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1717921

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2024
	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	Agriculture: 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 steps he is taking to end the use of cages in farming.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	26114
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>We have delivered an ambitious legislative programme since the publication of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which will deliver significant improvements for animals in the UK and abroad. We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in the course of this Parliament and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>Mindful of the challenges facing the sector, we are not consulting on cage reforms. The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hen production. Egg producers and consumers should rightly have pride in the quality of British eggs, with about 75% coming from free range, barn and organic production systems. The UK also has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards of animal welfare. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 21/05/2024 08:11:57 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1519767

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2022
	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	Agriculture: Climate Change
	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 assessment he has made of the role of intensive farming in the climate emergency; and what steps the Government will take to transition to sustainable and humane food systems.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	59610
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2022 answer text <p>At COP26, the UK announced the £65 million Just Rural Transition Support Programme to support developing countries design and implement approaches that help farmers build resilience and drive investment into more sustainable methods of agriculture. This builds on £9 million of current UK Government support to the Just Rural Transition which is helping countries to take initial steps to implement sustainable land use policies and practices. This is also a priority domestically. Following our exit from the European Union, England has begun a programme of ambitious agriculture reform. This new policy will, over a gradual transition period, phase out the area-based EU style subsidies and instead introduce a package of voluntary grants and continuous payments which reward farmers for environmental outcomes, increase productivity and support investment in technology.</p><p>It is clear that global food and agriculture systems are central drivers of climate change, contributing up to 33% of global Greenhouse Gas Emissions and are the leading driver of biodiversity loss. Through the COP26 campaign on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture, the UK COP Presidency raised visibility and mobilised action for transformation in agriculture, land use and food systems, essential to ensure sustainable food production for a growing population whilst building resilience for farmers and a just transition to reduce emissions and reversing harmful impacts on biodiversity.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 25/10/2022 13:50:02 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1717922

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2024
	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	Agriculture: Livestock
	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 help support the transition to (a) humane and (b) sustainable livestock farming.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	26115
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to investing in targeted schemes that support sustainable farming whilst improving the viability of farming businesses, delivering environmental outcomes and supporting sustainable food production.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway we are providing support directly to farmers in England to deliver gradual, continual improvement against a series of livestock health and welfare priorities, including tackling key endemic diseases alongside a range of welfare issues whilst ensuring that farmers can produce good quality food for the nation.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill is now awaiting Royal Assent; this will ban the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 20/05/2024 14:14:29 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1277660

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential effect of the re-introduction of a return leg exemption from air passenger duty for domestic flights in the UK on (a) regional connectivity and (b) the viability of regional air routes.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	138921
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform, as part of which we will consider the case for changing the APD treatment of domestic flights, and the potential impact any measure may have on regional connectivity and domestic routes. We will provide an update on timing in due course.</p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury is engaging with relevant departments ahead of this consultation.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2021 14:55:25 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

456514

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2016
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on reducing Air Passenger Duty.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	29288
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2016 answer text <p>In the absence of any taxation of international aviation fuel and no VAT on international or domestic flights, Air Passenger Duty (APD) ensures that the aviation sector plays its part in contributing towards general taxation and helping to bring down the deficit. In 2014-15, APD raised £3.2bn, an important part of the Government’s tax revenues.</p><p> </p><p>Nevertheless, the Government has recently made reforms to APD to cut the longest haul rates and exempt children, reducing the tax burden by £1.5 billion over the period 2015-2020.</p><p> </p><p>Like all taxes, APD is kept under review with any changes announced at fiscal events.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 07/03/2016 11:51:16 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

984758

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will model the effect on the UK economy of (a) a 50 per cent reduction in and (b) the abolition of Air Passenger Duty.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	177668
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>The government monitors all taxes, including Air Passenger Duty. The aviation sector in the UK continues to grow, with passenger numbers up by over 15% since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>APD raises over £3 billion in revenue every year. Abolishing or cutting APD would put pressure on the government to increase taxes elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 19/10/2018 10:23:46 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

984759

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Frontier Economics report finding that Britain’s airports could gain up to 65 connections in the event that air passenger duty is abolished.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	177669
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>The government takes new evidence into consideration when making policy decisions. The aviation sector in the UK continues to grow, with passenger numbers up by over 15% since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>APD raises over £3 billion in revenue every year. Abolishing or cutting APD would put pressure on the government to increase taxes elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 19/10/2018 10:32:56 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1198496

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of temporarily suspending air passenger duty for (a) domestic routes, (b) short haul routes and (c) long haul routes to help support the aviation sector.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	51862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19 and the Chancellor wrote to the aviation sector on 24 March to set out the Government’s position and the support measures available. The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency.</p><p> </p><p>This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has so far helped 1 million employers across the UK furlough nearly 8.5 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. This scheme was recently extended until the end of October, meaning that it will now be in place for a full eight months, giving businesses the vital support that they need.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also prepared to enter negotiations with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted other options. However further taxpayer support would only be possible if all commercial avenues have been fully explored, including raising further capital from existing investors and discussing arrangements with financial stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, the government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform. We will provide more detail on next steps in due course.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 09/06/2020 15:56:59 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1243345

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a 12-month waiver on Air Passenger Duty to provide support to the aviation sector, trade and connectivity during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	103484
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation industry as a result of COVID-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and support jobs and flexibilities with tax bills. The aerospace sector and its aviation customers are being supported with over £8.5 billion support through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, grants for research and development, loan guarantees and support for aerospace exports. The government has also launched a new Global Travel Taskforce to support the travel industry and the safe recovery of international travel.</p><p> </p><p>Airlines’ Air Passenger Duty liabilities will have considerably reduced following the decline in passenger demand caused by COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform and will provide more detail on next steps in due course.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 22/10/2020 15:41:57 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1243894

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on the potential merits of introducing a 12-month waiver for Air Passenger Duty to support vital trade and connectivity during the covid-19 pandemic.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	104092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2020 answer text <p>The Department recognises the importance of maintaining a thriving and competitive aviation sector in the UK to deliver connectivity.</p><p> </p><p>Air Passenger Duty is led by HM Treasury. The Department for Transport works closely with HM Treasury and both Departments have engaged closely with the aviation sector to understand their assessment of the outlook for the sector and implications of any sector specific support measures.</p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 23/10/2020 13:27:59 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith