Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
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 make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the level of microplastic pollution in biosolids; and whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle this issue.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government continues to review the regulatory framework for biosolids spread to land to protect human health and the environment.
The Government has taken a range of steps to stop sources of plastics and microplastics entering sewers and moving into biosolids, including:
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a technical standard for microplastic filters in washing machines; and whether his Department has had recent discussions with industry representatives on developing a technical standard.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Defra’s Plan for Water, there is a commitment for industry and businesses to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters in washing machines and encourage their use.
Defra commissioned an evidence assessment to understand the efficiencies, costs and benefits of installing filters in washing machines to trap microplastic fibres shredded from clothing during washing cycles. The report showed that filters demonstrated a range of efficiencies and costs associated with them. We recommended that filter manufacturers collaborate with the washing machine industry to develop and implement standardised tests to provide unequivocal performance data for the relevant government departments to consider. We await industry’s proposals.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on opening up the port of Ashdod to aid supplies for Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The British Government has repeatedly called on Israel to open fully Ashdod Port for aid delivery.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure parity of support provided to (a) armed forces families and (b) veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Much of the policy that impacts Service families and veterans within the UK is not owned by Defence. We work with Other Government Departments and the Devolved Administrations to ensure that, wherever possible, disadvantage associated with Service life is mitigated and effective support is provided; the Armed Forces Covenant is an especially important tool in this.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
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 take steps with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations to publish a report on the steps they are taking to ensure the interoperability of deposit return schemes across the UK.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working closely with devolved administrations on the next steps to achieve interoperable schemes that work across the UK. We are aiming to provide further policy detail shortly.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to ensure that cycle parking is (a) secure, (b) convenient and (c) sufficient.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is for local authorities to decide on appropriate cycle parking provision that would best serve the needs of their local communities. These can be funded through a range of local transport and levelling up funding programmes.
As a statutory consultee, Active Trave England makes recommendations for the provision of cycle parking in line with the standards set out in Local Transport Note 1/20 in developments it is consulted on.
Alongside this, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has opened a consultation on the relaxation of ‘permitted development’ rights. These proposals include the right for homeowners to place a bike store in their front garden without the need for planning permission.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support cycle businesses in England.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to supporting UK businesses that manufacture, retail and service cycles and e-cycles. This support takes many forms including unprecedented investment in safe cycling infrastructure which enables more people to cycle safely; and initiatives such as the Cycle to Work scheme which allows many people to access cycles more cheaply. These and other measures help increase the demand for new cycles and e-cycles, and for the servicing of existing cycles and e-cycles.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly on trends in the level of business investment in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Since our department hosted the Northern Ireland Investment Summit in September, we have seen significant investment announcements including from IceMos technology, Ocula technology, and Vertiv. With that in mind, I think it is in everyone's interests - regardless of position on the constitutional question - for everyone to maintain a singular focus on attracting investment into Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of the use of AI in primary care.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT closely engages with all government departments on the adoption of AI, including DHSC.
The Government is committed to ensuring adoption of AI in an ethical, safe and responsible way to improve public services outcomes and productivity.
Ahead of the AI Summit last year, we announced a new AI in Healthcare fund, backed by £100m, to target areas where rapid deployment of AI could create transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS dental practices were in dispute with her Department about reconciling payments for NHS work on 30 January 2024; and what assessment she has made of the (a) clarity and (b) ease of the reconciliation process.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Year-end reconciliation is a national process carried out, in the most part, by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA), and commissioned by NHS England.
As of 31 January 2024, there were 38 unresolved queries from contract holders about their year-end outcome for 2022/23. This equates to 0.6% of the 6673 contracts within the NHS BSA responsibility to reconcile. There are a further proportion of contracts, 1,946, that remain within the remit of integrated care boards to reconcile, where data is not held centrally.
The process of year end reconciliation is a vital part of ensuring contract holders are held accountable for the activity they have been contracted to deliver, and to ensure taxpayers get value for money from the £3 billion National Health Service dentistry budget.