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 review the Border Target Operating Model to introduce mandatory spot checks on all vehicles entering the UK, in the context of illegal meat smuggling.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Border Target Operating Model aims to mitigate sanitary and phytosanitary risks, while enabling the flow of legitimate goods through our ports and airports. We will continue to operate a compliance first approach enabling importers and the public to move compliant goods, backed up by robust, intelligence-led, enforcement controls on illegal activity.

We take illegal meat smuggling very seriously, as it may pose threats to animal health, food safety and public health. That is why we are working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue with the support of Border Force, Port Health Authorities and local authorities.

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 is taking steps to strengthen border checks to prevent illegal meat imports from entering the UK through (a) Dover and (b) other ports of entry.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has made additional funding of £1.9 million available to Dover District Council for the Port Health Authority, for the remainder of this financial year (2024 to 2025), to support Border Force to conduct safeguarding checks on the illegal import of products of animal origin. This is in addition to the £1.2 million already committed. This total funding of £3.1 million is based on the existing staffing costs provided by Dover Port Health Authority. This funding is only for this financial year. Defra has also contributed operational equipment to support Border Force with relevant checks.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the illegal importation of meat from regions affected by (a) African swine fever and (b) foot and mouth disease on risks to the UK agricultural sector.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Whilst we have never had an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the UK, it remains a key priority in terms of exotic notifiable disease preparedness. The overall risk of an incursion is currently assessed to be medium, and we continue to prepare for a possible outbreak. To safeguard the UK’s pork and pig industries, Defra, Devolved Governments, together with the pig industry and veterinary bodies have been working together to raise awareness of the risks of the introduction of ASF to the UK. Defra announced further controls in September 2024, restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain.

The risk of incursion of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) to Great Britain was increased to medium following the confirmation of disease in Germany on the 10 January 202 and then Hungary on 6 March 2025. The Government has taken decisive and rapid action to protect the UK by suspending the commercial import of susceptible animals from Germany and restricting personal imports of animal products from across the EU. The UK has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of this disease as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of Government funding for the promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief was allocated to supporting persecuted religious communities globally in the each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK champions and remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) John Bunyan Fund (JBF), the designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects has a budget allocation of £460,720 in the financial year 2024/25. In the financial year 2023/24 the JBF spent £170,000 and in financial year 2022/23, £70,000. The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.

St Patrick's Challenge Trophy, Northern Ireland Volleyball

Grand Central Station, Belfast

Comments made by Kneecap

Incitement of violence against political representatives

Mass deportation of illegal migrants

70th anniversary of First Comber Presbyterian Church Girls Brigade

Glastry College success

Supreme Court ruling on legal definition of a woman

Omagh Bomb Inquiry

Belfast Giants

Trailblazers Powerchair Football Club

125th anniversary of the Irish Guards

100th anniversary of East Belfast District Scouts

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Found: Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart

Found: Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart

Found: Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart

Found: Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart

Found: Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart

Found: Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart

Found: Valley Visit to business Hilary Benn 2024-10-17 Free Presbyterian Education Board Representatives, Carla Lockhart