Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
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 made an assessment of the level of risk of diseased potato importation into the UK as a result of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our plant health biosecurity arrangements currently protect UK businesses and the environment from pests and diseases, including those related to potatoes, and we will continue to protect the nation’s plant health biosecurity during and after our departure from the EU. Our work to prepare for leaving the EU will ensure that our high biosecurity standards will continue to be met in ways that support trade and the smooth flow of goods.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Farmers' Guardian article Major seed potato market could be killed off with no-deal Brexit, published on 13 August 2018, what information his Department holds on the legality of selling sell seed potatoes to EU countries after March 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is committed to pursuing a negotiated outcome which maintains our ability to export all seed to the EU and recognises that this issue is of particular concern for the seed potato industry. However, it is our duty as a responsible Government to prepare for all eventualities, including no deal, until we can be certain of the outcome of those negotiations.
The EU has stated in its Preparedness Notice for plant reproductive material that, in a no deal scenario, UK seed of all species will be subject to its equivalence requirements for third countries. This means that UK seed will not be marketable in the EU until the EU recognises UK processes as equivalent. Defra, with input from the devolved administrations, has made an initial application to the EU Commission for third country equivalence. More detailed information is being prepared in anticipation of discussion with the EU shortly. If approved, this would allow UK exports of seed potatoes to continue as they do now.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken to process personal independence applications in the special rules for terminal illness stream was in (a) 2017, (b) 2016 and (c) 2015.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registrations and clearances split by Terminally Ill Indicator (whether the claim was made under Normal Rules or Special Rules for the Terminally Ill) and clearance type (whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) every month for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found on Stat Xplore at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
The latest available data on the average clearance times in working days for PIP claims every month from April 2013 to July 2018 for Special Rules for the Terminally Ill for both New Claims and Reassessments can be found in Table 5B of the tables: “Data tables: Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2018” at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2018
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many successful applicants there were for personal independence payment in the special rules for terminal illness stream in (a) 2017, (b) 2016 and (c) 2015.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registrations and clearances split by Terminally Ill Indicator (whether the claim was made under Normal Rules or Special Rules for the Terminally Ill) and clearance type (whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) every month for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found on Stat Xplore at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
The latest available data on the average clearance times in working days for PIP claims every month from April 2013 to July 2018 for Special Rules for the Terminally Ill for both New Claims and Reassessments can be found in Table 5B of the tables: “Data tables: Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2018” at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2018
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants there were for personal independence payment in the special rules for terminal illness stream in (a) 2017, (b) 2016 and (c) 2015.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registrations and clearances split by Terminally Ill Indicator (whether the claim was made under Normal Rules or Special Rules for the Terminally Ill) and clearance type (whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) every month for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found on Stat Xplore at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
The latest available data on the average clearance times in working days for PIP claims every month from April 2013 to July 2018 for Special Rules for the Terminally Ill for both New Claims and Reassessments can be found in Table 5B of the tables: “Data tables: Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2018” at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2018
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the responsible management of heather moorland to minimise the risk of uncontrollable wild fires; and if he will make it his policy to include controlled burning in accordance with the Heather and Grass Burning Code as part of that management.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government and its agencies are working with moorland owners, land managers and their representatives to put in place long term management plans and stewardship agreements to restore the hydrology and vegetation on degraded blanket bogs. Raising water tables and increasing the coverage of sphagnum moss allows the processes of recovery that store carbon and reduce the risk of ignition of these habitats by wildfire. The risk of severe damage by wildfire on a wet, well functioning blanket bog is relatively low. In accordance with the Heather and Grass Burning Code, managed one-off burning or cutting firebreaks may help to reduce the risk of fires starting on other habitats such as dry heath, and reduce the spread of fire around likely ignition points.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for funeral expenses payments for children under (a) two, (b) five and (c) 18 years have been made in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is acting as UK Ambassador to the UN prior to Karen Pierce taking up that post.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Ambassador Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, is Charge d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative until the arrival of Karen Pierce in Spring 2018.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is acting as UK Ambassador to the UN prior to Karen Pierce taking up that post.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Ambassador Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, is Charge d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative until the arrival of Karen Pierce in Spring 2018.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of UK trade deals with poorer countries on the economies of those countries.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is proudly committed to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on Overseas Development Assistance, the first G7 country to honour its promise to do so.
The Cross-Border Trade Bill will allow the UK to put in place a trade preference scheme as we leave the EU. In the future, the Government will also explore options to expand our relationships with developing countries.