The Government launched a review in the Trade Strategy, into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review is still progressing and is considering the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and standards, and the merits of alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

No, we have had no such specific discussions, but we actively engage with Kenyan counterparts and remain committed to promoting fair trade and workers' rights, including decent working conditions and living wages.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. The review will cover all sectors of the economy, including the tea trade.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. Throughout the review, we will harness the insights and expertise of businesses and investors from across the economy, as well as trade unions, academia and civil society.

Stakeholders will also be given the opportunity to feed into the National Baseline Assessment on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which will run in parallel and inform the review.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct across the economy. The Government also supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to identify and prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms across their operations, purchasing practices and supply chains, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

We will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of these existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools, to ensure we can best promote responsible business practices and take action where appropriate.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Intergovermental Group on Tea provides advice to the FAO's Governing Bodies composed of all Member States. Advice is reviewed by the UK and other member states before decision making.

Nearly all importing and exporting countries of tea are members of the Group and send industry and research expertise in line with the Group's rules of procedure. The Group facilitates dialogue between production and consumer bodies, including on meeting policy standards, in line with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The UK's Tea and Infusion Association representative is currently chair of the group and will hand over to a representative from India at the forthcoming session.

The UK improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across agrifood sectors through our multilateral and bilateral programmes, including regular global donor coordination.

Our work with Wood Foundation Africa increases Rwandan smallholder tea production, creating jobs and increasing incomes. Our "Work opportunities for Women" programme enables Kenyan women tea smallholders to apply more climate-adaptive techniques. In Malawi, UK's CASA programme enabled  tea out-growers and their associations to better exercise their rights with large tea estates.

The International Development White Paper restates our commitment to accelerating progress towards all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes UK support to tackling modern slavery by promoting raised standards overseas.

All fresh coffee served is Fairtrade certified.

100% of our tea is certified under the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) scheme. For black tea and by value, 85% of the tea we purchase carries Fairtrade accreditation. The remainder is either Rainforest Alliance or UTZ certified.

The Government has had no discussions with stakeholders on any potential effect of drinking tea on reducing the risk of dementia.

The Challenge on Dementia 2020 commitments included action on risk reduction, and messaging has been incorporated in the NHS Health Check for all eligible adults in England aged 40-74 to increase dementia awareness and motivate people in midlife to make positive changes to reduce the risks.

To reduce the risk of dementia the Government recommends:

- eating a healthy diet as depicted in the Eatwell Guide;

- maintaining a healthy weight;

- exercising regularly;

- not drinking too much alcohol;

- stopping smoking; and

- keeping blood pressure at a healthy level.

The Eatwell Guide is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide

The Department has no plans to introduce a ban on the sale of plastic tea bags.

In general, we prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright. Where progress is insufficient we will explore alternative policy measures, which may involve further bans as part of a wider strategic approach.

The third edition of Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention, published by Public Health England, includes fruit teas (but not camomile) in the list of extrinsic sources of acid that may lead to erosive tooth wear. Therefore, individuals are advised to keep acidic drinks to mealtimes and limit the number of fruit drinks to no more than one a day.

Delivering better oral health is an evidence based toolkit for dental teams to support them when giving preventive advice and treatment for their patients. This resource has been acknowledged by the European platform for better oral health in Europe as good practice and adopted by Wales.

A copy of the third edition of Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention is attached.

There are no specific plans for tea bags.

In December the Secretary of State chaired an industry roundtable on plastics and outlined a four point plan for tackling plastic waste that takes action at each stage of the product lifecycle – production, consumption and end of life: cutting the total amount of plastic in circulation; reducing the number of different plastics in use; improving the rate of recycling; supporting comprehensive recycling collections to make it easier for individuals to recycle.

We set out further steps in our 25 Year Environment Plan, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673203/25-year-environment-plan.pdf

We will also be conducting a call for evidence this year, seeking views on how taxing and charging the most environmentally damaging single use plastics could help reduce waste.

There are no specific plans for tea bags.

In December the Secretary of State chaired an industry roundtable on plastics and outlined a four point plan for tackling plastic waste that takes action at each stage of the product lifecycle – production, consumption and end of life: cutting the total amount of plastic in circulation; reducing the number of different plastics in use; improving the rate of recycling; supporting comprehensive recycling collections to make it easier for individuals to recycle.

We set out further steps in our 25 Year Environment Plan, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673203/25-year-environment-plan.pdf

We will also be conducting a call for evidence this year, seeking views on how taxing and charging the most environmentally damaging single use plastics could help reduce waste.

The Government believes that businesses and consumers have a key role to play in eradicating all forms of labour exploitation, including modern slavery, from global supply chains.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires all commercial organisations with an annual turnover of £36m or more, operating in the UK, to set out what steps they have taken to ensure that there is no modern slavery in their business or supply chains. The Government is unable to comment on individual companies.

In 2014 UK retail sales of tea were worth £663 million and exports were worth £116 million. Tea exports increased by 16% to £59.4 million between January and June 2015, compared with January to June 2014.

Exports of food and drink are a Defra priority. British food and drink exports to China reached a record level to £287 million last year, with tea exports increasing by 583% to £2.2 million in January-June 2015 compared with the same period in 2014. The Secretary of State will be championing the best of British in China this November, including tea, and further build on the strong relationships formed with her counterparts in China during her January visit.