Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department is considering box-level Not for EU labelling of wine and spirits in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is committed to full, faithful, and timely implementation of the Windsor Framework, including the 'Not for EU' labelling requirements of the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme. Defra continually reviews compliance with the Windsor Framework to ensure the UK meets its international obligations.
The Government is negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU, the benefits of which will flow to movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This depends on the UK showing itself to be a trusted partner by continuing to faithfully implement its existing Windsor Framework commitments.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will copy applicants into major citizenship certificate notifications, such as approvals and dispatch, when a legal representative is appointed, to reduce delays caused by third-party administrative errors.
Answered by Mike Tapp
There are currently no plans to copy applicants into all major citizenship decisions and/or certificate dispatch notifications where a legal representative has been appointed.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to introduce an online status tracking portal for citizenship certificate applications, allowing applicants to view live case updates independently of their appointed representative.
Answered by Mike Tapp
There are no current plans to introduce a dedicated online status tracking portal for citizenship certificate applications which would allow applicants or their appointed representative to view live case updates.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support the Intellectual Property Office provides to SMEs seeking to enforce registered copyright and trademark rights against overseas infringers.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Helping SMEs protect and enforce their intellectual property (IP) rights is an important priority for the UK Government. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) provides support through its International IP Service, which offers guidance on protecting and enforcing IP overseas. This includes country and region-specific information on local regulatory frameworks, registration requirements, enforcement routes and common risks, as well as signposting to relevant overseas offices and enforcement authorities.
The IPO also maintains a network of IP attachés in key international markets, providing practical guidance to help UK businesses make informed decisions about protecting and enforcing their rights overseas.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of greater cross-agency action between the Intellectual Property Office, Trading Standards and Border Force on tackling counterfeiting.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is reducing the sale of counterfeit goods by supporting Police, Trading Standards and Border Force to take targeted enforcement action, disrupt online sales, seize counterfeit goods and use Proceeds of Crime Act powers to recover criminal profits.
Between 2021 and 2023, Border Force seized counterfeit articles with an estimated retail value exceeding half a billion pounds. The volume of suspected counterfeit articles seized varied over this period, falling from more than 3 million articles in 2021 to just over 1 million in 2023. Of these seizures, 95% were confirmed as counterfeit in 2021 and 89% in 2023. The estimated retail value of destroyed counterfeit goods increased from £142 million in 2021 to over £200 million in 2023, indicating a trend towards lower volumes of higher-value items.