Every parliamentary written question tabled by Dan Norris this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 221–240 of 249 · this parliament
Whether he plans to change meat inspection charges from April 2026.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) charges operators to recover costs of meat inspection across its geographic remit of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The FSA conducts an annual review of inspection charges ahead of each financial year. Charges applicable from April 2026 will be determined by means of the next annual review and will be published in early 2026.
How many Great Western Railway trains were cancelled due to lack of drivers in December 2024.
Great Western Railway cancelled just under two per cent of total services in December due to driver related issues, particularly on Sundays. We acknowledge that performance is not where it needs to be on Great Western Railway and the Department is working closely with the Operator to improve performance and ensure greater resilience going forward.
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of prostate cancer services in (a) Bath and North East Somerset, (b) Swindon and (c) Wiltshire.
The Department is committed to improving the adequacy of all cancer services including for prostate cancer, including cancer services in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. NHS England has funded 10 clinical audits, including a national prostate cancer audit. Using routine data, collected on patients diagnosed with cancer in a National Health Service setting, the audit is looking at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be done better. This will seek to reduce unwarranted variation in treatment and reduce inequalities across different groups. The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve all cancer services and outcomes for people living with cancer including those with prostate cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve cancer services across England. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be and will provide updates on this in due course.
How many (a) official veterinarians and (b) meat hygiene inspectors there were as of 1 December 2024.
As of 1 December 2024, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and their Service Delivery Partner between them employed 282 Official Veterinarians (OVs) and 596 Meat Hygiene Inspectors / Official Auxiliaries, as well as 12 Trainee Official Auxiliaries.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls within approved slaughterhouses. Application of the controls is carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.FSA OVs that are based in approved slaughterhouses during operating periods monitor animal welfare. Animal Welfare checks are incorporated into the OVs daily Official Controls duties and are conducted at unloading, at ante mortem i.e. pre-slaughter, and during the slaughter operations for all animals being processed.The FSA is responsible for enforcement of breaches of animal welfare legislation by the slaughterhouse operator or their operatives. In 2024, there were 190 slaughterhouse non-compliance cases in which FSA took enforcement action.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls on farm or during transportation. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Local Authority (LA) animal welfare teams are responsible for enforcement. Where checks by the OV at the slaughterhouse identify farm and transport breaches, they are referred to APHA and the LA. In 2024, there were 4,210 farm and transport non-compliance cases that FSA OVs referred to APHA and LAs to investigate and enforce.Application of animal welfare controls at slaughterhouses are carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.Monitoring and reporting requirements are built into the Service Level Agreement between the FSA, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government to provide assurance on the adequacy of animal welfare at abattoirs. This includes monthly reporting of all non-compliance cases, additional welfare assurance checks conducted by a specifically trained team of Meat Hygiene Inspectors, annual animal welfare themed audits undertaken by veterinary auditors, and biennial slaughter sector surveys. This reporting is supplemented by regular liaison over operational issues and formal quarterly review meetings.
Food and Rural Affairs, what animal welfare protections exist for farmed animals at slaughterhouses.
The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 and assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing set out extensive requirements to protect the welfare of animals at slaughterhouses. Official Veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are present in all approved slaughterhouses to monitor and enforce these animal welfare requirements. The FSA has a zero-tolerance policy to animal welfare breaches and will take appropriate action where these occur.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the RSPCA on animal cruelty at RSPCA-approved abattoirs.
The Department engages regularly with the RSPCA on a range of animal welfare topics.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions there have been for slaughterhouses in England not having CCTV in the last five years.
All approved slaughterhouses in England must have CCTV systems installed as required by the Mandatory Use of Closed-Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (England) Regulations 2018. There have been no prosecutions for slaughterhouses in England for not having CCTV in the last five years. Where non-compliances with the legislation are identified the Food Standards Agency will apply their enforcement hierarchy, from verbal and written warnings to enforcement notices and referral to the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecution.
How many Food Standards Agency welfare checks carried out by official veterinarians took place (a) on the farm, (b) during transport to the slaughterhouse, (c) upon arrival at the slaughterhouse and (d) whilst on site up to the point of slaughter in 2024.
As of 1 December 2024, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and their Service Delivery Partner between them employed 282 Official Veterinarians (OVs) and 596 Meat Hygiene Inspectors / Official Auxiliaries, as well as 12 Trainee Official Auxiliaries.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls within approved slaughterhouses. Application of the controls is carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.FSA OVs that are based in approved slaughterhouses during operating periods monitor animal welfare. Animal Welfare checks are incorporated into the OVs daily Official Controls duties and are conducted at unloading, at ante mortem i.e. pre-slaughter, and during the slaughter operations for all animals being processed.The FSA is responsible for enforcement of breaches of animal welfare legislation by the slaughterhouse operator or their operatives. In 2024, there were 190 slaughterhouse non-compliance cases in which FSA took enforcement action.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls on farm or during transportation. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Local Authority (LA) animal welfare teams are responsible for enforcement. Where checks by the OV at the slaughterhouse identify farm and transport breaches, they are referred to APHA and the LA. In 2024, there were 4,210 farm and transport non-compliance cases that FSA OVs referred to APHA and LAs to investigate and enforce.Application of animal welfare controls at slaughterhouses are carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.Monitoring and reporting requirements are built into the Service Level Agreement between the FSA, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government to provide assurance on the adequacy of animal welfare at abattoirs. This includes monthly reporting of all non-compliance cases, additional welfare assurance checks conducted by a specifically trained team of Meat Hygiene Inspectors, annual animal welfare themed audits undertaken by veterinary auditors, and biennial slaughter sector surveys. This reporting is supplemented by regular liaison over operational issues and formal quarterly review meetings.
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of animal welfare at abattoirs.
As of 1 December 2024, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and their Service Delivery Partner between them employed 282 Official Veterinarians (OVs) and 596 Meat Hygiene Inspectors / Official Auxiliaries, as well as 12 Trainee Official Auxiliaries.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls within approved slaughterhouses. Application of the controls is carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.FSA OVs that are based in approved slaughterhouses during operating periods monitor animal welfare. Animal Welfare checks are incorporated into the OVs daily Official Controls duties and are conducted at unloading, at ante mortem i.e. pre-slaughter, and during the slaughter operations for all animals being processed.The FSA is responsible for enforcement of breaches of animal welfare legislation by the slaughterhouse operator or their operatives. In 2024, there were 190 slaughterhouse non-compliance cases in which FSA took enforcement action.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls on farm or during transportation. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Local Authority (LA) animal welfare teams are responsible for enforcement. Where checks by the OV at the slaughterhouse identify farm and transport breaches, they are referred to APHA and the LA. In 2024, there were 4,210 farm and transport non-compliance cases that FSA OVs referred to APHA and LAs to investigate and enforce.Application of animal welfare controls at slaughterhouses are carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.Monitoring and reporting requirements are built into the Service Level Agreement between the FSA, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government to provide assurance on the adequacy of animal welfare at abattoirs. This includes monthly reporting of all non-compliance cases, additional welfare assurance checks conducted by a specifically trained team of Meat Hygiene Inspectors, annual animal welfare themed audits undertaken by veterinary auditors, and biennial slaughter sector surveys. This reporting is supplemented by regular liaison over operational issues and formal quarterly review meetings.
Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publishing a response to the Fairer Food Labelling consultation, which closed in May 2024.
A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government. This sought views on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling. The consultation also sought views on whether new rules should be introduced on country-of-origin labelling. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the outcomes of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16); and what steps he is taking to help achieve those outcomes.
The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) was the first opportunity for Parties to take stock of the progress made in implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted at COP15. 27 important decisions were taken at COP16, including relating to climate change, health, and the marine environment. The decision adopted on digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources agreed the modalities for operationalising the multilateral benefit sharing mechanism for the use of DSI, and this has the potential to generate new financial resources for nature restoration globally. At the same time, the Government remains disappointed that COP16 concluded before it was possible to reach an agreement on the strategy for mobilising more international finance for nature, and we look forward to resuming discussions on this critical issue as quickly as possible.
What steps he is taking to help reduce the waiting list for people seeking treatment to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
We recognise that patients have been let down whilst they wait for the care they need, including within neurology services. The NHS Constitution sets out that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment. We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. These initiatives aim to reduce variation and deliver care more equitably across the country.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care, updated in 2017, sets out best practice for clinicians in the identification and treatment of Parkinson’s, in line with the latest available evidence. The guidance states that if Parkinson's is suspected, people should be referred quickly to a specialist with expertise in the differential diagnosis of this condition.We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) and National Health Service trusts to have due regard to relevant NICE guidelines. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, most people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurological treatment centres across England. Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.
Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) domestic and (b) international tourists visiting North East Somerset and Hanham constituency annually.
This data is shared by all constituencies in the ceremonial county of Somerset:Inbound: Somerset saw 496K visits, 3.2M nights, and a spend of £296M in 2022.Domestic: Somerset saw 2M trips, 6.7M bednights, and a spend of £460.4M - annual average based on 24 months between Sep 21-Sep 23
How many unprocessed probate applications there are in (a) North east Somerset and Hanham constituency and (b) England.
Management Information on the open workable caseload is published in Table 5 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmcts-management-information. Data below national level is not available.Bequests to charities do not influence the probate process, so HMCTS does not collect this data. However, HMCTS works closely with charity representative organisations to help them forecast their legacy income. This includes regular meetings to provide them with additional insight into performance data and forecasts on receipts and grant production levels, so that they can provide guidance to their member organisations.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the import of (a) beef, (b) lamb and (c) mutton through the free trade agreement between the UK and Australia on UK farmers.
This Government's commitment to farmers and the vital role they play, remains steadfast. We will never forget that farmers are the beating heart of our great country. It is their hard work that puts food on our tables and stewards our beautiful countryside. The Government's estimate of the potential economic impact of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) can be found in the published Impact Assessment (IA), and suggests that gross output could be reduced by around 3% for beef and 5% for sheepmeat. Since the FTA came into force on the 31st May 2023, imports from Australia have not yet reached the levels estimated in the IA. Australia continues to focus on geographically closer markets and used 20% of its sheepmeat quota and 8% of its beef quota in 2023 since the FTA has been in force.
If she will make an estimate of the total cash amount of legacy income due to charities in unprocessed probate applications.
Management Information on the open workable caseload is published in Table 5 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmcts-management-information. Data below national level is not available.Bequests to charities do not influence the probate process, so HMCTS does not collect this data. However, HMCTS works closely with charity representative organisations to help them forecast their legacy income. This includes regular meetings to provide them with additional insight into performance data and forecasts on receipts and grant production levels, so that they can provide guidance to their member organisations.
If she will make an estimate of the proportion of unprocessed probate applications that include legacies to charities.
Management Information on the open workable caseload is published in Table 5 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmcts-management-information. Data below national level is not available.Bequests to charities do not influence the probate process, so HMCTS does not collect this data. However, HMCTS works closely with charity representative organisations to help them forecast their legacy income. This includes regular meetings to provide them with additional insight into performance data and forecasts on receipts and grant production levels, so that they can provide guidance to their member organisations.
Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support research into artificial intelligence.
The Government actively supports AI research by collaborating with academic institutions and industry, investing in talent development, and funding research projects.UKRI has allocated over £1 billion to AI research including doctoral training, the Alan Turing Institute, Bridge AI, Responsible AI UK, and BRAID programmes.We are focused on reducing barriers to research through initiatives such as AISI’s Systemic Safety Grants Programme, which provides funding of up to £200,000 to innovative projects addressing AI risks.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate the risk from Asian hornets to bees.
Contingency action has been taken against the Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) since the first GB incursion in 2016. Contingency action is delivered on the ground by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU have located and destroyed 1-4 nests each year since 2016. However, in 2023 72 nests were located and destroyed. Genetic analysis of hornet samples is carried out to inform the response for the following year. From the analysis of samples from 2023, some areas were identified where there was a risk that hornet queens may have been released, overwintered and created new nests in the spring. In 2024 the NBU carried out spring trapping at these locations and caught a small number of lone hornets. Results from analyses of these hornets provided evidence that hornets had overwintered. However, this is not considered to be evidence of YLH being established in GB. From August 2024 the NBU have been responding to credible sightings of YLH and as of 7th October 2024, have located and destroyed 19 YLH nests. Raising awareness is a key aspect of the response, allowing swift and effective action to be taken to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.
What steps his Department is taking to support small businesses in rural areas in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets, our communities, and essential to our economic success. This Government will hardwire the voice of small business into everything we do.Businesses in North East Somerset and Hanham can access support through the West of England Growth Hub, which provides businesses of all sizes and sectors with advice and support throughout the business journey.The Government provides further support for small businesses through Business Support Service, Help to Grow, the UK Export Academy, International Trade Advisors, the Export Support Service, and the British Business Bank.