Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department plans to provide on types of e-cigarette advertising which will be permitted following the introduction of restrictions under the EU Tobacco Product Directive on 20 May 2016.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Government recognises that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) help smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. At the same time, it is essential that we do not encourage smoking and that we continue to protect children from the dangers of nicotine. For this reason, the Department welcomes the new rules set out in the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) which will apply in the United Kingdom from 20 May 2016.
The Government has taken a minimal approach to transposition of the TPD provisions on e-cigarette advertising into UK law, taking into account existing European case law. The Directive requires a prohibition of e-cigarette advertising in certain media such as TV and newspapers and online, but not for example on billboards. The provisions are compatible with the right to an individual’s freedom of speech and do not prevent individuals’ independent reviews on social media or internet forums. These provisions are enacted by The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016/507 and changes to the Office of Communications Broadcast Codes.
The Department will work in close partnership with the Advertising Standards Authority and Trading Standards, including on the need for further guidance for businesses, especially in the first year of implementation to build compliance with the new requirements.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the Government's objectives are for the Syria Donors Conference on 4 February 2016.
Answered by Justine Greening
We want the Conference to raise significant new funding to help those affected by the crisis, both to support immediate and longer term humanitarian needs but also jobs and getting Syrian refugee children into school. The Conference also aims to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to protect civilians from harm and the need for unfettered, impartial humanitarian access inside Syria.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the Middle East peace process of recent attacks against Israeli citizens.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The current violence makes the environment in Israel and the Occupied Territories less conducive to peace. It also underlines that a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. We are urging all parties to de-escalate current tensions.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans for a vari-gauge bag, where the variation in gauge ranges from 35 to 45 microns and totals 80 microns, to be exempt from proposed charges on plastic bags; and whether she plans for vari-gauge bags with any combination of variation in gauge which totals more than 71 microns to be exempt from such charges.
Answered by Rory Stewart
There are no current plans to exempt vari-gauge bags from the single use plastic bag charge.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on areas of cooperation on green growth.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change met the Chinese Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua at the Major Economies Forum in Luxembourg in July and when she visited Beijing at the end of July. They agreed on the importance of getting an effective climate change agreement at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in December in Paris and agreed to work together for an ambitious outcome.
During her recent trip, the Secretary of State also met with Minister Bekri who leads China’s National Energy Administration and a number of other Chinese stakeholders from business and government where we discussed low carbon cooperation. The Secretary of State hopes to meet with Minister Bekri again shortly for further discussions.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
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 plans to take to promote British food and drink exports.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The agri-food sector is worth over £100bn and employs one in eight people. The food and drink manufacturing sector – largest in the UK - exported nearly £19bn last year, including chocolates to Belgium, pork to China and chillies to India.
Supporting and encouraging businesses to take the opportunities that exporting presents is one of my Department’s top priorities. Officials are working with the industry and UKTI to develop a new Action Plan.