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1435125

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Biofuels
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effect of E10 fuel on (a) emissions and (b) fuel consumption.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	129121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2022 answer text <p>E10 has been the industry agreed standard for petrol since 2013, and the reference fuel against which new cars are tested for emissions and performance since 2016. The impact assessment published alongside the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) and the Biofuel (Labelling) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021, which introduced E10, estimates that the change from E5 unleaded petrol to E10 is expected to reduce CO<sub>2 </sub>emissions by around 0.7 to 0.8 megatonnes per year. Switching from E5 to E10 is understood to have a relatively small impact on fuel economy of around 1-2 % and this was factored into the impact assessment. There are many factors that influence fuel consumption, making the effect of E10 difficult to assess on the basis of anecdotal evidence or monitoring. The Regulations mandating E10 petrol across Great Britain came into force just last September and will be the subject of a regulatory review considering its impacts, conducted within five years.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 02/03/2022 11:23:19 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1435126

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Sri Lanka: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to ask the (a) International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism or (b) International Criminal Court to conduct an international investigation in Sri Lanka when UN Resolution 46/1 on Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, expires.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	129122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2022 answer text <p>The UK led efforts at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March 2021 to adopt Resolution 46/1. We continue to support engagement between the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of Sri Lanka on reconciliation, accountability and human rights.</p><p>The Minister for South and Central Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the importance of these issues with representatives of the Sri Lankan government and wider stakeholders, including representatives of Tamil communities, during his visit to Sri Lanka in January 2022 when he travelled to Jaffna and Trincomalee as well as Colombo.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 129123 question first answered 04/03/2022 10:32:41 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1435127

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Sri Lanka: Tamils
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will consult Tamil representatives including in Sri Lanka on potential next steps on UN Resolution 46/1 on Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	129123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2022 answer text <p>The UK led efforts at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March 2021 to adopt Resolution 46/1. We continue to support engagement between the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of Sri Lanka on reconciliation, accountability and human rights.</p><p>The Minister for South and Central Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the importance of these issues with representatives of the Sri Lankan government and wider stakeholders, including representatives of Tamil communities, during his visit to Sri Lanka in January 2022 when he travelled to Jaffna and Trincomalee as well as Colombo.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 129122 question first answered 04/03/2022 10:32:42 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1435128

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	North Korea: Religious Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Korea Future's 2021 report, Persecuting Faith: Documenting religious freedom violations in North Korea, Volume 2, what steps he is taking to help prevent the persecution of (a) Christians and (b) followers of other faiths in North Korea.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	129124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2022 answer text <p>We regularly raise our concerns about human rights violations directly with the North Korean authorities and at the UN, and recently discussed the human rights situation in the DPRK during a closed session of the UN Security Council on 15 December 2021.</p><p>The UK co-sponsored (alongside 59 other countries) the resolution on DPRK human rights adopted at the UN General Assembly on 16 December 2021. The resolution sends an unequivocal message to the DPRK Government and reiterates long-held demands of the international community for the DPRK regime to take concrete action to end the systemic and widespread human rights violations in the country, and to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief. We will work with partners at the Human Rights Council in March 2022 to secure a strong and clear resolution on DPRK human rights.</p> answering member constituency Cannock Chase answering member printed Amanda Milling question first answered 01/03/2022 13:04:11 answering member 4454 label Biography information for Dame Amanda Milling
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1435129

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will hold discussions with Citizen's Advice on targeted support for low income households in April 2022 through an energy support grant.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	129157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2022 answer text <p>BEIS Ministers and officials meet regularly with Citizens Advice to discuss a range of issues relating to the energy retail market. The energy price cap ensures millions of households pay a fair price for their gas and electricity. Support for energy bills is available to eligible low-income households through the Warm home Discount, the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payments.</p><p> </p><p>On 3 February, the Government announced a package of support worth £9.1 billion to help domestic energy customers with the cost of rising energy bills. This includes a £150 non-repayable Council Tax rebate in April 2022 to all households in Council Tax Bands A-D, £144 million of discretionary funding for local authorities to support those not eligible for the Council Tax rebate and a £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn for domestic electricity customers’ bills, to be paid back automatically over the next five years.</p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 04/03/2022 15:43:49 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1435130

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
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	Game: Birds
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the use of cages in the breeding of game birds; how many animal welfare inspections of game bird farms in England and Wales were undertaken in 2021; how many of those visits resulted in action being taken against the person responsible for a welfare breach; and whether follow up inspections were carried out in those circumstances.
tabling member constituency	Ynys Môn
tabling member printed	Virginia Crosbie
uin	129273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government shares the public's high regard for animal welfare. We are delivering a series of ambitious reforms, as outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. We are actively exploring options for improving the welfare of farmed animals and are considering the case for introducing further reforms, in areas such as the use of cages for gamebirds.</p><p>We need to gather evidence on the welfare of gamebirds and the use of cages in the sector to inform future policy development. The expectation is that we will be calling for evidence later this year.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out targeted inspections on gamebird breeding and rearing units in response to intelligence received. Intelligence led monitoring and offering advice on compliance are key components of all APHA inspections. Where welfare regulations are breached, appropriate action is always taken.</p><p> </p><p>According to APHA records, 10 inspections took place in England and Wales in 2021. One inspection in England resulted in non-compliances being identified and a follow up inspection was carried out to ensure corrective action had been taken.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 02/03/2022 18:09:52 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4859 label Biography information for Virginia Crosbie

1435131

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
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	Game: Birds
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with regard to the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes, what his Department's policy is on the acceptable temperature range inside the units that are used to house breeding game birds, in relation to the provision in that Code on protection from adverse weather conditions and extremes of temperature.
tabling member constituency	Ynys Môn
tabling member printed	Virginia Crosbie
uin	129274
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2022 answer text <p>It remains the farmer/keeper’s responsibility to ensure that birds are kept in a suitable environment, as required by Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which includes the provision of suitable protection from adverse weather conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The Code of Practice for the welfare of Gamebirds reared for Sporting Purposes states that when birds are housed or penned, the accommodation should be well constructed and managed and of sufficient size to ensure good health and welfare; which is best achieved by ensuring protection from adverse weather conditions and extremes of temperature. The code also states that there should be a contingency plan to prevent or deal with emergencies which would include extremes of temperature.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out targeted inspections on gamebird units in response to intelligence received. In determining whether a temperature range is suitable, APHA inspectors conduct a case-by-case assessment based on the birds’ environment, including any clinical signs in the birds, to verify compliance with the legislation. APHA also assess stockmanship and contingency actions that have been put in place to protect bird welfare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 01/03/2022 14:11:09 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4859 label Biography information for Virginia Crosbie

1435132

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Controls: Agriculture and Shipping
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Points Based Immigration System on the (a) workboat sector and (b) agricultural sector.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	129195
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office carefully considered the possible impacts of the new immigration system, making best use of existing evidence and data – this included a review undertaken by the Migration Advisory Committee in the design of the Points Based System.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to the launch of the Skilled Worker route we published a detailed Impact Assessment which set out a range of impacts. The Government continues to monitor the immigration system and the wider UK economy impacts on migration flows and the labour market, and whether this is in line with our detailed planning assumptions. As part of this, the Government regularly engages the MAC for their expert and independent view.</p><p> </p><p>The Points Based System, including the Skilled Worker route, provides for many occupations in the maritime and agricultural sector (which has its own sector specific scheme for horticultural roles), if the requirements of the system are met.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 07/03/2022 10:15:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 55316 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1435133

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Assets
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of HMRC's policy on long-life assets and (b) effect of that matter on tug owners.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	129196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.</p><p> </p><p>In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.</p><p> </p><p>Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.</p><p> </p><p>The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 129197 question first answered 03/03/2022 15:23:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1435134

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Boats: Capital Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing HMRC policy on capital allowances on workboats.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	129197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.</p><p> </p><p>In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.</p><p> </p><p>Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.</p><p> </p><p>The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 129196 question first answered 03/03/2022 15:23:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst