Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 July 2020 to Question 76030 on food: labelling, when the consultation on labelling will be launched.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government has committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market at the end of the transition period. The consultation is currently being prepared. This will feed into the Government's wide-ranging review on food labelling to ensure information supports consumers' safe, healthy and sustainable food choices and also Great British food producers.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of 25 June 2020, Official Report, column 1438, what upcoming discussions are planned with small farmers in Newcastle on the labelling consultation.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government has committed to a serious and rapid examination of what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market, and to consult on this. The full consultation will be open to all interested parties, and we would welcome the views of small farmers in Newcastle to this. Following the consultation, we will consider appropriate next steps and what further engagement may be needed with the farming community.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what technology his Department is supporting to enable people to apply for the pick for Britain programme; and whether that technology is compatible with other apps enabling people to work in the food sector during the covid-19 outbreak..
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government is working closely with industry to ensure our food supply chains remain resilient and to help our world-leading farmers and growers access the labour they need over the busy harvest months, to ensure our excellent fruit and vegetables are on people’s plates over the summer months.
Recruitment efforts are underway by industry and we are encouraging as many people as possible to take up seasonal work on farms. The Pick for Britain website is a recently launched joint Defra and industry initiative to bring together people who are looking for work on UK farms with recruiters who have roles to fill. These jobs are being uploaded regularly via campaigns being run by recruiters specialising in seasonal work, so we would encourage people to check the Jobs page on www.pickforbritain.org.uk regularly. We are aware of job-matching apps, but these are industry managed and not something that the Government is actively involved in beyond enforcing relevant regulations.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 adequacy of access to running water in (a) social and (b) privately-rented housing during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Under the Security and Emergency Measures Direction 1998, water companies are obliged to maintain plans to ensure the provision of essential water supply at all times. Water companies have been monitoring the adequacy of supply for all properties during the COVID-19 outbreak. They do not distinguish between provision of supply to social, privately rented and privately owned properties.
In addition, water companies cannot disconnect household water supply for the non-payment of charges. All water companies also provide a range of support for vulnerable customers and those struggling with affordability. For example, all water companies have social tariff schemes in place to provide discounted water bills to those eligible.