Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of (a) personal independence payment awards are open-ended, (b) open-ended PIP awards are for recipients over pension age and (c) open-ended PIP awards are awarded to people who claim under the special rules for terminally ill people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For information on the percentage of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards which are ongoing please see Section 4 ‘Clearance outcomes – Awards’ of the Personal Independence Payment Publication here. Information on the volume of total ongoing awards and ongoing awards for recipients over State Pension age is not published.
The percentage of the total caseload for which claims are made under Special Rules For End of Life (SREL) can be found also be found in Section 4 ‘Clearance outcomes – Awards’
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing the Scottish system of house purchase whereby there is a binding contract between buyer and seller after exchanging missives.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises that the current home buying and selling process in England and Wales is slow, costly and stressful for both consumers and professionals.
On 9 February 2025, the government announced action to improve the availability of property information through digitalisation. This will help transactions run more smoothly by ensuring all parties are able to access the information they need at the right time.
We continue to review evidence from other jurisdictions, including in respect of protections such as reservation agreements, as we consider further measures to improve the home buying and selling process.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations, published on 21 March 2023, what the (a) timeline and (b) terms of reference is for the review of the 2030 Roadmap; and whether the review will it be made public.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the previous Foreign Secretary on 20 May 2025.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on a timeframe for improvement on the facilitation of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 23 August and he urged the Government of Israel to remove all restrictions on aid entering Gaza and agree to a ceasefire. The UN and humanitarian partners must be allowed to operate safely and independently to deliver aid to those who so desperately need it.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to hold Israel accountable for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the previous Foreign Secretary on 20 May 2025.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies on Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms of the request for the institution of arbitration proceedings between Woodhouse Investment Pte Ltd and West Cumbria Mining (Holdings) Limited v. United Kingdom (ICSID Case No. ARB/25/37); and if he will make it his policy to initiate a review of UK treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlements.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for companies to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation. The UK will work with partners multilaterally, such as the OECD and UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice.
With regard to the case in question, the Government has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations, but in view of the ongoing proceedings, we have no further comment to make at this stage.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 include the live exports ban, as set out in the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024, in the list of exceptions to dynamic alignment that the Government will seek during negotiations on the EU UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards. While I am unable to comment in detail on negotiations regarding the Agreement, we expect them to start in the Autumn.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether whole genome sequencing will be available on the NHS for all sarcoma patients under the 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing, in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service. Testing is directed by the National Genomic Test Directory (NGTD), which sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.
For all cancer patients undergoing genomic testing, to support routine care, and including sarcoma patients, the first line testing is done by next generation sequencing panel testing that includes all the targets for the currently available precision medicines. The NGTD’s eligibility criteria outlines that, if clinically required, WGS can then be offered for sarcoma patients to determine their next stage of treatment or management.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 make it his policy to include traditional orchards in the list of irreplaceable habitats for biodiversity net gain.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has stated its intention to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats in due course, to ensure it remains robust and supports decision making.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the consultation entitled: HSE Chemicals Legislative Reform Proposals, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of divergence from European standards on chemicals with compliance with the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The reforms set out in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) consultation on Chemicals Legislative Reform proposals aim to give HSE greater flexibility and scope to make necessary or appropriate regulatory decisions in Great Britain (GB) at pace with international partners, including the European Union (EU) and rest of the world where appropriate. The proposals are intended to maintain current levels of protection for people and the environment from harmful chemicals and are therefore not expected to impact on the UK’s compliance with the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Part of this consultation delivered the commitment made in the Regulatory Action Plan (RAP) on how international approvals can be recognised to reduce the time and cost to bring chemicals products, including biocides, to the GB market.
The proposals include a new system to recognize international approvals from "trusted jurisdictions" where the regulatory standards are "similar to and at least as high as" those in GB. This is likely to include the EU given the similarity in the regulatory standards. The proposals are intended to remove the duplicative processes and associated evaluation costs.
A key safeguard is that the Secretary of State with responsibility for HSE would retain the power to refuse an approval from a trusted jurisdiction if it is deemed "harmful to GB interests," such as for the protection of public health or the environment.
No decisions have been made as HSE is currently analysing the consultation responses, following closure of the recent consultation on 18 August, and any changes will be subject to parliamentary approval.