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1306843

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Azerbaijan: Prisoners of War
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 representations he has made to his counterpart in Azerbaijan on releasing remaining Armenian prisoners of war.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	178534
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>During my recent visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan, I urged both parties to work with the ICRC to expedite the returns of all prisoners of war. Our Embassy in Baku continue to raise this with the Government of Azerbaijan. The UK Government will continue to support both sides in abiding by the November peace deal and to settle all outstanding matters through talks under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 15/04/2021 16:12:36 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1306845

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Consumer Goods: Counterfeit Manufacturing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress the Government has made on tackling the availability of counterfeit electrical goods on online platforms.
tabling member constituency	Bosworth
tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
uin	178536
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government takes the issue of IP infringement seriously, including counterfeit electrical goods. The Intellectual Property Office works closely with law enforcement and government partners such as Trading Standards and Border Force to prevent counterfeit electrical goods from being sold in the UK. Industry initiatives such as the Real Deal have also reduced the availability of counterfeit electrical goods at local markets and online marketplaces.</p><p> </p><p>The Police IP Crime Unit, launched in September 2013, has had a significant impact having investigated intellectual property crime worth more than £100 million and suspended over 30,000 internet domains. Ongoing enforcement initiatives include Operation Beorma tacking counterfeits and organised crime groups, and work by National Trading Standards and the Intellectual Property Office to deal with the risks posed by sellers who use self-storage units to distribute counterfeit items.</p><p> </p><p>BEIS officials have also met online retailers to discuss the availability of counterfeits on their platforms and to help co-ordinate law enforcement action against sellers.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 20/04/2021 16:54:29 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans

1306847

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways: Freight
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that projects, such as Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges approved as National Significant Infrastructure Projects meet project projections after operations commence.
tabling member constituency	Bosworth
tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
uin	178539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) proposals should meet market requirements and the National Networks – National Policy Statement (NN-NPS) states that they should be located near the business markets they will serve. The NN-NPS states that at a minimum SRFIs should be capable of handling four trains per day.</p><p> </p><p>The Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State use the policy framework of the NN-NPS as the primary basis for making decisions on Development Consent Order (DCO) applications for SRFIs, including considering the potential benefits and adverse impacts of the scheme. Currently, it is for the private sector operators of SRFIs to ensure market conditions remain favourable to ensure SRFI operation is sustained and viable once operational.</p> answering member constituency Daventry answering member printed Chris Heaton-Harris question first answered 19/04/2021 10:51:24 answering member 3977 label Biography information for Chris Heaton-Harris
tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans

1306850

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Nepal: 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, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of freedom of religion or belief in Nepal.
tabling member constituency	St Helens South and Whiston
tabling member printed	Ms Marie Rimmer
uin	178543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Nepal is a secular country, and the right to freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in Nepal's constitution. Although people may legally convert to a different religion, the constitution prohibits proselytisation, as well as religious behaviour that disturbs public order or is deemed contrary to public health, decency and morality. The British Embassy engages with members of faith and belief groups, civil society and other embassies to monitor trends.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 20/04/2021 16:38:46 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4457 label Biography information for Ms Marie Rimmer

1306851

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Pakistan: 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, whether his Department has prepared a written strategy for tackling freedom of religion or belief violations in Pakistan.
tabling member constituency	St Helens South and Whiston
tabling member printed	Ms Marie Rimmer
uin	178544
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the top priorities in our human rights strategy for Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.</p><p>We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief. Most recently my Ministerial colleague, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised the need to promote respect for all religions with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March 2021. He also raised our concerns on FoRB in Pakistan with the Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021.</p><p>The UK works within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to promote and protect FoRB for all. The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord Ahmad, underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all at a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the intergovernmental Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to the issue by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams grouped question UIN 178545 question first answered 20/04/2021 16:43:45 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4457 label Biography information for Ms Marie Rimmer

1306852

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Pakistan: 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, whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the all-party Parliamentary group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief’s 2018 report on the treatment of different religious communities in Pakistan entitled Religious Minorities of Pakistan.
tabling member constituency	St Helens South and Whiston
tabling member printed	Ms Marie Rimmer
uin	178545
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the top priorities in our human rights strategy for Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.</p><p>We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief. Most recently my Ministerial colleague, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised the need to promote respect for all religions with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March 2021. He also raised our concerns on FoRB in Pakistan with the Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021.</p><p>The UK works within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to promote and protect FoRB for all. The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord Ahmad, underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all at a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the intergovernmental Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to the issue by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams grouped question UIN 178544 question first answered 20/04/2021 16:43:45 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4457 label Biography information for Ms Marie Rimmer

1306856

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways: Freight
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 assess proposals for Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges; and what criteria is used to ensure that those projects meet stated objectives.
tabling member constituency	Bosworth
tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
uin	178549
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p><strong> </strong>Under the Planning Act 2008, prospective developers of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFIs) must submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate. If the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, accepts the application they must carry out an examination of the proposed SRFI and produce a report and recommendation. The Secretary of State must then make a decision on the proposal.</p><p> </p><p>Both the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State use the framework of the National Networks – National Policy Statement (NN-NPS) as the primary basis for making decisions on DCO applications for SRFIs, including taking into account the potential benefits and adverse impacts of the scheme.</p> answering member constituency Daventry answering member printed Chris Heaton-Harris question first answered 19/04/2021 10:52:55 answering member 3977 label Biography information for Chris Heaton-Harris
tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans

1306867

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Tree Planting
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 the Government's commitment to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025 set out in the England Tree Strategy consultation document published in June 2020, how many trees have been planted to date; whether those trees are (a) whips or (b) adult trees; where he plans to plant trees in the future; whether he plans to plant trees in Croydon; who will be responsible for maintaining those trees; and which Minister is accountable for that programme.
tabling member constituency	Croydon Central
tabling member printed	Sarah Jones
uin	178574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Forestry Commission produces statistics on new planting of woodland for the UK. These are Official Statistics produced to meet the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics and can be found on the Forest Research web site together with background information at: <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/" target="_blank">https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/</a>. The statistics are produced annually and show recorded new planting from administrative records and grant schemes with estimates for planting without grant aid. It is assumed nearly all the trees newly planted are whips with small stems or relatively small planting stock rather than larger trees.</p><p>The most recent statistics show there was 13,660 hectares of new planting (woodland creation) in the UK in 2019-20, of which 2,340 hectares were in England. At least a further 842 hectares have been reported as newly planted between 1 April 2020 and 31 December 2020 in England.</p><p>In addition, the Urban Tree Challenge Fund supports the planting of larger, ‘standard’, trees outside of woodlands in England. The Fund supported the planting of 7,630 standard trees in 2019-20 and 11,839 standard trees in 2020-21. Of these, 734 were planted in Croydon.</p><p>Grant schemes are demand led so it is not generally possible to state where the trees will be newly planted, although a range of sensitivities will prevent permission to plant being granted in some locations. We are aware of plans to plant a further 66 standards trees in 2021-22 in Croydon supported by the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. Additional planting will be dependent on future applications.</p><p>The maintenance of new trees and woodland is usually the responsibility of the grant agreement holder and the grant award includes a contribution to costs to ensure successful establishment of the newly planted trees.</p><p>The Minister who has forestry in his portfolio and is accountable for the programme is Lord Goldsmith.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 20/04/2021 12:29:50 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4631 label Biography information for Sarah Jones

1306868

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Army having different medical discharge policies in relation to autism and Asperger's syndrome on the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant's principle that armed forces personnel should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	178576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Medical discharge policy is delegated to the single Services to provide each branch of the Armed Forces the necessary flexibility to respond effectively to the unique and varying environments in which their people are employed. While this does mean variations between Services exist, all Service personnel across the three Services, be they serving or veteran, are able to challenge the nature of their discharge and, equally, are subject to timeline constraints in which to do so.</p><p> </p><p>The delegation of medical discharge policy causes no disadvantage to our personnel (serving or veteran) in relation to other citizens and has no implications for our ongoing commitment to the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 20/04/2021 14:14:45 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

1306869

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Avian Influenza: Disease 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 assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the date beyond 5 April 2021 on which Avian flu restrictions end for farmers and smallholders.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	178580
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The rules of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) in England have been amended. The part requiring all birds to be housed was revoked at 23:59 on the 31 March 2021.</p><p> </p><p>All other biosecurity measures set out in the AIPZ remain a legal requirement until further notice. Bird gatherings also remain prohibited.</p><p> </p><p>Similar steps have been taken in Scotland and Wales.</p><p> </p><p>Our disease control and prevention decisions are based on risk assessments containing the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice and can be found on the gov.uk link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-europe" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-europe</a></p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 20/04/2021 13:13:35 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard