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1149073

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	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
	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 her Department has made of the effect on food supplies of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	138
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2019 answer text <p>We would prefer to leave with a deal and we will work in an energetic and determined way to deliver that better deal.</p><p>The UK food and drink supply chain contributes £121 billion to the economy and employs four million people (12% of UK employment). Food and drink manufacturing is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, while food and drink retail is the largest service sector employer.</p><p>Consumers have access to a wide range of food products when they shop and this will continue once we leave the EU. However, if key trade routes are temporarily disrupted, there would be reduced availability and choice of certain food products, including some of the fresh produce we import from the EU. If we have to leave with no deal, there will not be an overall shortage of food in the UK.</p><p>While we are reliant on imports of certain fresh products at this time of year, our market profiles clearly demonstrate strong UK winter production of many root vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, swedes, turnips, parsnips and leeks.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Richmond Park answering member printed Zac Goldsmith question first answered 23/10/2019 16:25:07 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1467516

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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	Food: Supply Chains
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2022 to Question 5626 on Food: Supply Chains, what support his Department is providing to the Departments referred to in that Answer to ensure that they are aware of issues relating to the food and drink supply chain; and what support the Government is providing to maintain the food supply chain.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	11587
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>There are a number of challenges that caterers and suppliers are currently encountering in the wider commercial environment including general inflation, energy price increases, material shortages and supply chain disruption.</p><p>The procurement and fulfilment of food for the public sector is the responsibility of lead departments for that sector. The actual procurement of food is fully devolved to schools and academy trusts and NHS Trusts. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence retain responsibility for procurement to facilities management providers.</p><p>We will continue to work with these departments regarding any ongoing supply chain issues to gain assurance that any disruption can be accommodated through routine mitigations and further contingency plans.</p><p>The Government Commercial Function has provided general guidance on handling inflationary pressures to Contracting Authorities.</p><p>Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to gather evidence and monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Lead Government departments will be responsible for ensuring that they have sufficient evidence to show that major suppliers can fulfil their public sector food contracts.</p><p>The Government published its Food Strategy last week and this sets out a plan to transform our food system to ensure it is fit for the future. To underpin this approach we are launching a consultation on public sector food and catering policy, including updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services. Within the consultation, we are proposing that the public sector reports on progress towards meeting an aspiration that 50% of its food expenditure is on food produced locally or to higher environmental production standards.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 11588 question first answered 20/06/2022 08:32:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1467517

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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	Food: Public Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2022 to Question 5626 on Food: Supply Chains, what evidence he has received to show that major suppliers can fulfil existent and future public procurement contracts to the public food sectors.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	11588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>There are a number of challenges that caterers and suppliers are currently encountering in the wider commercial environment including general inflation, energy price increases, material shortages and supply chain disruption.</p><p>The procurement and fulfilment of food for the public sector is the responsibility of lead departments for that sector. The actual procurement of food is fully devolved to schools and academy trusts and NHS Trusts. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence retain responsibility for procurement to facilities management providers.</p><p>We will continue to work with these departments regarding any ongoing supply chain issues to gain assurance that any disruption can be accommodated through routine mitigations and further contingency plans.</p><p>The Government Commercial Function has provided general guidance on handling inflationary pressures to Contracting Authorities.</p><p>Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to gather evidence and monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Lead Government departments will be responsible for ensuring that they have sufficient evidence to show that major suppliers can fulfil their public sector food contracts.</p><p>The Government published its Food Strategy last week and this sets out a plan to transform our food system to ensure it is fit for the future. To underpin this approach we are launching a consultation on public sector food and catering policy, including updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services. Within the consultation, we are proposing that the public sector reports on progress towards meeting an aspiration that 50% of its food expenditure is on food produced locally or to higher environmental production standards.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 11587 question first answered 20/06/2022 08:32:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1467170

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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	Food: Public Sector
	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 his Department has made of the impact of global food price rises on public sector caterers; and whether he is taking steps to (a) help protect public sector food provision from food cost increases and (b) mitigate the impact of potential future food cost increases on those services.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	11582
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>The rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people and businesses.</p><p>We are also aware that there are a number of challenges that caterers and suppliers are currently encountering in the wider commercial environment including general inflation, energy price increases, material shortages and supply chain disruption.</p><p>International commodity prices are heavily influenced by factors such as energy costs and exchange rates. Recent pressures have been sustained and we have seen year-on-year food price inflation rise to 6.7% in April, up from 5.9% in March. The Russia/Ukraine conflict adds further cost pressures to UK food supply chains (via international commodity and fuel price rises).</p><p>Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to gather evidence and monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Lead Government departments will be responsible for ensuring that they have sufficient evidence to show that major suppliers can fulfil their public sector food contracts. The Government Commercial Function has provided general guidance on handling inflationary pressures to Contracting Authorities.</p><p>The Government recently published its Food Strategy and this sets out a plan to transform our food system to ensure it is fit for the future. As part of this the government is developing an ambitious and transformational approach to public sector food and catering. We want the public sector to lead by example, championing healthier, sustainable food, provided by a diverse range of suppliers. To underpin this approach we are launching a consultation on public sector food and catering policy, including updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 17/06/2022 13:46:48 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1464683

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2022
	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	Food: Supply Chains
	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 his Department has plans to provide support to the food and drink supply chain in its servicing of the public sector in the context of that sector facing pressures due to rising energy, food and labour costs.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	5626
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2022 answer text <p>The procurement of food for the public sector is the responsibility of lead departments for that sector (Department for Education – schools, Department of Health and Social Care – hospitals and care homes, Ministry of Justice – prisons, Ministry of Defence – armed forces).</p><p> </p><p>Defra is working closely with those lead departments to ensure that they are aware of any issues to the food and drink supply chain. Lead departments are in regular contact with major suppliers to review their public procurement contracts and ensure they can continue the fulfilment of their services, as stated in their contracts and including food standards they are expected to uphold.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response, and Cabinet Office has been running a series of workshops giving relevant businesses advise on handling inflationary pressures.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 31/05/2022 09:14:20 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1437096

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2022
	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	Flood Control
	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 that natural flood management measures are located in optimum areas under all three Environment Land Management schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	132209
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2022 answer text <p>The new environmental land management schemes will include support for farmers and land managers to manage land and water in a way that reduces flooding and coastal erosion risks to local communities. Many natural flood management activities must be targeted to ensure that benefits are maximised and environmental damage is avoided. Ensuring we take the right actions in the right places (spatial prioritisation) is a combination of data, modelling, local knowledge and partnerships, guidance, and specialist advice. We are in the process of developing our approach to spatial prioritisation for the new schemes, which includes consideration of the role of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and will be providing more information about the Department’s work in this space over the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 09/03/2022 13:52:38 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1458077

	registered interest
	date	14/04/2022
	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	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 support the food and drink supply chain with direct increases in food prices as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	153815
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.</p><p>As the global economy recovers from COVID-19, many economies are experiencing high inflation, in part due to pressures from rising energy and commodity prices, along with disruptions to global supply chains caused by a mismatch between elevated global demand and bottlenecks in supply as a result of the pandemic.</p><p>Our extensive work in this space has reinforced the long-standing view that the most effective response to food supply disruption is industry-led, with appropriate support and enablement from the Government. Consequently, Defra maintains a collaborative relationship with industry, and has for example recently expanded the membership of our longstanding UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group. We have also supported industry through, for example, removing tariffs on imports of sensitive agri-food products from the US and removing other technical barriers to trade. We continue to engage with the sector regarding supply chain disruption.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/04/2022 08:23:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1484683

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2022
	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	Marine Animals: North East
	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 the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority has taken to collect data on reports of incidences of marine life stranding.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	27560
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NE IFCA) is working closely with partner agencies to record and verify reports of incidences of marine life strandings with a focus on shellfish within the affected area between Hartlepool and Robin Hoods Bay. Following receipt of a report, Officers will attend to confirm the location of strandings and their extent or composition.</p><p> </p><p>Any reports received are submitted as intelligence reports to the Marine Management Organisation/IFCA national intelligence database from which periodic summary documents are being circulated to the relevant agencies. Furthermore, any reports received by NE IFCA which link to suspected pollution are being shared with the Environment Agency.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 12/07/2022 08:29:37 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1187227

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2020
	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: Coronavirus
	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 the national plan for delivering food assistance is.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	33456
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government is working to ensure that up to 1.5 million people in England identified by the NHS as being at higher risk of severe illness if they contract Coronavirus have access to the food they need. The Government continues to contact this cohort of shielded individuals and ask them to register via the online NHS webportal or via the phone if they need help accessing food.</p><p> </p><p>In partnership with industry, the Government started to deliver Shielding Packages in late March, to those that are clinically extremely vulnerable and have requested this support These packages consist of essential supplies and food. Supermarkets are also prioritising online delivery slots for those that are most in need and have expanded their capacity for home deliveries.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working quickly to support people who do not fall into the category of being clinically extremely vulnerable, but still need help getting essential food supplies. This includes those who are elderly, disabled or have health conditions that make it difficult for them to get the food they need. We are speaking to food retailers, delivery organisations and volunteer groups to help prioritise those individuals to access essential food. Wherever possible, people should continue to rely on friends, family and wider community support.</p><p> </p><p>Over 750,000 people across England signed up as NHS Volunteer Responders via the mobile app GoodSam. Over 600,000 volunteers have been verified as NHS Volunteer Responders via the Good Sam platform, and can now receive tasks to help those in their communities, including through shopping for vulnerable people for food and essential supplies.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 22/04/2020 16:33:54 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1187226

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2020
	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: Key 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 plans the Government has for securing the food supply for key workers during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
	tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
	uin	33455
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government has well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply situations. Our retailers already have highly resilient supply chains and they have adapted quickly to these changes in demand to ensure people have the food and products they need. Food supply into and across the UK is resilient.</p><p> </p><p>To help the industry to respond to this unprecedented demand we have introduced new measures to support businesses to keep food supply flowing on to shelves and into homes. These include temporary relaxation of competition laws to allow supermarkets to work together, extending delivery hours to supermarkets and flexing rules on drivers’ hours to allow a higher frequency of deliveries to stores to ensure shelves are being replenished more quickly.</p><p> </p><p>Supermarkets are already protecting shopping time for certain key workers. For example, several supermarkets have priority shopping hours for NHS staff and social care workers. We remain in close contact with industry on how they can support keyworkers.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 33443 33566 question first answered 21/04/2020 15:32:04 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson