Greg Smith MP: written questions
93 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Universities: Proscribed OrganisationsHome OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64119More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle expressions of support for (a) Hamas and (b) Hezbollah at universities.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave to the Rt Hon Member for Fareham and Waterlooville on 7 May in response to Question 48984.
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAntisemitism: UniversitiesDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64117More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to hold discussions with Vice Chancellors on the effectiveness of disciplinary procedures in tackling antisemitism at universities.
Answer: Last month, my right hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, brought together Vice Chancellors and community leaders to hear testimonials from Jewish students and to discuss next steps to ensure safer, more inclusive campuses for all. This inclu...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordProscribed OrganisationsHome OfficeTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Oral Statement of 19 May 2025 on National Security Act 2023: Charges, Official Report, columns 759-771, when she will take legislative steps to allow proscription of (a) the Iran
Answer: The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under constant review, as we seek to protect the UK from the threats that we face. However, as a matter of longstanding policy we do not comment on whether or not an organisation is being considere...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Review of the Loan ChargeTreasuryTabled 25 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 904947More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Chair of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge on the progress of that review.
Answer: Ministers have not held discussions with the independent reviewer of the Loan Charge since the review was launched. However, the review team has confirmed that they expect to conclude in the summer, and the government will respond to their report by Autum...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCycling: Road Traffic OffencesDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62220More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help increase prosecutions of cyclists who jump red traffic lights.
Answer: Enforcement of traffic offences of this sort is a matter for the police. Those who cycle have a duty, like all road users, to behave in a safe and responsible manner and to follow the rules set out in The Highway Code. It is already an offence for cyclist...
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRivers: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57370More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the ecological vulnerability of chalk stream habitats; and whether his Department plans to develop
Answer: Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system wor...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Environment ProtectionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57369More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the planning system within the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on irreplaceable habitats.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists. The Nature...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversities: AntisemitismDepartment for EducationTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52325More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference pages 19-20 of StandWithUs' report entitled StandWithUs UK Report: Voice of Students 2024/25 Report, published in May 2025, if she will have discussions with the Vice Chancellor of Brunel Univers
Answer: This government condemns antisemitism in the strongest possible terms and we are actively taking steps to prevent and tackle it on campus, as in all parts of society. The antisemitic incidents detailed in StandWithUs UK’s report are wholly unacceptable an...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversities: AntisemitismDepartment for EducationTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52324More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to hold discussions with university vice-chancellors in relation to the report by StandWithUs UK entitled Voice of Students 2024-25, published on 7 May 2025.
Answer: This government condemns antisemitism in the strongest possible terms and we are actively taking steps to prevent and tackle it on campus, as in all parts of society. The antisemitic incidents detailed in StandWithUs UK’s report are wholly unacceptable an...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Foundation for Educational Research in England and WalesDepartment for EducationTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the governance arrangements of the National Foundation for Educational Research.
Answer: The National Foundation for Educational Research is a leading provider of research and assessments in the UK. The department has no formal oversight or management relationship with them, and as such, has not made an assessment of the adequacy of their gov...
Answered 16 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: AcademiesDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 903828More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on academies.
Answer: This government’s mission is clear: to break down barriers to opportunity by driving high and rising standards delivered through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum, and a system which removes the barriers to learning that hold to...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: EnergyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45879More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve energy efficiency across her Department's estate.
Answer: We have interpreted this to refer to measures undertaken across the Department’s estate in support of broader sustainability and decarbonisation objectives. DWP is forecast to achieve the challenging energy efficiency related targets set out in the Greeni...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45878More
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 Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on (a) local economic growth and (b) the financial resilience of local au
Answer: Extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and the packaging reforms more broadly, will deliver both positive environmental and economic benefits, supporting 21,000 jobs in our nations and regions, and stimulating more than 10 billion pounds in...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45877More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that local authorities use funds from the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme solely for waste management and environmental purposes.
Answer: pEPR regulations include a range of measures to drive improved performance and ensure local authorities make the investments needed to support an efficient and effective waste management service for household packaging. These include:Introducing an Improv...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45876More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether pubs that have already paid for glass recycling will be reimbursed for Extended Producer Responsibility charges.
Answer: Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. Despite considering multiple approaches, a consensus on a...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) pubs and (b) other businesses are not charged twice for glass recycling under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.
Answer: Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. Despite considering multiple approaches, a consensus on a...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: RecyclingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on small and medium-sized enterprises
Answer: The Government has listened to feedback from small businesses and introduced support measures to help compliance with EPR, including: exemptions from fee obligations for producers with annual turnover below £2 million and packaging tonnage below 50 tonnes...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordProstate Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Prostate Cancer Research report, Socio-economic Impact of Prostate Cancer Screening, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the macroe
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee currently does not recommend prostate cancer screening because the evidence suggests that it does more harm than good. The committee is currently reviewing the evidence for both population wide screening and targeted pr...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department considered alternatives to extended producer responsibility.
Answer: The Government consulted on the principles, objectives, and proposals for extended producer responsibility in 2019 and 2021, and these received high levels of support. This followed initial lobbying in 2018 from the sector, which preferred extended produc...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39107More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how his Department will monitor compliance with extended producer responsibility requirements; and what penalties will apply for non-compliance.
Answer: Defra officials are working closely with the Environment Agency (EA) and Devolved Governments to ensure robust plans are in place to both scrutinise the accuracy of submissions from enrolled producers, and identify and bring into compliance free riders wh...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the (a) efficiency and (b) effectiveness of how local authorities use extended producer responsibility revenue.
Answer: From 2028, the pEPR scheme administrator, PackUK, must assess whether each local authority is running an effective waste management service for household packaging waste. If PackUK determines that a local authority is not providing an effective waste mana...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39105More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will regularly publish the methods by which extended producer responsibility fees are (a) calculated and (b) used.
Answer: We have previously published additional guidance to accompany any release of updated base fee amounts which provides a more detailed breakdown of fee calculations for each material and the data involved. Similar accompanying information will be provided a...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39104More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to commission an independent review of extended producer responsibility fees to consider whether the fees are (a) fair to and (b) sustainable for relevant busines
Answer: The Scheme Administrator, PackUK, is required to set base fees in line with the regulations, which were developed by the previous Government following extensive engagement and consultation with stakeholders. Since the publication of the first illustrative...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) exempt or (b) reduce extended producer responsibility fees for brewers using glass bottles containing a high proportion of recycled glass.
Answer: Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) requires producers to bear the end-of-life costs associated with packaging that they place on the market, rather than the proportion of recycled materials contained. Officials have been working with st...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the level of extended producer responsibility fees of the recyclable nature of glass packaging.
Answer: The potential implications of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) fees on the recyclable nature of glass packaging have been considered within the framework of the scheme, particularly through the mechanism of fee modulation. Modulation ...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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