Contributions
1,338 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Food Price InflationWe continue to monitor inflation, and the Prime Minister’s ambition is to reduce it. Food prices have driven that inflationary figure over the last month, but the good news is…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationWe should be clear that I am the Minister with responsibility for food, which is why I am here to answer this urgent question. We take this challenge very seriously, and we…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationThe Government have a responsibility to deal with the facts as they are presented. It is a statement of fact that Ukraine was a huge producer of food within Europe. It is a…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationThe number of households in absolute poverty has actually gone down since the Government came to power, but I join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to the people working in…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationI recognise how challenging that situation must be. That is why the Government are putting in huge support packages to try to help households cope with the increase in energy and…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationWe do, of course, talk to our colleagues across government, and we also invest a huge amount in technology to help develop new technologies to reduce the price of food production.…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationWe are very keen to use the power of government to procure top-quality, UK-produced food. As the hon. Lady identifies, we made a commitment to try to get to 50% as soon as…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationWe continue to work with the whole sector, including retailers, manufacturers and primary producers, to maintain the most robust food supply chain. I pay tribute to the work that…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationThe hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the great support our retailers are giving to those people who face that challenge; they continue to work with charities in that…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationWe are supporting more children now than at any point in history. We continue to offer them that support and we will carry on doing that. School meals are the responsibility of…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationThere is a fundamental difference between today and the 1970s: employment is at a very high level and lots of jobs are available to people. But that does not mitigate the…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationAs the hon. Gentleman will have heard earlier, food inflation is higher in Europe than in the UK for some products. He may well want to join back with his friends in Europe, but…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Food Price InflationI pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her work in this area; I know that she is a big campaigner on food security and the cost of food, particularly for her constituents. Again, we…23 Mar 2023HANSARD Shellfish AquacultureI will give way, but I have to get through my speech at some point.15 Mar 2023HANSARD Shellfish AquacultureIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Elliott. We have had a wide-ranging debate, from Brexit to car tyres to pop stars. I fear that I cannot compete with some of…15 Mar 2023HANSARD Shellfish AquacultureI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for all the work he did as Secretary of State. I do not want to over-promise—I would rather over-deliver—but I recognise what he says about…15 Mar 2023HANSARD Shellfish AquacultureThe hon. Gentleman will be aware of the political trap of a Minister saying, “Let them eat oysters”, which I hope not to fall into. UK food producers in general, not only in the…15 Mar 2023HANSARD Shellfish AquacultureI gently say to the hon. Gentleman that if he talks to the catering team in the House of Commons, he would find that they are very good at procuring UK-produced and locally…15 Mar 2023HANSARD Shellfish AquacultureIt is about reef formation and whether the reefs that are formed from those oyster communities have an impact. I am not saying that they do have an impact on marine protected…15 Mar 2023HANSARD Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) BillThese amendments aim to provide clarity as to which genetic changes produced through modern biotechnology are acceptable in a precision-bred organism, particularly with regard to…06 Mar 2023