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1472526

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
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	Industry
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 steps he is taking to encourage industrial symbiosis.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	23352
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>BEIS is exploring the role that industrial symbiosis can play in reducing emissions from industry and how best to facilitate this. The Department is engaging with stakeholders to learn from regional and international experiences, most recently through interactions with the All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group’s event “Industrial Symbiosis: using resource efficiency to achieve net zero goals”.</p><p> </p><p>DEFRA is developing a digital waste tracking system, which will improve understanding of stocks and flows of waste returned to the economy as secondary materials. This improved access to data can unlock further industrial symbiosis opportunities</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 01/07/2022 09:31:18 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1472530

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Turing Scheme: Industry
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Turing Scheme will commit the same proportion of investment to industrial symbiosis as the Erasmus scheme did previously.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	23353
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>The Turing Scheme is demand-led, and as such, the scheme does not commit to specific levels of funding for single areas or industries, including industrial symbiosis.</p><p>Universities are independent, autonomous bodies, and consequently, responsible for forging their own partnerships, including those with industries.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 27/06/2022 13:16:05 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1472587

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Mileage Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the levels of Approved Mileage Allowance Payments at more regular intervals in light of recent increases to fuel prices.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	23354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government sets the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) rates to minimise administrative burdens. AMAPs aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAPs. Fuel costs only contribute to a fraction of AMAP rates and not the total rate.</p><p> </p><p>Employers are not required to use the AMAPs. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising.</p><p> </p><p>Alternatively, they can choose to pay a different mileage rate that is higher or lower than AMAPs. If an employee is paid less than the approved amount, they are allowed to claim Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR) from HMRC. However, if the payment exceeds the amount due under AMAPs, and this results in a profit for the individual, they will be liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on the difference.</p><p> </p><p>As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps AMAP rates under review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 27/06/2022 08:10:13 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1469000

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the Answer of 24 May to Question 1238, in what format the passport office gathers data to measure if service standard times for processing passports are being met, and how they compare performance over time.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	15311
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>While average processing times before 6 April 2021 are held, prior to this date the published processing time for standard applications from the UK differed by application type. The data is not held in a reportable format to demonstrate performance by application type against these differing processing times.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 16:12:06 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1469012

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to ensure that migrant women who are victims of domestic abuse can be granted residence in the UK which is not dependent on the spouse or partner who is the perpetrator of that abuse.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	15312
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2022 answer text <p>Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government and we are committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse. Anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status.</p><p>On 30 March, we published the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan which will seek to transform the whole of society’s response to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems in place to deliver these goals.</p><p>Support is provided to migrant victims of domestic abuse through our Destitute Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC) which enables those victims, who entered the UK on certain partner or spousal visas, three months access to public funds, which can be used to fund safe accommodation.</p><p>Migrant victims can also apply for settlement through the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain Rules (DVILR). The intention is to safeguard eligible victims by offering them leave independent of the abusive partner.</p><p>Following the Government’s review of support for migrant victims in 2020, last year we launched the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme to provide a support net for victims who are not eligible to apply under the DDVC.</p><p>The 12-month pilot, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, and supported with £1.5 million of Government funding, has provided wraparound support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds. Support includes: accommodation, subsistence, and counselling.</p><p>The pilot and independent evaluation aims to ensure that we have a robust evidence base to inform future policy decisions. The evaluation will be producing a final report in Summer 2022.</p><p>In the interim, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for migrant victims of domestic abuse, whilst we take on board vital lessons learned from the pilot to inform future policy decisions.</p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean question first answered 15/06/2022 15:51:26 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1467451

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	Animal Feed: Soya Beans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the estimated amount of soya cultivated each year for use in animal feed in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	11761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>In 2020, the UK imported approximately 2.7 million tonnes of soybean meal equivalents directly as beans, meal, and oil.<sup>1 </sup>This is in turn equivalent to a total of approximately 3.7 million tonnes of soybean. Of the 2.7 million tonnes of soymeal equivalents imported in 2020, the majority (2.3 million tonnes or 85%) can be attributed to use in animal feed.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government is committed to tackling forest and biodiversity loss associated with all domestic uses of soya, and as such, does not specifically assess the impact on biodiversity and deforestation of soya cultivated for use in animal feed in the UK. In 2018, the Government convened the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya for industry actors to work together towards the common goal of legal and sustainable soya. The Roundtable’s 2021 Annual Progress Report shows that 62% of the UK’s soya consumption is either covered by a certification standard, has been produced in compliance with the Amazon Soy Moratorium contract, or has been sourced from an area where there is a low risk of deforestation linked to production.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that voluntary commitments by businesses have not been sufficient to tackle deforestation and is committed to ensuring there is no place for illegally produced commodities on our supermarket shelves or in our supply chains. That is why we have introduced a world-leading due diligence law through the Environment Act. The law will prohibit larger businesses from using commodities produced on land occupied or used illegally and make it mandatory for businesses to conduct due diligence on their supply chains. Once operational, it will help to eradicate illegal deforestation from our supply chains.</p><p> </p><p><sup>1 </sup><a href="https://www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf" target="_blank">UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya: Annual Progress Report 2021</a></p><p><sup>(www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf)</sup></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 11762 question first answered 13/06/2022 16:21:21 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1467452

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	Animal Feed: Soya Beans
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 impact on biodiversity and deforestation of soya cultivated globally for use in animal feed in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	11762
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>In 2020, the UK imported approximately 2.7 million tonnes of soybean meal equivalents directly as beans, meal, and oil.<sup>1 </sup>This is in turn equivalent to a total of approximately 3.7 million tonnes of soybean. Of the 2.7 million tonnes of soymeal equivalents imported in 2020, the majority (2.3 million tonnes or 85%) can be attributed to use in animal feed.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government is committed to tackling forest and biodiversity loss associated with all domestic uses of soya, and as such, does not specifically assess the impact on biodiversity and deforestation of soya cultivated for use in animal feed in the UK. In 2018, the Government convened the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya for industry actors to work together towards the common goal of legal and sustainable soya. The Roundtable’s 2021 Annual Progress Report shows that 62% of the UK’s soya consumption is either covered by a certification standard, has been produced in compliance with the Amazon Soy Moratorium contract, or has been sourced from an area where there is a low risk of deforestation linked to production.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that voluntary commitments by businesses have not been sufficient to tackle deforestation and is committed to ensuring there is no place for illegally produced commodities on our supermarket shelves or in our supply chains. That is why we have introduced a world-leading due diligence law through the Environment Act. The law will prohibit larger businesses from using commodities produced on land occupied or used illegally and make it mandatory for businesses to conduct due diligence on their supply chains. Once operational, it will help to eradicate illegal deforestation from our supply chains.</p><p> </p><p><sup>1 </sup><a href="https://www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf" target="_blank">UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya: Annual Progress Report 2021</a></p><p><sup>(www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf)</sup></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 11761 question first answered 13/06/2022 16:21:21 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1467453

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	Animal Feed: Insects
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 insect farming as a potentially sustainable source of protein for use in pig and poultry feed in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	11763
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>In 2021 the EU amended their Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) legislation to allow the use of insect protein in pig and poultry feed.</p><p> </p><p>The EU had been working on these changes since the publication of their TSE Roadmap 2 in 2010. The European Food Safety Authority completed multiple risk assessments on behalf of the EU to inform the changes to their feed controls.</p><p> </p><p>Following EU exit, Defra has been working with devolved administrations and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on a review of our domestic controls of livestock feed. Risk assessments were commissioned from the Animal Plant and Health Agency in summer 2021, to assess the animal health risk of the changes. These risk assessments are being finalised and public health considerations assessed by the FSA.</p><p> </p><p>The conclusions of these risk assessments will inform decisions on whether to revise our existing feed controls.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has also recently commissioned a scientific review on the use of insects as animal feed, including examining the evidence around nutritional, socio-economic and environmental considerations.</p><p> </p><p>An enhanced evidence base will help us to better understand how insect farming could contribute to sustainable poultry and pig feed production.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 11764 question first answered 13/06/2022 15:52:14 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1467454

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	Animal Feed: Insects
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 he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals enabling the use of insect protein in pelleted chicken and pig feed in the UK, as approved by the EU in 2020.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	11764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>In 2021 the EU amended their Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) legislation to allow the use of insect protein in pig and poultry feed.</p><p> </p><p>The EU had been working on these changes since the publication of their TSE Roadmap 2 in 2010. The European Food Safety Authority completed multiple risk assessments on behalf of the EU to inform the changes to their feed controls.</p><p> </p><p>Following EU exit, Defra has been working with devolved administrations and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on a review of our domestic controls of livestock feed. Risk assessments were commissioned from the Animal Plant and Health Agency in summer 2021, to assess the animal health risk of the changes. These risk assessments are being finalised and public health considerations assessed by the FSA.</p><p> </p><p>The conclusions of these risk assessments will inform decisions on whether to revise our existing feed controls.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has also recently commissioned a scientific review on the use of insects as animal feed, including examining the evidence around nutritional, socio-economic and environmental considerations.</p><p> </p><p>An enhanced evidence base will help us to better understand how insect farming could contribute to sustainable poultry and pig feed production.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 11763 question first answered 13/06/2022 15:52:15 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1467455

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	Insects: UK Trade with EU
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 (a) increase the speed and (b) reduce the administrative costs of border checks to enable the UK's insect breeding industry to sell their products in the EU market.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	11765
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>Exports to the EU are subject to the EU’s import controls. All border checks at EU Border Control Posts are managed by the EU and associated costs are set out in EU law.</p><p> </p><p>Exports of live insects for human consumption require the relevant Export Health Certificate (EHC), which are available via EHC Online. Exports of live insects not-for human consumption are subject to National Rules, meaning individual Member States can set their own import requirements.</p><p> </p><p>There is no fee for the EHC itself when issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency; however, an EHC needs to be certified by a suitably qualified certifying officer who will likely charge for their time. Official Veterinarians (OV) operate in a private market and will charge accordingly. Local authorities can charge on a cost recovery basis for the time of their Food Competent Certifying Officers. The number of OVs qualified to certify products of animal origin has increased from around 600 in 2019 to over 2,000 to date.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/06/2022 16:00:59 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson