Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of UK airfreight infrastructure required to accommodate (a) dedicated freighter aircraft using UK runway capacity, (b) belly freight on passenger aircraft served by existing UK airports and (c) airfreight trucked to or from EU airports.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department actively monitors the passage of air freight in and out of the UK and engages regularly with industry including airlines, airports and ground handling companies.
The Government recognises the vital role air freight plays in supply chains by ensuring that essential goods can continue to be brought into and out of the UK without disruption. The sector is highly resilient and exclusively private. In 2017 air freight contributed £7.2 billion to the UK economy.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the air freight capacity available at (a) Heathrow (b) Stansted and (c) East Midlands airports.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department actively monitors the passage of air freight in and out of the UK and engages regularly with industry including airlines, airports and ground handling companies.
The Government recognises the vital role air freight plays in supply chains by ensuring that essential goods can continue to be brought into and out of the UK without disruption. The sector is highly resilient and exclusively private. In 2017 air freight contributed £7.2 billion to the UK economy.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the annual tonnage of air freight that is (a) trucked from the UK to EU airports for onward carriage by air and (b) flown into EU airports and then trucked onwards into the UK.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department actively monitors the passage of air freight in and out of the UK and engages regularly with industry including airlines, airports and ground handling companies.
The Government recognises the vital role air freight plays in supply chains by ensuring that essential goods can continue to be brought into and out of the UK without disruption. The sector is highly resilient and exclusively private. In 2017 air freight contributed £7.2 billion to the UK economy.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what modelling his Department has made of levels of future air freight volumes to and from the UK up to 2050.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department actively monitors the passage of air freight in and out of the UK and engages regularly with industry including airlines, airports and ground handling companies.
The Government recognises the vital role air freight plays in supply chains by ensuring that essential goods can continue to be brought into and out of the UK without disruption. The sector is highly resilient and exclusively private. In 2017 air freight contributed £7.2 billion to the UK economy.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of internet sales on demand for air freight services.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department actively monitors the passage of air freight in and out of the UK and engages regularly with industry including airlines, airports and ground handling companies.
The Government recognises the vital role air freight plays in supply chains by ensuring that essential goods can continue to be brought into and out of the UK without disruption. The sector is highly resilient and exclusively private. In 2017 air freight contributed £7.2 billion to the UK economy.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
What assessment his Department has made of the effect of labour shortages on the harvesting of crops in autumn 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is working closely with farmers and growers to address labour shortages and help them secure the labour needed for harvesting. This year, the Seasonal Workers Pilot has been expanded for 2021 to 30,000 visas. Growers can also recruit workers with status under the EU Settlement Scheme. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support the horticulture sector in recruiting more UK workers, and undertaking a review to examine the potential for automation to meet future need.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Ministers were required to self-isolate on 21 July 2021.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
This information is not held by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent on measures to prevent the illegal wildlife trade in each year since 2015.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has invested over £26 million since 2015 on work to directly counter illegal wildlife trade in animals and plants internationally to benefit nature, people, the economy and protect global security. This includes projects to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, ensure effective legal frameworks and develop sustainable livelihoods.
Since 2015, we have also provided close to £1 million to support the National Wildlife Crime Unit in tackling wildlife crime in the UK, which includes combating the illegal wildlife trade.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many items have been seized under the terms of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in each year since 2015.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The total number of seizures from Quarter One of 2015 to Quarter One of 2020 is 5,136 items.
Seizures relating to products related to the Convention of international trade of endangered species (CITES), are published quarterly on the.gov.uk website.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on helping to prevent the illegal wildlife trade in each year since 2015.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Since 2016, the Home Office has provided £136,000 annually to the National Wildlife Crime Unit to bolster work preventing wildlife crime both domestically and internationally.
Going forward, all decisions on government funding will be taken as part of the next Spending Review.