Written questions by Champion.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 17817 on Slavery: Victims, whether all victims of modern slavery will be covered by the duty.

The duty to collaborate (“the Duty”) (sections 13-14 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024) will require collaboration in relation to the commissioning of services for victims of modern slavery where the crime amounts to serious violence. Section 13(8) of the 2024 Act will allow commissioners to determine what constitutes serious violence in their area. Modern slavery is a complex crime and the Duty does not encompass every situation where modern slavery occurs. It is expected that statutory guidance for the Duty (issued pursuant to section 15 of the 2024 Act) will point commissioners towards the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance to increase local commissioners’ understanding and awareness of modern slavery when preparing local joint commissioning strategies. In practice, modern slavery victims can access support regardless of the exploitation type, which is currently delivered through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract. Further, the Duty does not preclude commissioners from collaborating in relation to other crime types when considering local need or arranging provision, if that would benefit a local area.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2024 to Question 20215 on Animal Experiments, what her planned timetable is for publishing the plan.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. We are currently engaging with partners from sectors with interests in animal science as to how we will take this commitment forward, including the publishing of a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. We expect to publish this strategy later this year

What steps she is taking to help raise awareness of her Department's pilot scheme to provide victims of rape and serious sexual offences with the opportunity to request a free copy of Judges’ sentencing remarks in Crown Court cases.

Sentencing is an important part of the criminal justice system for victims. However, we know the experience of attending court in person, including sentencing hearings, can be distressing. In May 2024, the Ministry of Justice launched a one-year pilot for victims of rape and sexual offences, whose cases were heard at the Crown Court, to request a copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks free of charge.We are actively working to promote the pilot to eligible victims. We have, for example, published a dedicated webpage on Gov.uk, shared information on the scheme with over 70 national and local stakeholders who work with or represent victims, and created social media posts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn. We are also working with the Witness Service to ensure that they can provide information on the pilot to victims at court.

What the timetable is for the Animals in Science Committee to conclude its work on future options for the regulation of the use of decapod crustaceans in scientific research.

The Home Office will be guided by decisions made under the Animal Welfare Act regarding any consideration as to whether decapod crustaceans are regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procures) Act.The Home Office does not require additional advice from the Animals in Science Committee at this stage.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of anti-dumping measures on (a) electric and (b) pedal bikes from China on bicycle manufacturers in the UK.

The UK currently applies an anti-dumping measure on imports of Chinese bicycles and certain bicycle parts, and an anti-dumping and a countervailing measure on imports of Chinese e-bikes. All three measures are currently subject to review by the UK’s independent Trade Remedies Authority who will assess the impact of amending the measure on UK producers, importers and consumers. The Secretary of State will have the final decision on the measures, and he will weigh up all the evidence provided. Whilst these reviews remain an ongoing process I cannot comment further.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the definition of animals in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to include (a) decapod crustaceans and (b) cephalopod molluscs.

The Government is committed to an evidence-based approach to improve welfare standards for decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. Defra seeks to commission research and expert opinion to inform any future policy decisions and welcomes the continued dialogue with stakeholders.

What discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the effectiveness of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

The Government has noted the EU’s adoption of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and has been in regular contact with the European Commission on this issue through the Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field, which last met on...

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made in building an evidence base on the fur sector.

Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector in Great Britain. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to produce a report on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The AWC report will add to our un...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reduced glass import tariffs on UK glass manufacturers.

The Department for Business and Trade recently conducted an assessment to determine whether the current tariff rate for various glass products was appropriate. Having considered the predominance of imports from the EU or from countries with whom we have...

Whether she has had discussions with the (a) Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and (b) Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on (i) coordinated action to d

This Government has made a commitment to the development of alternative methodologies to the use of animals in science and Lord Hanson has held discussions on the delivery of that commitment with Ministers for the Department of Science, Innovation and Tec...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of progress made towards tackling desertification at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Unite

COP16 was the biggest and most inclusive Desertification COP to date. It marked a significant milestone, raising global ambition and mobilising finance to strengthen drought resilience, restore degraded land and combat desertification: issues critically i...

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16151 on Energy: Supply Chains, whether his Department is taking steps to include (a) trade unions and (b) civil society in the solar tas

The Solar Taskforce is working towards the publication of the Solar Roadmap in Spring 2025. This will outline the actions required to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour.Solar Energy UK, the solar...

With reference to the BBC Eye Investigation televised on 2 December 2024, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Tesco, (b) Waitrose, (c) Asda and (b) Morrisons on product labelling.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for general product labelling on food products and the Department for Business and Trade works closely with them on this issue.The Government has high standards regarding the informatio...

With reference to the oral contribution of the then Minister of State in her Department during the Ninth sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Victims and Prisoners Bill on 4 July 2023, Official Report colu

The duty to collaborate, as set out in sections 13-14 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, will, once in force, require local policing bodies, local authorities and integrated care boards to collaborate when commissioning services for victims of domesti...

With refence to the oral contribution of 6 November 2024 by the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, Official Report column 70WH, how the solar stewardship initiative will support

The Solar Roadmap will set out the Government’s solar deployment ambitions as part of its mission to achieve Clean Power by 2030. It will outline the actions required to develop resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour supply chains...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending food labelling legislation so that sourcing information of ingredients is required on pre-packed food and drink produ

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mis...

By what process the percentage of 0.5 of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance was decided.

The Government remains committed to restoring ODA spending to 0.7% of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow, but the latest OBR forecasts show that ODA fiscal tests which determine a return to 0.7% are not due to be met within this Parliament. HMT has...

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential steps to ensure UK energy supply chains are free from Uyghur forced labour.

The Government opposes all forms of forced labour, including the use of Uyghur forced labour, and is determined to ensure that all UK business do everything in their power to remove any instances of it from their supply chains. Through the reconvened Sola...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with which Cabinet colleagues he has had discussions as part of the China audit.

The UK Government is carrying out an audit to examine the UK's interests with respect to China to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. The audit is being conducted as a cross-government exercise, l...

What steps his Department is taking to support the implementation of electronic prescribing across all NHS settings.

The Frontline Digitisation programme in NHS England is supporting National Health Service trusts to reach a core level of digitisation, as set out in our minimum digital foundations.83% of all NHS trusts have stated that they have electronic prescribing c...