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1690717

registered interest
date	21/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of avian flu have been detected in the UK in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>As of 21<sup>st</sup> February 2024, there have been 41 cases of avian influenza confirmed in the UK within the last 12 months (22/02/23-21/02/24). The latest case figures and information on the disease and location of the cases, are available online: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fbird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england%23latest-situation&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C73b9176234674fa6131308dc33b06606%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638442079918912847%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=GrOEgAdOaJvYN9a%2FaPXAtnyReNKlnkvJMH5MKlTrH%2Bs%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 27/02/2024 17:01:36 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1685790

registered interest
date	30/01/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Fisheries: Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of increasing the minimum earnings thresholds for skilled foreign workers on the fisheries sector in Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	11990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2024 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 01/02/2024 14:32:34 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1685791

registered interest
date	30/01/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food Supply: Inflation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on food security of trends in the level of inflation.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	11991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) contains an analysis of statistical data relating to food security.</p><p> </p><p>Defra will publish the next version later this year, as required by the 2020 Agriculture Act.</p><p> </p><p>It will include analysis of the trends of price inflation, international commodity prices, energy and fertiliser prices in the context of UK food security.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 06/02/2024 14:32:26 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1677393

registered interest
date	12/12/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the levels of donations to foodbanks between 2022 and 2023.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	6557
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government does not have any role in the operation of foodbanks. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations which bring people in local communities together to support one another. This is a great example of the generosity of spirit of communities across the country.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 18/12/2023 15:40:30 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1677403

registered interest
date	12/12/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Prices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure food is affordable in winter 2023-24.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	6566
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>October 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI) food price inflation reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) was 10.1%, down from 12.1% in September 2023 and the lowest figure since June 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Overall CPI inflation dropped to 4.6% in October from 6.7% in September 2023. This is now under half the overall rate recorded by ONS at the start of the year.</p><p> </p><p>Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food, for example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.</p><p> </p><p>Retailers have introduced incentives for customers, such as new reward cards offering discounts on products or 'cashback' on future purchases. A number of stores are also offering meal deals either in store or within their cafes to help vulnerable groups.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is providing significant support over this year and next – worth on average £3,300 per household – which includes direct cash payments to the most vulnerable households, as well as uprating benefits and the state pension by 10% in April.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 18/12/2023 13:53:08 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1675045

registered interest
date	04/12/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking increase support for food banks in winter 2023-24.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	5019
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government does not have any role in the operation of foodbanks. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations which bring people in local communities together to support one another. This is a great example of the generosity of spirit of communities across the country.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is providing over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England to support the impacts of the increase in cost of living. This funding is supporting charities and community organisations right now through the £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund. This fund has closed for applications and is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable households, including those which deliver food. The second strand of the package, the £25.5 million VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, will provide investment in energy efficiency measures, with more details to be announced in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Taken together, total support over 2022/23-2024/25 to help households with the high cost of living amounts to £104 billion – an average of £3,700 per UK household.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 11/12/2023 13:37:12 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1673907

registered interest
date	29/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dangerous Dogs: Fines
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the (a) fines and (b) other penalties for dog owners whose dogs (i) attack and (ii) kill other people.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	4432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2023 answer text <p>The maximum penalty for any owner who allows their dog to be dangerously out of control is 14 years’ imprisonment where the death of a person is involved, five years’ imprisonment where a person is injured, six months’ imprisonment where no injury is caused to a person, and three years’ imprisonment for an aggravated attack on an assistance dog. All of the above offences carry the possibility of an unlimited fine. We are currently working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to ensure that the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied to encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 07/12/2023 11:19:45 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1671694

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dairy Farming: Skilled Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure access to skilled labour in the dairy farming sector.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	2885
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>We appreciate the importance of skilled labour to our domestic food producers, including the dairy sector. To help support the issue of labour shortages, the Government commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an independent review which considered how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages in the food supply chain. The report was published in June 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The Government Response will consider all ten of the recommendations made in John Shropshire’s Review, covering the four themes of Recruitment &amp; Retention, Skills, Data, and Automation. The Government Response will be published shortly.</p><p> </p><p>The Skilled Worker visa route is open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK for the purpose of working in a skilled job they have been offered. The Government have broadened the skill and salary thresholds to include medium skilled jobs and the route now covers 60% of jobs in the economy. This strikes an appropriate balance between allowing employers access to the skills our economy needs and encouraging investment in the resident workforce.</p><p> </p><p>Defra will continue to work closely with our dairy and other agricultural sectors and across government, to make sure that the workforce requirements for food and farming are understood.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/11/2023 12:21:24 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1671696

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Inflation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle food inflation.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	2887
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>Tackling inflation is this Government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we are monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.</p><p> </p><p>The Government monitors consumer food prices using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). October 2023 CPI food price inflation reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) was 10.1%, down from 12.1% in September 2023 and the lowest figure since June 2022. Overall CPI inflation dropped to 4.6% in October from 6.7% in September 2023. This is now under half the overall rate recorded by ONS at the start of the year.</p><p> </p><p>Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Some of these factors are influenced by our trading arrangements with other countries.</p><p> </p><p>Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures. Some retailers have also introduced incentives for customers, such as new reward cards offering discounts on products or ‘cashback’ on future purchases, and a number of stores are also offering meal deals either in store or within their cafes to help vulnerable groups.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 23/11/2023 16:46:31 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1671704

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Fisheries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the fisheries management plans updated on 2 October 2023 on UK (a) fishermen and (b) fishing communities.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	2895
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>In July, Defra published impact assessments on the draft <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fisheries-management-plans" target="_blank">Fisheries Management Plans</a>. Further assessment of impacts will be conducted as appropriate during implementation.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/11/2023 11:58:33 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon