Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
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 assess the readiness of proposed border control post facilities in the context of the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are working closely with all border stakeholders to ensure readiness for the implementation of physical controls from 30 April. This includes participating in a cross-government programme of operational testing at Border Control Posts to assure infrastructure and processes for implementation.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Border Target Operating Model, what guidance his Department has issued to veterinary professionals in Europe on the checks needed ahead of approving an export health certificate for a consignment before import to the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is engaging stakeholders across all SPS sectors across the EU and with trading partners around the world to raise awareness of, and aid preparedness for, the Border Target Operating Model (TOM). Information is being shared through a series of live and virtual engagement events and communications detailing actions required. Online guidance is available on GOV.UK. The UK CVO has also written to the European Commission and EU counterparts providing updates on the BTOM implementation. Ultimately it is for the Competent Authority of the exporting country to advise their Official Veterinarians of the checks required, just as we do for Official Vets signing Export Health Certificates for consignments going from the UK.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations will be responsible for billing for (a) the common user charge and (b) other charges arising from the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra consulted last year on the proposed Common User Charge (CUC) to recover operating costs at Government-run Border Control Posts (BCPs). It invited views on the principles, methodology and indicative rates for the CUC to determine fair and reasonable charges. Defra will use feedback to inform the final policy, which we expect to publish shortly. Port Health Authorities (PHAs) have charging mechanisms in place for covering the costs of checking sanitary and phytosanitary consignments, and the Government, in conjunction with devolved administrations, is working with PHAs to review fee levels and support the implementation of new checks of imports from the EU in early 2024.
Commercial BCP fees are a business decision for the operators of those sites.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of parents with children older than three that have (a) requested and (b) been granted flexibility on the 30 hour work requirement in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion were single parents.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department expects remediation work to have begun on buildings over 11m with ACM cladding where the developer or builder has accepted liability and accordingly no application was made to the BSF; and if he will take steps to enforce this deadline.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We expect developers that signed the developer remediation contract with Government to meet their obligation to remediate the buildings for which they are responsible as quickly as reasonably practicable.
The length of time it may reasonably take to remediate a building will vary depending on factors such as the scale of works required, cooperation of third parties in finalising a works contract, and risk-based prioritisation by the developer of the buildings which the developer is responsible for remediating.
Developers are obliged to send regular progress reports to the department. The latest progress report is available on gov.uk and the next report will be published this month. The department monitors progress closely. Any developer that fails to comply with its obligations will face consequence.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Border Target Operating Model, whether he has made an estimate of the (a) average cost to businesses of a health certificate for an individual consignment and (b) total cost for businesses of acquiring health certificates over the next 12 months.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will publish the Economic Impact Assessment of the legislative measures required to enable the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) in due course and no later than the Statutory Instruments (SIs) are laid. This will contain summary data tables and they will include the requested information.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Questions (a) 11320 on Import Controls: Disease Control tabled by the hon. Member for Walthamstow on 24 January for answer of 29 January 2024, and (b) 12300 on Export Health Certificates tabled by the hon. Member for Walthamstow on 31 January for Answer of 5 February 2024; and for what reason his Department was unable to answer the Questions within the usual time period.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The answer to Question 11320 was published on 9 February 2024.
An answer to Question 12300 is being prepared and will be provided as soon as possible.
I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay. On this occasion, it was not possible to answer these questions within the usual time frame.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, if her Department will publish the metric used in the Spring Budget 2023 to calculate the proposed increase to the hourly rate at which childcare providers are paid to deliver free hours.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Spring Budget announcement confirms how the department will uplift costs in future years. The department will use average earnings growth and National Living Wage to forecast how staff costs are changing for providers and CPI (a general measure of inflation) to forecast how non-staff costs will change.
By the 2027/28 financial year, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The estimated £500 million for 2025/26 and 2026/27, represents the additional cost of increasing funding rates, in line with these metrics and based on current forecasts, compared to if funding rates were kept at 2024/25 levels. A portion of this funding is reflected in the totals announced for the new entitlements at Spring Budget 2023 (and in table 4.1 referenced), which applied the same approach to uplifting funding rates as has been confirmed for 2025/26 and 2026/27 this week. Access to table 4.1 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6419c87d8fa8f547c267efca/Web_accessible_Budget_2023.pdf.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.15 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, whether the estimated additional £500 million of funding for childcare support is the same funding included within the funding envelope in Table 4.1 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Spring Budget announcement confirms how the department will uplift costs in future years. The department will use average earnings growth and National Living Wage to forecast how staff costs are changing for providers and CPI (a general measure of inflation) to forecast how non-staff costs will change.
By the 2027/28 financial year, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The estimated £500 million for 2025/26 and 2026/27, represents the additional cost of increasing funding rates, in line with these metrics and based on current forecasts, compared to if funding rates were kept at 2024/25 levels. A portion of this funding is reflected in the totals announced for the new entitlements at Spring Budget 2023 (and in table 4.1 referenced), which applied the same approach to uplifting funding rates as has been confirmed for 2025/26 and 2026/27 this week. Access to table 4.1 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6419c87d8fa8f547c267efca/Web_accessible_Budget_2023.pdf.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse for the direct administration of each consignment checked through the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will publish the Economic Impact Assessment of the legislative measures required to enable the Border Target Operating Model in due course and no later than the Statutory Instruments are laid. This will contain summary data tables and they will include the requested information.