Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil Hudson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 261–280 of 329 · this parliament
What steps he is taking to support people affected by Storm Darragh.
As I said to the House on 10 December, Storm Darragh brought strong winds to the UK late last week, and saw a RED weather warning issued for wind covering parts of England and Wales. The Government immediately took action to prepare for the arrival of Sto...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the discovery of a case of atypical BSE in a cow in Scotland on UK agriculture.
BSE is not a contagious disease. There is no risk to animal and human health or food safety as a result of this isolated case. Unlike classical BSE, which occurs through the consumption of contaminated feed, atypical BSE is believed to occur spontaneously...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of the UK's disease response capability in relation to foot and mouth disease.
To reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to the UK, in collaboration with our National Reference Laboratory and international partners, Defra monitors the threat presented by different trade routes and works. The risk of incursion is currently c...
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of risk posed by foot and mouth disease to the UK.
To reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to the UK, in collaboration with our National Reference Laboratory and international partners, Defra monitors the threat presented by different trade routes and works. The risk of incursion is currently c...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on ensuring transport provision in areas affected by storms.
Under the UK Government’s Lead Government Department (LGD) model, the responsibility for severe storms and weather in England rests with the following organisations: Risk Identification and Assessment: The Met Office.Prevention/Resilience, Preparation and...
What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on forced labour involving Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang; and what steps he is taking to help prevent goods produced by forced labour
The UK will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the peoples of Xinjiang. This has included raising concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government. The Prime Minister raised human rights with President Xi at their meeting ...
If she will continue her Department’s funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme.
This government remains committed to supporting the teaching of modern foreign languages in England’s schools. Languages provide an insight into other cultures and can open the door to travel and employment opportunities. They also broaden pupils’ horizon...
What steps she is taking to reduce the number of fires caused by batteries in electric bikes.
In February 2024, the Department published detailed safety guidance on how to buy, store and charge e-cycles and e-scooters. The Department for Business and Trade also launched a “Buy safe, be safe” campaign and further guidance in October 2024 to help us...
What information her Department holds on the number of fires as a result of batteries in electric bikes reported to emergency services.
The Department does not hold information on the number of fires caused by batteries in electric bikes. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published analysis of e-cycle and e-scooter fires in August 2024, which is available on gov.uk. It in...
What information his Department holds on how many (a) abattoirs and (b) food processing plants in (i) England and (ii) the UK are family-owned businesses.
This information is not held by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). There are 232 abattoirs approved by the FSA in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The FSA is aware of which are sole traders, partnerships, and which are incorporated companies, but it do...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help (a) farmers and (b) animal-related industries to reduce the likelihood of bluetongue virus spreading.
Early identification was crucial to enabling a rapid response to a bluetongue outbreak. Defra provided free pre-movement testing to animal keepers in counties at the highest risk of incursion from infected midges originating from the continent. A restrict...
Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on tackling avian influenza outbreaks in England.
Following the detection of notifiable avian influenza in poultry in England, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have stood up their well-established outbreak structures to control and eradicate disease, restore normal trade, and assist lo...
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.105 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, if he will maintain spending on flood resilience over the next five years.
We will invest £2.4 billion across 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. Longer term funding decisions will be made at the next Spending Review.
Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on activating the Bellwin Scheme in response to (a) Storm Bert and (b) other storms.
The impact of flooding, wherever it occurs, is traumatic for the communities impacted and I have great sympathy for all those affected. The government is ready to consider local authority requests for Bellwin Scheme support which can help with the reimbur...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of dredging on flood mitigation.
Dredging and clearing channels are an important option for watercourse maintenance, where it is technically and cost effective, does not significantly increase flood risk for others downstream, and does not damage the environment and wildlife. Its effecti...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Flood Re scheme to businesses.
Flood Re is a joint government and industry flood reinsurance scheme established specifically to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance. As such, it is funded via a levy on UK household insurers. Business insurance oper...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and (b) energy companies on resilience capability in the event of instances of power cuts d
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The Government works closely with electricity networks to continually improve and maintain the resilience of ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on the potential merits of using the Armed Forces during extreme weather events.
Defra has longstanding arrangements with the Ministry of Defence to secure military support for flood response when this is required. There are well practiced procedures for requesting Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) at national and local lev...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the speech made by the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs at the Vegetarian Society event on 13 November 2024.
Minister Zeichner spoke briefly at this reception. This is something he often does at similar events. Defra does not routinely publish transcripts of such remarks and there are no plans to deviate from convention.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of e-scooter use on the number of road related incidents in the last 12 months.
The Department collects road traffic casualty data for e-scooters using data reported by the police to the Department for Transport. In 2023 there were 1,292 collisions involving e-scooters, compared to 1,411 in 2022. There were 1,387 casualties in collis...