Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church plans to take steps to plant trees on diocese lands.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Diocesan land is managed by individual dioceses at a local level and, as such, the Church Commissioners are unable to plant trees on diocesan property. However, the Church Commissioners work with diocesan teams and other church bodies to encourage the responsible use of land, reducing carbon emissions and increasing biodiversity where appropriate, including incorporating environmental improvement into food production.
The Church Commissioners’ rural estates team has assisted with the creation of a guidance note for diocesan officers on ‘managing land for climate and nature’, attended net zero meetings, and engaged with local diocesan environmental officers. Staff from the Rural Estates team have also met with the Rural Bishops Group to illustrate their work managing the rural estates and share experiences that apply to dioceses. They will continue to share details of tree-planting undertaken by the Commissioners with our diocesan partners and are keen to work together on further improving and implementing good practice.
In 2023, the Church Commissioners planted over 1.5million trees on their Forestry and Farmland holdings, 700,000 of which were in the UK.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church plans to publicly acknowledge historic links with the chattel slave trade.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been unequivocal on the theology of this issue, noting on his visit to Cape Coast Castle in Ghana in February 2023:
“It was a reminder that the abomination of African chattel enslavement was blasphemy: those who imprisoned men and women in those dungeons saw them as less than human. It is to the Church of England’s eternal shame that it did not always follow Christ’s teaching to give life. It is a stain on the wider church that some Christians did not see their brothers and sisters as created in the image of God, but as objects to be exploited.”
The Church Commissioners has been investigating its historic links to the chattel slave trade since 2019 and published a full, transparent report of the findings in January 2023. More information about the whole project is available here:
Church Commissioners Links to Historic Transatlantic Slavery | The Church of England
The Church Commissioners seek, through the research it has done and its response, to acknowledge the truth of the past, apologise for the wrongs that this research has highlighted, and to address these wrongs through repentance, remembrance, reconciliation, and renewal. The Church Commissioners believe that by addressing its past transparently, particularly this part of our past, the Church and its teachings will be more relevant to more people. The response is an important missional activity that will support the work and ministry of the Church of England in England.
The Church Commissioners are committed to setting up an Impact Investment Fund as part of its response to invest in a better and fairer future for all, particularly for communities affected by historic enslavement. It is hoped this fund will grow over time, reinvesting returns to enable it to have a positive and lasting legacy that will exist in perpetuity and with the potential for other institutions to participate, further enabling growth in the size and impact of the fund. This Fund will be seeded with a £100 million commitment from the Church Commissioners.
Despite recent press speculation, the Church Commissioners has no plans to increase its contribution to the Fund over the planned funding period. It is hoped that growth in the impact fund will also enable grant funding for projects focused on improving opportunities for communities impacted by historic African chattel enslavement.
The Church Commissioners have also committed to undertake further research, including into the Church Commissioners' history, supporting dioceses and parishes to research and address their historic links with African chattel enslavement, and sharing best practices with other organisations researching their enslavement legacies.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) nationality of vessels engaged and (b) type of fishing activity that took place in offshore marine protected areas in 2023; whether he has received reports of the use of (i) bottom trawls, (ii) dredges and (iii) other bottom-towed gear in offshore marine protected areas in the last two years; and if he will hold discussions with representatives of Oceana UK's illegal fishing and transparency team on monitoring fishing activity in marine protected areas.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) holds data on the nationality and fishing method used by all commercial fishing vessels in English waters. This data includes a combination of vessel monitoring system data and landings records. MMO monitors fishing activities, including within MPAs, on an ongoing basis. MMO is currently delivering an ambitious project to assess the impacts of, and where necessary, manage fishing activity in all English offshore MPAs. Part of this involves regular meetings with key stakeholders, including Oceana, and calls for evidence and public consultations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a revised impact assessment for Electronic Travel Authorisation to include an assessment of the impact of that scheme on airside transit passengers.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Electronic Travel Authorisations deliver important security benefits. A blanket exemption to the ETA requirement for passengers transiting airside would fundamentally undermine the rationale of the scheme by creating a permission free route of travel into the UK which would be open to abuse.
We will keep our position under review to monitor the impact on transit as the scheme is rolled out.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason Highways England does not undertake audits of its contractors’ work for litter clearance.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Litter picking is an activity undertaken as part of National Highways’ cyclical maintenance programme by its maintenance and response contractors.
To monitor and manage their performance, National Highways undertakes monthly performance reviews of each of their maintenance and response contractors. This is done through the Collaborative Performance Framework which includes a metric on sweeping and cleaning. Scores are reviewed and discussed with the supplier at a monthly performance review meeting where any areas of underperformance are addressed.
Additionally, National Highways carry out annual audits of each contractor through Service Quality Reviews, as set out in their ‘perform quality audit’ process. These audits are undertaken by National Highways’ quality performance assurance teams and National Highways does not hesitate to take remedial action where required.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department plans to publish the next National Renewable Energy Action Plan.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Renewable Energy Action Plan was a requirement under the Renewable Energy Directive which no longer applies to the UK. The Government publishes its proposals and policies to enable carbon budgets to be met, including the role of renewable energy in reducing emissions, in the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. The last plan was published in March 2023. The next will be published as soon as reasonably practicable after setting the level of Carbon Budget 7. The statutory deadline for setting the level of Carbon Budget 7 is the end of June 2026.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) full time and (b) part time civil service personnel there were in each of the last five years.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The number of civil servants working full time and part time in each year from 2019 to 2023 on the stated reference date were:
Reference date | Full-time | Part-time |
2019/03/31 | 344,050 | 102,020 |
2020/03/31 | 350,790 | 104,850 |
2021/03/31 | 392,140 | 112,940 |
2022/03/31 | 409,040 | 102,060 |
2023/03/31 | 418,170 | 102,400 |
Figures are from the ONS public sector employment statistics publications. The total may differ slightly from other published figures due to rounding.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation on transit passenger volumes.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Electronic Travel Authorisations deliver important security benefits. A blanket exemption to the ETA requirement for passengers transiting airside would fundamentally undermine the rationale of the scheme by creating a permission free route of travel into the UK which would be open to abuse.
The process for obtaining an ETA is quick and light touch, and the cost (£10 per application) is minimal compared to the overall cost of international travel. An ETA will be valid for two years, or until the expiry of the passport used to apply, and can be used for multiple trips during this period.
We will keep our position under review to monitor the impact on transit as the scheme is rolled out.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will reconsider the requirement for airside transit passengers to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation to travel through UK airports.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Electronic Travel Authorisations deliver important security benefits. A blanket exemption to the ETA requirement for passengers transiting airside would fundamentally undermine the rationale of the scheme by creating a permission free route of travel into the UK which would be open to abuse.
The process for obtaining an ETA is quick and light touch, and the cost (£10 per application) is minimal compared to the overall cost of international travel. An ETA will be valid for two years, or until the expiry of the passport used to apply, and can be used for multiple trips during this period.
We will keep our position under review to monitor the impact on transit as the scheme is rolled out.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 April 2019 on Access for All, HCWS1484, how many and what proportion of the projects awarded funding through the Access for All programme (a) have been and (b) are yet to be completed.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Approximately 45% of the current Access for All programme has entered into passenger service, with approximately 55% not yet complete although the majority of these are in construction.