Skip to main content

House of Lords Business

See what is going on in the House of Lords today, as well as what has happened since June 1998. This includes the relevant Order Paper, Minutes of Proceedings, questions tabled and edition of House of Lords Business. These documents can also all be downloaded.

Questions for Written Answer for 30 January 2018

Tabled on 29 January 2018 and due for answer by 12 February 2018.

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma in response to the recent reported air strike by the Burmese military against an amber mining camp in Noije, Kachin State on 26 January.  HL5162
Answered
Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to require the NHS supply chain to be subject to the same transparency requirements as private companies under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, having regard to concerns raised over suppliers of medical instruments in Pakistan; and if not, why not.  HL5161
Answered
Lord Birt to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Robert Chote, Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, in the New Statesman on 24 January, that “In terms of the net effect on GDP, the hits to demand [arising from the Brexit vote] have outweighed the boosts."  HL5174
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask Her Majesty's Government whether ministerial approval was given before Home Office officials met with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) to discuss the possibility of Home Office re-engagement; if so, which minister approved that meeting; and what were the names of the MCB members whom officials met.  HL5196
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review the performance of the Director of Public Prosecutions.  HL5197
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask Her Majesty's Government, in determining the amount of aid for Pakistan in 2018–19 of £345 million, what consideration, if any, was given to (1) the reported assistance given to the Afghan Taliban by that country's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, (2) the amount spent on nuclear weapons per annum by that country, (3) the amount per annum spent on defence,… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Bradshaw to ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to take a decision on whether to proceed with the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project; what factors they will take into account in taking that decision; and what further evidence they require to allow them to do so.  HL5193
Answered
Lord Bradshaw to ask Her Majesty's Government from whom they commissioned the recent report on the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, as reported in Passenger Transport on 18 January; what was the cost of that report; and, in concluding that the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme offered low value for money, against what criteria that conclusion was r… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Carlile of Berriew to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that the BSI will continue to (1) be a full member of the European standards system, and (2) an EU-notified body, post-Brexit; if so, what will be the mechanisms by which those outcomes are achieved; and how they intend that BSI will continue to have an impact on European technical and safety standards pos… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Carlile of Berriew to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that provision is made for the implementation of European technical and safety standards in relation to medical radiation equipment used in the UK post-Brexit and the UK’s withdrawal from Euratom.  HL5165
Answered
Lord Carlile of Berriew to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that patients in the UK continue to receive, post-Brexit, radiological examinations and radiotherapy procedures using equipment that meets European standards of technical capability and safety.  HL5166
Answered
Lord Carlile of Berriew to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) patients in the UK benefit from a continued supply of radiopharmaceuticals that meet the CE-marking for technical and safety standards, and (2) UK companies continue to be able to get their own items and equipment CE-marked and sold in Europe, post-Brexit and the UK’s withdrawal f… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester to ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications were made on behalf of children for family reunion visas outside the rules due to exceptional circumstances, in (1) 2016, and (2) 2017; and of those, how many applications were successful.  HL5149
Answered
Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield to ask Her Majesty's Government how many extended ministerial offices have been established in the home Civil Service; in which departments; how many are still in existence; and where.  HL5192
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the stakeholder questions on the requirement for all relevant bodies to charge upfront for treatment, which are being asked as part of the review of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/756), are designed to exclude evidence relating to the impact of chargin… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 24 January (HL4671), what assessment they have made of the accuracy of the assertion by Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust that staff were consulted appropriately in October and November 2017 over plans to establish a wholly-owned company to run estates and o… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 24 January (HL4673), why the Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust established a wholly-owned subsidiary company prior to consulting Clinical Commissioning Groups locally about the proposal.  HL5200
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 24 January (HL4674), why no staff consultation took place prior to the decision of the Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary company.  HL5201
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate has been made of the additional time spent by the Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Board discussing clinical matters as a result of establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary company to run estates and other support services.  HL5202
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the degree to which the analysis contained in the NHS England document Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care: Guidance for CCGs justifies the advice given that prescribers in primary care should not prescribe liothyronine (T3) for any new patients.  HL5203
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the establishment of a new Civic Forum in Northern Ireland, with the intention of reviving the underlying principles of the Belfast Agreement, in particular respect for all existing cultural and political traditions, and willingness to come together for the common good.  HL5168
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential role for a Civic Forum in Northern Ireland to articulate public opinion on political priorities, in the context of the totality of relationships within Northern Ireland, within Ireland, and within the Anglo-Celtic Islands, in the approach to, and aftermath of, the UK leaving the EU.  HL5169
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difficulties preventing Palestinian and Israeli young people meeting each other; whether they intend to discuss the matter with leaders on both sides; and what consideration they have given to adapting their aid and development programmes to meet this need, in the interests of long-term peace.  HL517… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Egypt about reports of the arrest in December 2017, and remand in custody, of Islam al-Refaei, together with the arrests of two journalists, Hossam el-Swefy and Ahmed Abdel Aziz, and six others, during a peaceful protest; and whether they intend to press for full legal representat… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to call for an independent enquiry into the reported attack in Cairo on Hisham Geneina, an aide to a candidate to the presidency of Egypt.  HL5172
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with interested parties about the commercial development of the offshore gas field at Gaza, together with related infrastructures such as transport facilities.  HL5173
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government whether, once the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety is complete, they intend to offer advice to local authorities regarding legal action being taken against those building firms and their sub-contractors that did not ensure compliance with building regulations and fire safety provisions in relat… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government which individuals or organisations have been appointed to deliver independent assessments of the business cases put forward by five police and crime commissioners to take on the functions of fire and rescue authorities under the Policing and Crime Act 2017.  HL5145
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the experience and qualifications of those individuals or organisations that have been appointed to deliver independent assessments of the business cases put forward by five police and crime commissioners to take on the functions of fire and rescue authorities under the Policing and Crime A… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the business cases put forward by five police and crime commissioners to take on the functions of fire and rescue authorities under the Policing and Crime Act 2017 comply with the guidance issued by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioner Chief Executives which Her Majesty’… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment will be made of the results of inspections of the relevant police services by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary when decisions on the proposals by police and crime commissioners to take on the functions of fire and rescue authorities under the Policing and Crime Act 2017 are made.  HL5148
Answered
Lord Lingfield to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress across all local authorities in England in transferring Statements of Special Educational Need to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs); and, based on that assessment, how many Statements they expect to miss the deadline for transition to an EHCP of 31 March.  HL5183
Answered
Lord Lingfield to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which transfers to date of Statements of Special Educational Needs to Education, Health and Care Plans meet the expectations set out by the Minister of State for Children and Families in a letter to Directors of Children's Services on 12 September 2017, for example, that "good quality as… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate to ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a difference between the numbers of crimes reported to the police and the numbers of crimes published in the British Crime Survey for the same period; and, if so, what is their assessment of the reasons why.  HL5195
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 25 January (HL4836), how many Insolvency Service reports have been published since January 2015; and how many reports have been completed and not published since that date.  HL5179
Answered
Baroness Redfern to ask Her Majesty's Government how much they spent in the 2016–17 financial year on biosecurity measures relating to animal diseases and pests, broken down by (1) policy functions, (2) inspectorate functions, (3) technical support functions (for example, risk assessments and diagnostics), (4) response functions (including control activities), (5) research, and (6… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Redfern to ask Her Majesty's Government how much they spent in the 2016–17 financial year on biosecurity measures relating to bee diseases and pests, broken down by (1) policy functions, (2) inspectorate functions, (3) technical support functions (for example, risk assessments and diagnostics), (4) response functions (including control activities), (5) research, and (6) t… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Redfern to ask Her Majesty's Government how much they spent in the 2016–17 financial year on biosecurity measures relating to fish diseases and pests, broken down by (1) policy functions, (2) inspectorate functions, (3) technical support functions (for example, risk assessments and diagnostics), (4) response functions (including control activities), (5) research, and (6)… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Richards of Herstmonceux to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK has strategic equivalents to the United States National Security Strategy and the United States National Defence Strategy; and, if so, what they are.  HL5175
Answered
Lord Richards of Herstmonceux to ask Her Majesty's Government how many servicemen and servicewomen are currently unable to deploy on combat operations because they cannot meet the required medical standard.  HL5176
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what training (1) social workers, and (2) foster parents, who are responsible for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, are given with regard to immigration issues.  HL5139
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have allocated to organisations dedicated to helping unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.  HL5140
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government how much notice unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are given before (1) detention, and (2) deportation.  HL5141
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sufficiency of the legal aid budget for legal representation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.  HL5142
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what training is given to prison officers regarding mental illness amongst inmates.  HL5143
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the occupancy rate for HM Prison Berwyn.  HL5144
Answered
Lord Storey to ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of primary school children leave their primary schools unable to swim.  HL5185
Answered
Lord Storey to ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of secondary school pupils leave their secondary schools unable to swim.  HL5186
Answered
Lord Storey to ask Her Majesty's Government how many school swimming pools have been closed in the last five years.  HL5187
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address gender discrimination at work and to increase the proportion of women in senior roles.  HL5150
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the drop in apprenticeship numbers following the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.  HL5151
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to increase awareness of the apprenticeship levy and its use amongst small business.  HL5152
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the economy of businesses implementing contingency plans for a hard Brexit due to lack of clarity over Brexit and the transition period.  HL5160
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that councils distribute the hardship relief funds made available to support small businesses facing business rate rises; and what sums remain unallocated.  HL5177
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government whether councils will still have access to their year one allocation of hardship relief funds for small businesses facing business rate rises, in the event that they fail to distribute unallocated funds before April.  HL5178
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund is spent on (1) family planning, (2) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (3) population issues, in the developing world.  HL5153
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government which countries receive Official Development Assistance through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.  HL5154
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of Official Development Assistance is disbursed through the Prosperity Fund.  HL5155
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the Prosperity Fund is spent on (1) family planning, (2) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (3) population issues, in the developing world.  HL5156
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government which countries receive Official Development Assistance through the Prosperity Fund.  HL5157
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of Official Development Assistance is disbursed through the Global Challenges Research Fund.  HL5158
Answered
Lord Turnberg to ask Her Majesty's Government how many secondary schools in England and Wales include Middle Eastern studies in their curriculum.  HL5180
Answered
Lord Turnberg to ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the case for increased understanding of disturbances in the Middle East, what action they are taking to promote the teaching of Middle Eastern studies in schools.  HL5181
Answered
Lord Turnberg to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage schools and examining boards to pay greater attention to the teaching of Middle East studies as a means to reduce the potential for inter-racial tensions in the UK.  HL5182
Answered
Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 January (HL Deb, col 1020), how many Hong Kong servicemen have been given British nationality for crown service; how many such servicemen are eligible; and whether they intend to allow any more of those who served to be given British nationality, in line with the Armed For… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Legend for business item text
Item that is new or altered.
* Item is an oral question.
Numbers starting HL are unique identifiers for written questions, Bills or papers.