Tag: Baroness Byford

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many farmers were not in receipt of the Basic Payment Scheme payments by the end of January 2016; and whether any of those payments are expected to be paid to those living in areas affected by flooding in 2016.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Rural Payments Agency started making Basic Payment Scheme payments to farmers from December 2015. At the end of January 2016 we had paid 66,800 some £1 billion, leaving just under 20,300 not paid. We had paid 600 farmers affected by the floods by the end of January and are prioritising the remainder for payment as promptly as possible.

Farmers affected by flooding from Storm Desmond and Eva can apply for up to £20,000 grant funding from the Farming Recovery Fund (until 1 April) to help restore damaged agricultural land. Farmers wanting to apply for the grant can find the application form and guidance on GOV.UK or call the Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the safety standards for refrigeration units and tumble dryers in the light of the number of fires caused by such machines in individual homes.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The safety of tumble dryers and refrigeration units is regulated by the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, which require these products to be safe and manufactured in accordance with good engineering practice. Standards, although voluntary, support the legislation by providing a benchmark as to what is considered to constitute safe in practice. The review of British Standards is a matter for the British Standards Institution (BSI) which undertakes regular reviews to ensure the standards address any safety concerns raised and follow best practice, and BIS officials participate in these activities.

I am aware that the BSI has submitted proposals to the International Electro-technical Committee (IEC) to revise the refrigeration standard to address the recent fire concerns.

The standard for tumble dryers is frequently revised, the last revision being in 2015, to ensure the relevant hazards are addressed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many farming businesses have applied for funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Flood Recovery Programme.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

At close of business on 22 February, 208 grant applications from farming businesses, worth almost £2.3 million had been submitted to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). Of these, 128 had come from farmers in Cumbria, with the other applications from farmers in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland and County Durham.

103 grants had already been approved with a total value of over £1 million. The RPA is working with farmers to process the remaining applications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of the National Living Wage on horticultural businesses that employ large numbers of seasonal workers.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government’s Impact Assessment for the introduction of the National Living Wage estimates that around 20,000 workers in the agriculture sector – including horticultural businesses – will be covered by the National Living Wage in its first year..

To help businesses with the costs of implementing the National Living Wage Government is raising the Employer Allowance, cutting corporation tax, and setting the Annual Investment Allowance at a new permanent level of £200,000. The Government is also taking steps that will specifically help horticultural businesses with the introduction of the National Living Wage. The Government is enabling farmers to average their profits over five years rather than two for income tax purposes to provide greater financial security, and it is establishing Level 2/3 horticulture apprenticeships.

The Government’s proposals to devolve the power to extend Sunday trading hours will benefit the horticultural sector. The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), which represents garden centres, many of which are rural SMEs, estimates that Sunday trading restrictions cost the industry £75 million per annum in lost sales.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of UK liquid milk has been sold by the 10 leading supermarkets over each of the past five years.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Virtually all liquid milk sold at retail in the UK is UK produced, since imports account for less than 1% of the total UK supply. We do not hold any data on milk sales provided by retailers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Natural England Stakeholder Working Group on Unrecorded Public Rights of Way, when considering the diversion or extinguishment of paths that pass through gardens, farmyards or businesses, have agreed to the use of the term presumption” in either the heading or the introduction to the guidance.”

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Stakeholder Working Group is currently working on a final version of the guidance on making it easier to divert and extinguish public rights of way that pass through gardens, farmyards or commercial businesses. Once there is an agreed version we will also carry out further consultation with other interested parties on the wording to ensure we produce both clear and effective guidance.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support Public Health England’s decision to reduce the dairy food group in the revised Eatwell Guide; whether the dairy industry was consulted before that change was made; and on what scientific basis that decision was taken.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Government has adopted the refreshed Eatwell Guide which reflects updated government dietary recommendations based upon conclusions from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, robust modelling and consumer research. It shows the proportions of the different types of foods and drinks we should consume to have a healthy, balanced diet.

No individual organisation was consulted as part of this refresh. An external reference group informed the development of the Eatwell Guide. Representatives from the health sector, voluntary sector and industry groups including membership, trade and levy organisations (including ones representing agricultural sectors), were members and provided routes of engagement.

Outside of the reference group involvement, 25 individuals/organisations commented directly to Public Health England. Linear programming, considered the most objective and robust approach by the reference group, informed the sizes of the food group segments, ensuring all government dietary recommendations, including that for calcium, were met.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of diversion or extinguishment of paths that pass through gardens, farmyards or business remain outstanding.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

We aim to make it easier to divert or extinguish paths that pass through gardens, farmyards or commercial businesses through the Stakeholder Working Group’s reform package. Local Authorities handle the actual diversion and extinguishment orders and therefore hold the relevant information on the number of outstanding applications. The Government does not collect this information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they used to decide on which radio channels to advertise the new workplace pensions; whether they are being advertised on BBC Radio; and if not, why not.

Baroness Altmann

We select radio stations to reach the largest proportion of our employer target audience in a cost efficient manner. This is determined by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) listener surveys and using a sample audience profile that represents employers with less than 30 employees.

We are unable to advertise on BBC Radio due to their commercial policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the public rights of way elements of the Deregulation Act 2015, including guidance, will be implemented.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The primary legislation needed to implement the Stakeholder Working Group rights of way reforms package was enacted in the Deregulation Act 2015. We are consulting with the Stakeholder Working Group and other interested parties on the various sets of regulations and guidance needed to complete the reform package. It is planned that all the legislation and guidance will be commenced on the same date. We are on schedule to meet our target of implementation in spring 2016.