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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 November 2023

Tabled on 7 November 2023 and due for answer by 21 November 2023.

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the threshold for compulsory registration for VAT; and what plans they have to reinstate the policy of annually updating the threshold in line with inflation.  HL1
Answered
Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme; and if they have any plans to reintroduce the scheme.  HL2
Answered
Lord Allen of Kensington to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regularise the treatment of training expenses against profits subject to Schedule D income tax and profits subject to corporation tax.  HL3
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government whether the Procurement Act 2023 obliges police forces to remove Chinese-made surveillance equipment from sensitive sites.  HL4
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to highlight the refoulement of North Korean refugees from North Korea to China.  HL5
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the seizure of three Sudanese army bases in Darfur by the Rapid Support Forces.  HL6
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total number of (1) deaths, (2) injuries, and (3) displacement of Sudanese people, since the commencement of hostilities between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces.  HL7
Answered
Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution that the (1) Sustainable Farming Incentive, (2) Countryside Stewardship, and (3) Landscape Recovery schemes will make to delivering (a) the fifth carbon budget, and (b) the objectives of the Government's Environmental Improvement Plan.  HL8
Answered
Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville to ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the impact of the (1) Sustainable Farming Incentive, (2) Countryside Stewardship, and (3) Landscape Recovery schemes on (a) reductions in carbon emissions, (b) increased species abundance, and (c) the delivery of their commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Black of Brentwood to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to ban the sale of domestic fireworks in England; and if not, whether they will undertake a consultation on that subject.  HL10
Answered
Lord Black of Brentwood to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any studies about the impact of domestic firework use on domestic animals, including cats and dogs; and, if not, whether they will commission one.  HL11
Answered
Lord Black of Brentwood to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help secure the release of Evan Gershkovich from prison in Russia.  HL12
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask His Majesty's Government what information they have on the amount of overseas aid to Gaza which has been taken or used by Hamas.  HL13
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to put an immediate stop to all further overseas aid to Gaza until it is certain that none of it is being taken or used by Hamas.  HL14
Answered
Lord Blencathra to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the comments made by Judge Peter Veits in Lincolnshire Magistrates Court that the RSPCA had acted unlawfully in the initiation of the prosecution of a farmer, whether they intend to investigate the role of the RSPCA in bringing forward criminal prosecutions; and whether they plan to instruct police to conduct their own in… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Bradley to ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of women remanded into custody in each of the past five years were subsequently sentenced to (1) a community sentence, and (2) a prison sentence.  HL16
Answered
Lord Bradley to ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of women remanded into custody in each of the past five years subsequently received a custodial sentence of (1) one year and over, (2) six months to one year, (3) three to six months, (4) one to three months, and (5) less than one month.  HL17
Answered
Lord Bradley to ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of women remanded into custody in each of the past five years  subsequently received no sentence.  HL18
Answered
Lord Deben to ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual amount to date received in value added tax from electric vehicles using public charging points.  HL19
Answered
Lord Deben to ask His Majesty's Government what tax is levied on private commercial flights (1) taking off, or (2) landing, in the UK.  HL20
Answered
Lord Deben to ask His Majesty's Government how many private flights (1) took off, and (2) landed, in the UK in the most recent year for which figures are complete; and how much tax did those flights incur.  HL21
Answered
Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that same-sex couples have equal access to IVF provision.  HL22
Answered
Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they take to monitor disparities in access to fertility treatment caused by local health authorities, in particular surrounding access of same-sex couples to treatment.  HL23
Answered
Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to develop a national tariff for fertility treatment in order to achieve a strategy to achieve best value for the NHS.  HL24
Answered
Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines Fertility problems: assessment and treatment, published on 20 February 2013 and updated on 6 September 2017, what assessment they have made of the access criteria for IVF.  HL25
Answered
Baroness Deech to ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that perpetrators of the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel will be financially rewarded via welfare payments funded by the Palestinian Authority, what steps they are taking to ensure that aid coming from the UK does not support any such arrangements.  HL26
Answered
The Lord Bishop of Durham to ask His Majesty's Government what support they are offering to local authorities to help them partner with (1) voluntary, and (2) faith, organisations in the implementation of Family Hubs.  HL27
Answered
Lord Hain to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with US Judge Mark Wolf in London during the week of 13 November to discuss progress on proposals for an International Anti-Corruption Court.  HL28
Answered
Baroness Hamwee to ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of using (1) X-rays, (2) magnetic resonance imaging, and (3) any other scientific methods, as provided for by the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.  HL29
Answered
Baroness Harris of Richmond to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support flexi-job agencies for apprenticeships, particularly for SME employers in rural areas and regions.  HL30
Answered
Baroness Harris of Richmond to ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to allowing local authorities to become flexi-job apprenticeship agencies.  HL31
Answered
Baroness Harris of Richmond to ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any restrictions on a Mayoral Combined Authority being a flexi-job apprenticeship agency.  HL32
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by some car hire companies not to hire out cars to drivers aged 75 or over.  HL33
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of pre-paid funeral plan customers who lost the money they had invested prior to the sector becoming fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in July 2022.  HL34
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask His Majesty's Government what action they took in respect of Safe Hands Funeral Plans following concerns raised in 2017 by Fairer Finance and the Funeral Planning Authority.  HL35
Answered
Baroness Hoey to ask His Majesty's Government how many excess deaths there have been in England and Wales in each quarter since 1 January 2020; what were the totals in the years (1) 2020, (2) 2021, (3) 2022, and (4) 2023 to date; and what proportion of deaths where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate have been (a) male, and (b) female.  HL36
Answered
Baroness Hoey to ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made to ensure that farmers in Northern Ireland can import cow embryos from North America, as can farmers in the rest of the UK.  HL37
Answered
Baroness Hoey to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the 2021 census, (1) how were the cisgender and transgender individuals who took part in ONS qualitative research on gender identity conducted in 2017 selected; (2) what percentage of transgender individuals participated in the (a) 2019 census rehearsal and (b) 2021 census; (3) which local authority areas were chosen for th… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report Destitution in the UK 2023, published on 24 October, which found that "approximately 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2022, including around one million children".  HL39
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Protect Student Choice campaign Desperate measures: data and the reform of Level 3 qualifications, published in September, which found that at least 155,000 students could be left without a suitable study programme from 2026, given the planned reduction in Applied… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask His Majesty's Government when they propose to implement legislation on buffer zones around abortion clinics.  HL41
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will commission an independent review into their (1) relationship with, and (2) outcomes, from their work with Babylon Health.  HL42
Answered
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of money that (1) they, and (2) the NHS, spent on Babylon Health.  HL43
Answered
Baroness Jenkin of Kennington to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the recent statement by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, that the Crown Prosecution Service will be reviewing its domestic abuse guidance following the publication of the Policy Exchange report The Crown Prosecution Service’s approach to transgenderism, published on 5 November… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Laming to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Children's Commissioner report Missing Children, Missing Grades, published on 2 November; and what steps they are taking in response.  HL45
Answered
Lord Laming to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Carers UK report State of Caring 2023 — The impact of caring on: health, published in November; and what steps they intend to take in response.  HL46
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in the South China Sea, following the recent shipping incident between a Chinese and a Philippine vessel in the Spratly Islands; and what steps they are taking to help to defuse tensions and prevent escalation in the area.  HL47
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask His Majesty's Government how many Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for medication or medical appliances are currently in place owing to a national or worldwide supply shortage; for which medications treating which conditions are these SSPs in place; and what steps they are taking to support affected patients, in particular, those patients facing a s… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of China about the punishments given to those who took part in the Hong Kong protest movement of 2019–20, and the continued harassment of protesters and their families.  HL49
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incentivise people to downsize to smaller homes so that under-occupied family homes can be released into the housing market.  HL50
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to avert a regional escalation of the hostilities in Israel and Gaza.  HL51
Answered
The Marquess of Lothian to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle destitution in the UK, particularly destitution experienced by children.  HL52
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the Environment Agency to the regular maintenance of major rivers and water courses; and what assessment they have made of whether any lack of maintenance has contributed to recent flooding.  HL53
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether slumps in embankments in rural areas contributed to recent flooding events; and what steps they are taking to ensure embankment slumps are repaired.  HL54
Answered
Baroness Merron to ask His Majesty's Government, in each year since 2014, how much funding they provided to community pharmacies in retained margin in real terms as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework; and what was the cost of medicines bought by community pharmacies.  HL55
Answered
Baroness Merron to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of what other conditions the Pharmacy First service could cover, beyond the seven conditions announced as part of the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care.  HL56
Answered
Baroness Merron to ask His Majesty's Government how many patients have been given structured medication reviews (SMRs) by pharmacists in general practice and primary care networks in each year since the launch of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in 2019; and what is the total number of patients that NHS England deems eligible to receive SMRs.  HL57
Answered
Baroness Merron to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incorporate independent prescribing into community pharmacy services, once the Pathfinder sites have reported and evaluated their outcomes.  HL58
Answered
Lord Naseby to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position adopted in the Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea-Level Rise, published in August 2021 by the Pacific Islands Forum, including that no state should lose territory of any kind as a result of human-caused climate change.  HL59
Answered
Lord Naseby to ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to ensure that states currently at risk from sea-level rise will not lose their current territory and other entitlements under international law.  HL60
Answered
Lord Naseby to ask His Majesty's Government what (1) economic, (2) logistical and (3) technological support they are providing to ensure that sea-level rise does not endanger the continued existence of Small Island States.  HL61
Answered
Lord Naseby to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the foreign aid budget for Small Island States at risk from climate change; and to make commitments within that budget to combat the effects of sea-level rise.  HL62
Answered
Lord Naseby to ask His Majesty's Government what (1) economic, and (2) technological support they are providing, alongside the foreign aid budget, to ensure that Small Island States, particularly those that are Commonwealth members, are equipped to deal with any loss or damage that may arise due to sea-level rise.  HL63
Answered
Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer on 23 September 2022 to remove the cap on bankers' bonuses (HC Deb col 936), what consideration they have given to curbing any risk-taking in the financial sector which may occur as a result of the removal of that cap; and further to the finding i… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask His Majesty's Government whether the Commissioners appointed to oversee the responsibilities of Birmingham City Council are intending to accept the negotiated new contract for the maintenance of road services, in time to ensure a handover at the expiration of the current contract on 31 January 2024; and if they do not plan to do so, what steps are the tak… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Motorcycle Industry Association and Zemo Partnership report Realising the Full Potential of Zero Emission Powered Light Vehicles: A Joint Action Plan for Government and Industry — The Route to Net Zero, published in February 2022, what steps they are taking to reform the licencing regime for powered light… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have allocated for research into the treatment of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma brain tumours in children in each of the last 10 years; and to which organisations were those funds allocated.  HL67
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours report Brain Tumours: Pathway to a Cure — breaking down the barriers, published on 28 February, whether they have accepted recommendation six contained in that report that specific funding should be ring-fenced for research into childhood brain tumours; and if… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to develop a bespoke research strategy for childhood cancers with the worst survival rates, including Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma; and what steps they are taking to encourage drug development to treat those cancers.  HL69
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask His Majesty's Government what collaborative research they are currently funding in partnership with other countries into childhood brain tumours, including Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma; and whether this includes funding for access to clinical trials.  HL70
Answered
Baroness Scott of Needham Market to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Northern Powerhouse rail proposals, whether the new Bradford railway station will replace Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square, or just Bradford Interchange.  HL71
Answered
Baroness Scott of Needham Market to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Northern Powerhouse rail proposals, whether the proposed new route alignment between Bradford and Huddersfield involves tunnelling; and, if so, what proportion of the route will be tunnelled.  HL72
Answered
Baroness Scott of Needham Market to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Northern Powerhouse rail proposals, what proportion of the proposed new route alignment between Huddersfield and Manchester will involve tunnelling.  HL73
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the restoration of water supply in areas of Surrey left without water following Storm Ciarán; and to ensure that the impact of similar future incidents is minimised.  HL74
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce new legislation to grant homeowners greater controls over the fees they pay to estate management companies.  HL75
Answered
Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce concerns about violence and personal safety for prison officers and prisoners in England and Wales.  HL76
Answered
Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask His Majesty's Government what additional support they are providing to further education colleges to assist with meeting the costs associated with the increased number of students who will resit GCSE English and maths in 2023–24 as a result of the return to 2019 standards in the 2023 summer exams.  HL77
Answered
Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask His Majesty's Government what official regulatory requirements must be met and demonstrated before an organisation can operate secure transportation services for children and young people.  HL78
Answered
Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that businesses that wish to establish secure transportation services for children and young people have in place behavioural management policies that set out (1) how children and young people’s human rights can be protected; (2) the conditions for the use of restraint during transporta… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that practitioners involved in the transportation of children and young people have access to (1) training, (2) supervision, (3) support, and (4) reporting procedures, to assist them in reducing the use of restraint during transportation.  HL80
Answered
Lord Young of Cookham to ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been paid out to claimants by The Reclaim Fund in each of the past five years, following enactment of the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008.  HL81
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.