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Order, order. Questions to the sector even Steinman for food and | :00:00. | :00:15. | |
rural affairs, Rachel Maskell. -- the Secretary of State for food and | :00:16. | :00:27. | |
rural affairs. Thank you. UK has made significant progress in | :00:28. | :00:30. | |
improving air quality in the last decade with low emissions of all | :00:31. | :00:37. | |
five major air pollutants and UK is among 17 European countries | :00:38. | :00:40. | |
including France and Germany who are not yet meeting EU emission targets | :00:41. | :00:46. | |
for nitrogen dioxide in parts of our towns and cities and to help address | :00:47. | :00:48. | |
this last year the government consulted on a Finnair zone -- clean | :00:49. | :00:59. | |
air zone report. Following three humiliating defeats in the courts | :01:00. | :01:07. | |
because of poor air quality and when the government defended the | :01:08. | :01:13. | |
indefensible. Labour believes we need to go further with an air | :01:14. | :01:16. | |
quality national framework as part of the clean air act. So what are | :01:17. | :01:20. | |
the main pillars of this plan and how much resource has the minister | :01:21. | :01:24. | |
allocated to addressing the UK's poor air quality in this plan? It is | :01:25. | :01:31. | |
a great shame that the lady criticises this government who since | :01:32. | :01:38. | |
2011 have committed more than ?2 billion to increase the uptake of | :01:39. | :01:43. | |
low emissions vehicles and support greener transport schemes and set | :01:44. | :01:46. | |
out how we will improve air quality to a new programme of clean air | :01:47. | :01:53. | |
zones. In addition we announced a further ?290 million to support low | :01:54. | :01:56. | |
emission buses and taxis and retrofitting alternative fuels and | :01:57. | :02:01. | |
we will be consulting on our plans to improve nitrogen oxide emissions | :02:02. | :02:12. | |
very shortly. I don't want to be intemperate with the minister, but | :02:13. | :02:17. | |
it is so much par in the sky, every time we have questions she says | :02:18. | :02:22. | |
something will come soon -- pie in the sky. When are we going to stop | :02:23. | :02:29. | |
people being poisoned in our cities and in our towns in places like | :02:30. | :02:33. | |
Huddersfield and when are we going to see action, now, not next week, | :02:34. | :02:40. | |
next month, next year? Let me be very clear, this government is | :02:41. | :02:47. | |
totally committed to cutting harmful emissions that worsen our air | :02:48. | :02:50. | |
quality and we have made great progress already in the last decade | :02:51. | :02:53. | |
which is more than the Labour government did. Emissions went out | :02:54. | :02:58. | |
under their watch, and we recognise that there is more to do, and we | :02:59. | :03:01. | |
will be publishing our proposals very soon. I'm very concerned about | :03:02. | :03:11. | |
the diesel cars and the number of people who bought diesel cars | :03:12. | :03:13. | |
thinking they were the cheap way forward. With the minister make sure | :03:14. | :03:18. | |
she discusses with the Transport Secretary and Treasury so that we | :03:19. | :03:22. | |
don't patronise them and we work with the vodka amongst, as well. We | :03:23. | :03:27. | |
need to find a way to look after them as well -- and we work with the | :03:28. | :03:31. | |
devolved governments, as well. You are right. We have got to take into | :03:32. | :03:38. | |
account the impact on ordinary working families and businesses and | :03:39. | :03:42. | |
as the Prime Minister has made clear we completely understand that people | :03:43. | :03:45. | |
bought diesel cars under incentives from the last Labour government, | :03:46. | :03:49. | |
they bought them in good faith and we need to make sure that they are | :03:50. | :03:53. | |
not penalised for those actions that they took. Will the minister | :03:54. | :04:00. | |
consider a targeted diesel scrappage scheme which supports low income | :04:01. | :04:07. | |
families? The opportunity to do so was missed last year and in the | :04:08. | :04:13. | |
budget. I can assure you that the government is looking at all | :04:14. | :04:21. | |
possible areas both to improve the emissions of noxious substances like | :04:22. | :04:26. | |
nitrous oxide and also to make sure we have good mitigation | :04:27. | :04:29. | |
across-the-board to support ordinary working families. All types of | :04:30. | :04:38. | |
mitigation are on the table. We have a very low air pollution quality in | :04:39. | :04:43. | |
Northern Ireland and it is essential that the national framework is to | :04:44. | :04:48. | |
the nation work. -- is truly nationwide. What discussions have | :04:49. | :04:56. | |
you had with our colleagues in the Northern Ireland assembly? I can | :04:57. | :05:01. | |
assure you that we have had discussions across the default | :05:02. | :05:06. | |
administration is on this subject, -- the devolved administrations on | :05:07. | :05:09. | |
this subject, which they take very seriously, and we take this very | :05:10. | :05:15. | |
seriously and we will make an announcement in June course. The | :05:16. | :05:22. | |
Great Repeal Bill will make sure that the whole body of existing EU | :05:23. | :05:27. | |
environmental law will have an effect in UK law, but over time | :05:28. | :05:29. | |
Parliament will have the opportunity to make sure that our framework is | :05:30. | :05:36. | |
delivering on our overall commitment to improve the environment within a | :05:37. | :05:39. | |
generation and I can assure the House that the government will hop | :05:40. | :05:47. | |
-- uphold our obligations and we will continue to seek other | :05:48. | :05:56. | |
countries to do so, as well. Ensuring this comes through the | :05:57. | :06:00. | |
Great Repeal Bill, that is fine, but making sure those regulations permit | :06:01. | :06:04. | |
is also as so will the government is committed not limiting the time | :06:05. | :06:16. | |
frame? The country decided to leave the European Union last year we are | :06:17. | :06:18. | |
trying to give as much certainty as possible to make sure that | :06:19. | :06:22. | |
regulations continue -- and we are trying. As a consequence that will | :06:23. | :06:29. | |
be the case. I'm concerned that he thinks that somehow we're going to | :06:30. | :06:31. | |
rip up the wall book, but that is not the outcome, we want to better | :06:32. | :06:39. | |
our environment for this generation and future demotions and that is | :06:40. | :06:42. | |
what this government will deliver -- rule book. EU regulations have been | :06:43. | :06:49. | |
very helpful to people like me and you when holding the feet to the | :06:50. | :06:53. | |
fire of HS to when it comes to protecting our environment. Could | :06:54. | :06:57. | |
the minister give me an undertaking that she will not allow any | :06:58. | :07:02. | |
diminishing to areas of outstanding beauty and she will make sure that | :07:03. | :07:06. | |
our exiting of the European Union does not hand a blank cheque to pay | :07:07. | :07:12. | |
just to ride roughshod through the countryside? The government has | :07:13. | :07:18. | |
committed that in developing pages two and other infrastructure we will | :07:19. | :07:21. | |
uphold the highest infrastructure standards that we cherish. Whilst | :07:22. | :07:29. | |
she is working on the EU egg quality regulations, can I echo the call in | :07:30. | :07:34. | |
the last question for a national framework on rather than the ad hoc | :07:35. | :07:39. | |
local decision-making, especially as admissions are actually declining at | :07:40. | :07:43. | |
the moment, and in drawing up the framework, can I urge the minister | :07:44. | :07:48. | |
to look at all causes of air pollution to properly cost | :07:49. | :07:51. | |
alternatives especially the cost to drivers and attacks by and to urge | :07:52. | :07:54. | |
the government to stop demonising diesel drivers. It is fair to say | :07:55. | :08:01. | |
that as we have said at this dispatch box before, when we are | :08:02. | :08:04. | |
tackling a quality we have got to work with local communities because | :08:05. | :08:11. | |
the solution will vary. This government is not demonising diesel | :08:12. | :08:16. | |
drivers, I'm afraid, and it was the Labour government that introduced | :08:17. | :08:19. | |
the incentives for people to start using diesel and it happens to be | :08:20. | :08:22. | |
that the current Mayor of London said in his last year in the Gordon | :08:23. | :08:28. | |
Brown government where he said the emission standards would solve this | :08:29. | :08:31. | |
problem, but we know that is not the case and we are clearing up that | :08:32. | :08:35. | |
mess. We can work across cross party lines to clear up there for the | :08:36. | :08:41. | |
people we represent. One of the standards we can improve on outside | :08:42. | :08:44. | |
of the European Union as much as inside is the state of the oceans. | :08:45. | :08:49. | |
As the minister will know there is a massive amount of dumping of plastic | :08:50. | :08:52. | |
that is damaging the Sea life and the Coral well-being. There is a | :08:53. | :08:57. | |
conference in the United States between the fifth and the 9th of | :08:58. | :09:01. | |
June. Ministers will be busy doing other things, what is she going to | :09:02. | :09:05. | |
do to make sure that the British voice is heard to make sure that we | :09:06. | :09:09. | |
are going to do something to clean up our ocean? We launched our | :09:10. | :09:17. | |
strategy recently and we know a lot of the litter that ends up in the | :09:18. | :09:20. | |
marine comes from the land and we need to make sure that we continue | :09:21. | :09:25. | |
to work on that matter. Ring conservation is something important | :09:26. | :09:28. | |
in this government and we are going to extend our blue belt around the | :09:29. | :09:32. | |
coastline of this country -- marine conservation. The oceans conference | :09:33. | :09:39. | |
in June, and he points out there is a general election, but nevertheless | :09:40. | :09:42. | |
I can assure you that the interests of the United Kingdom in providing | :09:43. | :09:43. | |
leadership will be well undertaken. While the great appeal bill may | :09:44. | :09:57. | |
bring short-term stability and a working institute book, it remains | :09:58. | :10:01. | |
to be seen if this government or indeed future governmenting will | :10:02. | :10:07. | |
take reaction to erode the environmental policies as they exist | :10:08. | :10:13. | |
now. What assurance are there to my constituents who are deep concerns | :10:14. | :10:18. | |
over environmental protections post Brexit? I can assure the House and | :10:19. | :10:23. | |
the honourable lady's constituents, that the Government has been clear | :10:24. | :10:28. | |
on the manifesto from 2015, to leave the environment in a better state | :10:29. | :10:32. | |
than we found it, and that is what this Government will continue to do. | :10:33. | :10:41. | |
The minister announced on the 24th of November, 2015, the UK Government | :10:42. | :10:48. | |
would ban INAUDIBLE | :10:49. | :10:58. | |
Imports by 2017. What improvements have been made on this? I didn't | :10:59. | :11:04. | |
quite catch the opening of the question when referring to something | :11:05. | :11:09. | |
from 2015. But I wish to assure that the imports are taken on a case by | :11:10. | :11:14. | |
case basis and we continue to work with other countries to conserve | :11:15. | :11:19. | |
important species around the world. The UK is a global leader. We will | :11:20. | :11:23. | |
continue to influence other countries on this. | :11:24. | :11:30. | |
With your permission, I will group question four and question seven. | :11:31. | :11:36. | |
The consultation closed on the 28th of February and it is our intention | :11:37. | :11:43. | |
to introduce legislation with a ban on manufacturing from the 1st of | :11:44. | :11:50. | |
January 2018, and a ban on sales from June 2018 as outlined in the | :11:51. | :11:53. | |
proposals. I support the plans to ban | :11:54. | :11:59. | |
microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products but that probably | :12:00. | :12:04. | |
accounts for the 4% of the microplastics polluting our rivers | :12:05. | :12:08. | |
and oceans, what is the Government doing to tackle the other types of | :12:09. | :12:14. | |
microplastics that we would like to stop polluting our rivers and | :12:15. | :12:21. | |
oceans? There was evidence gathered on the extent of the environmental | :12:22. | :12:27. | |
impact on plastics and we are reviewing that and new #e6d will be | :12:28. | :12:33. | |
used to reform in the future. There is looking at the strategy of | :12:34. | :12:39. | |
plastic bottles and on the go consumption that we are looking at. | :12:40. | :12:45. | |
We must be careful taking this forward as microbeads and plastics | :12:46. | :12:50. | |
are the outcomes of recycling bottles, into making fleeces and so. | :12:51. | :12:58. | |
I was recently rummaging through my wife's collection of sham pews and | :12:59. | :13:05. | |
to my horror found a plastic container of owlaway anti-wrinkle | :13:06. | :13:15. | |
and -- Olay, complete with microbeads. Neither the Secretary of | :13:16. | :13:21. | |
State or her minister will have the need for the product but will she | :13:22. | :13:27. | |
get on the telephone to Proctor and Gamble, to say that selling this | :13:28. | :13:32. | |
product is outrageous and it should be withdrawn at once! Well, Mr | :13:33. | :13:39. | |
Speaker, what I found extraordinary is that lady Bellingham is a | :13:40. | :13:44. | |
flawless picture and even needs the products. I'm sure that my | :13:45. | :13:49. | |
honourable friend will be buying flowers later today to make up for | :13:50. | :13:52. | |
this. It is fair to say, Mr Speaker, we | :13:53. | :13:56. | |
are working with the manufactures now and a lot of them are starting | :13:57. | :14:01. | |
to remove the products. That is good news. We want to make sure that the | :14:02. | :14:08. | |
avoidable pollution is taken out of our environment permanently. | :14:09. | :14:19. | |
Mr Speaker, we readily meet EU counterparts at agriculture and | :14:20. | :14:23. | |
fisheries council and environment council and food and drink issues | :14:24. | :14:29. | |
are on the agenda and we meet to discuss a bilateral soon. | :14:30. | :14:35. | |
The great and noble county of Lincolnshire is the bread basket of | :14:36. | :14:44. | |
England and much of the food comes from our county. | :14:45. | :14:53. | |
Glycophate, can the minister assure that its use could be reauthorised? | :14:54. | :15:01. | |
As my honourable friend knows that the European Union is reviewing the | :15:02. | :15:10. | |
use of Glyphocate, and those that have led that work are clear it is a | :15:11. | :15:15. | |
safe product and the UK is backing a position in line with the science to | :15:16. | :15:22. | |
continue to authors this product. -- authorise this product. | :15:23. | :15:28. | |
On the 18th of June, 2015, on convergence uplift. 230 million | :15:29. | :15:35. | |
Euros that should have flowed to Scottish farming and since then the | :15:36. | :15:42. | |
minister has demonstrated an ability for procrastination that my children | :15:43. | :15:46. | |
can only envy. But this is not children's homework. It is | :15:47. | :15:52. | |
fundamental money that is important. It is a matter of trust. The | :15:53. | :15:56. | |
minister wants us to believe we can trust him. Where is this money? How | :15:57. | :16:02. | |
can Scottish farming trust the Government? The honourable gentleman | :16:03. | :16:08. | |
and I have discussed this. He is aware that the review last year was | :16:09. | :16:12. | |
delayed because of the referendum that changed the context | :16:13. | :16:16. | |
dramatically. We are continuing to have discussions with Scottish | :16:17. | :16:21. | |
industry, and yesterday I met NFUS to discuss future agriculture | :16:22. | :16:25. | |
policy. What could be done to encourage the | :16:26. | :16:30. | |
European Union to promote the processes of food stuffs in | :16:31. | :16:36. | |
developing countries, thinking of olive oil and coffee, where the | :16:37. | :16:39. | |
value added tends to be within the European Union? Where the UK and a | :16:40. | :16:48. | |
number of other European countries have preferential trade agreements | :16:49. | :16:52. | |
in place to support developmenting countries, to give them tariff free | :16:53. | :16:56. | |
access to the European markets, this is an important development. And the | :16:57. | :17:01. | |
issues raised are discussed at the EU agriculture council. | :17:02. | :17:07. | |
An important part of food processing sector is the fishing industry. As | :17:08. | :17:14. | |
part of those discussions with EU ministerial counterparts, what | :17:15. | :17:16. | |
progress or what efforts will be made to ensure that there is no | :17:17. | :17:22. | |
border in the Irish Sea which would permit fishermen to fish in both | :17:23. | :17:28. | |
parts as they currently can? The honourable lady knows that there has | :17:29. | :17:33. | |
been an issue with the long standing agreement between the UK and the | :17:34. | :17:38. | |
Irish Republic. There had beenen an issue with the Irish courts. I | :17:39. | :17:43. | |
discussed this a council of weeks ago with the Irish minister to talk | :17:44. | :17:47. | |
about arrangements we may have after Brexit. | :17:48. | :17:54. | |
Like my honourable friend and neighbour for Gainsborough I have | :17:55. | :17:59. | |
the honour of representing the questions where the farmers feed the | :18:00. | :18:03. | |
country. Will my honourable friend work to ensure that the farmers are | :18:04. | :18:09. | |
not put at a disadvantage with their EU competitors when these exciting | :18:10. | :18:15. | |
new trade deals are noeshted? -- negotiated? Well, she has a very | :18:16. | :18:22. | |
important farming constituency. I know I myself worked in the farming | :18:23. | :18:26. | |
industry for ten years. I am passionate about it. I have been | :18:27. | :18:31. | |
going up and down the country meeting farmers, discussing | :18:32. | :18:34. | |
concerns. We have a fantastic opportunity on leave leafing the | :18:35. | :18:38. | |
European Union to design a new agriculture policy that is fit for | :18:39. | :18:42. | |
purpose. Press reports this week suggest that | :18:43. | :18:47. | |
the Danish government may press for restrictions on UK fish imports to | :18:48. | :18:53. | |
the EU if the Danish fleet lose access to mostly Scottish fishing | :18:54. | :19:02. | |
waters. That would have serious implications for the Scottish fish | :19:03. | :19:06. | |
producers. What conversations has the minister had with the Danish | :19:07. | :19:09. | |
counterpart this week and will he tell us what the solutions are that | :19:10. | :19:17. | |
he is proposing? I have been in regular meetings with the EU | :19:18. | :19:21. | |
counterparts. I believe that the Danish minister is planning a visit | :19:22. | :19:25. | |
to the UK. I hope to meet him then. But you should not worry about the | :19:26. | :19:31. | |
opening positions that people may take in a negotiation, it matters | :19:32. | :19:35. | |
what the UK Government is willing to grant. The Scottish fishing industry | :19:36. | :19:40. | |
does not want to be dragged quicking and screaming to the EU, they want | :19:41. | :19:46. | |
to leave the EU, to leave the CFP, to take control of their waters. | :19:47. | :19:52. | |
The fishing industry is forwent my constituency, can you update fishers | :19:53. | :19:56. | |
there and around the UK about when and if the Government is to trigger | :19:57. | :20:05. | |
their intention to withdraw from the London 1964 fisheries convention? | :20:06. | :20:11. | |
There is a 1964 London fisheries convention with access arrangements | :20:12. | :20:14. | |
for a number of countries. As we have made clear we are looking at | :20:15. | :20:19. | |
this closely. As the Prime Minister said two weeks ago, we hope to say | :20:20. | :20:20. | |
something on this shortly. Mr Speaker, since 2015, DEFRA has | :20:21. | :20:44. | |
opened or improved terms for 160 agriculture commodities and we work | :20:45. | :20:50. | |
with industries to prioritise and increase new market values. | :20:51. | :21:00. | |
In my role as trade to Nigeria I invited the Nigerian Culture | :21:01. | :21:03. | |
Minister to come to the UK. It is important to show the whole of the | :21:04. | :21:06. | |
value chain in agriculture in which we do so well? I commend the work my | :21:07. | :21:13. | |
friend does. Building relations with Nigeria, building the important | :21:14. | :21:18. | |
trading links. He is right, Nigeria is an important market for fisheries | :21:19. | :21:22. | |
products, such as mackerel. I'm delighted to hear he has invited him | :21:23. | :21:28. | |
here to see the work we do through the supply chain and the technology | :21:29. | :21:32. | |
we have to reduce waste in the supply chain. | :21:33. | :21:35. | |
Does the minister recognise it is absolutely crucial that the need to | :21:36. | :21:41. | |
the agriculture sector are placed at the heart of the Brexit | :21:42. | :21:46. | |
negotiations? Is it not clear if the Government doesn't get t it's act | :21:47. | :21:52. | |
together, a bad Brexit deal leaves the British farmers and food | :21:53. | :21:58. | |
producers faces a double whammy on taxes on exports? Access to the UK | :21:59. | :22:03. | |
market is important for the European countries as well. While we export | :22:04. | :22:09. | |
about ?11 billion of food and drink to the European Union, we import | :22:10. | :22:14. | |
some ?28 billion from the EU, so farming unions across the EU are | :22:15. | :22:17. | |
telling their governments we must have a free trade agreement with the | :22:18. | :22:21. | |
UK. How does the Government intend to | :22:22. | :22:25. | |
deliver on the promises? The C LA is saying that Government should admit | :22:26. | :22:31. | |
it cannot design a workable new agriculture policy in less than two | :22:32. | :22:37. | |
years as DEFRA does not have the capacity so the fail you arure to | :22:38. | :22:41. | |
reach the agreement could leave us unable to compete at home and | :22:42. | :22:45. | |
abroad. So specifically, what guarantees can the minister provide | :22:46. | :22:49. | |
today, to rural communities across the country, that farming subsidies | :22:50. | :22:53. | |
and tariff free trade is guaranteed under a Tory Government? I would | :22:54. | :23:02. | |
simply say that the honourable lady, we have tremendous accountsly | :23:03. | :23:06. | |
talented officials in DEFRA and our agencies who have been working | :23:07. | :23:10. | |
closely on the detail behind the design of the agriculture and the | :23:11. | :23:13. | |
issues and the Prime Minister is clear to make an offer to the other | :23:14. | :23:19. | |
European countries, that is a bold, ambitious and a comprehensive trade | :23:20. | :23:23. | |
agreement. A market that the farmers in | :23:24. | :23:30. | |
northern Lincolnshire are hoping to expand is on biofuel. They are | :23:31. | :23:33. | |
concerned with the Government's commitment. Can the minister | :23:34. | :23:37. | |
reassure that is a market for future expansion? We see a role for bio | :23:38. | :23:45. | |
ethanol fuels but with Korean to ensure we don't lose good | :23:46. | :23:51. | |
agriculture land to biofuels. The honourable gentleman, friend is | :23:52. | :23:55. | |
aware this is an issue for the department of transplant. I invite | :23:56. | :24:00. | |
him to race the issue with them in the next Parliament. | :24:01. | :24:04. | |
My friend pointed out that the markets are not necessarily country | :24:05. | :24:11. | |
based but product based. The UK has a tremendous base for lactose free | :24:12. | :24:15. | |
milk. What can we do to encourage the UK producers to develop this | :24:16. | :24:19. | |
product in the UK, manufactured in the UK? | :24:20. | :24:23. | |
We have a very strong dairy industry in this country and there are lots | :24:24. | :24:28. | |
of opportunities like that and we have established things like the | :24:29. | :24:32. | |
food innovation networks and we have things such as the agri- tech fund | :24:33. | :24:38. | |
and others to support innovative product development. Energy prices | :24:39. | :24:49. | |
and exchange rates Abby Kane drivers of changes in agricultural commodity | :24:50. | :24:56. | |
markets -- are the key drivers. There was a sharp spike in food | :24:57. | :25:02. | |
prices in 2008 and food prices levelled off six years later and | :25:03. | :25:05. | |
fell by 7% over the next two years and over the past year we have seen | :25:06. | :25:12. | |
a modest increase of around 1.3%. I thank the minister for his response, | :25:13. | :25:18. | |
but the facts are that the ONS are reporting a surge in food prices | :25:19. | :25:23. | |
which is likely to rise. Children are returning to school hungry after | :25:24. | :25:26. | |
the east of days and the elderly are admitted to hospital for | :25:27. | :25:33. | |
malnourishment -- after the Easter holidays. Because they refuse to | :25:34. | :25:38. | |
measure it, otherwise they would have to admit culpability. You are | :25:39. | :25:44. | |
wrong. We have a long-standing living cost of food survey which is | :25:45. | :25:50. | |
run for many years. And which includes a measure for household | :25:51. | :25:53. | |
spending amongst the 20% poorest households and I can tell her that | :25:54. | :25:57. | |
household spending in those households has remained steady at | :25:58. | :26:06. | |
16% for at least a decade. On the matter further, Mr Marcus Fish. | :26:07. | :26:13. | |
LAUGHTER Farmers are proud of the | :26:14. | :26:15. | |
high-quality food they produce, no matter what it is, but what of the | :26:16. | :26:21. | |
opportunities that the ministers see of us leaving the EU to make sure | :26:22. | :26:30. | |
they get a fair price for that food? As you know, we have recently had a | :26:31. | :26:35. | |
call for evidence and a review of the adjudicator and there has been | :26:36. | :26:37. | |
representation which we should consider extending the remit of that | :26:38. | :26:44. | |
further up the supply chain. But I do believe that the grocery code | :26:45. | :26:47. | |
adjudicator has made a very good start in improving the relationship | :26:48. | :26:54. | |
between producers and supermarkets. It is quite common in food | :26:55. | :26:58. | |
processing plants for 70% of the employees to be EU migrants. Where | :26:59. | :27:06. | |
are they start going to come from in the future? Is the minister | :27:07. | :27:09. | |
committed to defending this sector in the negotiations to come from? I | :27:10. | :27:19. | |
can reassure you that we have had regular meetings with food | :27:20. | :27:22. | |
processors and just a couple of days ago I had a meeting with the new | :27:23. | :27:27. | |
president of the food and drink Federation and this initiative was | :27:28. | :27:33. | |
raised by them. Around 30% of employees in the food processing | :27:34. | :27:37. | |
sector are from other countries in the EU, but the Prime Minister has | :27:38. | :27:40. | |
been very clear that she would like to safeguard and protect the rights | :27:41. | :27:45. | |
of EU citizens that are here and she will expect that to be reciprocated | :27:46. | :27:48. | |
and that can be agreed early in the negotiations will stop may I remind | :27:49. | :27:55. | |
him again at the paradox that we staff the poor by refusing to buy | :27:56. | :28:03. | |
their food from them -- staff. You make a very good point. As I said | :28:04. | :28:09. | |
earlier, we do give preferential trade access to some developing | :28:10. | :28:17. | |
countries, the ACP countries especially important in areas like | :28:18. | :28:20. | |
sugar and this is important for them to develop those industries. My | :28:21. | :28:29. | |
friend is right to raise this issue and I share her concerns about this. | :28:30. | :28:34. | |
She will recognise that we want to get these proposals right as soon as | :28:35. | :28:42. | |
we can. With the ministry agree that rigorous enforcement when this | :28:43. | :28:45. | |
policy is in place is one of the most vital elements? -- would be. I | :28:46. | :28:52. | |
entirely agree, robust enforcement is very important, and chivalrous | :28:53. | :28:57. | |
denies that the police do a great job of enforcing the current rules | :28:58. | :29:03. | |
-- and she will agree that the police. We need a strategic approach | :29:04. | :29:08. | |
to tackling this trade and that is about the enforcement and tackling | :29:09. | :29:13. | |
demand so that together we can help solve the poaching crisis. Question | :29:14. | :29:24. | |
11. I very much enjoyed my visit to her constituency last week and it | :29:25. | :29:27. | |
was a great pleasure to meet with some of her growers including | :29:28. | :29:32. | |
Aberdeen farm to discuss seasonal Labour and I'm very aware of their | :29:33. | :29:35. | |
concerns about the Labour supply issues. The government plans to | :29:36. | :29:40. | |
commission advice from the committee and to consult with businesses later | :29:41. | :29:45. | |
this year. They this we had a very agreeable excursion. -- they | :29:46. | :29:52. | |
obviously. Can I thank my friend for coming to Kent and visiting one of | :29:53. | :29:58. | |
my local fruit farms. And for listening to the growers who | :29:59. | :30:01. | |
assembled there. Especially as it was in the Easter recess. Could she | :30:02. | :30:08. | |
give me an update on the discussions she has had with the Home Office on | :30:09. | :30:11. | |
introducing the much-needed seasonal agricultural permit scheme? Not only | :30:12. | :30:18. | |
did I visit your constituency but also her neighbour in Maidstone, had | :30:19. | :30:24. | |
a lovely day, in the county I grew up in, but she is right. A very | :30:25. | :30:30. | |
important issue and the government has assessed the need for a pilot | :30:31. | :30:35. | |
scheme, seasonal worker scheme, and they have said there is not the | :30:36. | :30:38. | |
evidence that there is such a thing needed. The migration advisory | :30:39. | :30:44. | |
committee and a consultation with businesses later this year will seek | :30:45. | :30:47. | |
to get to the bottom of exactly what we need is and this government is | :30:48. | :30:52. | |
committed to making a huge success for the food and farming sector as | :30:53. | :31:01. | |
we leave the EU. Topical questions. As this is the last one before | :31:02. | :31:12. | |
the... And secondly for us to be the first | :31:13. | :31:19. | |
generation to leave the environment in a better state than we left it. | :31:20. | :31:27. | |
-- found it. We publish the first litter strategy for England and we | :31:28. | :31:33. | |
announced a ?10 grant scheme to restore the iconic peatlands. What | :31:34. | :31:41. | |
is she doing to support the fishermen and the under ten metre | :31:42. | :31:44. | |
fleet which is 33 feet in English money? I'm glad he can still do the | :31:45. | :31:52. | |
sums. We have taken a number of measures to make sure the fleet is | :31:53. | :31:55. | |
more economically sustainable and for example we have taken our used | :31:56. | :31:59. | |
quota from the over ten metre vessels and transferred this to the | :32:00. | :32:05. | |
under ten metre representing a 14% uplift to the under ten metre fleet | :32:06. | :32:08. | |
so we continue to top slice the quota uplift which is now more than | :32:09. | :32:13. | |
a thousand times in order to help the under ten metre fleet. Contrary | :32:14. | :32:20. | |
to what the minister said earlier, recent inflation figures reveal that | :32:21. | :32:23. | |
food prices are rising at the fastest race in three years, at over | :32:24. | :32:31. | |
?21 which has been added to the average shopping bill in the last | :32:32. | :32:34. | |
three months alone. When will the Secretary of State get a grip on the | :32:35. | :32:41. | |
soaring cost of living? As I pointed out earlier to the question that was | :32:42. | :32:48. | |
raised, we saw the biggest spike in food prices in 2008 because of | :32:49. | :32:55. | |
energy prices and food prices fell after that, and now we have had a | :32:56. | :32:59. | |
modest increase in the last 12 months of 1.3%. Rising food prices | :33:00. | :33:07. | |
simply adds to the burden on those with little money for food. As the | :33:08. | :33:12. | |
Food Standards Agency has reported that one in the four low income | :33:13. | :33:19. | |
families struggle to eat regularly and the equality commission says | :33:20. | :33:22. | |
disabled people are over two times more likely to be living in food | :33:23. | :33:28. | |
poverty. How much longer can the Secretary of State refused to | :33:29. | :33:31. | |
monitor and publish figures on UK food insecurity and food bag usage? | :33:32. | :33:40. | |
-- bank. We have always monitored spending on food through the living | :33:41. | :33:44. | |
cost of food survey and the spending on food amongst the poorest 20% has | :33:45. | :33:48. | |
been stable at 16% for over a decade. But I would say this, this | :33:49. | :33:53. | |
government has put more people in employment than ever before and has | :33:54. | :33:56. | |
taken more people off benefits and giving them an income and that is | :33:57. | :34:00. | |
the way you tackle poverty. -- given. It is not just the coastal | :34:01. | :34:06. | |
areas of Lincolnshire which are prone to flooding and whilst the | :34:07. | :34:11. | |
government has invested record amounts it is also England areas | :34:12. | :34:14. | |
which are prone to flooding in places like Lincolnshire. -- inland | :34:15. | :34:22. | |
areas. What more can be done to help protect people and properties? You | :34:23. | :34:27. | |
are right to raise the importance of natural flood management. As I saw | :34:28. | :34:31. | |
myself on a recent visit to Leicester where I launched ?1 | :34:32. | :34:34. | |
million competition for natural flood protection, in the back place | :34:35. | :34:38. | |
it can absolutely help alongside more traditional measures. -- the | :34:39. | :34:45. | |
right place. We are investing a total of ?15 billion to fund | :34:46. | :34:47. | |
management schemes across the country and they will help support | :34:48. | :34:52. | |
many communities from flood risk stash ?15 million. Surely the | :34:53. | :34:59. | |
Secretary of State will have the good sense in speaking up for free | :35:00. | :35:02. | |
movement of workers is the easiest way to avoid horrendous shortages in | :35:03. | :35:10. | |
the food and drink industry. We have already addressed the issue of | :35:11. | :35:14. | |
seasonal workers in the agricultural sector and is important we assess | :35:15. | :35:19. | |
the needs. As far as those workers who have all the made their lives | :35:20. | :35:22. | |
and work in this country, as the Prime Minister has said, it is her | :35:23. | :35:27. | |
intention to make sure that those rights are protected provided that | :35:28. | :35:31. | |
the EU reciprocates. It is right to look after British workers who have | :35:32. | :35:35. | |
moved to the European Union at the same time as protecting the very | :35:36. | :35:38. | |
valuable contribution that EU citizens make in the UK. In the | :35:39. | :35:45. | |
interests of customer choice and transparency, isn't it time that all | :35:46. | :35:50. | |
have our and kosher meat products where properly labelled at the point | :35:51. | :35:55. | |
of sale? This would benefit those people who want to buy as well as | :35:56. | :35:58. | |
those who particularly don't want to buy it. You have been a | :35:59. | :36:05. | |
long-standing campaigner on this and we have discussed it on numerous | :36:06. | :36:09. | |
occasions. The government is committed to giving consumers as | :36:10. | :36:13. | |
much transparency as possible and to improving labelling where we can, | :36:14. | :36:16. | |
and I know he understands there are difficulties in that business single | :36:17. | :36:23. | |
definition of kosher and that makes compulsory labelling complex, and he | :36:24. | :36:26. | |
is aware that the European Union has been looking at this, and when we | :36:27. | :36:30. | |
leave, this will be an opportunity for us to look at all of these | :36:31. | :36:36. | |
issues. The 25 year food and farming plan, the 25 year environment plan, | :36:37. | :36:44. | |
these are supposedly to be promised but the summer, but that was some | :36:45. | :36:49. | |
2016, and the Secretary of State has filed for the environment and | :36:50. | :36:51. | |
farmers and the food industry and failed to keep her promise. People | :36:52. | :36:56. | |
are losing their jobs and incomes on her watch, when will these plans see | :36:57. | :37:04. | |
the light of day? You might be aware that there was a very significant | :37:05. | :37:07. | |
decision taken by the people of the United Kingdom last summer to leave | :37:08. | :37:11. | |
the European Union. We have been very clear about our ambition is to | :37:12. | :37:16. | |
make a success of the sector and to be the version narration that leaves | :37:17. | :37:23. | |
in a better place -- and to be the first generation that leaves the | :37:24. | :37:27. | |
environment in a better place than we found it. Evidence to give us a | :37:28. | :37:34. | |
very clear idea, to give a future outside of the EU that is more | :37:35. | :37:43. | |
successful than ever. Further to the question, would the minister please | :37:44. | :37:46. | |
give my constituents the reassurance they need that should the European | :37:47. | :37:52. | |
Commission choose not to follow the recommendation and decide to ban the | :37:53. | :37:59. | |
use of bison -- the use of... Remains possible. A response to the | :38:00. | :38:05. | |
earlier question, the evidence is fairly clear, they believe it is | :38:06. | :38:10. | |
safe and it has always been the UK position to follow the science and | :38:11. | :38:13. | |
the evidence on pesticide decisions and that is why we support the | :38:14. | :38:18. | |
reauthorisation of this and we will continue to have an evidence -based | :38:19. | :38:24. | |
approach when we leave the EU. | :38:25. | :38:27. |