Ellie Chowns MP: written questions
232 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Cabinet Office: Environment ProtectionCabinet OfficeTabled 31 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27963More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' policy paper entitled Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023, whether his Department provides training f
Answer: A range of guidance is available to civil servants when preparing legislation, including on section 19 of the Environment Act 2021. Ahead of the duty coming into force on 1 November 2023, guidance was issued to civil servants working on legislation. In Ja...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Performance CertificatesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27396More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish an update to the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure.
Answer: Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are a crucial tool for consumers to understand the energy efficiency of their homes. We are implementing an interim update to the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP), which underpins EPC ratings, in Sp...
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: LandMinistry of DefenceTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that illegal hunts do not take place on Ministry of Defence land.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence has only ever issued licences to recognised hunts for Trail and Drag hunting which are legal activities authorised by the Hunting Act 2004. Any suspicion of illegal hunting should be reported to the Police.
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordOccupied Territories: ChildrenForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help protect the (a) safety and (b) wellbeing of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answer: We are alarmed by the impact of the Gaza conflict on children across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has consistently pressed Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza, not least children, and for all parties to ensure adherence t...
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: PalestiniansForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterparts for an independent investigation to be launched into the killing of two-year-old Palestinian child Laila Mohammad
Answer: We cannot comment on individual cases, but we remain concerned by the situation in the West Bank and reiterate that Israel must ensure that civilians are protected. The Foreign Secretary has raised the situation in the West Bank and issues of internationa...
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: Property DevelopmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to include ice age ponds in the list of Irreplaceable Habitats for biodiversity net gain.
Answer: Irreplaceable habitat includes some of England’s most ecologically valuable terrestrial and intertidal habitats. The list of irreplaceable habitats in the biodiversity net gain regulations broadly mirrors the non-exhaustive list of examples of irreplaceab...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordGrasslands: Property DevelopmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19561More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including priority grassland habitats in the list of Irreplaceable Habitats for biodiversity net gain.
Answer: Irreplaceable habitat includes some of England’s most ecologically valuable terrestrial and intertidal habitats. The list of irreplaceable habitats in the biodiversity net gain regulations broadly mirrors the non-exhaustive list of examples of irreplaceab...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNature ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19560More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish his Department's consultation on a broader definition of irreplaceable habitat.
Answer: Irreplaceable habitat includes some of England’s most ecologically valuable terrestrial and intertidal habitats. The list of irreplaceable habitats in the biodiversity net gain regulations broadly mirrors the non-exhaustive list of examples of irreplaceab...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSchool Meals CoalitionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19559More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of joining the School Meals Coalition.
Answer: The UK is assessing the latest evidence on the impact of school feeding interventions on nutrition, education and social protection and continues to track developments in the evidence base for school feeding interventions. We note, for example, the World ...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: FinanceTreasuryTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19177More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to (a) end funding for the Ring Fence Expenditure Supplement for oil and gas companies and (b) redirect any savings to international climate finance.
Answer: Ring Fence Expenditure Supplement (RFES) maintains the time value of oil and gas exploration, appraisal and development costs. This recognises that oil and gas projects have high costs before production begins, but no production income to set these costs ...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordOverseas Investment: ColombiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions of the UK/Colombia: Bilateral Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments on the
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member for North Herefordshire to my response to Question 12968 on 12th November 2024.
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18291More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the amount of social housing available for families in need of housing support who need four or more bedrooms.
Answer: Data is collected on the number of households on local authority housing registers requiring three or more bedrooms. This stood at 69,434 as of 31 March 2024. Data on households requiring four or more bedrooms is not collected but will be a subset of this...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEels: Export ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18290More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the issuing of licenses to export endangered European eels.
Answer: The international trade in eels is regulated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Because the European eel is critically endangered, any international movements are subject to rigorous scrutiny, including through as...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: North HerefordshireDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18014More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 on Question 16304, how many pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who have been identified as being potentially entitled to, but not cl
Answer: 151 pensioner households were targeted in the North Herefordshire constituency as part of the Invitation to Claim initiative. The letters sent to these households encourage them to claim Pension Credit by 21 December which is the latest date for making a ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEnvironment ProtectionLeader of the HouseTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18013More
Question: To ask the Leader of the House, when she plans to update the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation to provide guidance on the environmental principles duty in section 19(1) of the Environment Act 2021.
Answer: The Guide to Making Legislation will be updated shortly and will include references to environmental principles. Leading up to the commencement of the statutory duties contained within the Environment Act 2021, guidance was circulated to all Whitehall dep...
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEnvironment ProtectionCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18012More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) templates and (b) guidance for (i) ministerial submissions, (ii) the write round process, (iii) post implementation reviews of legislation and (iv) the preparation of departmental business cases have
Answer: Each Government department is responsible for its own ministerial submission templates and guidance. Departments have been advised to amend their submission templates to reflect the EPPS duty through the Defra-led Environmental Principles Working Group.Mi...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness: RegulationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18011More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to update guidance for the Better Regulation Framework to include section 19(1) of the Environment Act 2021.
Answer: Consistent with section 19(1) of the Environment Act 2021, the new template for regulatory impact assessments, published under the reformed Better Regulation Framework, states, “All policies, where relevant, must have due regard to the Environmental Princ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Seasonal WorkersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17401More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with local authorities to ensure that tied accommodation provided to seasonal agricultural workers meets the Housing Health and Safety Rating System stan
Answer: The government appreciates the importance of all seasonal workers living in safe accommodation.The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) provides a framework for identifying hazardous condition in residential premises. Local authorities in Engla...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Seasonal WorkersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17400More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the standard of accommodation provided to seasonal agricultural workers on UK farms in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System
Answer: The government appreciates the importance of all seasonal workers living in safe accommodation.The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) provides a framework for identifying hazardous condition in residential premises. Local authorities in Engla...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren in CareDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15130More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to collect data on the number of children in care that are living in placements that are not in line with their care plan.
Answer: Information on whether a looked after child is currently living in a placement that is not in line with their care plan is not held by the department. Information on the numbers of children looked after who were moved to a new placement during the reporti...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordImmigration: SlaveryHome OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14885More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the disbanding of Multi-Agency Assurance Panels on independent assurance of National Referral Mechanism decisions in the review of negative Conc
Answer: The number of referrals into the National Referral Mechanism has continued to grow year on year (17,004 individuals were referred into the NRM in 2023), and the pressure on the timeliness of decision-making in the NRM has only continued to increase. The p...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12807More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his expected timetable is for the publication of an updated list of significant public appointments; and whether this will include the Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection.
Answer: The list of significant public appointments is updated by the Cabinet Office, in consultation with individual departments and the Commissioner for Public Appointments. A refreshed list will be updated in due course. As set out by the previous government, ...
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether data collected through his Department’s farm practices survey informs the assessment of progress on meeting legally binding targets set out in the Environment Act 2021.
Answer: Reporting against statutory targets is being developed primarily through data on activities that farmers have volunteered to do as part of schemes. Defra uses survey data, including the results from the farm practices survey, to build assumptions and unde...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordUK Internal Trade: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether any environmental (a) policies and (b) programmes are impacted by the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
Answer: The UK Internal Market Act provides the practical framework that facilitates businesses and people to trade and purchase goods and services freely across the UK. It supports economic growth and protects jobs and investment across all four nations of the U...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordForest Products: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish regulations to implement Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021 to introduce a due diligence scheme for products of illegal deforestation.
Answer: We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation, and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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