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  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce instances of antibiotic resistance developing in farmed animals; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    In September 2013, the government published the UK Five-Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy. The strategy sets out three strategic aims to minimise the development of antibiotic resistance and protect human and animal health and welfare.

    In December 2014, the Government published the first annual progress report against the UK 5 year AMR Strategy[1]. The report sets out the work underway in each of the seven key areas, more specifically:

    – infection, prevention and control,

    – education and outreach,

    – better access to surveillance data,

    – strengthening International collaboration

    The report also includes the further measures on animal health to be taken over the next four years to respond to the risk of AMR and to promote the responsible use of antibiotics.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-the-uk-five-year-amr-strategy-2014

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  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of permaculture techniques; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Defra undertakes no specific research into the effectiveness of permaculture techniques, but the principles of permaculture are reflected in our current research programme. We are investing £4 million over three years in research through the Sustainable Intensification Research Platform to improve the environmental and economic performance of farming. This includes exploring integrated farm management techniques and landscape scale opportunities.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to raise the welfare standards of animals in battery cages.

    George Eustice

    All animals are protected by comprehensive animal welfare legislation, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal. The UK also has species specific legal requirements which protect the welfare of all farm animals in whatever system they are kept. Battery cages for laying hens were banned in 2012 as there was clear evidence that these cages were detrimental to laying hen welfare. A statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sport Shooting provides rearers of gamebirds with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their livestock as required by the Animal Welfare Act including in cage rearing systems.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the outcomes were of her visit to China in November 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    During her visit the Secretary of State met a number of her counterparts, supported the two week long Food is GREAT Campaign in China and took with her the largest ever UK delegation to the Food and Hotel China trade show. She signed agreements to open the markets for UK barley and pigs trotters worth up to £190m over 5 years and discussed the forward plan for opening up the markets for poultry, beef and lamb. She discussed shared priorities with the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Water Resources and agreed programmes of closer collaboration.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress the Government has made on the UK commitment to ensure 20 per cent of its energy will come from renewables by 2020.

    Andrea Leadsom

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on 6 July 2015 to Question 4832:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-30/4832/.

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  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the Government plans to create a new national scheme to improve home energy efficiency to replace the Green Deal scheme.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Since 2013 Government has supported industry in delivering over 1.6 million measures which were installed in over 1.3 million households through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) alone.

    We are now working with the industry and consumer groups on a new value-for-money approach. We’ve also commissioned an independent review led by Peter Bonfield to investigate quality, standards and consumer protection to ensure that the system properly supports and protects consumers.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her Department’s involvement was in the launch of E-Track on 18 November 2015 on the new European Commission programme on the Energy Transparency Centre of Knowledge (E-TRACK); and what the benefits are to the development of UK energy policy of E-TRACK.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Energy Transparency Centre of Knowledge (E-TRACK) is a joint initiative of the European Commission’s Directorate General of Energy and Joint Research Centre. It is intended to monitor, disseminate and share information on good practices of public participation in energy policy. Given it has only just been launched and is yet to begin its work it is too early to assess whether its subsequent outputs will deliver benefits to the development of UK energy policy.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who she met during her visit to China in November 2015; and what was (a) discussed and (b) agreed at those meetings.

    George Eustice

    During her visit the Secretary of State met a number of her counterparts, supported the two week long Food is GREAT Campaign in China and took with her the largest ever UK delegation to the Food and Hotel China trade show. She signed agreements to open the markets for UK barley and pigs trotters worth up to £190m over 5 years and discussed the forward plan for opening up the markets for poultry, beef and lamb. She discussed shared priorities with the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Water Resources and agreed programmes of closer collaboration.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools facilitate highly-able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds accessing the best universities.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Widening participation in higher education (HE) is a priority for this government, building on the real progress being made in the last 5 years. In England the entry rates for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds were at record levels in 2014, rising from 13.6 per cent in 2009 to 18.2 per cent in 2014. Applications from this group also reached a record high in 2015, with the latest data showing a 21 per cent application rate. As set out in the Green Paper on Higher Education, published on 6 November, this government has set a goal to double the proportion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering HE by the end of this Parliament from 2009 levels. Schools have a critical role in delivering on this commitment.

    We have introduced compulsory study of the key English Baccalaureate subjects to make sure more pupils get the rigorous academic education they need to succeed in getting a place at university.

    We are also committed to continuing the pupil premium, protected at current rates, so that pupils from the poorest backgrounds get the help they need, including the most able.

    Work is underway to implement collaborative national networks that will provide single points of contact to help teachers and advisers to find out about HE outreach activity in their area, and give general advice about progression to HE. A total of £22 million is being provided in 2014-16, and 35 networks will cover schools across England.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend how the pupil premium is paid in order to reward schools that consistently improve results for all pupils while narrowing the attainment gap.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We have no plans to change the basis on which the pupil premium is distributed to schools.

    Our school reforms are intended to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. This includes the new ‘progress 8’ performance measure for secondary schools, so that schools are recognised for the improved achievement of every child.