Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what objectives there are for the OrganicXseeds database; how long the database has been in operation; and how much his Department spent on (a) maintaining the database and (b) producing an annual report of non-organic seed authorisations in the last 12 months.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is legally required to maintain a database listing the varieties of available organic seed or seed potatoes. The regulation detailing that requirement notes that the database should help operators to find organic seed and seed potatoes. The UK database has been in operation since 2004, with a separate database for Northern Ireland going live in 2021 following EU-exit. Since its inception in 2004, Defra has delegated the operation and maintenance of the database, and production of the annual non-organic seed authorisation reports, to the Soil Association. In 2022-23, Defra paid the Soil Association £23,086 + VAT for carrying out those responsibilities.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle air pollution from log burners.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Air quality is a devolved matter. In England, regulations introduced in 2020 put restrictions on the sale of wet wood for domestic burning, placed limits on the emission of sulphur and smoke from manufactured solid fuels and phased out the sale of bituminous coal (traditional house coal). Through the Environment Act 2021, we also introduced measures to streamline the enforcement of Smoke Control Areas (SCAs).
Since 1 January 2022 all stoves placed on the market in the United Kingdom must be Ecodesign compliant. This is in addition to the separate requirement in Smoke Control Areas (SCAs) that householders can only burn approved fuels or use a Defra exempt appliance.
The Environment Improvement Plan sets out further measures to reduce domestic combustion emissions. These include:
As set out in our recent Air Quality Strategy, we also continue to work with local authorities to help them tackle emissions from domestic combustion in their communities. This includes funding relevant local projects through our 2023/24 Air Quality Grant.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local councils to tackle illegal log burning.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Burning logs is not illegal, but we have introduced policies to reduce emissions from wood burning. These include:
The Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) sets out further measures to reduce emissions from wood burning. These include:
As set out in our recent Air Quality Strategy, we also continue to work with local authorities to help them tackle emissions from domestic combustion in their communities. This includes funding relevant local projects through our 2023/24 Air Quality Grant.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase food waste reporting.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to tackling food waste, which is why we are taking action to increase the take up of the voluntary approach to reporting through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap delivered by WRAP. This year more than £2 million will go to our food waste prevention programme, with action across the supply chain including working with trade associations and businesses to measure and report their food waste. We ask all businesses to sign up to the Roadmap and to ‘Target, Measure and Act’ on their food waste.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on antimicrobial resistance awareness, prevention and education goals ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level meeting in September 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I attended and spoke at the UN General Assembly last month during which I discussed multiple global health challenges, including Antimicrobial Resistance, with my international counterparts.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to end youth homelessness.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 199217 on 20 September 2023.
The Government also recently announced the expansion of the DWP's Youth Offer to over 30,000 economically inactive young people. The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit in order to move them closer to the labour market.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase transparency on where food is produced.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Origin labelling is required for beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat, fish and shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine and most fruit and vegetables, as well as any other product where the consumer might otherwise be misled. We are working with industry to ensure that origin information is as transparent as possible, including for online sales. The next UK Food Security Report, which will include updated information on where food consumed in the UK is produced, will be presented to Parliament by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to publish guidance for schools on issues relating to transgender pupils.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department recognises that issues relating to sex and gender can be complex and sensitive for schools to navigate, which is why the Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools and colleges in relation to children who are questioning their gender.
It is vital that the guidance published gives clarity for schools and colleges, and reassurance for parents. The Department is taking the necessary time to ensure that it reflects the best possible advice before publishing the draft.
It is important that the Department is able to consider a wide range of views in order to get the guidance right. The Department has, therefore, committed to holding a public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the amount of aid disbursed by the Disaster and Emergency Committee in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We have provided £347 million of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since February 2022. This includes £25 million to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which raised over £400 million in the first 6 months of the war. The first funds (£85 million) were spent by 13 Disaster and Emergency Committee member charities in the initial six months after Russia's invasion.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing discretionary payments for bereavement support.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made, however, the Department already has a wide range of financial support available to those affected by bereavement.
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a contributory benefit intended to help working age people with the immediate costs of bereavement. BSP is payable to the surviving spouse, cohabiting partner (with dependent children), or civil partner of the deceased. Funeral Expenses Payments contribute towards the cost of a funeral arranged by someone in receipt of income-related benefits, and Budgeting Loans and Budgeting Advances are interest-free loans available to claimants of income-related benefits. Further support for day to day living expenses is available via Universal Credit.