Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle litter.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our Litter Strategy for England sets out our aim to deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering within a generation. The strategy contains a number of commitments, many of which have been completed or are nearing completion. Progress reports on delivering the Litter Strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litter-strategy-for-england-progress-reports.
The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support council’s to take tougher action against those that litter. For example, last July we significantly raised the upper limit on fixed penalty notices from £150 to £500.
The Chewing Gum Task Force, established by Defra and funded by producers, has provided almost £2.5 million in grants since 2022 to help nearly 100 councils remove gum stains from high streets and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum being dropped in the first place. The Task Force has just launched another grant scheme for councils this year. Further information can be be found at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/local-authorities/reduce-litter/gum-litter/chewing-gum-task-force.
National Highways has developed a new campaign that aims to educate and change road users’ behaviour towards littering. The campaign will run from 12 February to 10 March and road users will be implored to stop littering as its deadly impact on wildlife is revealed.
In January this year, we announced our plans to ban disposable vapes in the UK. This will help to tackle a huge and growing stream of hard-to-recycle waste and litter, with nearly 5 million thrown away every week.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Small Producer Relief to include English and Welsh wine producers.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Small Producer Relief (SPR) was introduced as part of the new alcohol duty system on 1 August 2023. SPR provides a duty discount for all producers who produce less than 4,500 hectolitres of pure alcohol on their products below 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Retaining a strength limit for SPR is important to ensure the relief is aligned with the new alcohol duty system's public health objectives. Wine producers are able to claim the relief on any goods they make below this level.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has received representations on the up to 40-day time period being used by the Planning Inspectorate to respond to correspondence.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence, including by its executive agencies. Where performance is below our standards, we have taken steps to improve the speed and quality of responses to Members and their constituents. While we have not received specific correspondence regarding the Planning Inspectorate, I will certainly ask for it to be raised with the Planning Inspectorate.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish her Department's recommendations for a new care workforce pathway for adult social care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department will publish the first version of the Care Workforce Pathway and response to the call for evidence as soon as is practicable.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations she has received on establishing a social care council.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My officials and myself enjoy strong engagement with sector representatives and experts as we develop policy and deliver for the social care sector. We receive representations on a number of issues including on ideas for forums to hear from the social care workforce and shape policy, most recently on establishing a social care council, which my officials are following up on.
We already engage workforce representatives on the creation, development, and implementation of our ambitious workforce reforms. Most recently, this includes co-developing a new career structure for care workers so that all staff can build their careers and are recognised for their skills, and one that reflects the realities of providing adult social care.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what planned timetable is for consulting on barriers to developing community energy projects.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is actively working with the Community Energy Contact Group on the content and timetable for a consultation on barriers for community energy projects. Whilst the Government hopes to publish the consultation as soon as possible, until these discussions have concluded it is not possible to outline a definitive timeline.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to include the proliferation of AI-generated child abuse imagery on the agenda for the AI Safety Summit.
Answered by Paul Scully
The UK believes that the global risks posed by frontier AI are increasingly urgent, including risks to online safety. That is why the summit programme, published October 16, includes a roundtable discussion on risks from the integration of frontier AI into society.
This issue is also being considered through wider government action. Under the Online Safety Bill, AI-generated content shared by users on social media will be regulated to limit the spread of illegal materials including child sexual abuse.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to invite representatives from civil society to the AI Safety Summit.
Answered by Paul Scully
The summit will focus on risks created or significantly exacerbated by the most powerful AI systems, while considering how safe AI can be used for public good and to improve people’s lives. The UK looks forward to welcoming representatives from civil society as well as leading AI nations, technology companies and researchers to Bletchley Park. Together we will turbocharge global action on the safe and responsible development of frontier AI to ensure nations and citizens globally can realise its benefits.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken for HMRC to answer phone calls; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HMRC takes the quality of customer service very seriously.
HMRC is working to improve call answer rates, primarily through supporting customers who can use digital services to do so in the first instance. This will reduce call numbers and allow HMRC to focus their telephone support on those with more complex circumstances, or who are unable to engage digitally. Many customers already use HMRC digital services, with high customer satisfaction scores, consistently around 80%.
Furthermore, an increasing number of customers are using the HMRC mobile app – with more than 1 million new users and more than 56 million logins in 2022 to 2023. The app enables customers to perform tasks on their smartphones or tablets for which they previously needed to call us, such as, view their PAYE tax code and annual tax summary, manage details for tax credits and Child Benefit, file their Self Assessment return, pay their tax bill and use a tax calculator.
HMRC performance, including average speed to answer calls, is published on a quarterly basis at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the proliferation of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The Government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse online and in our communities across the UK and internationally. Our approach is underpinned by the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy which sets out firm commitments to drive action across the whole system.
The law in the UK is very clear with regards to production of child sexual abuse material. It is an offence to produce, store, share or search for any material that contains or depicts child sexual abuse, regardless of whether the material depicts a ‘real’ child or not. This prohibition also includes pseudo-imagery that may have been computer-generated.
Home Office investment supports the National Crime Agency to use its unique capabilities to disrupt the highest harm offenders, safeguard children and remove the most horrific child sexual abuse material from the internet, including on the dark web.
The Home Office has recently rolled out new tools linked to our world leading Child Abuse Image Database to support law enforcement to identify offenders and safeguard victims more quickly.
All companies that utilise Artificial Intelligence must incorporate safety measures to ensure their technology cannot be manipulated by offenders of this abhorrent crime. We welcome further engagement with industries to work together to implement or create the best solution for their platforms.
As part of the Government’s work to tackle child sexual abuse offences in every form, the Government has driven forward the Online Safety Bill, which will soon gain royal assent and become law. The strongest protections in the Online Safety Bill are for children and all companies in scope of the legislation will need to tackle child sexual abuse material as a priority.
In September, the Home Secretary met US Secretary of State Alejandro N. Majorkas at NCMEC and reaffirmed their commitment to combined expertise of the UK and United States to ensure perpetrators of child sexual abuse and exploitation cannot operate across continents.
In partnership with the IWF, the Home Office will be hosting an AI Summit side event to discuss the growing threat of generative artificial intelligence creating child sexual abuse material. The summit will bring international stakeholders together to encourage co-operation to tackle this heinous crime.