Written Evidence Mar. 25 2025
Inquiry: Female entrepreneurshipFound: For example, in 2022, only 16% of HealthTech entrepreneurs in the UK were women, and in 2023, female-founded
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the outbreak of TB in Northern Irish farms.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Policy on bovine tuberculosis (TB) is devolved to Governments in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Administration is able to adopt specific animal health policies in certain cases which are different from the other UK Administrations, in order to achieve the aim of bovine TB eradication in Northern Ireland.
Defra liaises closely with all three devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, on matters of common interest. It is important that all four administrations can learn from our collective experiences, and we have effective arrangements in place to make sure that happens.
Written Evidence Apr. 29 2025
Inquiry: Gendered IslamophobiaFound: According to the Centre for Mental Health and Woolf Institute in 2023 Muslims face some of the greatest
May. 07 2025
Source Page: Section 62A Planning Application: S62A/2025/0092 10 Melvin Square and 1 Ilminster Avenue, Knowle, Bristol City, Bristol, BS4 1LZFound: In assessing such a scheme of mitigation, account will be taken of: i.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the effectiveness of fire prevention policies and (b) potential fire hazards at battery energy storage systems sites following the fire in Liverpool in 2020.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) oversees a robust regulatory framework which covers batteries and requires responsible parties to take measures to ensure health and safety throughout all stages of a battery system’s deployment.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department plans to take to improve training across all levels of the justice system on gambling-related harm.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Ministry of Justice takes a person-centric approach to workplace wellbeing. Our support offer to individuals is delivered though the employee assistance programme, occupational health, staff networks and related policies. There have been a range of events and operational guidance made available to staff on gambling-related harms. In previous Mental Health Awareness Weeks, specific events on ‘gambling addiction and mental health’ were available to all staff.
Within His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), National Debt Awareness week was observed in 2024, with several live events concerning gambling-related harms. Further materials such as the "Reach Out Save Lives" initiative, and bite-sized learning modules like the ‘HMPPS Problem Gambling: Prevalence and Practice’ course, are available to all staff. There is also the ‘Addiction to Gambling long-read’ which collates peer-reviewed literature on the matter and serves as operational guidance on working with those in prison and probation who experience gambling-related harms.
As an organisation, we take an evidence-based approach to ensure the Ministry of Justice is able to provide targeted support to respond to environmental factors. At this time, we are not planning any specific events training for the workforce related to gambling-related harm.
Written Evidence Feb. 13 2025
Inquiry: The work of the CommitteeFound: WOC0364 Written evidence submitted by Action on Smoking and Health; the Alcohol Health Alliance; and
Found: 2025 calling for the Welsh Government to ban smartphones in all schools in Wales with exemptions for
Asked by: Baker, Claire (Scottish Labour - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is a statutory requirement for initiatives that are aimed at increasing public transport use, in order to reduce emissions, to be cost neutral.
Answered by Hyslop, Fiona - Cabinet Secretary for Transport
All initiatives that are aimed at increasing public transport use must represent Value for Money (VfM) and a good use of Scottish Government resources. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, Section 24 states "(21) The plan must also set out an estimate of the costs and benefits associated with the policies set out in the plan" which would include any public transport incentivisation policies included in the Climate Change Plan. There is no requirement statutory or otherwise that they are cost neutral.
Transport interventions are assessed for VfM for Government spend. Major interventions, in line with the Scottish Public Finance Manual and the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG), are assessed against a range of criteria covering Economy, Climate Change, Environment, Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Equality and Accessibility.
Written Evidence Mar. 04 2025
Inquiry: Solving the SEND CrisisFound: All children regardless of ethnicity, background, religion, disability or gender should feel safe in