The petition of the residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares disappointment in Nestlé’s decision to end its ten year relationship with Fairtrade, switching sugar and cocoa sourcing for KitKat from Fairtrade to Rainforest Alliance accreditation; notes that up to 27,000 farmers in Côte d'Ivoire, Fiji and Malawi stand to lose their Fairtrade Premium; and further declares that these farmers will have less say on how money from that Premium is spent, at a time when those producers are facing unprecedented uncertainty.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reaffirm its commitment to Fairtrade and urges Nestlé to ultimately reconsider their decision, in order to provide support to producers during a period of considerable uncertainty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Holly Lynch, Official Report, 30 September 2020; Vol. 681, c. 453 .]
[P002600]
Petitions in the same terms were presented by the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Patrick Grady) [P002601]; the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) [P002602] and the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Jason McCartney) [P002604];
Observations from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Duddridge):
The UK Government have been a long-time supporter of the Fairtrade movement with support dating back over a decade. Between 2010 and 2018, they invested over £20.2 million into Fairtrade and are currently funding the Fairtrade Foundation to support Kenyan flower workers and Ghanaian cocoa farmers to recover from the impact of covid-19. The UK Government will continue to be a vocal champion of Fairtrade's work to ensure fair treatment of farmers in global supply chains.
The UK Government are supportive of business choices to enter partnerships with credible sustainability standards. The UK Government are unable to comment on the specific decision by Nestlé to end its relationship with Fairtrade.
Health and Social Care
Closure of gyms in Bradford due to covid-19
The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that the continued closure of gyms and fitness facilities in Bradford only is having a grave impact on a vast number of businesses and members, creating a desperate situation with consequences beyond what is being appreciated by those in power; notes that businesses in Bradford that are currently closed have received no additional support during the extra four weeks and are closed at their own cost; further declares that, after over four months of closure, any recovery from these closures becomes more unlikely by the day; further notes that gym members are being forced to travel into neighbouring districts causing a counter intuitive effect in social mixing, and in turn increasing the transmission risk; further declares that Bradford is currently facing an obesity, diabetes and mental health crisis which these facilities are at the forefront of fighting; and further declares that the nature of these closures was based on now out-of-date advice, and not on more recent data that is available and shows that the measures gyms are putting in place greatly mitigate any risk to almost zero.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to allow gyms to reopen in the Bradford district according to covid-secure guidelines.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Judith Cummins , Official Report, 2 September 2020; Vol. 679, c. 254 .]
[P002593]
Housing, Communities and Local Government
Restructuring of Warwickshire County Council
Transport
Railway station in Gamesley
Support for the travel industry
20 of 107 shown
Observations from The Minister for Care (Helen Whately):
The Government are aware of the impact of closing facilities such as gyms, and the benefits that their use can have on members of the community that use them. The measures to close gyms were not taken lightly or without due consideration. The threat to life in the onward transmission of the covid-19 virus to persons who in turn transmit to others through the use of such facilities outweighed the risks associated with the closures. Following a review of the facts and information available surrounding the known infection rates within Bradford, an area experiencing high incidence within the local community, the action to close gyms as a non-pharmaceutical intervention was reasonable and proportionate for the benefit of the community as whole. It should be noted that following a number of regulatory changes, gyms in Bradford are now allowed to open in a covid-secure manner.
NHS parking charges
The petition of residents of the constituency of Coventry South,
Declares that NHS staff deserve thanks and recognition for their extraordinary service through the Coronavirus pandemic; notes that parking charges have recently been re-imposed at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire; and further notes that NHS staff have faced a decade of falling pay and that, despite this, a pay rise has still been refused to nurses, porters, cleaners and many other staff.
Removing classification of prescription only medicine from injectable vitamin B12