Written questions by Hobhouse.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment in that period; and how much each Minister received.

The details of any ministerial severance payments can be found in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts. For FY 2019-20, details of payments can be found in the separate Annual Report & Accounts of the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the then Department for International Development (DfID).

What the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one-off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government. Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data

What the cost to his Department was of Ministerial severance payments during each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was created following a Machinery of Government change and the payroll entries were split from other Government Departments in September 2023. From the creation of the separate ledger for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero until 30 May 2024, there were no Ministerial severance payments made.

What the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. member to the response to be provided by the Cabinet Office (3029).

What the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment in that period; and how much each Minister received.

Any severance payments made to former Ministers of HM Treasury are recorded in the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts.

What the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment in that period; and how much each Minister received.

The details of any ministerial severance payments can be found in our Annual Report & Accounts. Payments made in 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years will be released in due courseEach payment corresponds to the statutory entitlements as laid out in the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/5/contents

What the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment in that period; and how much each Minister received.

The details of any ministerial severance payments can be found in our Annual Report & Accounts”., there were no severance payments made between December 2019 and 6th July 2022.Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

In accordance with the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, paid Ministers below the age of 65 are entitled to a loss of office payment of one quarter of their claimed annual ministerial salary when they cease to hold office.Details of ministerial severance payments can be found in the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General annual report and accounts.

What the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts available at https://www.gov.uk/. The amounts for 2023-24 will be included in the Department’s forthcoming Annual Report and Accounts upon completion of the year end audit.

Communities and Local Government, what the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

Ministerial severance payments are reported annually in the Annual Report and Accounts produced by the department.Any severance payments post 31 March 2024 will be reported in the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25 when it is laid in Parliament next year.

What the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

Since 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024 the cost of ministerial severance payments are as follows: 19 December 2019 – 31 December 2019: nil1 January 2020 – 31 December 2020: nil1 January 2021 – 31 December 2021: nil1 January 2022 – 31 December 2022: £41,5751 January 2023 – 31 December 2023: £7,9201 January 2024 – 30 May 2024: nil The following Ministers received a severance payment of the following value: Grant Shapps MP received a compensation payment of £16,876 when he left Government on 6 September 2022.Karl McCartney MP received a compensation payment of £5,593 when he left Government on 7 September 2022.Robert Courts MP received a compensation payment of £5,593 when he left Government on 18 September 2022.Kevin Foster MP received a compensation payment of £7,920 when he left Government on 25 October 2022.Katherine Fletcher MP received a compensation payment of £5,593 when she left Government on 26 October 2022.Jesse Norman MP received a compensation payment of £7,920 when he left Government on 13 November 2023.

Innovation and Technology, what the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

The details of any ministerial severance payments can be found in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.The 2023/2024 Annual Report and Accounts for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are to be published in due course.

What the cost to her Department was of Ministerial severance payments during each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation.Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in the Departments’ Annual Reports and Accounts.

When she plans to publish a response to the consultation on Plastic Packaging Tax - chemical recycling and adoption of a mass balance approach, published on 18 July 2023.

The government intends to publish a response to the Plastic Packaging Tax consultation on adoption of a mass balance approach by the end of the year.

How many full-time permanent staff he (a) plans to recruit and (b) has recruited for Great British Nuclear; and what his planned timeline is for completing this recruitment.

GBN has grown rapidly as an organisation to deliver on its mission and now has well over 100 personnel working for it ahead of permanent recruitment to help drive forward the nuclear programme. Permanent recruitment for the Executive Team is actively underway and this will be followed by recruitment for the rest of the organisation.

How he plans to encourage investment in (a) chemical recycling and (b) other green technologies.

The UK is committed to a circular economy which will keep resources in use as long as possible, extracting maximum value, minimizing waste and promoting resource efficiency. Policies such as the UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax help support innovation, growth and jobs in the waste management and the recycling sectors, including within chemical recycling. The UK supports investment into green technologies through competitive research and innovation-based incentives such as R&D tax credits, innovation funding and incentives.DBT will use its investment services to support Great British Energy to seek investment into new technologies to speed up and scale their deployment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to use chemical recycling as part of his Department’s roadmap to a zero waste economy.

Chemical recycling technologies have a role to play together with mechanical recycling in helping us transition towards a circular economy by supporting the reduction in virgin plastic stock used in production.

Whether intellectual property provisions on plant genetic resources are being negotiated under the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.

Boosting trade abroad is essential to deliver a strong economy at home. That is why we are committed to negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with India, which is projected to be the world’s third largest economy by 2027.It is the department’s established practice to not comment on the details of live negotiations. We will commence negotiations as soon as possible to secure an agreement that creates new opportunities for businesses, supports jobs across the United Kingdom, and delivers growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to introduce mandatory food waste reporting.

The Government is committed to setting a clear roadmap to a circular economy – a future where our resources are used as efficiently and productively as possible for as long as possible, and waste is reduced. The ministerial team are reviewing policies to address the challenges associated with tackling food waste in the supply chain, and these will be announced in the usual way.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is his policy to introduce mandatory food waste reporting for large businesses.

The Government is committed to setting a clear roadmap to a circular economy – a future where our resources are used as efficiently and productively as possible for as long as possible, and waste is reduced. As a ministerial team, we are reviewing policies to address the challenges associated with tackling food waste in the supply chain, and these will be announced in the usual way.