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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 8 October 2020

Tabled on 7 October 2020 and due for answer by 21 October 2020.

Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Work and Pensions grosses up the net amount of relief at source pension contributions, taken from HMRC Real Time Information data, before deducting those contributions from Universal Credit claimants' earnings.  HL8845
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the "Great Barrington Declaration" petition letter sent to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 4 October.  HL8846
Withdrawn
Lord Bassam of Brighton to ask Her Majesty's Government what additional buildings and facilities on the Royal Sussex County hospital site will be covered by the Prime Minister's announcement on 11 August of £300 million being made available to NHS trusts to upgrade accident and emergency facilities.  HL8847
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask Her Majesty's Government how many formal representations they have made to other governments about human rights abuses in each of the last five years; to which governments they have made such representations; and of those, which they have raised with (1) the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, or (2) at the UN Security Council.  … Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Borwick to ask Her Majesty's Government, following the WannaCry ransomware attack on the NHS, what instructions were provided to (1) NHS, and (2) Public Health England (PHE), staff about the importance of software updates; what assessment they have made of whether the PHE Excel errors, resulting in COVID-19 cases being unreported, were related to a lack of software updates; a… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Borwick to ask Her Majesty's Government how many fax machines are regularly used in the NHS.  HL8850
Answered
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of complications that occur as a result of non-surgical cosmetic treatments in the UK; and what are the annual costs to the NHS in England of correcting such complications.  HL8851
Answered
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to verify that all practitioners providing (1) special treatments, and (2) other non-surgical cosmetic treatments, are taking suitable control measures to prevent and control the transmission of (a) COVID-19, and (b) other infections.  HL8852
Answered
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Crossrail Limited and Transport for London about plans for a Chelsea station on the Kings Road in the latest Crossrail 2 proposal.  HL8853
Answered
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to hold a full-route public consultation for the latest Crossrail 2 proposal.  HL8854
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the CO2 emissions limits for energy from waste incinerators; whether they monitor local authorities to ensure that less CO2 from waste is produced each year; and if so, how.  HL8855
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of charging points for electric vehicles in England.  HL8856
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the amount of energy generated from wind power; and how they plan to assist private and public sector businesses (1) to start, or (2) to increase, generating wind power on land they own or occupy.  HL8857
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the decision not to proceed with the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon  HL8858
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the rollout of the latest version of smart meters to be completed.  HL8859
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the amount of energy generated from solar power; and how they plan to assist private and public sector businesses (1) to start, or (2) to increase, generating solar power on land they own or occupy.  HL8860
Answered
Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Cabinet Office at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL8861
Answered
Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Department for International Trade at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL8862
Answered
Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at Her Majesty's Treasury at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL8863
Answered
Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Home Office at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL8864
Answered
Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at UK Export Finance at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL8865
Answered
Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are in the Prime Minister's Office at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL8866
Answered
Lord Lexden to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about extending by regulation the disregards and pardons for now abolished offences under section 166 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017.  HL8867
Answered
Lord Lexden to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 6 October (HL Deb, col 510), when a fiscal council for Northern Ireland will be established.  HL8868
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs during his proposed visit to Europe to discuss developments in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, particularly in Nagorno-Karabakh, following the government of Canada’s decision to suspend export licences for drone technology equipment to Turkey while… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on Israeli–Palestinian relations of the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalisation agreement, signed on 15 September.  HL8870
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply and use of blood in transfusions in England; whether the current reduction in donor numbers continues to match a reduction in the demand for transfusions; whether they anticipate any critical imbalances in the blood supply chain over the next… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human cost of misinformation spread by social media during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what estimate they have made, if any, of the number of people who did not follow public health guidance as a result of social media posts which shared misinformation about the pandemic who subsequently r… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in the Taiwan Strait, following increased tensions and Chinese military activity during the visit of the United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment on 17–19 September.  HL8873
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement made by the International Crisis Group on 2 October that it intends to cover developments in the United States ahead of the presidential election on 3 November, following their identification of risk factors for potential election-related violence; what plans, if any, they have… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord MacKenzie of Culkein to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new Fleet Solid Support Ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be built in UK shipyards.  HL8875
Answered
Lord MacKenzie of Culkein to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the planned in-service dates for each of the new Fleet Solid Support Ships.  HL8876
Answered
Lord MacKenzie of Culkein to ask Her Majesty's Government how many Fleet Solid Support Ships capable of supporting a Carrier Strike Group are currently in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.  HL8877
Answered
Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court to ask Her Majesty's Government on what occasions since 1 January 2012 Cabinet Office officials have met Lex Greensill.  HL8878
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the recovery of loans under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme considered fraudulent is the responsibility of lending banks or the Government.  HL8879
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they received, if any, from officials on (1) the percentage by number, and (2) the value, of loans received under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme estimated to be fraudulent.  HL8880
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to identify fraudulent applications under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and what advice they took from banks or specialist advisors on identifying fraudulent applications.  HL8881
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government why their Consultation on the potential approach to duty- and tax-free goods arising from the UK’s new relationship with the EU: summary of responses, published in September, did not invite responses on the impact of the removal of the Extra Statutory Concession on VAT on goods supplied at duty-free and tax-free shops; wh… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government whether venues at airports and ports have been removed from the list of exemptions to the restaurant curfew from 10pm to 5am; if so, why; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that decision on social distancing at airports.  HL8883
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to conduct a systematic review of passenger rights and protections following difficulties in accessing refunds for cancelled flights during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they are taking to ensure that passenger protections are strengthened under any new airlines insolvency legislation.  HL8884
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the enforcement powers held by the Civil Aviation Authority under the Enterprise Act 2002; and what plans they have to enhance its powers to take action against airlines and travel companies who fail to comply with legislation on refunds for cancelled services.  HL8885
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a temporary travel guarantee fund to support travel companies to settle claims made against cancelled travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL8886
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of travel companies using a trust account model to process flight-only airline refunds.  HL8887
Answered
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Future Homes Task Force.  HL8888
Answered
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what financial resources have been allocated to the Future Homes Task Force from (1) 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, and (2) 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.  HL8889
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government how much foreign aid they sent to Yemen in (1) 2017, and (2) 2019.  HL8890
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of UK arms sales to Yemen in (1) 2017, and (2) 2019.  HL8891
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia in (1) 2017, and (2) 2019.  HL8892
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government from which (1) sources, and (2) countries, they purchase insulin.  HL8893
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the UK’s supply of insulin is manufactured in the UK.  HL8894
Answered
Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact changes to planning regulations will have on the number of affordable homes.  HL8895
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a formal definition of racism and discrimination for the NHS.  HL8896
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that pupils with special educational needs can attend school while restrictions are in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL8897
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect jobs lost as a result of the ban on residential school trips.  HL8898
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional financial support to the hospitality sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL8899
Answered
Baroness Wheatcroft to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact, following the ending of the VAT Retail Export Scheme, on (1) the retail, (2) the tourism, and (3) the attractions, sectors.  HL8900
Answered
Baroness Wheatcroft to ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have had, if any, with (1) Visit Britain, (2) the British Retail Consortium, (3) the Walpole Group, (4) the Airport Operators Association, and,(5) the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, about the decision to end the VAT Retail Export Scheme.  HL8901
Answered
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