Harriet Cross MP: written questions 2025
161 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Carbon 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 recordBroadbandDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to increase the uptake of broadband provision (a) across the country and (b) in rural areas.
Answer: The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage, with 86% of premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection thanks to a pro-competition regulatory environment. Take-up is just as important as roll-out. Thi...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Company ObligationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34733More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether households with existing underfloor foam insulation are eligible for funding through the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme.
Answer: Households with existing underfloor foam insulation may be eligible for Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme support if they meet scheme eligibility criteria. Homes equivalent to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) bands D-G, for owner occupied hous...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Company ObligationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what funding his Department plans to allocate to Phase 4 of the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme.
Answer: ECO4 is not a Government funded scheme, but a legal obligation placed on energy suppliers to delivery energy efficiency support to eligible households. The obligated suppliers fund the upfront costs of those installations and recoup the funds through thei...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Company ObligationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34731More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding remains available in Phase 3 of the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme.
Answer: ECO4 funding is not released through a tranche system. The scheme sets a legal obligation on energy suppliers, and this is divided between energy suppliers based on their respective shares of the domestic gas and electricity market. Energy suppliers are p...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSurrogacy: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34730More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on the proposal for it to be designated as the regulator for surrogacy, as recommended in the Law Commi
Answer: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health will be writing to the Chairs of the Law Commissions of England, Wales, and Scotland shortly, to follow up their meeting on 5 November. A Government response t...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSurrogacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34729More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to publish its full response to the Law Commission’s report Building Families Through Surrogacy: A New Law, published in March 2023, following its interim response on 8 No
Answer: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health will be writing to the Chairs of the Law Commissions of England, Wales, and Scotland shortly, to follow up their meeting on 5 November. A Government response t...
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 recordInheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32334More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has issued new impact assessments on (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief since Autumn Budget 2024; what schedule her Department has for publishing future impact a
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advant...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordInheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32333More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief on trends in (a) employment levels, (b) business succession arran
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advant...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: Workplace PensionsTreasuryTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32331More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the total cost of implementing the McCloud remedy; and how she plans to fund this.
Answer: The McCloud remedy took effect from October 2023 and will deliver a full remedy to all affected public service pension scheme members. Schemes and responsible departments are making progress to ensure the remedy is delivered as quickly as possible. All af...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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