Tag: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the average wage increase of agricultural workers since the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on average wage rates of farm workers, via their Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

The abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board came into effect on 30 September 2013.The table below shows the average (median) hourly pay for farm workers, excluding overtime, for the most recent four years available. The data is compiled through a sample survey and is therefore subject to a level of sampling error.

	2011	2012	2013	2014 (prov)
Farm workers	£7.70	£7.52	£7.76	£7.83

Source: ONS ASHE – Table 14.6a – Hourly pay excluding overtime

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research is taking place on the impact on milk quality of housing cows in large-scale indoor dairy sheds.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

There is no evidence to suggest that increasing the size of herds has any impact on milk quality. Other factors are more relevant such as nutrition and genetics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Flood Resilience Review is considering the findings of London Underground’s flood risk review which identifies 85 stations, tunnels and shafts as at high risk of flooding.

Lord Bridges of Headley

As set out in evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee on 13 April, the National Flood Resilience Review is looking across infrastructure in a number of sectors to identify those assets which the Government thinks need to be more resilient against extreme river or tidal flooding

Separately to the national review, London Underground is in the process of reviewing their own vulnerability to all forms of flooding: this includes river and coastal but also the risk of burst water mains, which can be a much bigger threat in an urban area. This work is primarily for London Underground to agree with Transport for London and the Mayor, but Department for Transport and Cabinet Office officials will stay abreast of the London Underground work to ensure it is coherent with the National Flood Resilience Review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with UK supermarkets about the case for supermarkets regularly to check imported products to ensure that those products are properly labelled.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Under the Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 Food business operators are responsible for ensuring that labelling does not mislead the consumer. The rules are enforced by local authorities.

Imported products of animal origin are usually inspected at EU border inspection posts by Port Health Authorities.

As there are well established systems already in place, the Government is not having any specific discussions with UK supermarkets about this issue at this time, but government will continue to monitor this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a list of invasive non-native species arriving on UK shores that they wish to eradicate, and if so, whether Japanese knotweed is on that list.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Biodiversity is a devolved matter. In England, there are currently five species subject to national eradication programmes. These are Ruddy duck, Monk parakeet, Topmouth gudgeon, American bullfrog and Water primrose.

Nevertheless, in England, the work of Local Action Groups, established with Government support, has reduced or eradicated Japanese knotweed in several places. For example, in Bristol, 95% of the Japanese knotweed surveyed by the Avon Invasive Weed Forum is now under management.

The Government also continues to explore biocontrol options through the controlled release of a psyllid insect.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage supermarkets to redistribute surplus food to charities rather than disposing of surplus via anaerobic digestion or landfill.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

If surplus food cannot be prevented, the next best option is to ensure that it is redistributed for human consumption. Working through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and our voluntary agreements with the grocery sector, we have taken action to ensure that more surplus food is redistributed to people before being put to any other use. All major retailers now have arrangements in place to redistribute surplus food. Signatories to phase 3 of the Courtauld Commitment have reported a 74% increase in food redistribution between 2012 and the end of 2014, and we expect this to increase further.

Last year, the Secretary of State held a meeting with industry and redistribution organisations to take stock of progress on food redistribution. Outcomes from this include the recent publication of a Redistribution Framework to help facilitate closer working between potential donors and recipients of food surpluses. WRAP has commissioned research to identify where and why waste and surpluses occur in the supply chain to inform further action to increase waste prevention and redistribution.

Following the success of earlier agreements, WRAP launched the Courtauld Commitment 2025 in March this year. This is an ambitious new agreement that takes a whole food supply chain approach, and will build on the progress we have already made to prevent waste, including through the redistribution of surplus food.

There will always be some unavoidable food waste. The Government’s Anaerobic Digestion Strategy is in place to reduce the amount of organic material going to landfill and drive the waste that is produced into energy recovery or recycling.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering banning the routine use on farms of antibiotics classified by the World Health Organisation as critically important for treating bacterial infections in people.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The legislation that controls veterinary medicines and medicated feed within the EU is currently under revision. To reflect the rising threat of antibiotic resistance the new proposed frameworks set out additional controls on antibiotics. This includes a ban on the routine preventative use of antibiotics, including those classified as critically important, something the UK supports.

Negotiations on the frameworks are expected to continue until late 2017. There are no plans to significantly revise or amend the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 until the Commission’s work on the review of legislation has been completed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of a report from the Institute of Global Food Security that 25 per cent of samples of oregano tested are contaminated, what discussions they are having with food retailers to ensure that the public can have confidence in the labelling of food products.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Food labelling rules require that information provided about food must not mislead the consumer. Food business operators are responsible for ensuring that labelling complies with the law. The law is enforced by local authorities which set their own policies.

The Food Standards Agency is aware of the oregano sampling exercise earlier this year, which revealed that of seventy-eight samples, nineteen were also found to contain olive or myrtle leaves. Levels ranged between 21% and 69%.

Guidance on the Authenticity of Herbs and Spices, an industry best practice guide developed by representatives from the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation, the Seasoning and Spice Association, and the FSA was published on 7 June.

The guidance represents the culmination of a strand of work the FSA undertook together with industry after the recall of a number of products early in 2015 following the discovery of undeclared almond protein in cumin and paprika. The FSA provides advice on supply chain verification and understanding vulnerabilities, as well as on sampling, inspection and testing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider introducing stronger sentencing powers against those involved in illegal dog fighting.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government recognises the seriousness of offences involving illegal animal fights. We will look to increase the maximum sentence when a legislative opportunity arises.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage coffee chains to recycle paper coffee cups.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Paper coffee cups are captured under the Packaging Waste Regulations. The UK meets its packaging waste recovery and recycling targets through a market-based approach. Packaging producers who put more than 50 tonnes a year of packaging materials on the market, and have an annual turnover of more than £2 million, are required to recover and recycle a proportion of their packaging waste. As a result most major coffee chains pick up a financial obligation to recycle their packaging waste, including paper coffee cups, through this mechanism.

Defra is also working with campaigners and industry to develop a National Litter Strategy for England.

In addition, we are aware of many major chains who are taking their own action to incentivise environmentally friendly behaviour, for example by offering a discount on drinks if customers bring their own reusable cups.