava-kava medicinal product be submitted to the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, its safety would be reviewed on an application-specific basis and based on the currently available evidence.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered reforming the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals Regulations 2018 to introduce a tiered system that distinguishes between (a) low and (b) high volume breeders.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 require anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period to hold a valid licence.
Defra has completed a post-implementation review of the Regulations which can be found here. The Government is considering the findings and will be outlining more detail on next steps in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to support the (a) safety and (b) financial viability of black taxi drivers in London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The taxi industry in London is the direct responsibility of Transport for London, including considering the safety and costs to drivers as part of their regulatory regime. The Department for Transport has supported the work of TfL and other licensing bodies by providing the “Taxis and private hire vehicles licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities” which is clear that licensing authorities must consider ways to protect those working in the trade as well as those that use its services.
In addition, DfT has provided funding of over £75m to support with the cost of purchasing over 10,500 zero emission capable taxis through the Plug in Taxi Grant.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart on illegal immigration to the United Kingdom via that country.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security. That collaboration includes a joint commitment to protect the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.
Everyone entering the UK, regardless of where they enter from, is required to meet UK’s immigration requirements. Anyone identified attempting to circumvent UK border controls is liable to be detained and, if they are not lawfully present within the UK, removed.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to help reduce illegal immigration to the United Kingdom via the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security. That collaboration includes a joint commitment to protect the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.
Everyone entering the UK, regardless of where they enter from, is required to meet UK’s immigration requirements. Anyone identified attempting to circumvent UK border controls is liable to be detained and, if they are not lawfully present within the UK, removed.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the safety of bus drivers in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government have introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill which focuses on delivering safe, more reliable bus networks. The Bill sets requirements for mandatory training on how to recognise and respond appropriately to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour, on buses for staff, including drivers and those who deal directly with the travelling public or with issues related to the travelling public.
Provisions in the Bus Services (No.2) Bill would also give all local transport authorities (LTAs) the power to make bus byelaws, which can be enforced by local authority officers on vehicles and at bus stations and stops. This, combined with targeted enforcement should lead to safer networks. Transport Safety Officers or Transport Safety and Enforcement Officers are also already operating in some areas.
All LTAs in England are required to publish Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) with information on how they intend to improve services in their area. LTAs have been informed that BSIPs should include plans on how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. This may include measures such as appropriate passenger safety training for bus drivers to deal with emergency situations on or off the bus and encouraging bus operators to liaise with local police and other stakeholders to address safety concerns.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken with relevant authorities to improve the safety of train drivers in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ensuring the continued safety of train drivers across the national rail network remains a priority for my department. Train operators are subject to strict legal duties, which are enforced by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), to ensure that the train drivers they employ can work in safety. My department works closely with the ORR, the Rail Safety and Standards Board and the wider rail industry to keep these measures under review and to identify areas for improvement. This has included supporting research to improve the industry’s understanding of issues such as fatigue management and access to welfare facilities and the development of improved standards and guidance to codify best practice.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered developing a national mentoring scheme pairing experienced dog breeders with first-time breeders to help promote (a) high welfare and (b) informed practices.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs provides advice to owners thinking of breeding from their dogs and a list of sources of further information they can access. The Code can be found here: Code of practice for the welfare of dogs - GOV.UK.
Owners considering breeding from their dogs can also access sector best practice such as the Canine and Feline Sector Group’s Code of Practice for Dog Breeding or advice published by the Royal Kennel Club.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on protected nature sites located within England’s National Parks.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), as proposed in Part 3 of the Bill, will address any potential negative effects of development on protected sites and species, whether located in National Parks, National Landscapes or elsewhere.
EDPs can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. Where this is not the case, existing environmental obligations, including those arising under the Habitats Regulations, will remain in place. In addition, EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved.
Policy safeguards relating to the protection of National Parks and National Landscapes, including those set out in the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant National Policy Statements, remain in place.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on National Parks and National Landscapes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), as proposed in Part 3 of the Bill, will address any potential negative effects of development on protected sites and species, whether located in National Parks, National Landscapes or elsewhere.
EDPs can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. Where this is not the case, existing environmental obligations, including those arising under the Habitats Regulations, will remain in place. In addition, EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved.
Policy safeguards relating to the protection of National Parks and National Landscapes, including those set out in the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant National Policy Statements, remain in place.