Tag: Baroness Parminter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage, by total value, of government departments’ procurement contracts for relevant construction projects meet or exceed the mandatory Government Buying Standard level in 2014–15; and why that data was not included in the Greening Government Commitments annual report for 2014–15.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Greening Government Commitments annual report for 2014-15 sets out the data reported by departments on the proportion of government procurement contracts in a number of key product groups which met or exceeded Government Buying Standards in that year. The information specifically on construction contracts is set out in Annex 2, procurement table 3 of the annual report. As with previous years’ annual reports, the available data is presented by department, rather than for the whole of government. It is not possible to provide a figure on the proportion which met or exceeded the Government Buying Standards for the whole of government, as not all departments were able to report complete information.

It is the responsibility of each Department to put the Government Buying Standards into practice in its own procurement activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the amendments adopted by the European Parliament in September to the proposed Directive on the cloning of certain species for farming purposes (COM (2013) 0892); and what advice they gave to United Kingdom MEPs prior to their adoption.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The UK sees no justification for either the original European Commission proposals for further restrictions on cloning activity or the European Parliament’s proposed extension to the progeny and descendants of clones; and all animal species.

The science is clear that the meat and milk from clones and their offspring is as healthy as from more traditionally reared animals; and EU and national rules already exist to protect the welfare of the livestock concerned.

What is more, there is no cloning of farm animals conducted in the EU at present, so introducing any further controls, will not materially increase welfare standards within the Community.

Briefing to this effect was provided to UK MEPs in advance of the Parliament’s discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire after four years of operation.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government plans to publish a report on the fourth year of licensed badger control operations in parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire as it has done for the first three years. The Animal and Plant Health Agency continues to assess annually the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle in areas where badger control is licensed for the purposes of controlling the disease. The analysis after the first two years in Somerset and Gloucestershire is available on the gov.uk website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2015-12-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish the report of the Lead Ammunition Group, which was submitted on 3 June, and their response.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government is considering the independent Lead Ammunition Group’s report and will respond as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on the implementation, through public procurement policy, of their commitment to achieve 100 per cent sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil by the end of 2015.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government Buying Standard for food and catering was amended in October 2012 to state that, from the end of 2015, all palm oil used for cooking and as an ingredient in food shall be sustainably produced. The Government has been making good progress towards meeting this requirement, with the majority of departments reporting that their catering contractors are complying with it. The next report on progress under the Greening Government Commitments, covering 2015/16, will include an update on sustainable procurement issues, including palm oil.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the UK’s fishing quota, in particular with regard to whether small-scale fishermen receive a fair share of that quota.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government remains committed to fishing sustainably and supporting the UK’s inshore fleet. Defra is in the final stages of concluding a quota realignment exercise which, when complete, will represent a 14% uplift in the amount of quota the inshore fleet currently receives. Quota units which were under-utilised by Producer Organisations (POs) in 2012 were identified for re-allocation. Three quarters of the Fisheries Quota Allocations relating to underutilised quota from POs has now been permanently realigned to the inshore fleet, with the balance to be completed as soon as possible.

The Government has also taken steps to support England’s inshore fleet under the landing obligation, or discard ban. The demersal landing obligation comes into force on 1 January 2016, following the successful introduction of a discard ban for pelagic fisheries in 2015. The introduction of the demersal landing obligation will be phased in for all quota fisheries between 2016 and 2019. The discard plans for 2016 introduce landing obligations for clearly defined fisheries, including haddock, whiting, sole, Nephrops, hake and plaice.

As a result of vessels no longer being able to discard, an uplift in quota will be awarded to fishermen so they can land formerly discarded fish. The allocation of quota uplift is a devolved matter, and Minister Eustice announced the Government’s policy for allocating quota uplift for the English fleet in October this year.

In 2016, the non-sector pools will receive the first 100 tonnes of any quota uplift received and then 10% of any remainder, before the rest is issued to the POs on behalf of their members. Defra consulted on the implementation of the demersal landing obligation and responses indicate that the inshore fleets have high discard rates as a result of low quotas. The Government considers this quota uplift to go some way to helping small-scale fishermen adapt to the first year of the demersal discard ban.

As the landing obligation represents the largest change in fisheries management for a generation, it is important that we continue to support all our vessels as they adapt to this significant change. We must therefore take stock of all that is going on in fisheries management before any further decisions are made with regard to quota reallocation in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made, and when they plan to implement their commitment in the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests to work on new procurement policies to limit the consumption of commodities associated with deforestation.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Joint Statement on REDD+ by the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway made at the United Nations Climate Summit on 23 September 2014 in support of the New York Declaration on Forests contains a commitment that:

“We will work with other consumer countries to promote national commitments that encourage deforestation-free supply chains, including through public procurement policies to sustainably source commodities such as palm oil, soy, beef and timber“.

The Government Buying Standard for food and catering was amended in October 2012 to include a new requirement to procure palm oil, palm kernel oil and derivatives from sustainable sources. All food and catering products bought by central Government must meet these sustainability requirements.

The Government’s Timber Procurement Policy also requires central Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to offer any deadline extensions for tax due by businesses in all areas affected by flooding.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operates a dedicated Severe Weather helpline to offer help and advice on any tax matters to those people and businesses affected by the recent flooding. The helpline is 0800 904 7900Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, excluding bank holidays.

In cases of severe flooding, HMRC will also:

• consider instalment arrangements where customers are unable to pay as a result of the floods;
• agree a practical approach when individuals and businesses have lost vital records to the floods;
• suspend debt collection proceedings for those affected by the floods; and
• cancel penalties when the customer has missed statutory deadlines due to the floods.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what figure should be included for carbon dioxide emissions from wood, per unit of fuel, in the background data for fuel consumption used for the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2014, given that there is no figure for wood included in the table on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Emissions of carbon dioxide from using biomass, including wood, in the energy sector are not reported within the national totals in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory because they are offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed by fast-growing bio-energy sources. The carbon stock they represent is reported in the land use change and forestry sector, in line with international guidelines set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are offering to businesses in all areas affected by flooding in advance of tax payment deadlines.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operates a dedicated Severe Weather helpline to offer help and advice on any tax matters to those people and businesses affected by the recent flooding. The helpline is 0800 904 7900Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, excluding bank holidays.

In cases of severe flooding, HMRC will also:

• consider instalment arrangements where customers are unable to pay as a result of the floods;
• agree a practical approach when individuals and businesses have lost vital records to the floods;
• suspend debt collection proceedings for those affected by the floods; and
• cancel penalties when the customer has missed statutory deadlines due to the floods.