Joe Robertson MP: written questions 2025
626 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Mckinsey and CompanyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent on consultancy work undertaken by McKinsey and Company as part of its Arm’s Length Body Transformation Programme; and if he will publish the (a) reports a
Answer: This information is in the public domain and can be accessed through here. The cost towards “ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY WORK” for McKinsey was £403,385. Defra does not plan to publish the McKinsey report and its recommendations, as it relates to work under t...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEmpty Property: Business PremisesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to make local councils aware of the High Street Rental Auctions scheme.
Answer: The government continues to work with local councils to support the implementation of the High Street Rental Auction powers.In November I wrote to the leaders and chief executives of every local authority in England notifying them of the commencement date...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordLand BankingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27472More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help prevent land banking by developers and (b) ensure that land earmarked for housing development is used to increase the supply of af
Answer: The government wants to see homes built faster and we recognise the frustrations that stalled or delayed sites can cause to communities.Once housebuilders have been granted permission for residential development, meeting local housing needs and preference...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27469More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement a commission lead review on dementia diagnostics.
Answer: Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.The 10-Yea...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) invest in diagnostic infrastructure and (b) reduce waiting times.
Answer: The Darzi Report highlights the significant underinvestment of capital in the National Health Service, with outdated scanners, too little automation, and a failure to enter the digital era. Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDiagnosis: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) future proof diagnostic systems and (b) improve access to subtype diagnoses in systems.
Answer: The Darzi Report highlights the significant underinvestment of capital in the National Health Service, with outdated scanners, too little automation, and a failure to enter the digital era. Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMental HealthDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27466More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence develop guidance on mild cognitive impairment.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops its guidance independently, on the basis of an assessment of the available evidence.To support timely decision making regarding the use of disease-modifying dementia treatments (DMDTs) ...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27295More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of precedents for unilateral environmental measures in trade agreements on the sandeel fishing ban within the Trade and Cooperatio
Answer: The arbitration process pertaining to the dispute brought by the EU against the UK prohibition of fishing for sandeel, and our consideration of the issues, is presently ongoing. We will fully consider the tribunal’s report and the impacts of it in due cou...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are employed to (a) process and (b) issue project licences for experiments using animals regulated by the Animal Welfare (Scientific Experiments) Act 1986.
Answer: The number of staff that are employed to process and issue project licences in the Home Office Regulator, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, are published in the Regulator’s annual report accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/colle...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationAttorney GeneralTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27046More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the likely outcome of the arbitration on the sandeel fishing ban; and what steps she is taking to prepare for an unfavourable outcome.
Answer: Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragra...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationAttorney GeneralTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27040More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the UK's ban on sandeel fishing.
Answer: Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragra...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationAttorney GeneralTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27037More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK’s compliance with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU in relation to the ban on sandeel fishing.
Answer: Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragra...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27034More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will list the (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral forums through which his Department is engaging with the European Commission in relation to the UK’s sandeel fishing ban.
Answer: The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts a...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFisheriesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27032More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of suspending participation in the arbitration mechanism of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in disputes over sustainable fishing
Answer: The EU has raised a dispute that the UK’s decision to prohibit fishing for sandeel within UK waters is not compliant with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The UK is defending its decision. The dispute proceedings are ongoing.
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27031More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the European Union on the compatibility of the UK sandeel fishing ban with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answer: The EU has raised a dispute that the UK’s decision to prohibit fishing for sandeel within UK waters is not compliant with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The UK is defending its decision. The dispute proceedings are ongoing.
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Protection and SandeelsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27030More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the EU on (a) environment policy and (b) sandeel fishing.
Answer: The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts a...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will maintain its policy of a ban on the industrial fishing of sandeels in negotiations with the European Union on fisheries access post-2026.
Answer: The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts a...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: FisheriesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27028More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his Department’s assessment of the potential risks of continued sandeel fishing for (a) biodiversity and (b) marine ecosystems.
Answer: The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts a...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what indicators will be used to monitor the potential impact of the ban on sandeel fishing on (a) the recovery of seabird populations and (b) broader marine biodiversity.
Answer: The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts a...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSandeels: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27026More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the ban on sandeel fishing on the ecology of seabird populations.
Answer: The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts a...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: InsectsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26637More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of insect-based novel foods on the farming industry.
Answer: The Food Standards’ Authority’s (FSA) role, as set out in law, is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. In Great Britain, edible insects are considered novel foods and so food businesses that wish to sell t...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDomestic Waste: Fly-tippingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26636More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance to local waste authorities on whether fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping can be issued in relation to domestic waste receptacles located w
Answer: Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to help tackle fly-tipping including fixed penalty notices and seizing vehicles. They can also prosecute which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. It is for local ...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDomestic Waste: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance on the quantity of residual bin bags used for household waste collections.
Answer: No. We recently issued guidance on ensuring good waste collection services from households on gov.uk, which includes guidance on residual waste collection services.
Answered 21 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordWRAPDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional non-statutory guidance his Department is working on with the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
Answer: The Government is expected to produce Statutory and Non-Statutory Guidance to support the primary legislation in place under the Environment Act. WRAP was requested to help pull together good practice information to support Defra deliver its set of Non-St...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDomestic Waste: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 23655 on Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal, whether his Department has had discussions with the Local Government Ombudsman on the iss
Answer: Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to help tackle fly-tipping including fixed penalty notices and seizing vehicles. They can also prosecute which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. It is for local ...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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