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House of Lords Business

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Questions for Written Answer for 10 October 2017

Tabled on 9 October 2017 and due for answer by 23 October 2017.

Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to review legislation in relation to leasehold enfranchisement where the freeholder is a charity and the landlord is a housing association.  HL1699
Answered
Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government how they will allocate the £2 billion for new council and housing association house building announced by the Prime Minister on 4 October; and over what period that funding will be made available.  HL1700
Answered
Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government how many new houses they expect to be built as a result of the additional £2 billion for council and housing association homes announced by the Prime Minister on 4 October; and whether the right to buy will apply to those properties.  HL1701
Answered
Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government whether any National Policy Statements are under discussion or are being prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and if so, which.  HL1702
Answered
Lord Birt to ask Her Majesty's Government how many billions of KWh of natural gas storage the UK possesses; and what comparative estimate they have made of the equivalent figures for (1) Germany, (2) France, and (3) Italy.  HL1703
Answered
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem to ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate announcing the result of the current application regarding the merger of Sky with 21st Century Fox.  HL1704
Answered
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of the United States regarding the effectiveness of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action through which Iran agreed to halt its nuclear weapons programme.  HL1705
Answered
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem to ask Her Majesty's Government what sums they have allocated to the relief efforts for damage caused to British Overseas Territories as a result of recent adverse weather.  HL1706
Answered
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to raise the issue of human rights at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.  HL1707
Answered
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of the United States about the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.  HL1708
Answered
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take regarding the tariffs proposed by the Department of Commerce of the United States in relation to aircraft partly manufactured in the UK by Bombardier.  HL1709
Answered
Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 September (HL1252), what is the role of Tamkeen in delivering UK aid to support moderates in Syria; which local councils are receiving UK aid through Tamkeen; and whether individuals associated with proscribed organisations, such as Al Qaida, are or have been members of cou… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the military’s role in the persecution of religious minorities throughout Myanmar, including in the Shan and Kachin States.  HL1711
Answered
Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of freedom of religion and belief throughout Myanmar.  HL1712
Answered
Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the pressure placed on children to convert to Buddhism in the military run NaTaLa schools in Myanmar.  HL1713
Answered
Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the arrests in Myanmar of two Kachin Baptist priests who face up to eight years imprisonment for assisting journalists, following a military airstrike on St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Mong Ko in July.  HL1714
Answered
Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 September (HL1252), whether the UK aid given to Tamkeen has been spent in areas of northern Syria presently under the control of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham or Ahrar Al Sham; and if so, whether UK aid continues to be made available in those areas.  HL1715
Answered
Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they provided to Bombardier Aircraft Division for the "C" Series aircraft; what was the amount of that support; and when that support was forthcoming, and under what terms.  HL1716
Answered
Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government whether monies provided by them to Bombardier Aircraft Division for the "C" Series aircraft were examined for compliance with EU state aid rules; and, if so, with what result.  HL1717
Answered
Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to contest the decision of the US Department of Commerce to impose a 300 per cent levy on sales of Bombardier "C" Series aircraft.  HL1718
Answered
Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Boeing Corporation concerning that company's complaint against Bombardier's "C" Series aircraft.  HL1719
Answered
Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Canada concerning the decision of the US Department of Commerce to impose a 300 per cent levy on sales of Bombardier "C" Series aircraft; and whether they have asked the government of Canada to co-operate fully with the US authorities by revealing the terms of any financial engagement… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace funding from the European Social Fund for programmes supporting young people not in employment, education or training after the UK leaves the EU.  HL1721
Answered
Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government how many companies pay the apprenticeship levy in each region of England; and what proportion of revenue from the apprenticeship levy is paid by companies in each region of England.  HL1722
Answered
Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the apprenticeship levy revenue raised between April and September has been distributed to training providers.  HL1723
Answered
Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the role of (1) Ofsted, and (2) the Institute for Apprenticeships, in monitoring the quality of apprenticeship training providers under the new apprenticeship levy framework in England.  HL1724
Answered
Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to seek compensation from Learndirect Ltd for (1) breach of contract, or (2) misuse of public funds.  HL1725
Answered
Lord Fox to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers about the funding allocated to training providers for employers of apprentices who do not pay the apprenticeship levy.  HL1726
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the Digital Economy Council, announced by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 1 July; whether they will publish (1) its agenda for, and (2) minutes of, its first meeting on 3 July; what are the dates of future meetings; and whether they have considered appointing a consumer re… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of their Digital Economy Advisory Group; what are the dates of the Group's planned meetings; and whether they have considered appointing a consumer representative to the Advisory Group.  HL1728
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the social and economic consequences of restricting zero-hours contracts to students and pensioners.  HL1729
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of workers (1) employed on zero-hours contracts, and (2) working in other forms of insecure temporary employment; and what percentage those workers represent of the total workforce aged 18 to 65.  HL1730
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of workers aged 18 to 65 whom they recognise as self-employed; and what percentage of the total UK workforce those workers represent.  HL1731
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the request from the Chartered Institution of Housing to delay the further rolling out of Universal Credit until existing payment delays and other problems have been resolved.  HL1732
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of creating alternative penalties for offences that normally require custodial sentences in order to address overcrowding in prisons.  HL1733
Answered
Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that prisoners know about, and have effective access to, release on temporary licence.  HL1734
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 25 September (HL1605), whether the Building Control Department of a local authority would be deemed an independent scrutiny body when signing off work carried out by contractors working for that same local authority.  HL1735
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 15 February (HL5165), what are the greenhouse gas emissions targets, broken down by local authority; and what assessment they have made of progress against each of those targets over the last seven years.  HL1736
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government how many traffic police by police region there were in England and Wales in (1) 2015, and (2) 2016.  HL1737
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government, of the court prosecutions for traffic offences in 2016, how many (1) were generated by camera enforcement or initiated by police officers, and (2) ended with (a) disposals by use of National Driver Offender Retrainer Schemes, and (b) Fixed Penalty Notices.  HL1738
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 December 2016 (HL4034), what progress has been made in collecting and publishing figures for the prosecution of incidents of drink driving which involve a casualty.  HL1739
Answered
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions there were in 2016 for causing death by driving; and of those, how many resulted in a conviction.  HL1740
Answered
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that air travellers have access to an independent ombudsman service able to provide quality dispute resolution in the light of the Ryanair and Monarch service failures.  HL1741
Answered
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of Consumer Dispute Resolution Ltd to provide effective and appropriate dispute resolution for air travellers during periods of high service disruption.  HL1742
Answered
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total amount of food waste generated by Defra offices for each of the last five years.  HL1743
Answered
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total amount of food waste generated by BEIS offices for each of the last five years.  HL1744
Answered
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total amount of food waste generated by DfE offices for each of the last five years.  HL1745
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints were received regarding the Life in the UK citizenship test in each month since 2010.  HL1746
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that passing the Life in the UK citizenship test has in promoting British values and improving integration.  HL1747
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have undertaken with any of the more than two million new citizens since the Life in the UK citizenship test was first used in 2005 to ensure that the test is a satisfactory measure of the possession of knowledge of life in the UK sufficient for citizenship.  HL1748
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Life in the UK citizenship test prior to setting the pass rate for that test.  HL1749
Answered
Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of UK nationals’ knowledge of life in the UK for the current Life in the UK citizenship test.  HL1750
Answered
Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty's Government how much the UK is still owed by the Republic of Ireland as a result of loans connected to the financial crash of 2007; what are the arrangements for repayment; and whether they will arrange for such information to be published in the Official Report.  HL1751
Answered
Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of manufacturers of medical products in restrictions of supply to pharmacists, and of the relationship of such restrictions to the pricing of those products.  HL1752
Answered
Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, or propose to take, since the publication of the Annual Report from the Interception of Communications Commissioner on 8 April 2014 and the findings of fact by Judge Gerard Hogan of the Irish High Court on 18 June 2014, in relation to the surveillance of European citizens’ data through the US Prism programme.  … Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt regarding recent reported increases in prosecutions and raids on the LGBTQ community in Egypt.  HL1755
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of rural crime on farmers and other rural businesses.  HL1756
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the six-day standstill rule on farmers taking their animals to auction marts.  HL1757
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their justification for the difference in application of the six-day standstill rule to (1) a red animal auction mart, and (2) a green animal auction mart; and whether they will keep that rule under review.  HL1758
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government how much (1) HM Treasury, and (2) Lottery, funding has been committed to the proposed UK track and field event on 21 July 2018 between athletes from the UK and the US.  HL1759
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of converting the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from a football stadium to a venue meeting the requirements for an international track and field meet.  HL1760
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position taken by UK Anti-Doping in support of the letter signed by the National Anti-Doping Organisations in their call for Russia to be banned from the Winter Olympic Games to be held in PyeongChang 2018.  HL1761
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support an opt-out for sport from the General Data Protection Resolution Regulations (EU) 2016/679 which come into force on 25 May 2018; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those Regulations on (1) the anti-doping policies of UK Anti-Doping, and (2) powers required for effective governance of their sports b… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the decision of the government of France that its Winter Olympics team will not travel to the 2018 Games in PyeongChang if that team's security cannot be guaranteed, whether they intend to apply an equivalent policy to the British Winter Olympic team.  HL1763
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs and benefits of introducing a windfall tax on the surplus profits made by house builders as a result of the Help to Buy Scheme.  HL1764
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Conduct Authority advised them that their report into the collapse of HBOS would be produced in a manner which would allow it to be published.  HL1765
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to remain (1) an investor in, and (2) recipient of funding from, the European Investment Bank; and if not, whether they will elect to sell their shares in the bank and repay all outstanding loans.  HL1766
Answered
Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to review the effectiveness of the Financial Reporting Council and its independence from the accounting industry.  HL1767
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Community Rehabilitation Companies; and what evidence they have to demonstrate that part-privatisation of the probation services is keeping the public safe and turning discharged prisoners' lives around.  HL1768
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to respond to the Local Government Association's request for an urgent action plan to improve conditions in youth custody provision, following the conclusion by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, set out in the 2016–17 Annual Report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, that "there was not a single establishment…inspected…in which… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals will be refunded employment tribunal fees, following the decision of the Supreme Court in R v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51; and what is the estimated cost of those refunds.  HL1770
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government in the light of research published by the BBC on 2 August estimating future shortfalls in care home places, what steps they are taking to ensure the sufficient provision of such places.  HL1771
Answered
Lord Ouseley to ask Her Majesty's Government what key factors they have identified as leading to an increase in homelessness; and what plans they have to achieve its reduction.  HL1772
Answered
Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 14 September (HL1315), how tenants of (1) housing associations, and (2) land in the ownership of large charities, may request information about their stewardship.  HL1773
Answered
Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 September (HL1520), what is their long-term vision for Venezuela.  HL1774
Answered
Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 September (HL1524), whether they have plans to ask the UN to conduct an independent inquiry under international law into allegations concerning torture and ill treatment in Sapatan and its surrounding villages in Turkey.  HL1775
Answered
Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made with their review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures.  HL1776
Answered
Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government how many proposals to establish a combined authority have been (1) received, (2) approved, and (3) rejected, since 8 May 2015.  HL1777
Answered
Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to produce a position paper on transport post-Brexit.  HL1778
Answered
Lord Rooker to ask Her Majesty's Government whether any discussions have taken place with the Scottish Government following publication of the updated recommendations on folic acid by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on 12 July.  HL1779
Answered
Lord Rooker to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the food industry about the updated recommendations on folic acid published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on 12 July.  HL1780
Answered
Lord Rooker to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the science community, inside or outside Government, regarding the updated recommendations on folic acid published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on 12 July.  HL1781
Answered
Lord Rosser to ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the publication of their report introducing roadworthiness testing for fast tractors used for haulage, and other technical changes to vehicle testing legislation, they are planning further action; if so, what; and in particular, whether a further consultation response is planned for later this year.  HL1782
Answered
Lord Rosser to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of asylum applications there will be once the UK is no longer a party to the Dublin Regulation III after leaving the EU.  HL1783
Answered
Lord Rosser to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of deportations of unsuccessful applicants for asylum there will be once the UK has left the EU.  HL1784
Answered
Lord Rosser to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of fees set by the Home Office for (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services, has been used to fund each of those services respectively, in each quarter since 2010.  HL1785
Answered
Lord Rosser to ask Her Majesty's Government what amount of general taxation has been used to fund (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services, in each quarter since 2010.  HL1786
Answered
Lord Rosser to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of fees set by the Home Office for (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services, have been used to fund different services, in each year since 2010.  HL1787
Answered
Baroness Seccombe to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to enable magistrates to imprison offenders for up to 12 months.  HL1788
Answered
Baroness Smith of Basildon to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the amount of fees received by the Home Office from people using email to make enquiries about (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services monthly in 2017 to date.  HL1789
Answered
Baroness Smith of Basildon to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of fees received by the Home Office from people overseas using email to make enquiries about (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services, has been used to fund activities other than providing email responses monthly in 2017 to date.  HL1790
Answered
Baroness Smith of Basildon to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the amount of fees received by the Home Office from UK citizens for (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services quarterly since 1 January 2010.  HL1791
Answered
Baroness Smith of Basildon to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the amount of fees received by the Home Office for (1) border, (2) immigration, and (3) citizenship services, quarterly since 1 January 2010.  HL1792
Answered
Baroness Smith of Basildon to ask Her Majesty's Government how many attempts to sit the Life in the UK citizenship test have been made in each month since 1 January 2010.  HL1793
Answered
Baroness Smith of Basildon to ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals passed the Life in the UK citizenship test in each month since 1 January 2010.  HL1794
Answered
Lord Steel of Aikwood to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Scottish Government about re-opening the rest of the Waverley route from Edinburgh to Carlisle following the partial opening to Tweedbank.  HL1795
Answered
Lord Steel of Aikwood to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussion they have had with the Scottish Government about the proposed release of lynx animals in Kielder Forest which straddles the border between England and Scotland.  HL1796
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the death of Raed al-Salhi after a raid by Israeli soldiers on his home.  HL1797
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the planned demolition of the Palestinian communities of Susiya and Khan Al Ahmar.  HL1798
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they made to the government of Israel following its decision to seal off the West Bank and Gaza Strip from 4 to 14 October over the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.  HL1799
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they made to the government of Israel following the report from Medical Aid for Palestinians that five female cancer patients died in August after being prevented from attending hospital appointments outside Gaza.  HL1800
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel in response to reports that Israeli forces are using live ammunition on Palestinians during confrontation and military raids.  HL1801
Answered
Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the more than 53 mosques and churches that have been vandalised in Israel and the West Bank.  HL1802
Answered
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Item that is new or altered.
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Numbers starting HL are unique identifiers for written questions, Bills or papers.