Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to inspect UK contract animal testing laboratories with reference to the recent findings of the Cruelty Free International and SOKO Tierschutz investigation of the contract animal testing facility Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Germany.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The delivery of the animals in science regulatory framework provides oversight, rigour and scrutiny. The HO publishes guidance and a code of practice on the housing and care that explain how the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is administered and enforced.
Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) inspection programme is a cornerstone for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific procedures. Home Office Inspectors undertake visits, within a risk-based framework, to all establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under the ASPA in Great Britain, to inspect the welfare, health and environment of the animals at the facility. All inspectors are veterinary or medical professionals.
The Home Office does not sponsor research relating to animals used in science.
The Home Office does not hold information requested with regards to exported animals.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any Government Departments or agencies (a) have sponsored and (b) are sponsoring any research at the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology contract animal testing facility in Germany.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The delivery of the animals in science regulatory framework provides oversight, rigour and scrutiny. The HO publishes guidance and a code of practice on the housing and care that explain how the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is administered and enforced.
Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) inspection programme is a cornerstone for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific procedures. Home Office Inspectors undertake visits, within a risk-based framework, to all establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under the ASPA in Great Britain, to inspect the welfare, health and environment of the animals at the facility. All inspectors are veterinary or medical professionals.
The Home Office does not sponsor research relating to animals used in science.
The Home Office does not hold information requested with regards to exported animals.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether seasonal workers are included in the Government's target to reduce migration.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
For the time being, the United Kingdom remains a part of the European Union and the latest labour market statistics continue to show an increased number of EU citizens entering into the UK labour force. However, the Government has committed to keeping the position under review and we will continue to engage with the agricultural sector.
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the impact of leaving the EU and the subsequent needs of the UK economy, including the rural economy. We will outline our future immigration proposals in due course.
Net migration includes all persons coming to the UK for 12 months or longer.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rural businesses are able to recruit the workers they require from countries within the EU and elsewhere.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
For the time being, the United Kingdom remains a part of the European Union and the latest labour market statistics continue to show an increased number of EU citizens entering into the UK labour force. However, the Government has committed to keeping the position under review and we will continue to engage with the agricultural sector.
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the impact of leaving the EU and the subsequent needs of the UK economy, including the rural economy. We will outline our future immigration proposals in due course.
Net migration includes all persons coming to the UK for 12 months or longer.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will introduce a trial seasonal agricultural workers scheme in 2018.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
For the time being, the United Kingdom remains a part of the European Union and the latest labour market statistics continue to show an increased number of EU citizens entering into the UK labour force. However, the Government has committed to keeping the position under review and we will continue to engage with the agricultural sector.
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the impact of leaving the EU and the subsequent needs of the UK economy, including the rural economy. We will outline our future immigration proposals in due course.
Net migration includes all persons coming to the UK for 12 months or longer.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department intends to publish a White Paper on immigration.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
We are considering the options for our future immigration system very carefully and we will be setting out initial proposals for our future immigration arrangements in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what response her Department has made to the recommendations of the report entitled, Facing the future: tackling post-Brexit labour and skills shortages published in June 2017 by the CIPD and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government is considering options for our future immigration system very carefully. We will build a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK and look to develop a system which works for all.
The UK will remain an open country; one that recognises the valuable contribution migrants make to our society and welcomes those with the skills and expertise to make our nation better still. We will control immigration so that we continue to attract the brightest and the best to work or study in Britain, but manage the process properly so that our immigration system serves the national interest.
Parliament will have an important role to play in this and we will ensure businesses and communities have the opportunity to contribute their views.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2010, Official Report, column 7WS, what consideration her Department has given to the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making new policy and legislation since May 2015.
Answered by Sarah Newton
On 17 October the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families laid a Written Ministerial Statement reaffirming the Government’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It stated that both the UNCRC articles and the Committee’s recent Concluding Recommendations serve as a helpful and important guide to making sure that our policies – whether they hold direct or indirect consequences – consider children.
Home Office Ministers and Officials consider the rights, freedoms, and protections for children throughout the policy-making and legislative process. A recent example is the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which specifically provides additional protections for children. Cabinet Office guidance encourages all government departments to consider, and set out in summary, the anticipated effects of legislation on children and on the compatibility of draft legislation with the UNCRC. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/450239/Guide_to_Making_Legislation