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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 4 July 2017

Tabled on 3 July 2017 and due for answer by 17 July 2017.

Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they, or their agencies, give to universities on the appropriate remuneration of vice-chancellors.  HL309
Answered
Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they, or their agencies, give to universities on the appropriate fee level to set in respect of undergraduate courses.  HL310
Answered
Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the past 12 months, they, or their agencies, have advised any university, or universities, that proposed fee levels were unacceptably high; and if so, what that advice was.  HL311
Answered
Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials with substantial experience of international trade negotiations have been appointed to the Department for International Trade.  HL312
Answered
Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they, or their agencies, have given to multi-academy trusts on the remuneration of their chief executives.  HL313
Answered
Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government which multi-academy trusts have a chief executive who is paid more than £140,000; and what are the names of those chief executives.  HL314
Answered
Lord Ahmed to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have registered an increase in the number of attacks on the British Muslim community.  HL315
Answered
Lord Ahmed to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent acid attacks on Muslims in England and what advice they have provided to the police in relation to these attacks.  HL316
Answered
Lord Ahmed to ask Her Majesty's Government whether an acid attack would be classified as a terrorist attack.  HL317
Answered
Lord Ahmed to ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have given to the police in relation to attacks on people perceived to be Muslims and from ethnic minorities.  HL318
Answered
Lord Ahmed to ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of an increase in the number of attacks on Muslims in the UK in 2017, whether additional resources have been directed towards preventing and responding to such attacks; and if not, why not.  HL319
Answered
Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have estimated the number of workers earning below the personal tax threshold who have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension scheme that operates on a Net Pay basis; and if not, why not.  HL320
Answered
Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government against whom a worker earning £11,500 can claim if they discover that their employer has used a workplace pension scheme operating on a Net Pay basis for auto-enrolment, in order to recover the 25% taxpayer bonus they could have received in a Relief at Source scheme.  HL321
Answered
Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of low paid workers' claims against their employers for the money they are due in tax relief if it is denied to them by their employer's choice of pension scheme.  HL322
Answered
Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government whether low paid workers who earn less than the personal tax threshold may claim against the Pensions Regulator for failing to ensure that employers use a suitable auto-enrolment scheme that does not force them to pay more than they should for their pensions.  HL323
Answered
Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost saving, in long-term expenditure on State Pensions, from changing the current triple lock into a double lock using the best of earnings or CPI inflation, from 2020 onwards.  HL324
Answered
Baroness Altmann to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost saving over (1) 10 years, (2) 20 years, and (3) 30 years, of changing the current triple lock on State Pensions into a double lock consisting of the best of earnings or CPI inflation, from 2020 onwards.  HL325
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time that FCO Ministers discussed religious persecution in Turkey, in particular the persecution of religious minorities, with Turkish officials; and at what level did these discussions take place.  HL326
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK embassy in Ankara has made any contacts with the Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation in relation to the government of Turkey's seizure of Christian properties.  HL327
Answered
Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Algeria about the six Ahmadis sentenced on 28 June to up to four years in prison for charges relating to the exercise of their religion; and when they last discussed with the government of Algeria its obligations under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Ri… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Secretary of State for Transport has had with Network Rail concerning the Hansford Review; and whether they intend to publish that review.  HL329
Answered
Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult the rail industry on all proposed changes relating to the rail sector, prior to introducing any legislation to implement any such changes in connection with Brexit.  HL330
Answered
Lord Bird to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to authorise a moratorium on fracking in England until all available evidence relating to its environmental, economic and social impacts has been independently reviewed and assessed.  HL331
Answered
Lord Bradshaw to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 14 February (HL5241), whether the Consumer Green Paper has been published.  HL332
Answered
Lord Bradshaw to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied that, in considering applications from open access operators, adequate provisions are made for the plans of the rail freight sector.  HL333
Answered
Lord Chidgey to ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have offered to the French authorities in their action against Teodorin Obiang, Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, in relation to allegations of embezzlement, corruption and extortion in that state.  HL334
Answered
Lord Chidgey to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make early and extensive use of the new Unexplained Wealth Orders, in the light of the Obiang case in France in which the Vice-President of Equatorial Guineas is alleged to have committed embezzlement, corruption and extortion in that state.  HL335
Answered
Lord Chidgey to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the investigation being conducted under the French judicial system that has identified 200 million euros worth of assets held in France belonging to Teodorin Obiang, the Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, and allegedly acquired with embezzled funds; and what steps, if any, they are taking to ascertain… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Indonesia that Indonesia's blasphemy laws will not be applied in a discriminatory manner, including against those who do not practise one of the six religions recognised under Indonesian law.  HL337
Answered
The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist the government of Indonesia in strengthening Indonesia's resilience to violent extremism.  HL338
Answered
Lord Eames to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve mental health services for young people.  HL339
Answered
Lord Eames to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role of the Syrian Civil Defence group, commonly referred to as The White Helmets, in the Syrian conflict.  HL340
Answered
Lord Eames to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the numerical strength of the Border Force in Northern Ireland; and whether they have plans to increase that strength in the near future.  HL341
Answered
Lord Eames to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are planning to extend the remit of the proposed public advocate in cases of public disaster to other areas of bereavement and its consequences.  HL342
Answered
Lord Eames to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the need for long-term support for victims of modern slavery in the UK, to assist in their recovery.  HL343
Answered
Baroness Goudie to ask Her Majesty's Government how they are implementing the recommendations of the UN Secretary General's High Level Panel on women's economic empowerment.  HL344
Answered
Baroness Goudie to ask Her Majesty's Government how the Department for International Development's strategic vision and plans reflect the specific recommendations of the UN High Level Panel (1) to support informal women workers, and (2) to invest in the recognition, redistribution and reduction of women's unpaid care work.  HL345
Answered
Lord Green of Deddington to ask Her Majesty's Government how many people, who at the time of issue of their National Insurance number were recorded as being of (1) Romanian nationality, and (2) Bulgarian nationality, were known to (a) the Real Time Information system, and (b) the self assessment system, by HM Revenue and Customs, in the financial year 2015–16.  HL346
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Budget Statement on 8 March, and in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire, when they will publish the green paper on protecting consumers; and how they intend to incorporate market surveillance into that green paper.  HL347
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made by the Steering Group set up following the Government's Response to the independent review by Lynn Faulds Wood, UK consumer product recall, published on 18 February 2016.  HL348
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 31 October 2016 (HL2373) which stated that, since the last full review of Part B (Fire safety) of the Building Regulations for England in 2006 an impact assessment of subsequent changes to the governance has only been conducted in 2013, whether they will… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 31 October (HL2374) that they have made no estimate of the economic and environmental costs of fires in domestic buildings, and in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire, whether they will now estimate these costs.  HL350
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of The EU's Impact on the UK Housing and Construction Industry, produced for the Red Tape Initiative in May 2016, in particular the comment that the Construction Products Regulation (EU 305/2011) is some "red tape folly" which is "expensive and burdensome for small businesses";… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Henig to ask Her Majesty's Government when will the triennial Review of the Security Industry Authority, carried out by Tony Regan and launched on 14 July 2015, and its recommendations, be published.  HL352
Answered
Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield to ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been any review of the lessons learnt from the Iraq Inquiry; and if so, when they intend to publish that review.  HL353
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have that the Saudi Arabian air force is adequately trained in the accurate use of weapons such as the Paveway bomb supplied by the UK, so as to prevent civilian deaths in Yemen and elsewhere.  HL354
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what provision exists for foreign young people, particularly in the Middle East and including refugees, to avail themselves of technical education and apprenticeships in the UK; and whether they consider the cost of this to be a proper use of development funds.  HL355
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that trade negotiations with Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia are not adversely affected by the UK's negotiations for leaving the EU.  HL356
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to arrange for duty-free entry into the UK of olive-oil and phosphates from Tunisia.  HL357
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the supply of weapons from the UK to Saudi-Arabia, some of which have been used in the Yemen, complies with the UK's obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty for a risk-based assessment of end-use.  HL358
Answered
Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what role they are seeking for UNESCO in the battle for hearts and minds, in the cause of defeating terrorism and building world security.  HL359
Answered
Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for working together with other world leaders in relation to the role of the UN Security Council.  HL360
Answered
Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that the requirements of the Arms Trade Treaty are fully implemented, including that the potential that arms could be used to commit war crimes and human rights violations is taken into account when arms exports decisions are being made; and how they are applying the Treaty provisions to Saudi Arabia… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to introduce a clear and coherent policy on the use of armed drones for counter-terrorism purposes, both within and outside areas of armed conflict.  HL362
Answered
Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they are introducing to ensure that the use of armed drones for counter-terrorism is capable of being subject to parliamentary scrutiny and accountability.  HL363
Answered
Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the development of autonomy in weapons systems; and what action they are taking to build consensus for international action to control the development and deployment of lethal autonomous weapons systems.  HL364
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the contribution to the economy of the brick industry.  HL365
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of raw materials in the UK house building industry that is sourced in the UK.  HL366
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government how they are working with van and truck manufacturers to improve vehicle safety.  HL367
Answered
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of construction aggregates that derive from recycled sources; and what assessment they have made of the scope for increasing this figure.  HL368
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review section 10 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, to include fire safety in the list of factors which determine whether a house is unfit for human habitation.  HL369
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to improve fire safety since the inquest into the 2009 Lakanal House fire.  HL370
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the Housing Act 2004 housing health and safety rating system, in particular the hazards classified under category 1 (damp and mould growth) and category 2 (excess cold).  HL371
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of (1) enforcement powers relating to compliance with building regulations expiring 12 months, and (2) powers to prosecute breaches of building regulations expiring 24 months, after completing a building, what is their assessment of the effectiveness of (a) Local Authority Building Control, and (b) private App… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what action have they taken since the fire at Grenfell Tower to ensure that landlords who have obligations under Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 are meeting those obligations.  HL373
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the extent to which the Department for Communities and Local Government Approved Document B, which sets down the functional requirements of fire safety, meets present day British Standards; and if not, why not.  HL374
Answered
Lord Kilclooney to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which other 27 Member States in the European Union have conscription into their military forces.  HL375
Answered
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma in support of the efforts of the UN to investigate human rights abuses against the Rohingya people.  HL376
Answered
Lord Kinnock to ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made to ensure that the advice given by the newly established EU Exit business advisory group will be taken and acted upon.  HL377
Answered
Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty's Government whether all government funded bodies are required to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe guidelines on human rights, and if so who monitors their compliance.  HL378
Answered
Lord Lansley to ask Her Majesty's Government when, and in what terms, they advised the Welsh Government about the public sector financial implications and accounting treatment of the Circuit of Wales project's proposed guarantee.  HL379
Answered
Lord Lansley to ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to the Accelerated Access Review of innovative medicines and medical technologies.  HL380
Answered
Lord Lansley to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish the Accelerated Access Partnership as recommended in their Accelerated Access Review; and if so when.  HL381
Answered
Lord Lansley to ask Her Majesty's Government whether a strategic commercial unit will be established within NHS England, as recommended in the Accelerated Access Review, and if so, when.  HL382
Answered
Lord Lansley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a "transformative designation", as proposed in the Accelerated Access Review, for the most strategically important products for the NHS.  HL383
Answered
Lord Lester of Herne Hill to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that UK exporters will continue to have access to the Excise, Movement and Control System following Brexit; and if not, what system they intend to introduce to replace it.  HL384
Answered
Lord Lester of Herne Hill to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have evaluated the potential effects on small businesses of losing access to the Excise, Movement and Control System.  HL385
Answered
Lord Lester of Herne Hill to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have evaluated the potential impact on small businesses of losing access to the Excise, Movement and Control System.  HL386
Answered
Lord Lester of Herne Hill to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that the UK will continue to have access to the Internal Market Information System database.  HL387
Answered
Lord Lester of Herne Hill to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to repeal (1) sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and (2) section 25 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Act as amended; and, if not, why not.  HL388
Answered
Baroness McGregor-Smith to ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure that their focus on equalities will continue in the period leading up to Brexit.  HL389
Answered
Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of plans for a Garden Bridge in London.  HL390
Answered
The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government why products are not required to carry labels which indicate exactly what flame retardant materials they contain, including those materials which were permitted at the time of production but have since been banned, in order to (1) enable people to avoid those products if they so wish, and (2) ensure that people are aware that it… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Mendelsohn to ask Her Majesty's Government how many companies and LLPs fulfil the criteria for a "qualifying company" under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 No. 395, and will therefore be required to report their payment practices and performance.  HL392
Answered
Lord Mendelsohn to ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence qualifying companies and LLPs will be required to provide to support their reporting under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 No. 395, and how the Government will verify evidence submitted by relevant companies.  HL393
Answered
Lord Mendelsohn to ask Her Majesty's Government what are their plans for identifying and investigating misleading, false or deceptive reporting of payment practices and performance by qualifying companies and LLPs as established by the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 No. 395.  HL394
Answered
Lord Mendelsohn to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the (1) minimum and (2) maximum level of fines that will be applicable for the reporting of misleading, false or deceptive payment practices and performance as established by the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 No. 395, and what other disciplinary action will be taken or recommended against re… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is the case that (1) some local residents were evacuated during the fire at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in 2010, (2) the Atomic Weapons Establishment pleaded guilty in 1999 to illegally discharging tritium into the Aldermaston Stream, and (3) the High Court found, in Blue Circle Industries Plc.Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the MOD maintains a record of incidents in the defence nuclear programme where there is a potential risk to the public or to the environment.  HL397
Answered
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria, if any, the MOD uses to assess whether an incident in the defence nuclear programme poses a risk to the public or to the environment.  HL398
Answered
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty's Government what categories of incident the MOD records in the defence nuclear programme; and what criteria are used to decide whether an incident is recorded.  HL399
Answered
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the MOD maintains a record of accidents with an International Nuclear Radiological Event Scale rating of 1 or more which have occurred in the defence nuclear programme.  HL400
Answered
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents in the defence nuclear programme have presented a risk to (1) staff working in that programme, or (2) members of the emergency services, since 2000.  HL401
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government what priority they attach to reducing the increasing levels of knife crime; and when they intend to restore spending levels for youth services to assist local initiatives in this area.  HL402
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government how, and when, they intend to honour the pledge in the Queen's Speech "to make progress to tackle discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability or sexual orientation".  HL403
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of staff shortages in the key areas of teaching and the NHS, they intend to remove public service jobs from the immigration cap.  HL404
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are planning to assess the impact of the Cabinet Office Cutting Red Tape programme on building safety; if so, what those plans are; and if not, whether they will consider doing so.  HL405
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the Grenfell Tower disaster, what plans they have to review their one-in, two-out policy for new regulations.  HL406
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of the total reduction in regulatory costs on business since 2015 that has resulted from the introduction of the 5p charge on plastic bags.  HL407
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total reduction in regulatory costs on business since 2015; and what is their estimate of the total reduction expected by 2020.  HL408
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the individual budgets agreed between the Better Regulation Executive and Government departments with regulatory responsibility; and what progress has been made against those targets to date.  HL409
Answered
The Lord Bishop of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government how many Iraqi refugees they have resettled since 2014 under (1) the Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme (VCRS), and (2) other global resettlement schemes such as Gateway and Mandate.  HL410
Answered
The Lord Bishop of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, following the decision by the government of Israel to implement a request from the Palestinian Authority to reduce the flow of electricity supplies from Israel to Gaza.  HL411
Answered
Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reject any proposals to extend the negotiating period to leave the European Union beyond two years and whether they will use their best endeavours to conclude negotiations sooner than the two year period laid down in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.  HL412
Answered
Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Henley on 1 March concerning the Pensioners' Christmas Bonus (HL5502) what would the value of the £10 bonus be in real terms had the bonus been increased in line with the cost of living and increases in incomes.  HL413
Answered
Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Young of Cookham concerning an English Parliament (HL4548) whether they will explain why an English Parliament would detract from a strong United Kingdom whilst a Scottish Parliament does not.  HL414
Answered
Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty's Government whether schools or local authorities have the legal power to fine parents of children who are late for school and if so, whether there is the right of appeal through the courts.  HL415
Answered
Lord Truscott to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review (1) the National Cyber Security Strategy, and (2) the role and powers of the National Cyber Security Centre.  HL416
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.