Harriet Cross MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
23 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Fisheries: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department last held discussions with (a) the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and (b) other fishing industry representatives before
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 52791. Most recently, the Secretary of State, the Fisheries Minister, or Defra officials spoke with key industry representatives, including from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, on 19 May.
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFishing Catches: EU CountriesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of freezing EU fishing quotas at current levels beyond 2026 on the (a) the economy, (b) UK seafood exports and (c) seafood pro
Answer: UK fishing quotas for shared stocks with the EU are set in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). UK shares will gradually increase until 2026, after which further changes are a matter for the TCA Partnership Council. Fishing opportunities avail...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFisheries: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, (b) the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and (c) other fishing industry re
Answer: The Fisheries Minister meets regularly with representatives from across the UK fishing industry. This includes meeting with both the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations on 26 February 2025 as part of the Se...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFishing Catches: Territorial WatersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of fish caught in UK territorial waters was caught by (a) UK vessels and (b) EU vessels in each of the last three years for which data is available; what his Department
Answer: The UK does not collect data on catches of fish at a level of detail that allows us to determine the proportion of catch made by UK or EU vessels in UK territorial waters. However, under the TCA, 149, 152, and 152 EU vessels were licensed to fish in the U...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48046More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of changes in farm investment since the Autumn Budget 2024; and if he will provide detailed analysis and findings for (a) the agricultural sector overall and
Answer: Data on farm investment income is available in the table 5 series of Farm Accounts in England. These tables only show data for 2022/23 and 2023/24: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farm-accounts-in-england-data-sets#:~:text=Table%205. The Farming ...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFoot and Mouth Disease: ScreeningDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to proactively screen for foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the UK.
Answer: The UK has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in Engl...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTyres: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35167More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26353 on Tyres: Recycling, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of financial support available for incre
Answer: Defra has not completed an assessment as described; however the Government offers a range of support to businesses looking to invest in recycling infrastructure in the UK, including through the British Business Bank and National Wealth Fund, and financial...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Avian InfluenzaDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34741More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether compensation will be available for commercial poultry farmers for flock losses due to avian influenza control measures.
Answer: Compensation paid for birds culled by the Government for disease control purposes is designed to promote prompt reporting of suspicion of disease and is only payable for healthy birds as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. There is no compensation avai...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAvian Influenza: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34740More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what lessons his Department has learned from the (a) avian inflluenza outbreak in Scotland in 2022-23 and (b) other avian influenza outbreaks in the UK to help prevent the spread.
Answer: Defra’s approach to avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales and the Scottish wild bird highly pathogenic avia...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAvian Influenza: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34739More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what precautions his Department is taking regarding the ongoing avian influenza outbreak to prevent its spread among (a) commercially kept birds, (b) domestically kept birds and (c) wi
Answer: Defra’s approach to avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales. Swift and humane culling of birds on infected pr...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNeonicotinoidsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to ban the use of neonicotinoids in UK agriculture.
Answer: Three neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – have not been authorised for general use as pesticides since 2018 because of the risks they pose to pollinators. An application for emergency use of the neonicotinoid pesticide Cruiser S...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGenetically Modified Organisms: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34736More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to bring forward secondary legislation to permit gene editing by the end of March 2025.
Answer: On 25 February 2025, the secondary legislation needed to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants was laid in Parliament. If passed, the legislation will come into force in Autumn 2025. This is a devolved matter, and the l...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGlyphosate: LicensingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whetherhis Department plans to renew the licence for glyphosate for agricultural use in 2025.
Answer: All active substances used in pesticides are periodically reviewed to ensure they meet modern standards which take into account current knowledge. HSE will review the approval of glyphosate for all uses when it is due for renewal in GB. Pesticides are onl...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32363More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 15988 on Agriculture: Inheritance Tax, on what evidential basis his Department (a) determined that 73% of claims will be for less
Answer: As referenced in the answer to PQ 15988, 73 per cent (1,264 of 1,730) of claims by estates for agricultural property relief in 2021-22 were for properties valued below £1 million. This is calculated using a table published by HM Treasury using HMRC data i...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTyres: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26354More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of used tyre exports on the environment; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate these impacts.
Answer: UK legislation requires that those involved in the shipment of waste take all necessary steps to ensure waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and at the waste management facility in the country of destination. Any ope...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordTyres: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the development of domestic (a) infrastructure and (b) technology for tyre recycling.
Answer: This Government is committed to beginning the transition to a circular economy. The Secretary of State has asked his Department to work with experts from industry, academia, civil society, and the civil service to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for E...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordTyres: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) increase domestic recycling capacity for end-of-life vehicle tyres and (b) reduce reliance on exports.
Answer: This Government is committed to beginning the transition to a circular economy. The Secretary of State has asked his Department to work with experts from industry, academia, civil society, and the civil service to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for E...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAfrican Swine FeverDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 10798 on African Swine Fever, what uncertainty is there around the human mediated pathways for African swine fever.
Answer: Defra and its agencies regularly review the spread of ASF when new outbreaks occur internationally and publishes risk assessments on GOV.UK at: African swine fever in pigs and wild boars in Europe - GOV.UK. Since the latest risk assessment of July 2024, t...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAfrican Swine Fever: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23682More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12667 on African Swine Fever: Disease Control, whether his Department plans to continue to provide funding to Dover District Coun
Answer: Defra, like all Government departments, is undergoing a zero-based review so this policy is being measured against all others. Any ongoing funding will be subject to approvals as part of the Spending Review.
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12669 on Animal Products: Smuggling, if he will make an assessment of the likelihood of (a) banned and (b) African swine fever in
Answer: Meat imported commercially via Border Control Posts is subject to local authority-led official controls to ensure that it complies with UK import conditions. The Home Office’s Border Force has lead responsibility for identifying and seizing meat imported ...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's (a) biosecurity and (b) border control measures for imported goods.
Answer: The Government is committed to protecting our biosecurity and we are using a risk based approach to maintain the appropriate level of controls. Defra will continue to monitor for new and emerging risks and review the border control checks introduced under...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the report entitled An impact analysis of APR reforms on commercial family farms, publis
Answer: That report draws on Defra analysis on asset value. Tax liabilities for individual farm businesses depend on personal circumstances. It is not possible to accurately infer a future inheritance tax liability from data on farm asset values. This is because ...
Answered 3 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15988More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent (a) large corporations and (b) investment firms from acquiring agricultural land sold to meet inheritance tax liabilities.
Answer: From 6 April 2026, the full 100% relief from inheritance tax will be restricted to the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property. Above this amount, landowners will access 50% relief from inheritance tax and will pay inheritance tax ...
Answered 2 Dec 2024
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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