Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 to improve the access of zoos to European Conservation Breeding Programmes as part of negotiations with the European Union on veterinary (a) sanitary and (b) phytosanitary agreements.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area. This initiative is aimed at reducing trade barriers to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of goods, including zoo animals, while maintaining high standards of biosecurity.
With the principles and framework of the SPS agreement now agreed, detailed negotiations will commence. These discussions will focus on streamlining SPS checks and certification processes, with the aim of reducing administrative burdens where possible, while safeguarding the UK’s biosecurity.
Ministers and officials from Defra are actively engaging with the zoo and wildlife sector to understand its specific challenges and priorities. This ongoing dialogue will ensure that the sector’s needs are considered throughout the negotiation process, as we work to secure the best possible outcome that supports participation in vital conservation efforts.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support small and medium-sized bicycle manufacturers.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Small and medium-sized bicycle manufacturers are important for our green growth ambitions. Through the Government’s Industrial and Trade Strategies, we’re backing innovation, sustainability and skills development to help businesses scale, compete globally and continue driving forward the UK’s cycling economy.
The upcoming Business Growth Service (BGS) aims to streamline the process for businesses across the UK to access the support they need to grow. The Department will continue to engage with the industry on key issues moving forward.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44127 on Listed Events, when she plans to set out her Department's position on the inclusion of on-demand rights in the Listed Events regime.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I refer my Honourable Friend to the answer I gave him on 17 April 2025 in response to Question 44127.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of selling (a) on-demand and (b) linear rights together for each event listed in the Listed Events regime.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department’s assessment is that, in the current market context, there continue to be strong incentives for rights holders to sell on-demand and linear rights together. However, we recognise this may not always remain the case and we will continue to monitor this market.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects to receive advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on the classification of ketamine.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
In January this year, the Government asked the independent statutory advisory body, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, to provide an updated assessment of the harms of ketamine, including whether it should be reclassified to become a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The ACMD is independent of Government and provides a broad range of recommendations, including advice on legislative changes.
In March, the ACMD published its work programme for 2025. The programme sets out the ACMD’s intention to complete its ketamine assessment by the end of Autumn this year. When the council provides its advice, the Government will consider it carefully before deciding how to proceed.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 merits of implementing recommendation 6 of the National Child Mortality Data's report entitled Sudden and unexpected deaths in infancy and childhood, published in December 2022.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities, and the importance of raising awareness of SUDC among relevant professionals, communities, and parents. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids
Additional information for parents on SUDC is available in the form of the booklet, When a Child Dies. The Healthy Child Programme plays an important role in supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. This work is undertaken alongside partners to ensure that health messages are promoted across services.
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) who work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including SUDC, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent sudden and unexplained deaths in children.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities, and the importance of raising awareness of SUDC among relevant professionals, communities, and parents. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids
Additional information for parents on SUDC is available in the form of the booklet, When a Child Dies. The Healthy Child Programme plays an important role in supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. This work is undertaken alongside partners to ensure that health messages are promoted across services.
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) who work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including SUDC, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of free-to-air sports broadcasting on levels of (a) physical activity and (b) participation in grassroots sports.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring free-to-air access to sporting events of national interest so that they can be enjoyed by a wide audience and can inspire more people to be physically active and participate in grassroots sport.
The Government believes that the current list of events works well and that it strikes an appropriate balance between access to sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the outcome of his Department's closed consultation entitled The licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which closed on 28 October 2023.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector, and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish as soon as possible.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to consult the public on whether the scope of the listed events regime should be extended to include (a) digital and (b) on-demand content.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As viewing increasingly shifts from traditional broadcasting to a variety of online and on-demand formats, the Government is keen to ensure that key sporting events remain available for people to watch for free in years to come.
The current ‘Listed Events’ regime only covers linear coverage rights. While we are fortunate that on-demand and linear rights continue to be sold together, and therefore jointly benefit from the protections afforded by the regime, the Government is conscious that this may not always remain the case.
The Government will set out its position on the inclusion of on-demand (or “digital”) rights in due course.