House of Lords Business

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 6 August 2020 (HL7418), (1) whether they are on track to increase public spending on research and development to £22 billion per year by 2024/25; and if not (2) why not, and (3) how they intend to increase spending on research and development to reach the OECD average for gr… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their plan to spread research and development funding across all nations and regions of the UK; whether that plan will seek to address the imbalance of research and development spending between London and the South East and other regions and nations; and how that plan will link with other Governme… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from industry and consumer groups to end or suspend VAT on fuel bills; and what steps they intend to take on this matter.  HL5284

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of national gas storage capacity as a percentage of annual national domestic demand; whether they consider current capacity to be sufficient; and what plans they have, if any, to increase gas storage capacity.  HL5285

Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government what new measures they have put in place, or plan to introduce, to ensure elderly pensioners who are facing sharply rising fuel bills are able to afford to keep their homes sufficiently warm this winter.  HL5286

Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to address the issue of new state pension claimants waiting weeks or months for their pension payments to start; and whether everyone reaching state pension age is now being paid their state pension on time.  HL5287

Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government how many women who were receiving less state pension than they were entitled to have (1) had their payments corrected, and (2) received back payments.  HL5288

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports that over 200 people have been killed by gunmen in North West Nigeria in the last week and that a further 10,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and (2) the reasons for these killings; and what steps they intend to take in response.  HL5289

Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom to ask Her Majesty's Government what provision they will make for oversight, independent of the Post Office and Government, of the Alternative Dispute Resolutions in the Horizon compensation cases.  HL5290

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government which UK airports that operate scheduled flights have operational instrument landing systems, either using (1) Global Navigation Satellite System, or (2) land based Instrument Landing Systems; and which have neither system.  HL5291

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government which heliports operating scheduled flights have Point in Space approach navigation aids.  HL5292

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government which airports have the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) system installed and operational; and which airports are preparing to use EGNOS.  HL5293

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs incurred by UK airports and operators of installing the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service system.  HL5294

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in developing a cost-effective alternative to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service to deliver similar or better poor visibility navigational operation.  HL5295

Lord Blunkett to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the findings of the Youth Evidence Review, published in December 2021, when they expect to publish their final summary report outlining the implications of the review on Government policy.  HL5296

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of providing defibrillators in public places; and what steps they are taking to encourage this provision.  HL5297

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any delays in Royal Mail postal services caused and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the effects of such delays on wellbeing and the economy; and what measures they are considering to remedy these delays.  HL5298

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government why EU citizens with pre-settled status have to re-apply at the end of the five year period to obtain settled status; and what are the consequences of a failure to make the second application within time.  HL5299

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 29 July (HL2255), whether the Space Board Positioning Navigation and Timing programme has now reported on the options for the development of these services to the UK; and if not, when the report is anticipated.  HL5300

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 28 July 2021 (HL2253), whether OneWeb is still using the Soyuz launcher at Vostochny in Russia for heavy launches; and what plans they have, if any, to use other facilities instead of Russian ones.  HL5301

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 28 July 2021 (HL2254), what progress they have made, if any, to manufacture satellites in the UK.  HL5302

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 28 July 2021 (HL2257), what is the investment to date in (1) Spaceport Cornwall, and (2) Saxa Vord in Shetland; what is the state of launch operations at both sites funded by grants to (a) Virgin Orbit, and (b) Lockheed Martin respectively; and when they anticipate that there will be an… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government whether their golden share in OneWeb enables them to influence policy decisions, or whether they are limited to preventing disposals of shares; what percentage of the share capital in OneWeb they hold; and what financial benefits have been received since their purchase of the company.  HL5304

Lord Dodds of Duncairn to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 24 December 2021 (HL4865), whether, under the law currently in force, goods from Northern Ireland can continue to use GB packaging or must have (1) NI, or (2) EU, packaging, as a result of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland which requires Northern Irela… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (HL13254 and HL13255) on 24 February 2021, what discussions they have had with the government of Belgium regarding reports that the Chairman of the Libyan Investment Authority is being sought by Belgian authorities in connection with charges of corruption and embezzlement.  HL5306

Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government whether any (1) capital,(2) interest, or (3) dividend revenues arising from frozen Libyan assets held in the UK have been distributed since the invocation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 in 2011.  HL5307

Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional people have been recruited by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to staff the monitoring unit following the implementation of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.  HL5308

Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many referrals have been received, and (2) what is the average wait time for processing cases, following the implementation of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.  HL5309

Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government how many referrals have been called in to date following the implementation of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.  HL5310

Lord Goodlad to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to give (1) former interpreters, and (2) the families of these interpreters, from Afghanistan indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK; and if so, when.  HL5311

Lord Goodlad to ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whether they intend to establish university scholarships for former interpreters, and the families of these interpreters, from Afghanistan who are resident in the UK, and if so, (2) how many they plan to establish, and (3) when they will be established.  HL5312

Lord Goodlad to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have been made with implementing Operation Warm Welcome.  HL5313

Baroness Goudie to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen UK legislation on supply chain impacts on human rights, given their commitment to implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  HL5314

Baroness Goudie to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will grant refugee status to Afghans who have fled the Taliban and are seeking refuge in the UK.  HL5315

Baroness Goudie to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase assistance for women and girls in Afghanistan.  HL5316

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Brazil about effective protection of the indigenous tribes of the Amazon rainforest, in particular in relation to Land Protection Orders; and what plans they have to call for Emergency Orders to protect any (1) un-contacted tribes, and (2) un-demarcated tribal lands.  HL5317

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government what are their projections for additional greenhouse gas emissions arising from the thawing of the Arctic permafrost between now and 2100; and whether these projections have been taken into account in the COP26 negotiations on reducing national carbon budgets.  HL5318

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government whether their projections for additional greenhouse gas emissions from the thawing of the Arctic permafrost are based on a global rise in temperatures or a projected rise in the temperature of the Arctic region.  HL5319

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government whether their assessment of rising sea levels is based on a rise in average global temperatures, or includes modelling of Arctic and Antarctic ice melt taking into account the accelerated rise in regional temperatures at the poles.  HL5320

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government whether applications for the new Local Nature Recovery scheme and the Landscape Recovery Scheme will take account of whether potential recipients are already in receipt of funding from existing DEFRA payment schemes or other environmental land management schemes.  HL5321

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government when the criteria for applying for the Local Nature Recovery Scheme and the Landscape Recovery Scheme will be published.  HL5322

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a target to retain the current levels of food grown and processed in the UK.  HL5323

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the targets for each of the coming five years for reducing (1) nitrogen, (2) phosphate, and (3) sediment pollutants, entering UK watercourses.  HL5324

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect the Environment Agency to inspect all reports of water pollution to ascertain the seriousness of the incident.  HL5325

Lord Jones to ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) teachers, and (2) classroom assistants, are currently employed in local education authority schools in England.  HL5326

Lord Jones to ask Her Majesty's Government how many A400M Atlas aircraft are currently operated by the Ministry of Defence.  HL5327

Lord Marlesford to ask Her Majesty's Government why the report "Guidance on Collaborative Procurement for Design and Construction to Support Building Safety" recently published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was not dated; which Government department is responsible for ensuring that all Government publications are dated;and what steps they are taking,… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Marlesford to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the screening of illegal immigrants includes a comparison with biometric details held by the EU in order to detect the entry of terrorists into the UK.  HL5329

Baroness Merron to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) Age Appropriate Design Code to apply to providers of online pornography; and, if not, what plans they have to (1) direct the ICO, or (2) legislate in this area.  HL5330

Baroness Merron to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect children from the harms of online pornography prior to the introduction of the Online Safety Bill.  HL5331

Baroness Merron to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report of the Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill (Session 2021–22, HL Paper 129), what plans they have to adopt recommendations relating to (1) the statutory regulation of, and (2) minimum standards for, age assurance technologies.  HL5332

Baroness Merron to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to instruct Ofcom to develop (1) mandatory age assurance technology, and (2) a governance code for age assurance, ahead of the Online Safety Bill being introduced to Parliament.  HL5333

Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the current postcode system in Britain.  HL5334

Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the British postcode system to meet changing demand, including from delivery drivers, and the efficiency and sustainability of the system.  HL5335

Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government whether broadband street cabinets are provided with batteries to be used in case of interruptions in electricity supply; and if not, what is their assessment of the safety implications for areas affected by interruptions in electricity supply given the declining number of homes with landlines.  HL5336

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the number of police referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service.  HL5337

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to tackle knife crime.  HL5338

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the prosecution rate for rape.  HL5339

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of trends in levels of online fraud.  HL5340

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the prevalence of drug spiking.  HL5341

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of trends in the levels of antisocial behaviour.  HL5342

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the Government benefited financially either (1) directly, or (2) indirectly, through a benefit to a close friend or family member, from the provision of goods and services in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL5343

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to concerns expressed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem that "radical fringe groups" are trying to drive Christians out of Jerusalem, what assessment they have made of the future status of Christians in Jerusalem.  HL5344

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers to support relief for households struggling with their energy bills.  HL5345

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to alter the definition of what constitutes a school in order to protect children who attend alternative education.  HL5346

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government when they will implement a public register of beneficial owners of overseas entities that (1) buy, or (2) sell, property.  HL5347

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make a portion of a redress fund overseen by Ofgem available for microbusinesses in trouble due to high energy costs.  HL5348

Lord Truscott to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of diesel buses on respiratory illnesses such as (1) COVID-19, and (2) asthma; and what plans they have, if any, to ban diesel buses from (a) town, and (b) city, centres.  HL5349

Lord Watts to ask Her Majesty's Government how many GPs retired in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, and (3) 2021.  HL5350

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Greenhalgh on 5 January (HL Deb, col 567) that "an announcement will be happening very soon" regarding £3.5 billion being made available for replacing the cladding on buildings over 18 metres, when will (1) applications be invited, and (2) payments start to be processed.  HL5351