Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of synthetic opioids; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of (a) related crises and (b) governmental responses in (i) the USA and (ii) Canada.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling Class A drugs, including synthetic opioids, is a priority for the Government due to the harm caused to users, society and the economy.
We assess that the scale of trafficking of synthetic opioids into the UK remains low, including relative to countries like the USA and Canada where they have caused devastation. Sadly, nitazenes have been linked to more than 100 deaths in the UK during the last year, and we are taking action.
The cross-Government Synthetic Opioids Taskforce is working with partners, such as the NCA, the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver an evidence-based response to the risk posed by synthetic opioids, and to implement effective action to stem the demand and supply of these dangerous substances.
We regularly meet bilaterally with our partners in the USA and Canada to understand the tragic situation in North America and to learn from their responses. We are key members of the US-led Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, and I recently attended the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna to meet with and learn from partners across the world.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any countries other than Japan have expressed an interest in joining the AUKUS partnership.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We remain in close communication with our allies and partners across the full breadth of our defence and security relationships, including discussion of AUKUS Pillar Two. AUKUS partners will begin consultations this year with prospective collaborators, including Japan, to explore areas where they potentially could contribute to, and benefit from, individual Pillar Two projects. Pillar One, to deliver conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) to Australia, is not open to other countries.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce (a) single-use and (b) other plastic waste.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In December 2018, the UK Government published its Resources and Waste Strategy. This sets out how we will achieve a circular economy for plastic and achieve our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.
Our goal is to maximise resource efficiency and minimise waste to keep plastic in circulation for longer by following the principles of the waste hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. One way will do this is by making producers more responsible for the plastic they make with our incoming Collection and Packaging Reforms.
Single-use plastics are a particularly problematic type of plastic that makes up much of our waste. We have introduced bans, including most recently in October 2023, on the supply of many unnecessary single-use plastic items. To tackle the use of virgin plastics, the Government brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022.
Internationally, the UK is a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition, a group of over 60 countries calling for an ambitious and effective UN Treaty to end plastic pollution. At the current round of negotiations in Canada, we are continuing to support a treaty that will address the full lifecycle of plastic to tackle the problem of plastic pollution globally, including through designing out waste and supporting a circular economy for plastic.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Asian Pacific counterparts on climate change mitigation measures.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Climate change remains a central focus of our diplomatic relations. The FCDO ministerial team have and will continue to engage with counterparts in the Asia Pacific including those most vulnerable to climate change and essential to the green transition. In March, the Foreign Secretary discussed climate change with the Australian Foreign Minister at AUKMIN (the Australia-UK Ministerial Meeting) and launched the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) Country Fund in Thailand, worth up to £6 million. The region includes key partners like Australia, whom we work with through the UNFCCC as members of the Umbrella Group; developing countries we are supporting with their climate transitions (such as Indonesia and Vietnam, where we are leading JETPs - Just Energy Transition Partnerships); major emitters such as China and India; and the Pacific Island Countries, who are uniquely vulnerable to climate impacts and a strong moral voice on climate.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to ensure that his Department's (a) policy and (b) guidance is (i) trauma-informed and (ii) co-produced with lived-experience experts.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP is committed to being a more Trauma Informed organisation. We have a dedicated programme which will integrate the six key pillars of the approach as defined by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (December, 2022) which are safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration and cultural consideration. Our programme looks at these six pillars within the contexts of application to our colleagues, our customers, our culture, and the context of our interaction- whether that is a physical, telephony, digital or postal interaction. We are learning from best practice demonstrated by organisations such as NHS Education Scotland, Work Services Australia and the Wales ACES Hub to shape the future prioritisation of this work.
The integration programme is in its early phases, and we appreciate that it will take time to realise the benefits of changes we implement. We are learning from the continued progress of leaders in the field including programmes such as the Scottish National Trauma Transformation Programme. We recognise that an important aspect of many programmes is policies and procedures and intend to replicate this focus within our own work whilst recognising that the programme does not seek to change what the department does, instead we are impacting how we do this, which will extend to supporting our policy development.
We recognise that any truly trauma informed system is shaped by lived experience experts and we fundamentally believe in the co-production of this programme. This is why we have an extensive network of diverse internal and external stakeholders who are engaged in shaping the programme through ongoing forums and insight activity. We are also currently collaborating with the University of Salford on research which explores how trauma informed the department is through conversations with customers, colleagues and external stakeholders. The outcome of this research will help to shape the future priorities of the programme. Finally, we are currently exploring how we establish our own co-production forums for the programme taking advice from expert stakeholders to ensure we create a safe, empowering space for lived experience experts to whilst establishing trust in the ongoing aims and progress of the programme.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since its announcement at the AUKUS Defence Ministers meeting in December 2023, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) have consulted on the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum TORs, developing them in partnership with trade associations from all three nations. The MOD hosted the first forum trilaterally in Washington DC on 9 April 2024. Two further forums are planned for 2024, in the UK and Australia respectively.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the economic impact of the free trade agreements with (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand since they came into force.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department’s impact assessments of the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreements were published on 17 December 2021 and 28 February 2022 respectively. These impact assessments set out the potential long-run incremental economic impact of these FTAs and are available on gov.uk.
The agreements entered in force on the 31 May 2023, and we continue to monitor the economic impact of the two Governments.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to support the establishment of (a) global and (b) national targets to reduce plastic production under the potential international plastics treaty under negotiation.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the forthcoming round of negotiations in Canada, we will be continuing to support a treaty that will address the full lifecycle of plastic, including restraining and reducing the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels, addressing plastic design, and encouraging more reuse and recycling of plastic.
As negotiations are ongoing and this is the first round of negotiations where treaty text will be negotiated, we cannot prejudge what will be agreed. The UK would support an overarching global target where the particular measures to reach the target are nationally determined.
As a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, a group of over 60 countries calling for an ambitious and effective treaty, we will continue to participate actively in these negotiations.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the (a) implications for his policies of the report by the Legatum Institute entitled From AUKUS to CAUKUS: The Case for Canadian Integration, published on 8 February 2024 and (b) potential merits of including Canada in Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The 8 April 2024 AUKUS Defence Ministers' statement stated that AUKUS countries are now considering collaborating with additional countries on Pillar Two projects. AUKUS Governments will undertake consultations in 2024 with Japan and other prospective partners. Bilaterally, we deeply value our enduring partnership with Canada, including as a Five Eyes member, and recognise Canada's interest in AUKUS Pillar Two.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has met with his (a) Canadian and (b) New Zealand counterparts in 2024.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that the Secretary of State for Defence has met his Canadian counterpart on two occasions in 2024, and has spoken with his New Zealand counterpart once and will meet with her in due course.