Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) the Information Commissioner's Office and (c) social media companies on preventing the dissemination of disinformation on social media during the upcoming election period; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Matt Warman
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with stakeholders on a range of issues, including the challenge of addressing disinformation, particularly in an electoral context. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the Withdrawal Agreement, published on 19 October 2019 on the farming industry.
Answered by George Eustice
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle domestic violence in rural areas.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Domestic abuse is a horrendous crime that we are committed to tackling. Whether it takes place in our rural communities or cities, we are supporting Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners as they decide how best to deploy resources in their areas.
The new designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs will play an important role in monitoring the provision of services for victims of domestic abuse, including those in rural communities.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his UN counterparts to determine a venue for the COP25 climate summit.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Chile has made the difficult decision not to host the COP Climate Change Conference this year, taking into consideration the current circumstances in the country. The Government welcomes the UN's decision to hold the summit in Madrid under a continued Chilean Presidency. The UK is strongly committed to international action to tackle climate change, and we look forward to working closely with partners in the UN and across other governments at COP25.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on improving humanitarian access in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In September, under UK leadership, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, Kuwait and Sweden, met and signed a communiqué reiterating the need to increase the pace and scale of the humanitarian response. The Group was clear that a political settlement is the only way to address the humanitarian crisis, but given the risk of starvation faced by millions in Yemen, the Group called on all donors to disburse promptly their pledges to the UN humanitarian response. It also called on the conflict parties to facilitate safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access in compliance with Security Council Resolution 2451. Our Permanent Representative to the UN also reiterated the need to bolster efforts on humanitarian access in her statement of 17 October to the UN Security Council.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Lloyds Bank, (b) HSBC, and (c) RBS on their continued commitment to the banking framework with the Post Office.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with many organisations in the public and private sectors on a variety of issues.
The Government had limited engagement with all parties during negotiation of the Banking Framework, to ensure they were given the appropriate commercial freedom to negotiate the contract.
Post Office Limited announced in the Spring that renegotiated commercial terms and service enhancements for the Banking Framework had been agreed, and will take effect from January 2020 until January 2023. All 28 banks who were part of the original Banking Framework have signed up to the renegotiated agreement, which will see a significant increase to the overall fees received by Post Office Limited from the banks.
Barclays initially made the decision to uniquely opt out of cash withdrawal services at post offices through the renegotiated Banking Framework agreement, but they have since reversed this decision. The Government welcomes this renegotiated agreement that, alongside other work by industry, regulators and Government to safeguard cash for those who need it, will ensure that 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers continue to have access to everyday banking services at the Post Office.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2019 to Question 1792, on Barclays: Post Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of Barclays Bank's planned withdrawal from the banking framework with Post Office Ltd on customers in rural areas who (a) do not have access to the internet, (b) are over 75 years old and (c) have accessibility needs.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
On 24 October 2019, following my meeting with Matt Hammerstein, CEO Barclays UK, Barclays announced that they will commit to full participation in the Post Office Banking Framework from the renewal date in early 2020, including maintaining the cash withdrawal facility using debit cards for Barclays customers.
The Government has been clear that industry must play a key role in ensuring access to cash and banking services for people and businesses, and welcomes this decision which will continue to allow 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers to carry out their everyday banking services at over 11,500 post offices across the UK.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent impact assessment his Department has conducted on the potential effect of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the Atomic Energy Community, published on 19 October 2019 on the economy.
Answered by James Duddridge
Leaving with a deal is the best outcome for both the UK and the EU, providing certainty for businesses and the UK economy.
On Monday 21st October 2019, the Government published an Impact Assessment to accompany the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill. It provides an assessment of the direct costs and benefits to businesses of the elements of the Bill.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the egg industry.
Answered by George Eustice
We remain focused on facilitating a smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible. If we do leave the EU with a deal, trade in the egg sector will continue with the EU and third countries as it does at present for the duration of the implementation period.
However, as a responsible Government, we have been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of a no deal. Since the referendum over three years ago we have been meeting regularly with the egg industry to understand and anticipate the potential impacts of a no deal scenario on the sector. The UK has a high level of self-sufficiency in eggs; last year the UK was nearly 90% self-sufficient in its egg production. The UK is also a net importer of eggs, with the overwhelming majority of egg imports coming from the EU. In the event of no deal, EU imports will continue to enter the UK tariff-free. In relation to exports, last year approximately 40% of our exports of eggs (value) went to the EU. This accounts for 1.3% of our domestically produced eggs. In the event of a no deal EU departure these exports would face a tariff when going to the EU. As the UK would be classed as a ‘third country’ in the event of a no deal, there may be a period during which the UK cannot export eggs to the EU. This is because the EU may want to carry out an assessment called ‘an evaluation of equivalence’ of UK marketing standards.
We will be monitoring the market prior to and immediately after we leave the EU on 31 October and will be ready to intervene if necessary.
Asked by: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the Atomic Energy Community published on 19 October 2019 on the environment.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our high regulatory standards are not dependent on EU membership.
The UK has an exceptional track record on environmental protection and this will not change after we leave the EU. Our landmark Environment Bill, introduced last week, marks a key step towards achieving a Green Brexit, and demonstrates how the UK is leading the world in setting legally binding domestic targets on environmental protection.
In the political declaration, the UK and EU have agreed that the future relationship must ensure open and fair competition, encompassing robust commitments to ensure a level playing field. These commitments should uphold the common high standards applicable in the Union and the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period in the areas of state aid, competition, social and employment standards, the environment, climate change and relevant tax matters in order to prevent distortions of trade and unfair competitive advantages.