Written questions by Champion.

If she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential impact of removing VAT from sunscreen on the incidence of (a) melanoma and (b) non-melanoma skin cancers.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. It is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £176 billion in 2024/25. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for public services, and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. One of the key considerations when assessing any potential new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, therefore, reliefs do not represent the best value for money, as there is no guarantee that savings would be passed on to consumers, and therefore no guarantee that it would make certain products more accessible to the public.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on reinstating the airspace for Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is proactively engaging with relevant parties on how Doncaster Sheffield Airport can secure the airspace it needs. My officials are in regular discussions with the City of Doncaster Council and the CAA to stay up to date with developments.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2024 to Question 4722 on Fisheries, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) adopting and (b) implementing the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency.

The UK Government welcomes the broad principles set out in the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency and sees considerable merit in its objective of improving transparency and accountability in global fisheries governance and management. The UK already implements many of the policies set out in the Charter. These include: requiring the use of identification numbers on fishing vessels; publishing beneficial ownership data within the People with Significant Control register; not permitting transshipment of fish at sea; and ratifying key international agreements such as the Agreement on Port State Measures, International Labour Organization (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the Work in Fishing Convention (C188). We will continue to keep under active review the steps we can take to combat illegal fishing and will continue to welcome engagement with the organisations who have produced the Charter.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals equivalent to the (a) US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, (b) EU Corporate sustainability due diligence directive and (c) EU forced labour regulation.

The Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from environmental harms, and human and labour rights abuses. No UK company should have these in their supply chains. The Government is reviewing the detail and implementation of the EU’s Forced Labour Regulation and its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, as well the US’s Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, and will continue to engage with our European and US partners to understand how we best tackle environmental harms, modern slavery and forced labour in supply chains.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the forthcoming Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on the (a) glass, (b) aluminium and (c) plastic packaging sectors.

Under the previous Government, the 2022 Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) impact assessment made an assessment of the impact of introducing the scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment covered glass, aluminium, plastic and other materials, but did not split the assessment by sector.The new Government has now published two sets of pEPR illustrative base fees and is undertaking engagement with all relevant industries to ensure that they are based on the best evidence to date.As part of this engagement, the potential impact on specific packaging sectors is being discussed. The pEPR scheme administrator will continue to monitor the impact of implementing the pEPR scheme on the packaging market.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain in 2023, published by her Department on 11 September 2024, what the aims were for the 63 experimental procedures that used cats; what harms were experienced by the cats; and if she will take steps to end the use of cats in experimental procedures.

The Home Office publish non-technical summaries of all programmes of work concluded under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit#non-technical-summaries. For programmes involving experimental procedures that use cats, these include immune system research, multisystemic research, urogenital/reproductive system research and research to develop a treatment for improving the length and quality of life for patients with muscular dystrophy utilises a dog model which has a harmful phenotype. The published Annual Statistics detail the actual severity experienced by animals.This Government intends to work towards an end to the use of animals in scientific procedures. However, in limited circumstances where there is no animal alternative and procedures are required to deliver important benefits to people, the environment, and other animals then we deliver robust, rigorous and trustworthy regulation of those procedures

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report entitled State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, published by the UN on 24 July 2024, what steps his Department plans to take to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 2.

We are committed to addressing the causes of global food insecurity and malnutrition. The UK is leveraging expertise and investment to build greater resilience to shocks. The UK is also helping to transform agrifood systems for greener, inclusive growth and nutritious and sustainable foods and support smallholder farmer livelihoods. Our support to the Child Nutrition Fund and CGIAR, the world's leading agricultural science and innovation organisation, is helping to tackle malnutrition.At the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in July, I announced the UK would join the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty to work in partnership to lift ambition and finance for long-term solutions.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain in 2023, published by her Department on 11 September 2024, what the project aims were for the 21 procedures for the creation and breeding of genetically altered animals; what the nature of the harmful phenotype was; and if she will take steps to end the use of procedures that involve the genetic alteration of dogs.

Research to develop a treatment for improving the length and quality of life for patients with muscular dystrophy utilises a dog model which has a harmful phenotype.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Development in response to the question from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, during the Urgent Question on Sudan of 3 September 2024, Official Report, column 161, how much and what proportion of the £97 million funding announced for Sudan this financial year has been disbursed; and what his planned timetable is for the disbursement of remaining funds.

As of the end of September 2024, £70 million had been disbursed. The rest of the UK's funding to Sudan this year - which now stands at £97 million following further UK support since March - will be distributed by the end of the financial year.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2024 to Question 4529 on Marine Protected Areas, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of bottom trawl fishing on his nature conservation objectives in marine protected areas.

Fisheries regulators make detailed assessments of the impact of all fishing activities on the protected species and habitats in our Marine Protected Areas and develop byelaws to restrict fishing when it has been assessed as damaging. These site-by-site assessments help to ensure fishing is not unduly restricted. Recent examples of these assessments can be found at Stage_2_MPA_Fisheries_Assessment.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) and Dogger_Bank_SAC_Fisheries_Assessment.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Food and Rural Affairs, when he last had discussions with the (a) Kennel Club, (b) RSPCA, (c) Dogs Trust and (d) Battersea Cats and Dogs Home on the use of electric shock collars to train pet dogs.

No formal discussions have taken place with the organisations listed.