Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered establishing a central (a) register and (b) database of vending machines and operators to support compliance monitoring with energy efficiency labelling and refrigerant gas regulations.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Refrigerant gases are regulated under the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations, with enforcement sitting with the Environment Agency.
Under the Ecodesign for Related Products Regulations, refrigerated vending machines must meet minimum energy efficiency standards and carry accurate energy labelling. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, regulating on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, conducts risk-based, intelligence-led market surveillance and takes enforcement action where non-compliance is identified.
The Government has not received intelligence indicating a specific prevalence of non-compliant refrigerated vending machines and welcomes evidence from stakeholders which it will keep under review.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of non‑compliant vending machines entering the UK on (a) substandard and unverified energy‑efficiency performance at refrigerated vending machines, (b) the use of restricted refrigerant gases and (c) potential safety hazards for machine operators and consumers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Refrigerant gases are regulated under the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations, with enforcement sitting with the Environment Agency.
Under the Ecodesign for Related Products Regulations, refrigerated vending machines must meet minimum energy efficiency standards and carry accurate energy labelling. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, regulating on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, conducts risk-based, intelligence-led market surveillance and takes enforcement action where non-compliance is identified.
The Government has not received intelligence indicating a specific prevalence of non-compliant refrigerated vending machines and welcomes evidence from stakeholders which it will keep under review.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of non‑compliant vending machines currently in operation within the UK with respect to (a) (i) substandard or (ii) unverified energy‑efficiency ratings for refrigerated vending machines and (b) the use of non‑compliant refrigerant gases.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Refrigerant gases are regulated under the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations, with enforcement sitting with the Environment Agency.
Under the Ecodesign for Related Products Regulations, refrigerated vending machines must meet minimum energy efficiency standards and carry accurate energy labelling. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, regulating on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, conducts risk-based, intelligence-led market surveillance and takes enforcement action where non-compliance is identified.
The Government has not received intelligence indicating a specific prevalence of non-compliant refrigerated vending machines and welcomes evidence from stakeholders which it will keep under review.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that all vending machine operators and suppliers adhere to current (a) energy‑efficiency and (b) refrigerant safety regulations.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Refrigerant gases are regulated under the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations, with enforcement sitting with the Environment Agency.
Under the Ecodesign for Related Products Regulations, refrigerated vending machines must meet minimum energy efficiency standards and carry accurate energy labelling. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, regulating on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, conducts risk-based, intelligence-led market surveillance and takes enforcement action where non-compliance is identified.
The Government has not received intelligence indicating a specific prevalence of non-compliant refrigerated vending machines and welcomes evidence from stakeholders which it will keep under review.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed tariff reduction for everyday essentials on the (a) British farming and (b) British food production industries.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The package is focused on products bought by households across the UK on a weekly basis. Some of those, such as chocolate and crisps, are produced in the UK as well as being imported. Others are mainly imported.
It does not include any significant UK primary agricultural production. We therefore expect no significant impact on the prices that farmers are paid as a result of these tariff suspensions.
The government has launched a four-week engagement process with UK food producers and other interested parties to ensure we’ve considered their views.
The government welcomes views from interested parties through the online consultation available at:
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department has considered the potential merits of including additional water safety lessons during key stage 3.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The PE national curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
Our reforms to the PE curriculum will ensure there is a clear emphasis on swimming and water safety, and our new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will bring the expertise of national governing bodies including Swim England directly into schools.
In addition, we have made changes to statutory requirements for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in both primary and secondary to ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water.
Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England for all age groups. We also work closely with sector organisations like Swim England and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, supporting all schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered the potential merits of increasing the number of swimming lessons included as part of the national curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The PE national curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
Our reforms to the PE curriculum will ensure there is a clear emphasis on swimming and water safety, and our new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will bring the expertise of national governing bodies including Swim England directly into schools.
In addition, we have made changes to statutory requirements for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in both primary and secondary to ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water.
Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England for all age groups. We also work closely with sector organisations like Swim England and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, supporting all schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils are adequately educated on water safety.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The PE national curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
Our reforms to the PE curriculum will ensure there is a clear emphasis on swimming and water safety, and our new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will bring the expertise of national governing bodies including Swim England directly into schools.
In addition, we have made changes to statutory requirements for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in both primary and secondary to ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water.
Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England for all age groups. We also work closely with sector organisations like Swim England and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, supporting all schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria her Department used when deciding which products to include on the list of everyday essentials as part of the proposed tariff reduction for everyday essentials.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor has asked officials to look at where targeted reductions to agri-food tariffs can help bring down food prices, balancing this against the implications for domestic producers and food security.
This targeted set of products have been selected with consideration given to what households may purchase with their weekly shop, balanced with other factors such as how tariff suspensions on these products may affect domestic producers, food security, international commitments, and other relevant considerations. The government welcomes views from interested parties through the online consultation available at:
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure people working as riders for food delivery companies have the right to work in Britain.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Clamping down on illegal working is a critical part of this Government’s work to restore fairness, order and control within the immigration and asylum system. This includes measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act to ensure companies who utilise flexible worker models, as seen in the food delivery sector, are required to conduct right to work checks to prevent illegal working when they contract workers to provide services under their company name.
These new legislative measures will restrict the ability of employers to take advantage of illegal workers and encourage businesses to provide work opportunities to only those permitted to work in the UK. It will provide parity across industries and will set a level playing field for businesses to uphold their responsibilities to prevent illegal working in the UK.
The Government intends to publish the response to the 'Consultation on the prevention of illegal working: Extending the Right to Work Scheme to other working arrangements' alongside updated guidance and statutory codes of practice in due course.