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1656208

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: 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, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Covid-19 Food Charity Grant Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	196197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>In March 2020 the Government announced a covid-19 support package of £16m, including grant-funding for food redistribution, to provide food for vulnerable individuals. I refer to the answer given on 12 January 2021 to the Parliamentary Question UIN 136545, tabled on 12 January 2021, regarding the outcomes from that package. A further grant of £16m was given to FareShare in winter 2020, where as a result Defra funded food reached over 3,000 frontline organisations and accounted for approximately 18.9 million meals provided.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 196200 question first answered 11/09/2023 15:18:43 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1383934

registered interest
date	01/12/2021
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	Food: 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 assessment he has made of the potential effect of increased covid-19 restrictions abroad on people's access to food in UK supermarkets in the coming weeks.
tabling member constituency	Luton North
tabling member printed	Sarah Owen
uin	85390
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2021 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response, and it is 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. Access to a range of diverse supply chains helps to ensure that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather, disease, or the imposition of Covid-19 restrictions by exporting countries does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.</p><p> </p><p>Defra have well established ways of working with the food retailers and across Government including the Devolved Administrations to monitor risks that may arise, including from increased Covid-19 restrictions in other countries. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 06/12/2021 15:16:57 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4777 label Biography information for Sarah Owen

1349699

registered interest
date	22/07/2021
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	Food: 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 steps his Department is taking to ensure the logistical security of the UK's food industry during the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Morley and Outwood
tabling member printed	Andrea Jenkyns
uin	38350
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>The food industry is very resilient and well equipped to respond to disruption. The industry sectors have highly resilient supply chains, as we have seen throughout the Covid-19 response. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry to support their preparedness for potential disruptions to the supply chain. We have continued to work closely with stakeholders and industry during this time.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked across Government to introduce measures to make sure businesses can continue to keep essential supplies flowing. These include extending delivery hours to supermarkets and flexing rules on drivers’ hours to allow a higher frequency of deliveries to stores.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the impact that absence rates as a result of Covid-19 have had on some businesses carrying out critical work across the food industry this summer. To enable those who would otherwise not have been able to work to safely do so, the Government introduced Workplace Daily Contact Testing.</p><p> </p><p>As of 16 August 2021, those who are fully vaccinated, participants of approved vaccine trials or those unable to have the vaccine for medical reasons are exempt from self-isolation if they are a close contact of a positive case, though they continue to be advised to take a PCR test. Following these changes, the Workplace Daily Contact Testing scheme continues to provide benefits for contacts who have not yet been fully vaccinated, and those sites wishing to maintain a site continue to be supported.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 10/09/2021 13:20:07 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns

1282660

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
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	Food: 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 value is of service credits applied to the contracts awarded to (a) Brake Brothers and (b) BFS Group to provide food boxes for shielding vulnerable adults.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Alex Davies-Jones
uin	147088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2021 answer text <p>The Defra Contracts with Brakes and Bidfood delivered 4.7 million food boxes to the doorsteps of the clinically extremely vulnerable in England between 27 March and 1 August 2020. The contract contained Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to cover on-time, in-full and zero defect delivery. KPIs were monitored on a daily and weekly basis. Brakes and Bidfood delivered the service in accordance with these KPIs and therefore service credits were not required.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 04/02/2021 15:39:35 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones

1247118

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been disbursed by each local authority out of the £63 million that the Government allocated in June 2020 to be distributed by local authorities to help those struggling to afford food and other essentials as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
uin	109580
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Local Authorities (LAs) are best placed to understand the needs of the people they serve and respond in the most appropriate way. My officials worked closely with colleagues in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Local Authorities to design the grant scheme in a way that ensured support was delivered quickly to those in need while maintaining appropriate controls and oversight. They did this through issuing guidance on what the money should be used for in general terms (for example, vouchers for food and essential supplies). Reporting requirements were designed to be light touch to make sure the money was spent on supporting people not administration. LAs are reporting expenditure to MHCLG as part of their normal processes and Defra will be collecting further evidence on how the money was spent.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 09/11/2020 16:06:27 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1240328

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
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: 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 steps he has taken ensure that people on the covid-19 shielded patient list who were not registered for free food parcels by 1 August 2020 can continue to have priority access to supermarket home deliveries.
tabling member constituency	Bradford West
tabling member printed	Naz Shah
uin	98998
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has successfully secured the agreement of supermarkets to continue to provide support to the clinically extremely vulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>Supermarkets continue to provide support to their vulnerable customers through offers such as priority access to delivery slots, in-store shopping assistance, and home delivery of food boxes which can be purchased over the phone for customers without internet access.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, there are a number of options available for individuals who identify as vulnerable and want help accessing food. Vulnerable individuals can contact their local authority, or one of Defra’s charity partners (AgeUK, Scope or RNIB), to be referred for the Priority Food Delivery Scheme. Through this scheme, vulnerable individuals or their carers can shop online with priority access to Tesco or Iceland delivery slots.</p><p> </p><p>Vulnerable individuals can also request help from an NHS volunteer responder in gaining access to food, prescriptions and other essential items by calling the phone line or visiting the Royal Voluntary Service website.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 12/10/2020 12:28:54 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4409 label Biography information for Naz Shah

1229074

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
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: 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 plans his Department has to work with third sector organisations to allow people with disabilities to self-certify as vulnerable to access donations of food and other essentials.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	82495
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government has worked closely with the third sector to identify others outside of the shielded definition who may also need support in getting essential food supplies including speaking to volunteer groups, food bank organisations and redistribution charities to understand what can be done to help. We maintain regular contact with representatives across the food supply chain and civil society to ensure there is sufficient support available for those who have to stay at home, including people with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>We know the difficulties that disabled people currently face in accessing food and are taking steps to support them. We know that a large number of vulnerable people continue to rely on friends, family and wider community support. Where that is not possible, we are working with major third sector organisations to refer vulnerable people on to a variety of tailored services including facilitating access to priority supermarket delivery slots.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 07/09/2020 12:36:55 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1221926

registered interest
date	08/07/2020
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: 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 discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak on food and drink wholesalers in Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	71118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>The wholesale sector is hugely important within the food and drink supply chain and to the economy of the country through servicing tourism and other financially important sectors. To ensure its ongoing viability in difficult circumstances, the UK Government has provided a range of support. This includes the announcement of a host of measures to help businesses in this period, with over £300 billion worth of Government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Food and drink wholesalers are eligible for a number of schemes, including: the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep millions of people in employment and the Discretionary Grant Fund for small and micro businesses that are not eligible for other grant schemes. The Bounce Back Loan Scheme is also available to small businesses from 4 May. This will apply to wholesalers who will be able to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 with a 100% Government-backed guarantee for lenders.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State speaks to his counterparts in the Scottish Government, including through the Defra multilateral Inter Ministerial Group, on a regular basis when they discuss a range of issues. Discussions also take place regularly at official level and these cover sharing of sectoral information and updates on Government activities.</p><p> </p><p>Food supply is a devolved matter. It is therefore for the Scottish Government to decide what discussions they have with their sectors and what support to provide beyond that delivered at UK level in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 71119 question first answered 17/07/2020 13:40:58 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1221927

registered interest
date	08/07/2020
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: 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 discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the (a) resilience of food and drink wholesalers during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) the importance of such wholesalers to tourism and other sectors.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	71119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>The wholesale sector is hugely important within the food and drink supply chain and to the economy of the country through servicing tourism and other financially important sectors. To ensure its ongoing viability in difficult circumstances, the UK Government has provided a range of support. This includes the announcement of a host of measures to help businesses in this period, with over £300 billion worth of Government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Food and drink wholesalers are eligible for a number of schemes, including: the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep millions of people in employment and the Discretionary Grant Fund for small and micro businesses that are not eligible for other grant schemes. The Bounce Back Loan Scheme is also available to small businesses from 4 May. This will apply to wholesalers who will be able to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 with a 100% Government-backed guarantee for lenders.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State speaks to his counterparts in the Scottish Government, including through the Defra multilateral Inter Ministerial Group, on a regular basis when they discuss a range of issues. Discussions also take place regularly at official level and these cover sharing of sectoral information and updates on Government activities.</p><p> </p><p>Food supply is a devolved matter. It is therefore for the Scottish Government to decide what discussions they have with their sectors and what support to provide beyond that delivered at UK level in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 71118 question first answered 17/07/2020 13:40:58 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1205206

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
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: 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 discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak on food and drink wholesalers.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
uin	61603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2020 answer text <p>The wholesale sector is hugely important within the food and drink supply chain. To ensure its ongoing viability in difficult circumstances, the UK Government has provided a range of support. Food and drink wholesalers are eligible for a number of schemes, including: the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep millions of people in employment and the Discretionary Grant Fund for small and micro businesses that are not eligible for other grant schemes.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State speaks to his counterparts in the Scottish Government, including through the Defra multilateral Inter Ministerial Group, on a regular basis when they discuss a range of issues.</p><p> </p><p>Discussions also take place regularly at official level and these cover sharing of sectoral information and updates on Government activities.</p><p> </p><p>Food supply is a devolved matter. It is therefore for the Scottish Government to decide what discussions they have with their sectors and what support to provide beyond that delivered at UK level in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 61604 question first answered 26/06/2020 13:12:59 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill