Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1384604

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2021
	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	Horses: Animal Welfare
	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 plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the practice of horse tethering.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	86558
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to upholding our high standards of animal welfare, including in relation to tethering. The welfare of all animals is protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation. Defra has a series of statutory animal welfare codes, which encourage high standards of husbandry.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the Act) makes it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal. The Act is backed up by farmed animal welfare legislation which includes a prohibition on tethers for certain farmed species. All owners and keepers of animals must provide for the welfare needs of their animals.</p><p> </p><p>Tethering can be a useful temporary management tool when it is used appropriately. The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code) provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on the tethering of a horse and other animals. The Code states that tethering is not a suitable method of long-term management of an animal, but may be useful as an exceptional short-term method of animal management.</p><p> </p><p>If anyone is concerned about the way a horse or other animal has been tethered, they should report the matter to the relevant local authority, the RSPCA or World Horse Welfare who can investigate. If a horse or other animal is found not to be tethered appropriately, it could lead to a prosecution under the 2006 Act.</p><p> </p><p>Defra considers that the current legislation and guidance provide the right safeguards and powers in respect of animal tethering. However, we will continue to engage with key stakeholders to see if more can be done to promote best practice among horse owners and to optimise partnership working to tackle the issue of inappropriate horse tethering. With the current Animal (Penalty Notice) Bill passing through the parliamentary process we are keen to work with key stakeholders to consider if the use of financial penalty notices will help redirect offenders away from the inappropriate use of tethering.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 86560 question first answered 10/12/2021 11:52:34 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1384605

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2021
	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	Animal Welfare
	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 his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory duty for local authorities to employ an Animal Welfare Officer.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	86559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>Local authorities are responsible for enforcing certain animal-related activities which are licensed, such as pet selling, dog breeding and selling, animal boarding, riding schools and the exhibiting of animals. Therefore, every local authority at district level will have access to officers who enforce animal welfare standards. Local authorities have powers, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare. Local authorities must be allowed to decide how to enforce the 2006 Act based upon local priorities and resources.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 13/12/2021 15:12:48 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1384606

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2021
	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	Domestic Animals: Animal Welfare
	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 his Department will introduce measures to ensure that a person is not permitted to keep an animal where the only method of doing so is through the use of a tether.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	86560
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to upholding our high standards of animal welfare, including in relation to tethering. The welfare of all animals is protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation. Defra has a series of statutory animal welfare codes, which encourage high standards of husbandry.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the Act) makes it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal. The Act is backed up by farmed animal welfare legislation which includes a prohibition on tethers for certain farmed species. All owners and keepers of animals must provide for the welfare needs of their animals.</p><p> </p><p>Tethering can be a useful temporary management tool when it is used appropriately. The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code) provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on the tethering of a horse and other animals. The Code states that tethering is not a suitable method of long-term management of an animal, but may be useful as an exceptional short-term method of animal management.</p><p> </p><p>If anyone is concerned about the way a horse or other animal has been tethered, they should report the matter to the relevant local authority, the RSPCA or World Horse Welfare who can investigate. If a horse or other animal is found not to be tethered appropriately, it could lead to a prosecution under the 2006 Act.</p><p> </p><p>Defra considers that the current legislation and guidance provide the right safeguards and powers in respect of animal tethering. However, we will continue to engage with key stakeholders to see if more can be done to promote best practice among horse owners and to optimise partnership working to tackle the issue of inappropriate horse tethering. With the current Animal (Penalty Notice) Bill passing through the parliamentary process we are keen to work with key stakeholders to consider if the use of financial penalty notices will help redirect offenders away from the inappropriate use of tethering.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 86558 question first answered 10/12/2021 11:52:34 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1328817

	registered interest
	date	27/05/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Food: Labelling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of his Department's proposals to introduce mandatory calorie labelling on trends in the number of people presenting for treatment of eating disorders.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	8585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2021 answer text <p>Ministers and officials in the Department have engaged with BEAT, the eating disorder charity, as well as other groups representing the views of people living with eating disorders, on several occasions since the Government published “Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives” last July. Discussions have included out-of-home calorie labelling. We have also been careful to consider the views of a wide range of experts in response to our public consultation on introducing mandatory out-of-home calorie labelling and we will continue with this engagement going forward.</p><p> </p><p>The final impact assessment for introducing mandatory calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector considered the potential effect on people living with eating disorders. The impact assessment is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/903712/Calorie_Labelling_-_Impact_Assessment.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/903712/Calorie_Labelling_-_Impact_Assessment.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 8703 question first answered 07/06/2021 08:41:17 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1328249

	registered interest
	date	26/05/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Food: Labelling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government's timeframe is for the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	7792
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2021 answer text <p>Regulations were laid in Parliament on 13 May that will require large businesses in England with 250 or more employees, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, to display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drink items they sell. The regulations will come into force from 6 April 2022 subject to Parliamentary approval.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 07/06/2021 08:46:28 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1307063

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Healthy Start Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason data on the uptake of Healthy Start vouchers is no longer publicly available; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making that data available online prior to the value of that scheme increasing in April 2021 so that local teams may assess their progress in promoting that scheme and increasing uptake.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	179026
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>The NHS Business Services Authority launched a new Healthy Start website on 18 March 2021 in compliance with current accessibility standards and regulations. The previous uptake reports could not be made compliant with these accessibility standards and have been temporarily removed from the new website. The NHS Business Services Authority is prioritising work to re-publish the uptake data on the Healthy Start website.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 19/04/2021 16:30:30 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1307289

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Healthy Start Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason data on the uptake of Healthy Start vouchers is no longer publicly available; and if he will make that data available again online ahead of the increase in value of Healthy Start payments in April 2021 to allow local teams to assess their progress in promoting the scheme and increasing uptake.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	179027
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>The NHS Business Services Authority launched a new Healthy Start website on 18 March 2021 in compliance with current accessibility standards and regulations. The previous uptake reports could not be made compliant with these accessibility standards and have been temporarily removed from the new website. The NHS Business Services Authority is prioritising work to re-publish the uptake data on the Healthy Start website.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 15/04/2021 16:25:26 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1306433

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Protective Clothing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the pilot by his Department of transparent face masks for use by NHS staff and care workers, which types of transparent masks have been approved; and for which settings the use of those masks has been approved.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	175813
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The ClearMask transparent mask used in the pilot undertaken in September has received approval from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for use during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used in the National Health Service supply chain in healthcare settings, subject to a number of limitations. It is currently the only transparent mask that has been approved.</p><p>A transparent mask working group has been set up by NHS England and NHS Improvement. They are producing a new technical specification which gives testing, design and performance requirements for single-use transparent face masks which are intended to provide comparable protection to that of a Type IIR medical mask. It is intended that the technical specification, which has been informed by clinical usability assessments, can be used as part of the assessment of a broader scope of transparent facemask products. The technical specification will be published online once completed.</p><p>Work is also underway to evaluate Type IIR transparent masks for procurement, which will be assessed against the prevailing Type IIR standards.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 175814 question first answered 13/04/2021 08:36:35 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1306434

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Protective Clothing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's pilot of transparent face masks, what evidence on the (a) effectiveness and (b) safety of those masks has been provided to other Government departments.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	175814
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The ClearMask transparent mask used in the pilot undertaken in September has received approval from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for use during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used in the National Health Service supply chain in healthcare settings, subject to a number of limitations. It is currently the only transparent mask that has been approved.</p><p>A transparent mask working group has been set up by NHS England and NHS Improvement. They are producing a new technical specification which gives testing, design and performance requirements for single-use transparent face masks which are intended to provide comparable protection to that of a Type IIR medical mask. It is intended that the technical specification, which has been informed by clinical usability assessments, can be used as part of the assessment of a broader scope of transparent facemask products. The technical specification will be published online once completed.</p><p>Work is also underway to evaluate Type IIR transparent masks for procurement, which will be assessed against the prevailing Type IIR standards.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 175813 question first answered 13/04/2021 08:36:35 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1300909

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) Public Health England and (b) its replacement the National Institute for Health Protection to tackle the covid-19 outbreak and future pandemics.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	165499
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed over £37 billion to support the essential work of NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England in tackling COVID-19. We have already brought this work together under unified leadership and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be established formally very shortly.</p><p>In addition, The Department of Health and Social Care has made available more than £6 billion to develop, manufacture and procure COVID-19 vaccines and continues to provide free personal protective equipment (PPE) to testing and vaccination centres to ensure frontline workers remain protected.</p><p>Future resourcing for the UKHSA will be determined in the next Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 31/03/2021 09:57:57 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill previous answer version 89975 answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon