Harriet Cross MP: written questions
142 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Energy: MetersDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35162More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of delays in smart meter replacements for households affected by the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) closure; and whether (a) penalties an
Answer: Ofgem is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against their licence obligations. Ofgem have been clear that they expect energy suppliers to arrange a suitable replacement metering solution for their customers with RTS meters in a timely manner ahea...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: MetersDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has (a) instructed or (b) provided guidance to Ofgem's Radio Teleswitch Service Taskforce on what steps it should take on the transition for households affected by the
Answer: The Department attends the Industry Taskforce on the Radio Teleswitch Service, which was convened by Ofgem last year and is led by Energy UK. The Taskforce involves all major energy suppliers and is working with consumer groups, local authorities, housing...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision: Broadcasting ReceptionDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35160More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on ensuring broadcast network resilience is considered in potential decisions on the future of tele
Answer: The Government understands how important it is that everyone can access information in times of national emergency and that television has a role to play in providing such access. The Government’s project looking into the future of TV distribution is cons...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: Rural AreasDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution made by the terrestrial broadcasting sector to mobile phone coverage in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.
Answer: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this project, close consideration is being given to the interrelationships between television dis...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTelecommunicationsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the broadcasting sector's contribution to telecoms resilience.
Answer: The broadcasting sector plays an important role in enhancing telecoms resilience by providing robust infrastructure and rapidly circulating news and information to the public during emergencies. DSIT collaborates with TV and radio broadcast and telecom op...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision: Digital BroadcastingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35157More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the loss of terrestrial digital television services after current licences expire in the 2030s on (a) elderly people, (b) low-in
Answer: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.As...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision: Digital BroadcastingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the availability of terrestrial television services in rural areas after the expiry of current broadcasting licences in the early 2030s.
Answer: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.As...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevisionDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35155More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish minutes of the TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum's meetings to date.
Answer: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. The minutes of the Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum will be published following the conclusion of...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRadio and Television: ScotlandDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35154More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the expiry in 2034 of the licences for terrestrial (a) television and (b) radio on (i) all households (ii) households reliant on terrestria
Answer: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034. B...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRadio and Television: ScotlandScotland OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the long-term future of free-to-air terrestrial TV and radio services in Scotland.
Answer: I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.I understand that DCMS, as the lead department, are currently seeking to understand how people receive their television and radio services now and in the next decade. As part of this process, D...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Capture and Storage and Clean Energy: Apprentices and TrainingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35152More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) apprenticeships and (b) training programmes provide the requisite skills for the (i) the clean energy and (ii) Carbon Capture, Usage and Stor
Answer: The Office for Clean Energy Jobs is engaging widely with industry experts, and trade unions for a clear assessment of the skills opportunities and challenges. It is working closely with Skills England to ensure that skills systems reforms support the clea...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRenewable Energy: StaffDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35151More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 31124 on Renewable Energy: Staff, whether the initial version of the Energy Skills Passport will support oil and gas workers into the (a
Answer: The Energy Skills Passport, launched in January, is designed to help oil and gas workers transition into clean energy sectors like offshore wind. In phase two, we are exploring opportunities to expand it into other clean energy sectors such as CCUS and Hy...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: InfrastructureDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35150More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to (a) prevent and (b) mitigate the potential impact of (i) offshore wind farm, (ii) solar farms and (ii) transmission infrastructure projects on (A) land
Answer: Developers prepare a thorough and comprehensive environmental assessment in preparation for the planning process. This is then subject to careful scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate and during the decision-making stage, by the Secretary of State, for na...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Emissions: ScotlandDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34746More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that the skilled workforce can shift to (a) Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage and (b) other low-carbon technologies in the Scottish Cluster.
Answer: The Office for Clean Energy Jobs (OCEJ) has been created to ensure that clean energy jobs are abundant, high quality, paid fairly, and have favourable terms and good working conditions. The OCEJ is engaging widely with industry, experts, and trade unions ...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Wealth FundTreasuryTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34745More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether business planning development work will be a qualifying activity to access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities.
Answer: The National Wealth Fund has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including port...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Wealth FundTreasuryTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34744More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the criteria are for harbours and ports to access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities.
Answer: The National Wealth Fund has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including port...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Wealth FundTreasuryTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34743More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how companies can access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities.
Answer: The National Wealth Fund has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including port...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Wealth FundTreasuryTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34742More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities will be open for applications.
Answer: The National Wealth Fund has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including port...
Answered 10 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 recordAgriculture: Land UseDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many acres of agricultural land of (a) Grade 1, (b) Grade 2, (c) Grade 3a and (d) Grade 3b have had planning applications for energy projects, including related, incidental, or facilitati
Answer: The Department does not hold the data requested, but when each individual planning decision is made, the information about the extent and grade of any agricultural land being utilised is set out in as part of the published decision. The revised National P...
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 record
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