House of Lords Business

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter sent by 50 members of the European Parliament to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 30 April warning that continued violation of the UN Treaty on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in respect of the treatment of Pak… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to assist Pakistani Ahmadi and Christian refugees, fleeing persecution in Pakistan and awaiting determination of their asylum cases in Sri Lanka, who are seeking refuge in police stations and elsewhere due to fear of targeted attacks on minorities.  HL15526

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the number of, and circumstances behind, arson attacks on churches in (1) the UK, and (2) overseas, in the last two years; how many prosecutions there have been for such attacks in the UK; and what assessment they have made of the motives of those responsible.  HL15527

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of school textbooks in promoting a negative view of religious and ethnic minorities in Sri Lanka; what discussions they have had with the government of Sri Lanka and UN agencies about this; and what were the outcomes of any such discussions.  HL15528

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they welcome the decision of the Pakistan Senate to pass a bill to amend the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 1929 to set the minimum marriage age at 18 years in Pakistan; and whether they will consider ways in which UK aid to Pakistan could be used to facilitate the effective enforcement of that legislation.  HL15529

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 May (HL15272), what was the most recent response they received from the government of Pakistan about the right of Asia Bibi to join her family in Canada; and when they anticipate that this will take place.  HL15530

Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish a judge-led inquiry into allegations of UK involvement in torture overseas.  HL15531

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of financial sanctions relating to Burundi.  HL15532

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with other EU member states on the (1) imposition, and (2) maintenance of, sanctions against named individuals in Burundi.  HL15533

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue financial sanctions on named individuals in Burundi after the UK has exited the EU.  HL15534

Lord Green of Deddington to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the criteria for any new appointments to their Migration Advisory Committee include expertise on both the positive and negative impacts of immigration on the UK.  HL15535

Lord Griffiths of Burry Port to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of facilitating flexible use of the 5G spectrum by community and independent networks in areas where it is allocated to mobile operators but remains unused.  HL15536

Lord Griffiths of Burry Port to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Ofcom about the allocation of the 3.6–3.8GHz 5G spectrum band; and what steps they have taken to ensure the band is accessible in areas outside the mobile operators’ rollout plans.  HL15537

Lord Griffiths of Burry Port to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of a dynamic model of spectrum allocation for 5G network coverage in rural communities.  HL15538

Baroness Helic to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Maltese Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government about the progress of the investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.  HL15539

Baroness Helic to ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Government ministers have met the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia to offer support to efforts to achieve justice in her case.  HL15540

Baroness Helic to ask Her Majesty's Government what assurances they have (1) sought, and (2) received from the government of Malta that they will establish an independent public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.  HL15541

Baroness Helic to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Maltese Governor’s commitment to (1) bring the murderers of Daphne Caruana Galizia to justice, and (2) uphold its obligations to guarantee and safeguard freedom of expression in Malta as required by the European Convention on Human Rights.  HL15542

Baroness Helic to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia at the (1) EU Foreign Affairs Council, and (2) Commonwealth Secretariat; and if so, what the outcomes of those discussions were.  HL15543

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports showing a 23 per cent increase in demand for food parcels between 2017 and 2019 at Somer Valley foodbank, Somerset; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for any such increase.  HL15544

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will meet with Medical Aid for Palestinians and other non-governmental organisations working in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon and Jordan to discuss health problems affecting the population of those areas, following violence, blockades, and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Ne… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about the extension of Israeli laws, jurisdiction and administration to the Golan Heights; what were the outcomes of any such discussions; and what assessment they have made of whether that extension prejudices the possibility of peace in Syria.  HL15546

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure the permanent protection and improvement of Bedouin villages in Israel and the West Bank, in particular Khan al-Ahmar.  HL15547

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of Palestinian children detained in prison in Israel; whether, and to what extent, they consider such detentions to violate Article 147 of the Geneva Convention; and whether they intend to call for penal sanctions under that Convention against persons who commit unlawful deportation, transfers o… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to ensure proper access for parents and legal advisers to Palestinian children under arrest by Israel.  HL15549

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent retailers in the water market who sell to SME customers from failing.  HL15550

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made by (1) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and (2) Ofwat of the (a) Scottish SME non-household retail water market, and (b) the English SME non-household retail water market.  HL15551

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the Scottish non-household retail water market in encouraging switching by SMEs when compared with the English non-household retail water market.  HL15552

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions there have been between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the need to ensure that small business customers benefit from the non-household retail water market in England.  HL15553

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Report of the Secretary-General on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, submitted to the UN Security Council on 16 April; and what assessment they have made of the preparedness of the Greek Cypriot political community to agree a solution on the basis of political equality with the Tu… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the recent Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Cyprus for the Government’s role as a guarantor power under 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, and for the rights of the Turkish Cypriot community to be fairly represented on the island.  HL15555

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty's Government how many registered voters applied for proxy votes in each local government district in Northern Ireland elections on 2 May; and what percentage of the (1) total electorate, and (2) votes cast, that represents in each of those districts.  HL15556

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review their decision to dismiss Sir Roger Scruton from his post as Chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, in the light of reports that his opinions have been misrepresented.  HL15557

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the proposal by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 19 March (HL Deb, col 1408) that the Department of the Economy Northern Ireland would establish a unit under independent chairmanship, to examine the case of every individual who has received funds from the Renewable Heat Incentive initiative and believes they have e… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government why highly flammable foams which form hydrogen cyanide when burnt are permitted to be used in furniture upholstery and building insulation.  HL15559

The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to promote innovation and market uptake of flame-resistant chemical-free materials.  HL15560

The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have conducted life-cycle analyses to evaluate the benefits, risks, health and environmental effects of chemical flame retardants, alongside their fire safety impacts; and if so, (1) when, and (2) where such analyses have been published.  HL15561

The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they taking to comply with the Stockholm Agreement and other agreements on the control of hazardous chemicals for any UK upholstered furniture containing a number of persistent organic pollutants with no available information or register of their chemical composition, in particular, flame retardants.  HL15562

The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government whether, further to the 2014 and 2016 consultations on Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations and the Technical Paper: Systematic Rationale for modification of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations in relation to Schedules 4 & 5, published in October 2014, which outlined the problems wi… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Countess of Mar to ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have collected on the effectiveness of provision of safety of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 that differs to that included in their document Technical Paper: Systematic Rationale for modification of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations in relation to Sche… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the UK citizenship application fee in (1) 2000, (2) 2010, and (3) 2015, for both children and adults in each such year.  HL15565

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of asylum-seeking children who are unable to apply for UK citizenship due to the cost of the application fee.  HL15566

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government whether funding currently dedicated to asylum matters will be ring-fenced following the UK's departure from the EU.  HL15567

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the trade dispute between the United States and China; and of the effect of that dispute on global markets.  HL15568

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Business Confidence Monitor Q2 2019, published in May, which suggests a decline in confidence of UK businesses due to ongoing Brexit uncertainty.  HL15569

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to remain closely aligned with the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy after Brexit; and if not, what plans they have to implement a long-term post-Brexit strategy on biodiversity.  HL15570

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decline in private equity investments in UK companies due to Brexit uncertainty.  HL15571

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of revenue that has been raised in VAT and collected by HMRC from sales of electricity in each year since 1 April 2013 to date.  HL15572

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of revenue that has been raised in VAT and collected by HMRC from sales of gas in each year since 1 April 2013 to date.  HL15573

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of revenue that has been raised in VAT and collected by HMRC from sales of heating oil in each year since 1 April 2013 to date.  HL15574

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of revenue that has been raised in VAT and collected by HMRC from sales of liquid petroleum gas in each year since 1 April 2013 to date.  HL15575

Baroness Thomas of Winchester to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) NICE, (2) NHS England, and (3) Biogen, on a Managed Access Agreement for Spinal Muscular Atrophy treatment, Spinraza.  HL15576

Baroness Thomas of Winchester to ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate that NICE will publish the outcome of the NICE Evaluation Committee meeting held on 6 March.  HL15577

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contamination by heavy metal weapon remnants in Gaza since 2009; and whether any research has been conducted into any relationship between such contamination and low birth weight in Gaza.  HL15578

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Israel intends to seize 95 acres of Palestinian-owned agricultural lands in order to build new roads for Israeli settlers; and what steps they intend to take to protect Palestinians who own and farm such land.  HL15579

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism has made monetary grants available for the construction of hotels in Area C of the West Bank.  HL15580

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the number of Palestinian properties being demolished, in particular those that have been demolished without warning or explanation.  HL15581

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel about the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.  HL15582

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to protect Palestinian agricultural land following reports that Israeli occupation forces used military bulldozers to raze Palestinian cultivated land lots in Beit Jala.  HL15583

Baroness Whitaker to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the communiqué from the government of Mauritius on 30 April that the UK’s actions over the Chagos Archipelago are “in flagrant disregard of the … conclusions of the International Court of Justice”; are “an affront to the rule of law”; and have perpetuated “a historically wrongful act vis-à-vis the… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text