Thursday Volume 584 17 July 2014 No. 26 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 17 July 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 989 17 JULY 2014 990 Elizabeth Truss: I thank the hon. Lady for her House of Commons congratulations. I am still passionate about science and maths, and getting more women into those areas and Thursday 17 July 2014 indeed into agriculture. Getting more high-skilled people to look at agriculture as a career option would provide a The House met at half-past Nine o’clock fantastic opportunity. We are investing £150 million in the mobile infrastructure project to help address those areas of low mobile coverage at the moment. PRAYERS Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): I [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] welcome the Secretary of State to her position and very much look forward to her appearing before the Select BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS Committee. From 1 January, all farm payments will have to be digital by default. In Thirsk and Malton, COMMITTEE OF SELECTION 22% will have no fast-speed coverage, yet that just happens to be where all the farmers are. Will she hold Ordered, out a hand of friendship to those farmers to ensure that That Anne Milton be discharged from the Committee and they can access broadband for their farm payments? John Penrose be added. —(Greg Hands.) HALLETT REVIEW Elizabeth Truss: I will be delighted to work with the Resolved, hon. Lady and the Select Committee; I am very much looking forward to that. We know that 70% of farmers That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, That she will be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid are already processing their payments online. She is before this House a Return of the Report of the Hallett Review: absolutely right that some do not have access to online An Independent Review into the On the Runs administrative payments at the moment, which is why the Under-Secretary scheme, dated 17 July 2014. —(Greg Hands.) of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (George Eustice), who has responsibility for farming, is making centres available that will be able to advise those Oral Answers to Questions farmers and help them get online. Ms Margaret Ritchie (South Down) (SDLP): I, too, ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS welcome the hon. Lady to her new position and look forward to her appearance before the Select Committee. The Secretary of State was asked— We know from the report on rural broadband that we Rural Mobile Coverage carried out last year that the lack of adequate broadband has been identified repeatedly as one of the key barriers to growth in rural economies. In view of the fact that 1. Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab): so much money was allocated to England and to the What recent assessment she has made of the extent of devolved Administrations, what assessment has been rural mobile coverage. [904918] carried out of its effectiveness, given that for topographical The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and reasons many rural areas have not yet received their Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss): I start by paying tribute access? to my predecessor, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), who did so much to champion Elizabeth Truss: I agree with the hon. Lady about the British food and farming, improve the environment and vital importance of broadband for rural businesses in promote rural growth. this country and for exports, which I am passionate Mobile coverage is vital for rural businesses and about promoting. We know that the extent of broadband households, and 99% of premises already receive 2G coverage has increased significantly from 45% of premises coverage. Our 3G mobile data coverage is better than in 2010 to 75% now. I agree that we need to do more, that of many other European countries. My right hon. which is why I am working on that along with my right Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and hon. Friend the Culture Secretary. Sport and I will be working hard to eradicate not-spots. Mr Alan Reid (Argyll and Bute) (LD): I congratulate Chi Onwurah: I welcome the right hon. Lady to her the Secretary of State on her promotion to the Cabinet. new position. I hope she will ensure that the excellent I was pleased when the Government gave £150 million work she was doing to encourage girls and boys into to the mobile infrastructure project, but have been science, technology, engineering and maths subjects will disappointed at the lack of progress in my own constituency be continued by the new Minister. so far. Will she please make it one of her early tasks to The Prime Minister seems recently to have discovered look at that project and do whatever she can to speed up that it can be quite difficult to get decent mobile coverage progress on it, which is vital? in Devon—well, bully for him. Is it not the case, however, that this Government’s abandonment of our universal Elizabeth Truss: I thank the hon. Gentleman. Promoting coverage principle, as well as the bungling of the broadband rural growth certainly will be one of my main priorities, roll-out, represents a betrayal of the rural economy of and I believe mobile coverage and broadband coverage absolutely epic proportions? are both vital to that objective. 991 Oral Answers17 JULY 2014 Oral Answers 992 Kosher and Halal Meat George Eustice: We considered the issue of CCTV in slaughterhouses during our consultation on slaughterhouse 2. Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con): If she will ensure regulations last year, and concluded that it would not that all halal and kosher meat is labelled at point of improve the situation much. Indeed, CCTV had already sale. [904919] been installed in some of the slaughterhouses in which problems had been exposed by, for instance, Animal The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aid, and it had not prevented abuses. However, we keep Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice): an open mind. We believe that, in the first instance, it is for food retailers and food outlets to provide their customers Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): My constituents with reliable information. I know that my hon. Friend is believe that halal and kosher food should be labelled as a long-standing campaigner on this issue, but, as I have such, but if there are already clear EU legal definitions explained to him before, the introduction of a compulsory of “stunned” and “not stunned”, what is there to prevent labelling scheme for halal and kosher meat would present the UK Government from pressing ahead with labelling challenges, because there is no single unified definition. food in that way? Nevertheless, the European Commission is currently conducting a review, and we will consider its report George Eustice: Having looked into the matter when it is published later in the year. [Interruption.] exhaustively, we concluded that if we introduced “method of slaughter” labelling, it would be best to introduce it Mr Speaker: I hope that the health of the Secretary of at European level, because that would be safer and State is unimpaired. clearer legally. Spain considered introducing a national labelling scheme in 2012, but the Commission ruled Philip Davies: That is one way of ingratiating oneself against it. with a new Secretary of State, Mr Speaker. Is the Minister aware that the Jewish and Muslim Flood Defences (Gloucestershire) communities would be happy with full labelling of halal and kosher meat if all other meat products were also 3. Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con): What assessment fully labelled to show the method of slaughter? I am she has made of the effectiveness of flood defences in sure that many consumers would want to see such Gloucestershire. [904921] labelling. Will the Minister proceed with the introduction of comprehensive labelling showing the method of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for slaughter, including halal and kosher, given that it clearly Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Rogerson): commands widespread support? The Environment Agency maintains a strategic overview of flood and coastal erosion risk management. According Mr Speaker: The Minister now has a chance to to its assessment, publicly maintained flood defences in amend his career prospects. Gloucestershire protected more than 2,500 homes, as George Eustice: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I shall do well as businesses and agricultural land, from flooding my best, over the winter. A condition assessment following the events of the winter showed that less than 1% of the As I have said, the European Commission is considering flood defences in Gloucestershire were damaged by the issue. It is most likely to consider whether the the floods. animal was stunned or unstunned, because there is a clear definition in EU law. I am aware that groups in Neil Carmichael: What resources will be available in both halal and shechita say that they are open to the future so that my constituents, especially those who exploring that further, and I look forward to having a live along the vale, can be reassured that they will not dialogue with them and considering the European get wet when flooding really threatens them? Commission report when it appears in December. Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab): I am Dan Rogerson: I understand my hon. Friend’s concerns very pleased to see that the Minister survived the Prime on behalf of his constituents.