Tag: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what submissions they have made to the European Commission’s review of the licence of glyphosate.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Pesticide active substances, such as glyphosate, must be approved at EU level before products containing them can be authorised for sale and use in a Member State. The approval decision is based on an assessment of the risks to people and to the environment and is subject to regular review to ensure that current standards continue to be met. The scientific assessment is led by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and decisions are made by the European Commission through a comitology process.

UK experts participated fully in the EFSA review of glyphosate and agree with its overall conclusion that this active substance meets the standards for approval. The Government has therefore been clear to the Commission that we support the continuing approval of glyphosate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 3 April (HL7210), how much surplus food is now being redistributed from supermarkets; and what action they are taking to increase the proportion of food redistributed to charities.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) published its Food Surplus and Waste Quantification report in May this year. This estimates that 5,000 tonnes of surplus food was redistributed by the UK retail sector last year.

WRAP has established a Redistribution Working Group under Courtauld 2025 to share best practice and help identify and overcome barriers to redistributing food. This Working Group met for the first time in July this year. All of the major retailers are carrying out initiatives aimed at increasing store-level redistribution, or looking at how to maximise distribution from distribution centres or make it easier for their suppliers to redistribute surplus food.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional resources will be made available to enable local authorities to introduce clean air zones.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government is currently consulting on draft plans to address nitrogen dioxide levels in the UK, including proposals for a framework for Clean Air Zones in England. The principal responsibility for deciding whether to introduce a Clean Air Zone, or other appropriate measures to tackle air quality, will rest with relevant local authorities. The Government is considering the appropriate incentives required to help secure the delivery of the air quality plans.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a sugar tax on sweetened drinks in order to tackle the rise in obesity.

Lord Prior of Brampton

There are no plans to introduce a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. However, we keep all taxes under review, with decisions being a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

Calorie reduction, including sugar reduction, is being considered as part of the development of the Government’s childhood obesity strategy which is due in the coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the funding of free school meals for infants schools will be protected in the forthcoming spending review.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The continuation of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto.

The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all of its programmes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in order to deliver fair prices for dairy farmers.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The jurisdiction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator is defined by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008.

The Government has no plans to extend the powers of the Adjudicator at this time. There will, however, be a statutory review of the performance of the Adjudicator next year in accordance with section 15 of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics are made publicly available on agricultural wages since the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Office for National Statistics publishes various agricultural wage statistics as part of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

The latest statistical release containing agricultural wage rates is entitled “Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2014 Provisional Results.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations, if any, they have made to British Members of the European Parliament about voting against European Union legislation requiring countries to carry out spot checks on the emissions of vehicles under real operating conditions.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

In July this year, Defra prepared a voting brief for British MEPs concerning the revised National Emission Ceilings Directive. This advised MEPs to oppose an amendment which included the introduction of spot checks on vehicle emissions under real operating conditions, because the aim of the amendment and how it related to existing regimes was unclear. The Government supports the implementation of real driving emissions testing for vehicles but strongly believes that this should be addressed in the appropriate legislation to ensure clarity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for establishing a national testing regime routinely to measure vehicle emissions under real operating conditions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There has been no assessment made at national level.

The government has been at the forefront of action at a European level to introduce real driving emissions (RDE) testing, to ensure tests of all new passenger cars and vans accurately represent performance out on the road and ensure public confidence. We will continue to press for the introduction of RDE at the earliest opportunity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timescale for complying with the Supreme Court judgment about tackling illegal levels of diesel fumes in British cities.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Supreme Court’s judgement ordered the Government to prepare revised air quality plans and submit them to the European Commission by the end of 2015.