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Monday
8 February 2016
P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S
(HANSARD)
HOUSE OF LORDS
WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND
WRITTEN ANSWERS
Written Statements ................................................. 1
Written Answers ..................................................... 3
Vol. 769
No. 18
[I] indicates that the member concerned has a relevant registered interest. The full register of interests can be found at
http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-interests/register-of-lords-interests/
Members who want a printed copy of Written Answers and Written Statements should notify the Printed Paper Office.
This printed edition is a reproduction of the original text of Answers and Statements, which can be found on the internet
at http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/.
Ministers and others who make Statements or answer Questions are referred to only by name, not their ministerial or
other title. The current list of ministerial and other responsibilities is as follows.
Minister Responsibilities
Baroness Stowell of Beeston Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Earl Howe Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office and Department for
Transport
Baroness Anelay of St Johns Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Baroness Altmann Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
Lord Ashton of Hyde Whip
Lord Bates Minister of State, Home Office
Lord Bridges of Headley Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate
Change, Wales Office and Whip
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen Whip
Earl of Courtown Whip
Lord Dunlop Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scotland Office
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Whip
Lord Faulks Minister of State, Ministry of Justice
Lord Freud Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
Lord Gardiner of Kimble Deputy Chief Whip and Spokesman for Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs
Lord Keen of Elie Advocate-General for Scotland
Lord Maude of Horsham Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
Lord Nash Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education
Baroness Neville-Rolfe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills and Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Lord O’Neill of Gatley Commercial Secretary to the Treasury
Lord Prior of Brampton Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health
Baroness Shields Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture Media and
Sport
Lord Taylor of Holbeach Chief Whip
Baroness Verma Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International
Development
Baroness Williams of Trafford Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local
Government
Viscount Younger of Leckie Whip
© Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2016
This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence,
which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/
Written Statements 8 February 2016 Page 1
Written Statements Monday, 8 February 2016
Government Grant Agreements: Guidance
[HLWS502]
Lord Bridges of Headley: My Right Honourable
friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster
General (Matthew Hancock) has made the following
Written Ministerial Statement:
Today I have announced a new policy to restrict
inappropriate use of taxpayers’ money for lobbying
purposes. From 1st May, or before where feasible, the
following standard clause will now be applied to new and
renewed grants:
“The following costs are not Eligible Expenditure:-
Payments that support activity intended to influence or
attempt to influence Parliament, Government or political
parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or
renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence
legislative or regulatory action”.
This clause will not prevent organisations from using
their own privately-raised funds to campaign as they see
fit. This will ensure that freedom of speech is protected,
whilst stopping taxpayers’ money being diverted away
from good causes.
Departments will engage with organisations most likely
to be affected by the clause. Implementation guidelines
are available on Gov.uk.
Informal Competitiveness Council
[HLWS504]
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The following statement
supercedes the earlier statement submitted today
(HLWS502).
The Informal Competitiveness Council took place in
Amsterdam on 27th and 28th January. The UK was
represented by Minister of State for Universities and
Science (Joseph Johnson) on day one (Research) and
myself on day two (Internal Market and Industry)
The Research Day began with Bill Gates giving a
keynote speech on the importance of public research and
development in overcoming global societal challenges.
He gave examples of work by the Gates Foundation,
including the recently announced work with the UK to
expand research into malaria that will see £3bn committed
over the next five years. Mr Gates highlighted that clear
policies on open access to research could help stimulate
innovation.
This was followed by a discussion on the current
environment for innovation; there was a debate about the
need for a visible return for taxpayers and a focus on
funding excellence in research.
The discussion turned to how the current research
funding programme (Horizon 2020) could be improved. A
number of suggestions were put forward, including:
simplification of the programme process, leading to faster
decisions; simplification of state aid rules; encouragement
of open innovation; better communication; and better
skills support for businesses (for example in marketing) to
allow successful innovation.
In the afternoon, the debate focussed on how legislation
can facilitate research and innovation. The digital
revolution and aging populations were noted paradigm
shifts that will create both opportunities and threats. To
allow opportunities to be grasped the EU must both
reduce the amount of regulation and improve the quality
of the regulation that remains. Ultimately, EU rules need
to be as flexible as, or more flexible than, those of our
global competitors.
The Commission confirmed that the number of
initiatives in the EU research programme has reduced
from 130 in 2014, to 23 this year and that state aid rules
have been updated and are more flexible than before. It
agreed that efficiency and innovation are the means to
create jobs, and that the real challenge for the EU is to
develop legislation that can create new opportunities from
disruptive technology and innovation.
The Internal Market and Industry Council meeting
started with an evening event that brought together
Ministers and entrepreneurs who had been invited to the
Council by each Member State (the UK invited Mr
Riccardo Zacconi, the CEO of King, the computer games
developer behind games such as Candy Crush Saga).
Gunther Oettinger, Commissioner for the Digital
Economy and Society opened the discussion with a
speech on the digitising of industry and noted that he
would shortly be bringing forward a strategy on this issue
in April. During the discussion a number of themes were
explored including the wide range of different business
models that were being disrupted or created by
digitisation. A number of entrepreneurs emphasised the
need to make it easier for start-ups to access markets in
other Member States. Many of the entrepreneurs also
discussed the importance of a skilled workforce, noting
that the diversity of talent within Europe was a significant
advantage.
The plenary programme started with short speeches by
two businesses leaders: Herna Verhagen (CEO, PostNL)
and Corinne Vigreux (co-founder of TomTom). They
highlighted the importance of digitisation in driving
innovation and expansion into new business models,
which in turn led to new jobs.
Ministers then held two breakout sessions in small
groups focussed on upcoming Commission proposals
related to the single market. In the first, on geoblocking
(discrimination based on grounds of country of
residence), Ministers agreed that it was important to make
clear that discrimination has no place but there should not
be extra burdens on businesses, and there was broad
agreement that the Commission’s proposals should cover
business-to-business transactions. Vice President Andrus
Ansip, responsible for the Digital Single Market, made
clear that the proposal was not intended to lead to uniform
Page 2 8 February 2016 Written Statements
pricing nor to an obligation for businesses to deliver
goods throughout the EU.
The second breakout session focussed on the proposed
services passport. The chairs noted that there was
consensus that the passport could be useful in reducing
barriers to businesses wanting to trade across borders but
that it should not lead to additional burdens. There needed
to be analysis of the existing barriers and a suggestion that
the passport could then be introduced in stages. While it
was appropriate to have national rules in some areas, there
was a need to increase transparency about different
national requirements and potentially to undertake some
further harmonisation in certain areas. The UK noted the
importance of tackling regulatory barriers as well as
administrative ones via the passport initiative. Others
noted the relationship between the passport and the
proposed analytical framework for assessing the
proportionality of regulations on professionals.
Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska responsible for
Internal Market and Industry noted that she expected to be
able to share more detail of the Commission’s thinking on
the passport soon.
The final agenda item was a plenary discussion on the
collaborative economy. The Chair of OuiShare Fest,
Francesca Pick, in an invited speech, highlighted the
prevalence of cross-border business models in the
collaborative economy, but noted that there were
challenges of regulatory uncertainty in respect to
consumer rights, liability, labour rules, and tax. Many
Member States noted the consumer benefits from the new
and innovative services being offered. The UK agreed
that the collaborative economy could deliver significant
benefits to consumers and workers, and could play an
important role in opening the labour market to those who
might otherwise be excluded. It noted that there was still a
need to regulate these businesses, but that regulations may
need to be updated so as to enable these new business
models. It highlighted the best practice work done by the
UK body, sharing economy UK and their Trustmark
initiative, which Vice-President Katainen asked to explore
further.
Public Sector Exit Payments
[HLWS501]
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: My right honourable friend
the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Greg Hands) has
today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
On 25 November 2015 the government announced in
the Spending Review that it would consult on cross-
public sector action on exit payment terms, to reduce the
costs of redundancy pay-outs and ensure greater
consistency between workforces.
Today I have launched this consultation. The
consultation document invites views on the range of
options the government is looking at, including:
i) Setting a maximum tariff to calculate exit payments
at three weeks’ pay per year of service
ii) Capping the maximum number of months’ salary
that can be used to calculate redundancy payments to 15
months
iii) Reducing the cost of employer-funded pension top-
ups to early retirement as part of redundancy packages
iv) Introducing a tapering element the closer individuals
get to their retirement age
v) Introducing a salary cap on which exit calculations
can be based The consultation is available at: Consultation on reforms to public sector
exit payments
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 3
Written Answers Monday, 8 February 2016
Aircraft Carriers
Asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most
up-to-date estimate of the in-service date of the first of
the two aircraft carriers currently being constructed for
the Royal Navy. [HL5568]
Earl Howe: The forecast in-service date of the first
Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, HMS Queen
Elizabeth, is 2018.
Armed Forces: Discharges
Asked by Lord Touhig
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the number of regulars leaving the
(1) army, (2) Royal Navy, and (3) Royal Air Force, in
2015. [HL5441]
Earl Howe: Trained Regular outflow in 2015 has fallen
when compared with previous years, and across all
Services. This is in line with Strategic Defence and
Security Review 2010 (SDSR10) manpower targets that
mandated reductions in Trained Regular Strength across
all Services. In order to meet the targets set out in
SDSR10 and the Three-Month Exercise a redundancy
programme was set up, enabling the Armed Forces to
maintain the right balance of skills across the rank
structures into the future. With the redundancy
programme now complete, trained Regular outflow has
reduced year on year as the Services seek to balance force
levels against their 2020 targets.
The levels of outflow are monitored very carefully by
the individual Services and the Defence Board to ensure
they do not impact on operational capability or the future
sustainability of Armed Forces manning structures.
The following table provides detailed information on
trained Regular Forces outflow since 2012.
UK Trained Regular Forces Outflow
Source: Defence Statistics (Tri-Service)
12 Months Ending
2012
31 December
2013
31 December
2014
31 December
2015
30 November
All Services 21,450 20,580 16,300 15,130
of which:
Royal
Navy/Royal
Marines
4,270 3,240 2,830 2,650
Army 12,800 14,000 10,440 9,740
Royal Air
Force
4,380 3,350 3,020 2,730
Notes: Figures show outflow from UK Trained Regular Forces. They
do not include promotion from Ranks to Officers or flows between Services. Figures on Trained Regular Outflow for the 12 months up to
31 December 2015 are not yet available, and will be published on 11
February 2016.
Bangladesh: Elections
Asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they
are taking following the release of their report on the
Bangladesh elections to address what the author,
Hannah Roberts called a "high level of shortcomings"
in the election process. [HL5426]
Baroness Verma: The UK wants to see credible,
inclusive elections in Bangladesh with full participation,
and remains committed to supporting initiatives or
projects that will improve the prospects for those to
happen. Following the report, DFID and the other donors
scaled back our technical support to the Election
Commission. This is consistent with the recommendations
of the independent expert. We also sought to focus our
support on the shortcomings identified in the report.
When it became clear that the project providing support
was not going to make further progress in those areas, we
agreed with the other donors to suspend and ultimately
close the project.
Any further work on electoral processes in the future
will be subject to Ministerial approval.
Bangladesh: Human Rights
Asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they
are taking in the light of the Resolution adopted by the
European Parliament on 24 November 2015 (P8-
TA(2015)0414) regarding human rights abuses and
press freedom infringements in Bangladesh. [HL5425]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We closely follow
human rights issues in Bangladesh, raising concerns when
there are credible allegations.
British Ministers have been unequivocal in their
condemnation of the murders of five secular writers and a
publisher in Bangladesh in 2015, and in calling for the
Government of Bangladesh to protect those who face
threats to their lives because of the views they have
expressed. Project support from our Human Rights and
Democracy Programme has provided safety training to
bloggers in Bangladesh and a review of the Information
and Communication Technology Act 2006, to bring it into
line with international standards.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or
Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, visited Bangladesh from 31
August to 9 September. We will encourage the
Bangladesh government to consider carefully all of the
recommendations in his report when it is released at the
UN Human Rights Council in March 2016.
Page 4 8 February 2016 Written Answers
British Nationals Abroad: Voting Rights
Asked by Lord Lexden
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect
to bring forward a Bill to enfranchise British citizens
living overseas for more than 15 years. [HL5391]
Lord Bridges of Headley: As set out in its manifesto,
the Government is committed to removing the 15 year
time limit on the voting rights of British citizens living
overseas. The Government believes that the current 15
year time limit is arbitrary and that if British citizens want
to vote in the UK Parliamentary elections, then they
should be able to do so. The Government intends to bring
forward a Bill to make a permanent change on overseas
voting rights as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Business: Procurement
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the recent report by the Sheffield
Political Economy Research Institute of the University
of Sheffield which claims that supply chain audits fail
to detect labour and environmental abuses. [HL5139]
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has made no
assessment of this report. There is no requirement for any
UK business to audit its supply chain or what such an
audit should include – this is a matter for individual
businesses. UK businesses are, however, required to
comply with all applicable laws, including those relating
to labour and environmental matters. In addition,
company law requires eligible businesses to report on
social, environmental and human rights matters where this
is necessary for an understanding of their business.
Cabinet Office: Equality
Asked by Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans the
Cabinet Office has to improve gender balance on its
board. [HL5432]
Lord Bridges of Headley: The Cabinet Office Board is
composed of Cabinet Office Ministers, senior officials
and non-executives in line with the cross-government
code of governance good practice and the Ministerial
Code
The department has recently completed a round of non-
executive recruitment, and diversity was taken into
account as part of that process. Catherine Brown, Paul
Kirby and Mark Price joined Amy Stirling (who chairs
the Audit and Risk Subcommittee), Ian Davis and Sir Ian
Cheshire as the Board's non-executive members. Of the
current non-executives, 33% are female. This will rise to
40% when Ian Davis leaves the Board later in the year.
Gender balance and diversity will also be taken into
account in any future non-executive recruitment rounds
Her Majesty’s Government is also working to improve
diversity at senior levels of the Civil Service. In
September 2014 we published the Hay Group's 'Women
in Whitehall: culture, leadership, talent' report which
investigated the barriers faced by talented women
developing their careers as Senior Civil Servants. Our
response, the Talent Action Plan, introduced a series of
new measures to ensure the Civil Service is among the
most female-friendly employers in the country, and the
most talented people succeed and reach the top positions,
regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or disability.
Cancer
Asked by Lord Freyberg
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they
received from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
during the set-up phase of Genomics England regarding
the appropriateness in cases of cancer of using
comparisons of tumour to normal whole genome
sequencing at moderate sequence coverage, as opposed
to focused actionable gene panel testing at deep
sequence coverage; and what current technology is used
by Genomics England. [HL5373]
Lord Prior of Brampton: The set up phase of the
100,00 Genomes Project was based on advice from
Expert Working Groups which included experts from
across the United Kingdom, including the Sanger Centre.
The Working Group concluded that a more fundamental
understanding of cancer would be delivered by whole
genome sequencing compared to gene panels. This
approach is part of the wider aim of the 100,000 Genomes
Project to transform the National Health Service
diagnostic pathway for patients and to build a dataset
which will enable new scientific research. Adopting
whole genome sequencing has already catalysed a fall in
the costs which was also anticipated by the Expert
Working Group.
Asked by Baroness Redfern
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they
are taking through early diagnosis and screening
programmes to reduce the risk of cancer. [HL5403]
Lord Prior of Brampton: On the advice of the UK
National Screening Committee, breast cancer screening,
bowel cancer screening and cervical cancer screening are
offered to eligible people to help them reduce their risk of
dying from cancer.
Cervical screening is not a test for cancer but for
abnormalities which, if left undetected and untreated, may
develop into cancer. The NHS Cervical Screening
Programme in England offers screening to women aged
25 to 49 every three years, and women aged 50 to 64
every five years. Experts estimate the programme saves
up to 5,000 lives per year in the United Kingdom.
The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites women
aged 50 to 70 for breast screening every three years.
Women over 70 can request free three yearly screening.
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 5
The 2012 UK independent review of breast cancer
screening (Marmot review) estimated that inviting women
between the ages of 50 to 70 reduces mortality from
breast cancer in the invited population invited by 20% and
saves an estimated 1,300 lives a year in the UK.
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers
screening using a self-sampling kit, the guaiac Faecal
Occult Blood test (FOB), every two years to men and
women aged 60 to 74.
The UK National Screening Committee has
recommended that the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)
be used as the primary test for bowel cancer instead of the
currently used FOB test. Ministers are now considering
the UK NSC’s recommendation.
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is
currently rolling out Bowel Scope Screening (BSS), an
additional one off examination which will play a
significant role in preventing bowel cancer. Both men and
women are being invited for BSS around the time of their
55th birthday with the aim of detecting and removing any
adenomas (polyps) at an early stage to prevent bowel
cancer from developing. Evidence shows that men and
women aged 55-64 attending a one-off bowel scope
screening test for bowel cancer could reduce their
individual mortality from the disease by 43% (31% on a
whole population basis) and reduce their individual
incidence of bowel cancer by 33% (23% on a whole
population basis).
Central Africa: Armed Conflict
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the 2015 Global Hunger Index, in
particular regarding the connection between conflict
and hunger in the Central African Republic and Chad.
[HL5528]
Baroness Verma: The Department for International
Development regularly tracks a range of nutrition and
hunger assessments to assess the situation in Africa,
including the Global Hunger index, and we are concerned
by the situation in Chad, where over 3 million people are
food insecure, and in Central African Republic, where
over 2.5 million people are food insecure. Food insecurity
has been significantly exacerbated by conflict in Central
African Republic and around Lake Chad, which has
caused the destruction of harvests, forced displacement,
and the blockage of trade routes. This year DFID has
spent £7m on humanitarian assistance in Chad, with a
focus on preventing and treating malnutrition and
supporting displaced people, and £18m on humanitarian
assistance in the Central African Republic, with a focus
on providing essential healthcare, livelihoods assistance
and emergency support to the most vulnerable.
Company Accounts: Audit
Asked by Lord Smith of Clifton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the number of FTSE 100 companies
whose annual accounts have been qualified by their
auditors in the last 10 financial years. [HL5246]
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: No such assessment has been
made by the Department. However this information is
part of the audit report that is filed by all relevant UK
companies at Companies House. We are aware that a
number of commercial information providers are able to
use Companies House data to derive information of this
nature. One example of such a provider is the Bureau Van
Dijk Fame Database.
Council Tax
Asked by Lord Greaves
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assumptions
the Autumn Spending Review and the local government
finance settlement make about the revenue that will be
raised by (1) allowing local authorities the flexibility to
raise council tax by up to two per cent without a
referendum, (2) the additional two per cent allowed for
purposes of social care, and (3) the additional amount
allowed for measures in relation to flooding, and by
what percentage council taxes will rise on average as a
result of those increases. [HL5619]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The provisional local
government finance settlement was presented to
Parliament in December 2015. Following consultation on
the provisional settlement, the final settlement will be
published shortly and will be subject to approval of the
House of Commons. On the assumption that all
authorities will take advantage of the full council tax
flexibilities available to them announced in the Autumn
Statement and the provisional settlement, council tax bills
in England would rise by an average of 3.7 percent in
2016/17.
It is important to note that this compares to an annual
increase of 6.2 percent to council tax under the Labour
administrations of 1997 to 2010. Average council tax is
expected to be lower in real terms in 2019/20 than it was
in 2010/11.
The projections of revenue raised under these
flexibilities assumes that each local authority’s council
tax base will continue to grow at the average rate reported
since 2013-14.
Dedicated Schools Grant
Asked by Lord Storey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they
intend to increase the dedicated schools grant funding
across all three blocks in order to meet the needs of all
schools. [HL5411]
Page 6 8 February 2016 Written Answers
Lord Nash: At the Spending Review, we announced
that we would protect the core schools budget in real
terms through this Parliament. We are also protecting the
£390 million of additional funding that was given to the
69 lowest funded local authorities in 2015-16 and the
pupil premium at current per pupil rates. Between 2015-
16 and 2016-17, the schools block will increase by an
estimated £481 million, and the high needs block by
£92.5 million.
Investment through the early years block is also set to
increase. Following the funding announced at the Summer
Budget and the Spending Review, we will be investing
over £1 billion per year of new funding by 2019-20 to
fund our commitment to 30 hours of childcare for
working parents of three and four year olds. The funding
includes £300 million per year for a significant uplift to
the rate paid for the two, three and four year old
entitlements.
We will come forward with our proposals for funding
for 2017-18 and beyond in due course. We are committed
to making funding fairer and intend to introduce national
funding formulae for schools, high needs and early years,
so that funding is transparently and fairly matched to
need. We will be consulting formally on the formulae
later this year.
Deportation
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what
considerations are involved when deciding whether to
return non-UK citizens to countries with a different
legal system that might result in them being prosecuted
for actions not regarded as criminal offences in the UK.
[HL5602]
Lord Bates: The fact that another country’s laws
criminalise acts which are not regarded as criminal
offences in the UK would not alone justify an individual’s
non-return.
However, we would not enforce the removal of a non-
UK citizen contrary to our international obligations under
the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on
Human Rights.
Development Aid
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of recent reports by the OECD that the
least developed countries received a smaller share of
aid in 2014 than at any time in the last 10 years.
[HL5529]
Baroness Verma: The least developed countries
(LDCs) received a smaller share of total Official
Development Assistance (ODA) in 2014 than in eight of
the previous ten years. It is important to note that the
overall ODA figure includes contributions that cannot be
attributed to a specific benefitting country (e.g. core
contributions to multilateral organisations) even though
LDCs will have benefitted.
The UK played a leading role in securing a
Development Assistance Committee commitment to
reverse the declining trend of ODA to the poorest
countries and for this commitment to be referenced in the
June 2015 G7 Leaders’ Summit communique.
The UK’s ODA is focused on countries in most need.
The Department for International Development uses a
range of criteria to inform how aid is allocated across
countries, including current and projected future poverty
levels, the country’s ability to self-finance its own
development needs and the likely effectiveness of UK aid.
Diseases
Asked by Lord Freyberg
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they
have made of how many (1) definitive, and (2)
actionable, diagnoses in rare diseases can be made on
the existing rare disease sequencing budget of Genomic
England in 2016; whether Genomic England used (a)
whole genome sequencing, (b) whole exome
sequencing, or (c) medical exome sequencing; and if
those estimates are not available, why not. [HL5374]
Lord Prior of Brampton: The 100,000 Genomes
Project is not intended to provide definitive or actionable
findings from whole genome sequencing. This is the
responsibility of the National Health Service Genomic
Medicine Centres based on interpretation reports provided
by Genomics England. To date approximately 20 reports
have been issued based on the initial interpretation of the
pilot phase genome data. It is not possible to estimate the
comparison between whole genome and exome methods
for these patients. That is because the eligibility criteria
for patients to be invited to participate in the 100,000
Genomes Project require that they remain undiagnosed
after standard NHS diagnostic tests.
Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans to they
have to assess the effectiveness of the Domestic Fire
Safety (Wales) Measure 2011 after it comes into force
in Wales on 1 January 2016. [I] [HL4735]
Lord Bates: Responsibility for Building Regulations in
Wales, including fire safety provisions, is a devolved
matter and the Government has no plans to assess the
effectiveness of this measure, which is a matter for the
Welsh Government.
Electronic Surveillance
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
the Department of Health has made of recommendation
YY.e of the report of the Intelligence and Security
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 7
Committee of Parliament, Privacy and Security: A
modern and transparent legal framework, published in
March 2015. [HL5377]
Lord Prior of Brampton: The 2015 Report by
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee:
Privacy and Security: A modern and transparent legal
framework makes recommendations about consolidating
the legal powers of the three United Kingdom intelligence
and security agencies.
The Department was asked to comment on the Draft
Investigatory Powers Bill presented to Parliament in
November 2015 and, at that time, did not consider that
this would create any new powers that would require or
permit the disclosure of confidential personal information
by health and care bodies (on the basis that this is
consolidating security agencies’ existing powers).
EU Immigration
Asked by Lord Patten
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their
assessment of the workings of the EU–Turkish joint
action plan to stem migrant flows, agreed in October
2015. [HL5485]
Lord Bates: The UK supports the Turkey-EU Action
Plan which was signed on 29 November during a broader
summit between the EU and Turkey.
Implementation will not be straightforward given the
volume of numbers and the determination of individuals
to cross land and sea borders. The Action Plan is just one
aspect of efforts to respond to the migration crisis seen in
the Mediterranean last year. We have a strong relationship
with Turkey on many security issues (especially
migration) and this Action Plan will complement bilateral
activity, not impinge on it.
EU Staff
Asked by Lord Moonie
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK
citizens work for (1) the European Commission, and (2)
the European Parliament. [HL5482]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The latest figures from
October 2015 published by the European Commission
state that there are 1000 British citizens working in the
European Commission as Permanent Officials and
Temporary Agents, and 142 as Contract Agents. There are
194 British citizens working in the European Parliament,
excluding political staff.
Fisheries: Quotas
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many
inspection and monitoring vessels regularly patrol
British waters to ensure the enforcement of EU fishing
quotas. [HL5433]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Royal Navy provides
up to three vessels for the purposes of fisheries control,
including the enforcement of EU fishing quotas in waters
off England, and off-shore waters of Wales and Northern
Ireland. Fisheries control in Welsh and Northern Irish
inshore waters and all Scottish waters is the responsibility
of the relevant Devolved Administrations.
Flour: Folic Acid
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they
support adding folic acid to flour. [HL5389]
Lord Prior of Brampton: We want children to have
the best possible start in life and ensuring optimal
maternal health is a key part of this. This is why we are
considering all aspects of preconception health as a
priority, including the uptake of folic acid.
Fringe Benefits: Tax Allowances
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of whether HMRC helplines are
sufficiently resourced to deal with both employers and
employees who may have queries regarding the new
bespoke flat scale rate approval notices or the
application of tax and national insurance contributions
where a notice is not obtained. [HL5419]
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HMRC
officers will take into consideration the need for
employers to familiarise themselves with the new
approval notice system, particularly in the first year,
and will apply a light touch approach to compliance.
[HL5420]
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are
sufficient resources in HMRC to deal with employers'
applications for a flat scale rate approval notice before
the end of 2015–16. [HL5421]
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when HMRC will
have available the online application system for
obtaining bespoke flat scale rate approval notices.
[HL5422]
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what publicity
they have put in place to notify employers of the change
in legislation to require approval notices for any
bespoke flat scale rate payments to be paid tax free after
6 April, including for those employers that wish to use
industry agreed rates such as the Road Haulage
Association rates. [HL5423]
Page 8 8 February 2016 Written Answers
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of whether all those employers that
currently hold a P11D dispensation containing tax-free
bespoke flat scale rate payments are aware that they
must obtain an approval notice from HMRC in order
that they may continue to pay such rates free of tax and
national insurance contributions after 6 April. [HL5424]
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs’
(HMRC) assessment is that there will be sufficient
resources to deal with employers’ applications for
bespoke scale rate approval notices which are made in
good time ahead of the end of the 2015-16 tax year.
HMRC also believes that there will be sufficient
available resources to answer queries that employers may
have regarding the application process of the application
of tax and national insurance contributions (NICs) where
a notice is not granted.
The applications for bespoke scale rate approval notices
will be made using an interactive online form which, once
completed, the employer will print and post to HMRC for
processing. This application form is now live and
employers may find it by going to www.gov.uk and
searching for ‘bespoke scale rates’.
HMRC has published guidance on the GOV.UK
website to help employers understand the new rules for
reimbursing business expenses to employees, including
bespoke scale rates and industry agreed scale rates.
Messages about the change have also been included in
HMRC’s regular ‘Employer Bulletin’ publication.
HMRC are planning further communications to remind
employers about the change over the coming weeks.
HMRC always takes into account all relevant factors
when dealing with employers who have made a mistake
in complying with their PAYE and NICs obligations, and
will help employers to move to the correct position where
an error is discovered.
Gambling
Asked by Lord Smith of Hindhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many arrests
were made in 2015 in (1) licensed betting shops, (2)
adult gaming centres, (3) casino premises, and (4)
licensed bingo premises. [HL5958]
Lord Bates: The Home Office does not hold data
centrally on the number of arrests made in licensed
premises such as betting shops, adult gaming centres,
casinos and bingo premises.
The Home Office collect data on the number of arrests
broken down by offence group and police force area, but
these do not include the specific location.
General Election 2015
Asked by Lord Rennard
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total
cost to the public purse of conducting the 2015 General
Election. [HL5490]
Asked by Lord Rennard
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost
of additional security provided during the course of the
2015 General Election. [HL5491]
Asked by Lord Rennard
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total
cost of conducting the 2014 European Parliament
elections. [HL5492]
Asked by Lord Rennard
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost
of the deliveries of election material by the Royal Mail
for all prospective parliamentary candidates across the
UK in the 2015 General Election, and how the delivery
charges were calculated. [HL5493]
Asked by Lord Rennard
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost
of the delivery of poll cards by the Royal Mail for all
prospective parliamentary candidates across the UK in
the 2015 General Election. [HL5494]
Asked by Lord Rennard
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost
of the deliveries of election material by the Royal Mail
for all prospective parliamentary candidates across the
UK in the 2014 European Parliamentary elections.
[HL5495]
Lord Bridges of Headley: The total cost to the public
purse of elections held nationally comprises two main
elements: the costs incurred by Returning Officers in
running the poll; and the cost of delivering election
mailings produced by candidates. Returning Officers have
submitted their expenses claims for running the 2015 UK
Parliamentary election and the 2014 European
Parliamentary election, and these are subject to scrutiny
before being settled. This process is underway, and the
final and exact cost of each election will not be known
until all of the claims have been paid
The amount initially drawn down from the
Consolidated Fund for the conduct of the 2015 UK
Parliamentary election was £81.4M. While the final cost
will differ from this figure, depending on the actual level
of Returning Officers’ expenses, it provides an indication
of the cost of running the poll. The total cost of delivering
election mailings for the candidates who stood at the 2015
UK Parliamentary election was £41.7M.
Expenditure on delivering poll cards is one of the costs
incurred by Returning Officers in running the election. It
is therefore subject to the aforementioned scrutiny of
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 9
Returning Officers’ expenses claims, and is not yet
known
The amount initially drawn down from the
Consolidated Fund for the conduct of the 2014 European
Parliamentary election was £69.0M. While the final cost
will differ from this figure, depending on the actual level
of Returning Officers’ expenses, it provides an indication
of the cost of running the poll. The total cost of delivering
election mailings for the candidates and parties who stood
at the 2014 European Parliamentary election was £40.6M.
The Government is not aware of any particular
additional security costs associated with the UK
Parliamentary election in May 2015.
Health Services: Older People
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the
Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 19
January (HL4840), why the independent review of the
contract between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Clinical Commissioning Group and UnitingCare
Partnership will only focus on the commissioner
perspective. [HL5378]
Lord Prior of Brampton: We are advised that NHS
England’s review of the contract between Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and
UnitingCare Partnership will focus on the commissioner
perspective. Monitor, as the sector regulator for health
services in England, will also be conducting a review.
However, Monitor’s review will assess the contract
from the perspective of the providers involved and
consider how relevant issues might be mitigated in the
future. Monitor and NHS England will share their
respective findings with each other.
Hepatitis
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the
Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 8 July
2015 (HL783), whether all partners developing the
national improvement framework for hepatitis C will
need to sign off that framework before it is published,
and what agencies have already approved that
framework. [HL5438]
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their
intention to reduce premature mortality and health
inequalities, as set out in Living Well for Longer: One
year on, published in March 2015, will be reflected in
the contents of a national improvement framework for
hepatitis C services. [HL5439]
Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England and
NHS England are currently working to assess the focus of
this work and no date for publication has yet been set.
Hinkley Point C Power Station
Asked by Lord Truscott
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether
Infrastructure UK has attached a BB+ non-investment
grade rating to the Hinkley Point nuclear project in
Somerset. [HL5489]
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The European Commission’s
Closing Decision of October 2014 records that, as a result
of the protections for debt built into the financing
agreements, Infrastructure UK believed the Hinkley Point
project should be able to achieve a rating equivalent to
BB+/Ba1 during the construction period. It was not
possible to conclude the originally envisaged guarantee
for £16 billion but the Chancellor announced in
September 2015 an initial guarantee for debt of £2 billion
which will be repaid in December 2020 by the
shareholders, EDF and CGN. There is no obligation to
issue further guarantees for the project thereafter.
Households
Asked by Lord Empey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new
households they estimate will be created in 2016–17,
2017–18, 2018–19, and 2019–20; of those in each year,
how many will require public housing support; and of
the total new households created in all four years that
require public housing support, how many will
comprise persons other than UK citizens. [HL5455]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The latest household
projections for the United Kingdom estimate household
growth from 2016 to 2017 at 261,000 households; from
2017 to 2018 at 260,000 households; from 2018 to 2019
at 259,000 households; and from 2019 to 2020 at 256,000
households. The household projections are (attached)
published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-
data-sets/live-tables-on-household-projections. DCLG is
responsible for producing the portion of these projections
which cover England.
DCLG does not publish estimates of the number of
households that are expected to need public housing
support in future; nor the proportion of these that are UK
citizens.
The Answer includes the following attached material:
Live table Household projection [160208 Live table Household
projection. (HL5455).xls]
The material can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-
answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-01-26/HL5455
Housing: Prices
Asked by Lord Greaves
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the median
price of (1) housing, and (2) newly built housing, in (a)
Page 10 8 February 2016 Written Answers
England, and (b) each local authority in England.
[HL5376]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Information on house
prices is available from the Office for National Statistics.
The ‘Housing Summary Measures Analysis’ published on
5 August provides median house prices for all dwellings
by local authority area and is available (attached) at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-
tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-411659 under the
Summary Measures data in Table one.
The ONS ‘House Price Index’ includes average prices
for new build and other dwellings for England and
regions and is available (attached) at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/hpi/house-price-
index/november-2015/stb.html
The Answer includes the following attached material:
House price index [160202 House Price index HL5376.pdf]
Table 1 [16025 summarymeasuresreferencetable_tcm77-412663
(1) HL5376.xls]
The material can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-
answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-01-25/HL5376
Immigrants: Detainees
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest
assessment of safety and welfare in immigrant detention
centres in the UK. [HL5600]
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their
assessment of the suitability of conditions at
immigration detention units at airports in the UK.
[HL5601]
Lord Bates: The regulation of safety arrangements in
Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) is through the
Detention Centre Rules 2001, the Operating Standards for
IRCs, Detention Services Orders relating to security
arrangements and the relevant sections of the contracts
and service level agreements relating to security. Each
IRC has a Home Office Immigration Enforcement
Manager to monitor ongoing service provision.
Independent scrutiny is an important part of assurance
that our removal centres are safe, secure and humane.
Assessments of IRCs and holding rooms are published by
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) and in
the annual reports of Independent Monitoring Boards
(IMB).
Home Office service improvement plans contribute to
delivering continuing improvement of services in
response to independent recommendations. Service
improvement plans in response to HMCIP inspection
reports have been publicly available on the HMCIP
website for all reports published after 1 April 2015.
On 9 February 2015 my Right Honourable Friend, the
Home Secretary, announced an independent review of the
welfare in detention of vulnerable persons by Stephen
Shaw, which included consideration of the conditions at
IRCs and airport holding rooms. The Government’s
position on the review was set out in the Written
Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016.
Current policy is clear that a number of groups of
individuals, including pregnant women, the elderly,
victims of torture and the mentally ill, should be detained
only in very exceptional circumstances. The Government
accepts Stephen Shaw’s recommendations that there
should be a wider definition of those at risk, and will
introduce a new “adult at risk” concept into decision-
making on immigration detention, with a clear
presumption that people who are at risk should not be
detained, building on the existing legal framework.
Iraq: Kurds
Asked by Baroness Helic
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the implications for the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Iraq of the reported
construction by Kurdish forces of a trench dividing
Iraqi territory, and what discussions they have had with
(1) the government of Iraq, (2) the Kurdistan Regional
Government, (3) the United States, and (4) Turkey,
about that development. [HL5657]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware that Iraqi
Kurdish forces are in the process of constructing a trench
at sections of the frontline with Daesh. The Kurdistan
Regional government has stated that the trench, in
addition to other fortifications, is required to deter Daesh
suicide attacks, which frequently involve assaults using
multiple vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. We
are monitoring the situation closely.
The Government is committed to a united Iraq. We
continue to encourage the Government of Iraq and
Kurdistan Regional government to resolve any
disagreements over internal boundaries in a way that is
transparent and in line with the provisions of the Iraqi
constitution. We regularly discuss issues relating to the
Iraqi Kurds with our Global Coalition partners, including
the US and Turkey.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Asked by Lord West of Spithead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Fleet
Air Arm pilots of F35B Sea Lightnings are currently
fully trained; how many are undergoing training; and
how many will be fully qualified when (1) HMS Queen
Elizabeth, and (2) HMS Prince of Wales, commissions.
[HL5553]
Earl Howe: There is currently one Fleet Air Arm pilot
fully trained on the F-35B Lighting II aircraft, with two
undergoing training, and this is exactly where we
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 11
expected to be at this stage of the programme. Over the
next 3-4 years, as jointly agreed by the Royal Navy and
the RAF, the F-35B programme will train sufficient RAF
and Fleet Air Arm Lightning II pilots to deliver a carrier
strike initial operating capability in 2020.
The noble Lord will wish to be aware that 'F-35B
Lightning II' is the designation jointly agreed by the First
Sea Lord and the Chief of the Air Staff.
Kosovo: Unemployment
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures
they have participated in to reduce unemployment in
Kosovo, in particular among young people; and what
assessment they have made of whether the recently
ratified EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement
will have a significant impact on unemployment in that
country, and if so, how. [HL5664]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are very concerned
about the high level of unemployment in Kosovo and its
impact, particularly on young people. We have been
working with the Kosovo government to help support job
creation, including through their 2016-2020 National
Development Strategy, which will promote economic
growth in Kosovo. The UK has recently funded a number
of projects to tackle unemployment across all
communities in Kosovo, including young people and
women. These include creation of a Business Hub and
Career Counselling Centre for young people, growing
Information and Communications Technology companies,
and providing career services to students in Vocational
and Educational Training schools.
We very much welcome the adoption and subsequent
ratification of Kosovo’s EU Stabilisation and Association
Agreement (SAA). This represents a significant step for
Kosovo along the country’s EU path. The SAA will
support the objectives of the National Development
Strategy, and help promote the right environment for job
creation. It will bring added EU scrutiny and assistance,
reinforcing co-operation in areas such as the rule of law,
Kosovo’s transition to a functioning market economy, and
the gradual development of a free trade area between
Kosovo and the EU. We are encouraging Kosovo’s
leaders to use the SAA to improve the rule of law and to
implement the political and economic reforms needed to
improve the business environment and economic
opportunity in Kosovo.
Magistrates
Asked by Lord Beecham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (1) the
mean, and (2) the median, number of full days lay
magistrates sit per year. [HL5366]
Lord Faulks: In the year for which the most recent
data is available (2014/15), the mean number of full day
sittings undertaken by magistrates was 19. The
information necessary to provide the median number
could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by Lord Beecham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many lay
magistrates sit more than 50 full days per year.
[HL5367]
Lord Faulks: In the year ending December 2015, 210
magistrates in England and Wales sat for more than 50
full days.
Asked by Lord Beecham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the impact of the introduction in
April 2015 of trial by single justice on the number of
lay magistrates required. [HL5368]
Lord Faulks: Every year the Judiciary and HM Courts
and Tribunals Service review how many magistrates are
required in each local justice area; many factors influence
this and it is not possible to isolate the impact of
individual changes. The Single Justice Procedure applies
only to cases involving adults charged with summary
only, non-imprisonable offences, and aims to free-up time
in magistrates' courtrooms to enable them to focus on
more serious and contested cases. The government is
committed to magistrates playing the strongest possible
role in the delivery of justice.
Maldives: Terrorism
Asked by Lord Patten
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their
assessment of the suggestion by the UN rapporteur on
human rights and terrorism that the Maldives are "a
hotbed of fundamentalism and terrorism". [HL5487]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government’s
Foreign Travel Advice states that there is a general threat
from terrorism in the Maldives. We regularly review this
advice, taking into account information from a range of
sources. Over 90,000 British nationals visited the
Maldives in 2015. It is in the UK’s interests, as well as
those of the people of the Maldives, that the country is
stable and secure.
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon
(Mr Swire) visited the Maldives on 17 and 18 January. He
met key members of the Maldives government, including
President Yameen and discussed many issues including
counter terrorism and radicalisation.
Asked by Lord Patten
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their
assessment of the numbers of Muslims who have left
the Maldives to fight in the Near and Middle East.
[HL5488]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Maldives
government has said that at least 40 of its citizens have
Page 12 8 February 2016 Written Answers
travelled to fight in Iraq and Syria. However, other reports
suggest that up to 200 Maldivians have done so. We have
requested the government to provide clarification and
share with us their latest assessment.
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for East Devon
(Mr Swire) discussed joint work to counter terrorism and
tackle extremism with the Maldives government,
including with President Yameen, during his visit on 17
and 18 January.
NHS: Innovation
Asked by Lord Scriven
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they had
sight of the views expressed by the Chief Executive of
NHS England at Davos in January before he made
them. [HL5409]
Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department was made
aware of what would be covered in the talk given by the
Chief Executive of NHS England at Davos in January.
NHS: Negligence
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they
have made of the potential use of alternative dispute
resolution schemes in lieu of current clinical litigation
procedures. [HL5379]
Lord Prior of Brampton: Alternative dispute
resolution takes various forms. The NHS Litigation
Authority (NHS LA) has looked at a number of these and
recently piloted a mediation programme for clinical
negligence cases. As analysed the results have been very
positive (81% of mediations in the pilot resulted in
settlements) and as a result, NHS LA will be developing a
formal mediation scheme.
Non-domestic Rates
Asked by Lord Greaves
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent,
and how, they have taken account of future rateable
value revaluations and refunds of business rates
following revaluations in their assessment of the
spending levels of local authorities in the next four
years. [HL5522]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The next business
rates revaluation takes effect from 1 April 2017 and will
result in changes to business rates income at the local
authority level. The Government will consider
adjustments to the rates retention scheme at revaluation to
ensure, as far as possible, that local authority income from
business rates retention is unaffected by the revaluation.
My officials will be discussing this matter with local
government over the coming months.
Non-governmental Organisations: Finance
Asked by Lord Empey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funds have
been allocated to non-governmental organisations by
each department for the last three years for which
figures are available. [HL5454]
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Treasury do not hold
the amount of funds that have been allocated to non-
governmental organisations by departments. However,
information is published in Public Expenditure
Statistical Analyses, table 2.1, on budgetary expenditure
by economic category of spend, which is available on
Gov.uk.
This includes categories such as:
Current and capital grants to persons and non-profit
bodies
Current and capital grants abroad
Capital grants and subsidies to private sector companies
Capital support and subsidies to public corporations
Information is published for the last five outturn years.
North Korea: EU External Relations
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they
have to implement the resolution of the European
Parliament of 21 January regarding Europe’s
relationship with North Korea. [HL5362]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have noted the
European Parliament’s resolution of 21 January regarding
Europe’s relationship with North Korea. The UK and EU
work together to ensure international pressure on the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is
maintained, co-sponsoring the annual resolution on
DPRK human rights at the UN General Assembly Third
Committee. Following the nuclear test of 6 January, we
are working closely with members of the UN Security
Council, and EU Member States on a robust, and united,
international response to the DPRK’s latest violation of
UN Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087 and
2094. These negotiations are on-going and we expect any
new resolution to contain further significant measures that
send a clear signal that North Korea’s actions will not be
tolerated.
North Korea: Human Rights
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the statement by the UN Special
Rapporteur on 22 January about the situation of human
rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
and what steps they are taking in response to the call by
the UN Special Rapporteur to further all efforts to
improve the human rights situation in that country.
[HL5359]
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 13
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain actively
aware of the human rights situation in the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as described by the
UN Special Rapporteur as well as in the Commission of
Inquiry report. We exert international pressure through
multilateral fora, such as the UN General Assembly and
UN Security Council, and through our critical
engagement with DPRK officials in Pyongyang and
London. We also continue to stress the importance of free
and unfettered access to the DPRK by UN officials to
properly investigate the reports.
In December 2015, the Minister of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the
Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), urged senior DPRK
diplomats to implement the recommendations made in the
UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they
are taking in response to the recommendation by the
UN Special Rapporteur about human rights in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that
"in addition to continuing political pressure to exhort
the DPRK to improve human rights, it is also now
imperative to pursue criminal responsibility of the
DPRK leadership". [HL5360]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply
concerned about the human rights situation in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The
Commission of Inquiry report highlighted the horrific
human rights violations perpetrated by the regime. The
British Government supports the principle that there must
be no impunity for those accused of human rights
violations, such as those documented in the Commission
of Inquiry report. In the absence of progress in the DPRK,
our focus must be on accountability – not least by
ensuring that possible crimes against humanity are
appropriately investigated.
The UK has actively raised the issue of accountability
on DPRK human rights violations, most recently at a
meeting of the UN Security Council on DPRK in
December 2015. In addition, as a current member of the
UN Human Rights Council the UK is working closely
with international partners, including the UN Special
Rapporteur, to ensure DPRK – and accountability of the
regime for its human rights violations – is a key feature at
the March session of the Human Rights Council,
including through ensuring a tough Resolution focused on
the human rights situation.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they
are taking to ensure that the recommendations in the
report of February 2014 by the UN Commission of
Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea are implemented. [HL5361]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has strongly
supported the work of the UN Commission of Inquiry on
Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea (DPRK), and we remain deeply concerned about
the human rights situation in the DPRK the report
outlined. We have urged DPRK authorities to respond in
detail to the contents of the report and to address the
human rights violations that it documents. We also
maintain pressure on the DPRK on human rights through
multilateral fora, such as the UN General Assembly and
UN Security Council, and through our critical
engagement with DPRK officials in Pyongyang and
London. We continue to stress the importance of free and
unfettered access to the DPRK by UN officials to
investigate the reports of widespread and systemic human
rights violations as documented in the Commission of
Inquiry report. In addition, through our bilateral
programme fund we are able to support projects and
initiatives that help to improve the lives of North Korean
people.
Prisoners: Age
Asked by Lord Bradley
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the upper age limit for adult
imprisonment in each EU member state. [HL5427]
Lord Faulks: The Government is aware that some EU
member states have policies designed to divert, rather
than prohibit, elderly offenders from receiving immediate
custodial sentences. The Government remains of the view
that sentencing is a matter for the courts, which – in
deciding whether an offence merits a custodial term –
take into account the particular circumstances of the case
and of the offender; including factors such as age and
health.
Proof of Identity
Asked by Earl Attlee
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what classes of
person can (1) verify identity in relation to a passport
application; (2) verify the identity of a driving licence
applicant; and (3) certify the character of an applicant
for a firearms certificate. [HL5556]
Lord Bates: The passport application and issuing
process is subject to a number of checks to confirm
identity, including the requirement on the applicant to
provide a countersignatory. The criteria for a
countersignatory are set out in the guidance published at
www.gov.uk and lists examples for recognised
professions.
Information on who may act as a referee for an
applicant for a firearms certificate is detailed in
paragraphs 10.9-10.19 of the Guide on Firearms
Licensing Law 2015. Information on those whom may act
as a referee for an applicant for a shotgun certificate is
detailed at paragraphs 11.7-11.15 of the same guide.
The person signing the driving license application form
and photo must be resident in the UK, know the applicant
personally, not be a relative and not live at the same
Page 14 8 February 2016 Written Answers
address as the applicant. This might include civil servant,
bank or building society staff, local business person or
shopkeeper, teacher, lawyer or engineer.
Public Sector: Ethics
Asked by Lord Beecham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response
they have made to the report of the Committee on
Standards in Public Life on ethical standards for
providers of public services submitted to the Cabinet
Office in June 2014. [HL5369]
Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government welcomed
the Committee's consideration of ethical procurement
issues in its report "Ethical standards for public services".
In our response of June 2015 we accepted a large
number of the Committee's recommendations, including
championing high ethical standards in our relationships
with strategic suppliers and implementing ethical
awareness.
Refuges: Northamptonshire
Asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the possible closure of the Eve
Refuge in Northamptonshire due to funding cuts, and
what steps they are taking to provide replacement
support for women and children who are victims of
domestic abuse and who are supported by that refuge.
[HL5430]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Domestic Abuse is a
devastating crime that shatters lives. That is why we are
committed to ensuring that no victim is turned away from
the support they need. To support this ambition, we have
committed long term fund of £40 million over the next
four years which will offer support to victims of domestic
abuse. This increased funding, which triples our funding
in the last spending period, complements Government's
wider approach and support for violence against women
and children's services, which will be set out in the
forthcoming refresh of the Violence Against Women and
Girls Strategy.
It is for local areas to fully assess their local needs for
domestic abuse services and to make decisions on the
provision of safe accommodation and support for victims
of domestic abuse. There is a range of accommodation
and support available to victims of domestic abuse. Some
will be accommodated in refuges, but dispersed housing
or sanctuary schemes with support may be a preferred
option for others. Some victims will pursue independent
solutions with the appropriate support. We would urge all
areas to recognise the importance of ensuring that victims
have a safe place to go in a crisis.
Reserve Forces: Training
Asked by Lord Touhig
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what military
training is given to reservists throughout the duration of
their tenure as a reservist, and how that training
compares to the military training given to those serving
in the regular forces. [HL5551]
Earl Howe: The Military training given to Reservists
throughout their Service as a Reservist is specific to each
Service and this is detailed below:
ROYAL NAVY
On completion of initial (Phase 1) training, Maritime
Reservists will undertake training specific to their Branch
or Specialisation. This training has been developed
through the Defence Systems Approach to Training using
Operational Performance Statements which identify the
duties and tasks required to be operationally capable.
Reservists also undertake CMS/MATTS and (military)
Command, Leadership and Management courses to
prepare them for promotion and higher ranks.
Specialisation training is usually tailored to the Reserve
requirement for blended delivery at Unit training nights,
weekends and two-week continuous packages, or if the
Reservist has time, then they can attend the equivalent
and often longer Regular Service courses. Reservists will
also undertake On-Job training attending exercises or
working in various Naval Service employment areas
ashore or afloat.
ARMY
In the Army a Reservist, having completed basic
military and trade training, which broadly covers the same
content as the regular equivalent training - with
recognised areas which are enhanced during Mission
Specific Training (MST), will undertake continuation
training to maintain and improve their military and trade
skills. For most Reservists, training is augmented by
periods of on-the-job experience where their trade skills
are put to good use in delivering military outputs.
Further training on professional or development courses
maps exactly those courses offered to Regulars but are
delivered to fit with the Reservist’s levels of availability
and commitment, potentially using a blended learning
mechanism with distanced learning, computer based
learning and shorter residential training courses designed
to fit in with the Reservist’s civilian employment. All
courses are designed, delivered and accredited in the same
way as Regular trade training and career development.
Different training categories are utilised to differentiate
between the depth to which Reserves and Regular training
will be delivered. Integrated training will be conducted
where appropriate and achievable. A specific example is
the mandated course for qualification for promotion to
Captain, with Reserve students attending the Junior
Officers Tactical Awareness Course alongside Regular
students.
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 15
Training and education opportunities include
developing trade skills, preparation for promotion and
also physical and adventurous training.
Many military courses are accredited to civilian bodies,
bringing benefit to both the individual and employer.
Where Reservists are deployed in support of operations,
a period of MST will be undertaken to ensure individuals
are suitably prepared to undertake that mission (this
training is delivered to Reserve and Regular alike).
Historical examples include deployments to Afghanistan
and Iraq, flood relief work, activity in support of the foot
and mouth outbreak and support to the Olympics.
Royal Air Force (RAF)
An RAF Reservist will attend for training to maintain or
improve both their military and trade skills. Normal
attendance in any given year is around 35 days including
a period of continuous training. For most, training is
augmented by periods of on-the-job experience where
their trade skills are put to good use in delivering military
outputs. Further training on professional or development
courses maps exactly those courses offered to Regulars
but are delivered in a Reservist friendly way with distance
learning, computer based learning and shorter residential
training courses designed to fit in with the Reservist’s
civilian employment. Again all courses are designed,
delivered and accredited in the same way as Regular trade
training.
Asked by Lord Touhig
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what leave from
employment reservists are entitled to in order to fulfil
both compulsory and optional training programmes.
[HL5552]
Earl Howe: Reservists can be unemployed, in
education or in civilian employment as self-employed,
casual, part or full time. The amount of leave Reservists
receive from their employer in order to fulfil their training
programmes is a matter between them and their employer.
Through our employer engagement we provide employers
with better information about the Reservists they employ,
including their annual training commitment and notice of
mobilisation. This helps employers to plan better for staff
absences.
In addition, the Employer Recognition Scheme was
launched by the Prime Minister in July 2014 and this
seeks to recognise employers through a tiered scheme
(bronze, silver and gold) on a range of personnel
objectives. More than 400 Silver awards have been
presented since the scheme was launched. As an example,
Reservists in the Public Sector are entitled to 15 days'
special paid leave each year for training purposes.
Royal Regiment of Scotland
Asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people
are currently serving in The Royal Regiment of
Scotland, broken down by battalion; and for each
battalion what shortfall there is, if any. [HL5631]
Earl Howe: The information requested is provided in
the following table.
Establishment and Strength of the Royal Regiment of Scotland as at 1 January 2016
Battalion A2020 Establishment
Strength Difference (+/-)
1 SCOTS 501 476 -25
2 SCOTS 501 483 -18
3 SCOTS 505 465 -40
4 SCOTS 606 546 -60
Balaklava Company,
5 SCOTS
99 96 -3
6 SCOTS
*
394 258 -136
7 SCOTS
*
394 264 -130
* Denotes Reserve Battalion
Figures provided are for officers and soldiers. They are
single service estimates only and they have not been
produced by Defence Statistics.
Slavery
Asked by Baroness Doocey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many modern
slavery cases have been assessed in the past three
months by the multi-disciplinary panels appointed in
the National Referral Mechanism pilots in (1) West
Yorkshire, and (2) the South West. [HL5476]
Lord Bates: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)
pilot commenced in August 2015 and in the period up to
40 cases have been considered by the multi-disciplinary
panels. 33 of these cases were from potential victims
identified in West Yorkshire, and 7 from potential victims
identified in the South West.
We anticipate the pilot will run for 12 months following
which decisions will be made about the future of the
NRM to better identify and support all victims of modern
slavery. In reaching these decisions we will consult with
key partners including the police, local authorities and the
NHS.
The names of the independent chairs of the multi-
disciplinary panels have been published and can be found
at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-
of-the-national-referral-mechanism-for-victims-of-
human-trafficking/pilot-evaluating-the-proposed-reforms-
to-the-national-referral-mechanism
The Answer includes the following attached material:
Page 16 8 February 2016 Written Answers
Proposed Reforms to National Referral Mechanism [Pilot to
evaluate the proposed reforms to the National Referral Mechanism
(2).pdf]
The material can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-
answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-01-26/HL5476
Asked by Baroness Doocey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress
they have made in implementing the reforms to the
National Referral Mechanism; and whether they will
publish the names of the independent chairs of the
multi-disciplinary panels. [HL5477]
Lord Bates: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)
pilot commenced in August 2015 and in the period up to
40 cases have been considered by the multi-disciplinary
panels. 33 of these cases were from potential victims
identified in West Yorkshire, and 7 from potential victims
identified in the South West.
We anticipate the pilot will run for 12 months following
which decisions will be made about the future of the
NRM to better identify and support all victims of modern
slavery. In reaching these decisions we will consult with
key partners including the police, local authorities and the
NHS.
The names of the independent chairs of the multi-
disciplinary panels have been published and can be found
at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-
of-the-national-referral-mechanism-for-victims-of-
human-trafficking/pilot-evaluating-the-proposed-reforms-
to-the-national-referral-mechanism
The Answer includes the following attached material:
Proposed Reforms to National Referral Mechanism [Pilot to
evaluate the proposed reforms to the National Referral Mechanism
(2).pdf]
The material can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-
answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-01-26/HL5477
Sugar: Taxation
Asked by Lord Scriven
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they were
consulted about the NHS sugar tax, to be introduced in
2020; and if so, when and what view they gave.
[HL5407]
Asked by Lord Scriven
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the Chief Executive of NHS
England's plan to introduce a sugar tax in the NHS in
2020. [HL5408]
Lord Prior of Brampton: Urgent action is needed to
tackle obesity, particularly in children, which is why we
will shortly be setting out a comprehensive new strategy
to tackle the problem. It will set out what more can be
done by all sides.
We are interested to see the results of the consultation
on these proposals.
Syria: Humanitarian Aid
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are
doing to relieve Syrians at risk of death by starvation
and lack of medical supplies and care; and whether they
will insist that all UN requests for immediate access to
besieged civilians be accepted, for example to
Yarmouk, Madaya. [HL5383]
Baroness Verma: The "Supporting Syria and the
Region London 2016" Conference was held on 4
February last week, and more than US$11 billion was
pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected
by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a
humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the
Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and
provide education to an additional 1 million children. The
UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in
Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment
and have now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our
largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria and
in the surrounding region had, for example, delivered
almost 20 million food rations that feed one person for a
month; over 2.5 million medical consultations; and relief
items for 4.6 million people. We have given ongoing
support to the UN and international NGOs since the start
of the conflict to deliver aid to hard to reach and besieged
areas.
However, in the past year, only 10% of all requests
submitted by the UN to the regime to access besieged and
hard-to-reach areas have been approved and delivered.
That’s why it is vital we keep up the pressure on the
regime to let aid convoys in and to provide sustained,
permanent and safe humanitarian access, as provided for
in UN Security Council Resolution 2258. Russia in
particular, must match its words to its actions and do
more to press the regime for full humanitarian access.
We will continue to use our position in the UN Security
Council to draw attention to the atrocities being carried
out in Syria and press for robust action, while maintaining
the pressure for a political settlement to bring the
suffering of the Syrian people to an end. The UK is
working to bring about a political settlement to the Syria
crisis through the International Syria Support Group, with
the UN Special Envoy for Syria, and with the Syrian
Opposition.
The desperate situation in besieged and hard to reach
areas shows why we needed the international community
to come together at the London Conference for Syria and
the Region on 4 February to support immediate needs and
identify longer-term solutions to address the needs of
those affected by the crisis.
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 17
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what
consideration they have given to air-dropping relief
supplies to the besieged population of Deir Ezzor.
[HL5385]
Baroness Verma: The "Supporting Syria and the
Region London 2016" Conference was held on 4
February last week, and more than US$11 billion was
pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected
by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a
humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the
Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and
provide education to an additional 1 million children. The
UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in
Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment
and have now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our
largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria and
in the surrounding region had, for example, delivered
almost 20 million food rations that feed one person for a
month; over 2.5 million medical consultations; and relief
items for 4.6 million people. We have provided ongoing
support to the UN and international NGOs (INGOs) since
the start of the conflict to deliver aid in hard to reach and
besieged areas of Syria.
When it comes to helping Syrians in besieged and hard-
to-reach areas, we do not rule anything out but, right now,
air drops are not a viable way of getting help to those in
need.
Use of air drops to deliver aid is high risk and should
only be considered as a last resort when all other means
have failed. Air drops require certain conditions to be met
for successful delivery that are unlikely to be present on
the ground in Syria. There is a requirement to identify
clear drop zones, ensure safe access for the intended
recipients, and to co-ordinate with authorities on the
ground. Crucially, air drops do not provide the sustained
access that humanitarian actors normally need to conduct
needs assessments, oversee distribution, provide medical
treatment and conduct evacuations. They are also limited
in capability: for example, water cannot be dropped on the
scale required and there is no way of ensuring items
dropped will reach the most vulnerable.
Instead, the UN, the Red Cross Movement and NGO
partners are best placed to deliver aid to vulnerable people
in besieged and hard to reach areas.
We will not stop in our efforts, whether through hard
work on a political solution that will deal with the root
cause of the problem or through humanitarian efforts,
which provide immediate, life-saving relief. This
shocking situation underlines the vital work of aid
agencies and shows how important it is that they have the
assurance of knowing that they have the resources to keep
going. It also underlines the importance of February’s
Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London,
which we will co-host.
Syria: International Assistance
Asked by Baroness Northover
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they
are pressing to be agreed at the Supporting Syria and
the Region Conference in February. [HL5400]
Baroness Verma: The "Supporting Syria and the
Region London 2016" Conference was held on 4
February last week, and more than US$11 billion was
pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected
by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a
humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the
Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and
provide education to an additional 1 million children. The
UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in
Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment
and have now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our
largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
Asked by The Earl of Sandwich
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what outcomes
they aim to achieve at the Supporting Syria and the
Region Conference in February. [HL5404]
Baroness Verma: The "Supporting Syria and the
Region London 2016)" Conference was held on 4
February last week, and more than US$11 billion was
pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected
by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a
humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the
Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and
provide education to an additional 1 million children. The
UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in
Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment
and have now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our
largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
Syria: Refugees
Asked by Baroness Northover
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the
Department for International Development is taking to
ensure that teachers, including refugee teachers, are
paid appropriate wages and receive appropriate training
and support in countries hosting Syrian refugees in the
region. [HL5402]
Baroness Verma: The UK remains at the forefront of
the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have
doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total of
over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single
humanitarian crisis.
DFID is not currently financing public sector teachers’
salaries directly in Lebanon or Jordan. However, we
helped launch and mobilise international support for the
No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI). As part of this
support, the UK has allocated £115 million to provide
protection, psychosocial support and education for
children affected by the crisis in Syria and the region. As
a result over 251,000 children have received formal and
Page 18 8 February 2016 Written Answers
informal education inside Syria and in the region. We are
working to ensure that each host government considers
where and when they can employ and fairly compensate
Syrian teachers under their national legal and policy
frameworks for both education and jobs.
In Lebanon, DFID is investing £21m in the World Bank
managed Emergency Education System Stabilisation
Programme and an additional £1.3m for the Research for
Results: Lebanon Education System Improvement
Programme. These programmes support the Government
of Lebanon to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
its education system including their public expenditure on
teachers.
At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference we
co-hosted in London, leaders came together to pledge
more than $11 billion, the largest amount raised in one
day for a humanitarian crisis. On education, the UK and
co-hosts worked with donors and other partners to secure
increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals
for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding
commitments to ensure sustainability. Commitments
made at the Conference will help to create 1.1 million
jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million
children.
We continue to work with refugee hosting
governments, in particular, to agree the policy
commitments necessary to turn increased funding into
delivery on the ground. This includes a regional policy
dialogue on integrating refugee teachers into national
education systems, where possible.
Teachers: Qualifications
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of how many schools in England are
using unqualified staff to teach lessons. [HL5382]
Lord Nash: The information requested is not available.
Ninety six per cent of teachers in all state funded
schools have qualified teacher status.
Turkey: Council of Europe
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of whether Turkey remains a suitable
member of the Council of Europe. [HL5576]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: All Council of Europe
members undertake to meet the standards to which they
commit. The monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe
assess Turkey against those standards and make
recommendations for improvements, as they do for all
member States. The UK strongly supports Turkey’s
membership of the Council of Europe.
Turkey: Human Rights
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of (1) how many complaints against the
government of Turkey have been upheld by the
European Court of Human Rights during the last 10
years; and (2) how much in fines or awards of
compensation is outstanding from Turkey. [HL5575]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As we do not hold the
information requested, we have not made an assessment
of the number of complaints against the Government of
Turkey that have been upheld by the European Court of
Human Rights during the last ten years, nor the amount of
fines or awards of compensation outstanding from
Turkey. Information regarding the number of applications
made to and violations found by the European Court of
Human Rights, as well as whether payments have been
made, is available from the Council of Europe.
Turkey: Kurds
Asked by Lord Patten
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have
discussed with the government of Turkey the welfare of
Kurds and the damage to historic mosques and
Armenian churches in the city of Diyarbakir in south-
eastern Turkey. [HL5486]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The ongoing violence in
the city of Diyarbakir and other predominantly Kurdish
areas of south east Turkey is extremely concerning. The
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede
and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our ambassador in
Ankara have emphasised to the Turkish government the
need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and
return to the peace process. We have not specifically
discussed the damage to historic mosques and Armenian
churches in the city of Diyarbakir.
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the situation in Cizre, Turkey, and of
recent military curfews in other towns in Turkey; and in
particular whether they have gathered any evidence of
war crimes. [HL5574]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Security operations,
including military curfews, are continuing in Cizre and
other towns in south-east Turkey against the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) and its youth wing, the YPS (Civil
Protection Units, formerly the YDG-H). One soldier and
two police officers were killed on 31 January. It is also
reported that around 30 people, some of them seriously
injured, are sheltering in a basement in Cizre and in need
of medical assistance. The Turkish authorities have said
they have tried to provide access to medical care but that
PKK attacks prevented their efforts. Our condolences are
with the families of the soldiers and police who have been
Written Answers 8 February 2016 Page 19
killed, and with civilians caught up in the violence. We
are closely monitoring human rights issues in south-east
Turkey. We have not gathered any evidence of war
crimes.
Type 45 Destroyers
Asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend
to commence the necessary remedial work on the
propulsion systems of the fleet of Type 45 destroyers;
what estimate they have made of how long that work
will take; and what estimate they have made of the cost
of the unit and the total cost of that remedial work.
[HL5630]
Earl Howe: A number of measures to improve the
reliability of the Type 45 Power and Propulsion systems
have been identified. A programme was established in
2014 to implement these changes and continues to deliver
positive results. In addition, and as announced in Strategic
Defence and Security Review 2015, we are planning to
improve system resilience by adding upgraded diesel
generators to provide further electrical generation
capacity. Alternative technical options and a variety of
delivery models are currently being explored with
competing industrial partners.
To reveal our current estimates of the cost and timetable
for implementation of the Diesel Generator upgrade
would be prejudicial to the commercial interests of the
Department.
Uganda: Elections
Asked by The Earl of Sandwich
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical
support they are providing to civil society organisations
and international agencies in Uganda to ensure that the
elections in February are as free and fair as possible.
[HL5605]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is working with
Ugandan civil society and international partners to
improve democratic governance and support the electoral
process ahead of the Ugandan elections on 18 February.
The UK is the largest contributor to the multi-donor
funded Democratic Governance Facility contributing
£28million over a seven year period up to December
2016. This facility works with around 70 Ugandan
partners through the provision of funding, technical
advice and capacity development assistance. Amongst
other initiatives, our funding is promoting the discussion
and adoption of meaningful electoral reforms; improving
citizen participation and engagement in the electoral
process; and identifying and mitigating risks of violence
related to the electoral process.
Asked by The Earl of Sandwich
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the likelihood of violence in Uganda
during the election period, and of its effect on business
and trade, in the light of the fact that the UK is the
largest foreign direct investor to that country. [HL5606]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Free, fair and peaceful
elections are important for business confidence in
investing in any country. Ahead of the 2016 elections in
Uganda, the UK, along with EU partners, has engaged in
an open and frank dialogue with the government, political
parties and other stakeholders on all aspects of the
electoral process. During this dialogue we have urged all
sides to refrain from activity or language that could lead
to violence during the election period. Through our
contribution to the multi-donor Democratic Governance
Facility we are also supporting activity by the government
and civil society to identify and mitigate risks of violence
during the elections.
During his visit to Uganda on 15 December, the
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for
Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge),
underlined that it is vital for Uganda’s future that the
elections in 2016 are credible, inclusive and transparent,
and that they are underpinned by a respect for human
rights. Our travel advice for British nationals travelling to
Uganda warns of the possibility of heightened tension and
unrest during the election period. We will keep the
situation under close review.
UK Membership of EU
Asked by Lord Allen of Kensington
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they
have to engage with leaders of businesses of all sizes in
every sector to ensure that they have information about
the pros and cons of the UK remaining a full member of
the EU. [HL5357]
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: No such assessment has been
made.
The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of
our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the
UK - so we get a better deal for our country and secure
our future. We are confident that the right agreement can
be reached.
Asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the impact on farm incomes in
England and Wales for (1) all farmers, and (2) hill
farmers, of a British exit from the EU. [HL5392]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government is
fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that
cause so much frustration in the UK, so that we get a
better deal for our country and secure our future. We are
confident that the right agreement can be reached.
Based on the latest set of published figures,
approximately 130,000 beneficiaries receive support
under EU Common Agricultural Policy schemes each
Page 20 8 February 2016 Written Answers
year in England and Wales. The average payment is
£18,500 or €21,000 a year per beneficiary.
UN High-level Panel on Women's Economic
Empowerment
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they
have to support the UN Secretary-General’s first high-
level panel on women’s economic empowerment.
[HL5548]
Baroness Verma: The High Level Panel on women’s
economic empowerment, convened by the UN Secretary
General, will bring together leading politicians, expert
economists, leaders from business and civil society to
lead a step change in improving economic opportunities
and choices for women and girls globally.
The Secretary of State for International Development,
Justine Greening, is a founding member of the Panel. In
addition to our policy and technical inputs, DFID will
also provide support for the Panel’s independent
Secretariat to conduct a global consultation process,
produce a research synthesis, and build momentum
around tangible actions to unleash the full global potential
of women’s economic power.
Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons
Review
Asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they
received Stephen Shaw's report Review into the
Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons. [HL5791]
Lord Bates: Mr Shaw submitted his report on 24
September 2015. It was published on 14 January 2016.
Index to Statements and Answers
Written Statements ................................................. 1
Government Grant Agreements: Guidance .......... 1
Informal Competitiveness Council ....................... 1
Written Answers ..................................................... 3
Aircraft Carriers.................................................... 3
Armed Forces: Discharges ................................... 3
British Nationals Abroad: Voting Rights ............. 4
Company Accounts: Audit ................................... 5
Dedicated Schools Grant ...................................... 5
Deportation ........................................................... 6
Development Aid.................................................. 6
Diseases ................................................................ 6
Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011 ....... 6
Electronic Surveillance ......................................... 6
EU Immigration .................................................... 7
EU Staff ................................................................ 7
Fisheries: Quotas .................................................. 7
Flour: Folic Acid .................................................. 7
Fringe Benefits: Tax Allowances ......................... 7
General Election 2015 .......................................... 8
Health Services: Older People .............................. 9
Hepatitis ................................................................ 9
Hinkley Point C Power Station ............................. 9
Households ........................................................... 9
Housing: Prices ..................................................... 9
Immigrants: Detainees ........................................ 10
Iraq: Kurds .......................................................... 10
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft ................................ 10
Kosovo: Unemployment ..................................... 11
Magistrates ......................................................... 11
Maldives: Terrorism ........................................... 11
Non-governmental Organisations: Finance ........ 12
North Korea: EU External Relations .................. 12
North Korea: Human Rights ............................... 12
Prisoners: Age .................................................... 13
Proof of Identity ................................................. 13
Reserve Forces: Training ................................... 14
Royal Regiment of Scotland .............................. 15
Syria: Humanitarian Aid .................................... 16
Syria: International Assistance .......................... 17
Turkey: Human Rights ...................................... 18
Turkey: Kurds .................................................... 18
Type 45 Destroyers ............................................ 19
Uganda: Elections .............................................. 19
UK Membership of EU ...................................... 19
Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons
Review ............................................................... 20