House of Lords Business

Lord Addington to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to carry out exploratory assessments into whether those children classed as vulnerable who did not physically attend schools during the COVID-19 lockdown had a recognised category of special educational needs and particularly those of the neuro-diverse types including (1) dyslexia, (2) autism, (3) dysprax… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Addington to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to provide structured physical education for any children returning to school before the 2020 summer break.  HL4810

Lord Bassam of Brighton to ask Her Majesty's Government what was the net financial benefit to the NHS from the immigration health surcharge in each year since the surcharge was introduced; and what proportion of total annual income from the immigration health surcharge comes from foreign nationals working in the health and care sector.  HL4811

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the availability of a diverse range of UK-grown vegetables and fruit in areas local to their production.  HL4812

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) maintain the extension of housing provision for newly recognised refugees to three months, introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a permanent measure, and (2) ensure financial support for such refugees whilst they wait for receipt of Universal Credit payments.  HL4813

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the policy of publishing standalone Sustainable MOD annual reports to ensure that the records of all military greenhouse gas emissions each year are easily accessible.  HL4814

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) future UK arms sales, and (2) existing arms contracts.  HL4815

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce saliva rather than swab testing for COVID-19 for (1) the general population, and (2) vulnerable groups that might find the swab test particularly difficult including (a) children, and (b) patients with dementia or other cognitive impairments.  HL4816

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 20 May (HL3589), what criteria they used to determine the type of testing to offer at each Regional Test Site; on average, what percentage of people choose the self-test option at sites which operate a hybrid model; what is the average waiting time at (1) assisted, (2… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the policy that deemed consent should not apply to transplants used to create Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products.  HL4818

Lord Bradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of COVID-19 for operational capacity within the (1) male, and (2) female, prison estates.  HL4819

Lord Bradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the number of releases from prison over the next 12 months of the Parole Board’s decision to postpone face-to-face hearings due to COVID-19.  HL4820

Baroness Deech to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for (1) the rule of law, and (2) the principle of judicial independence, of the EU’s decision to terminate the appointment of advocate general Eleanor Sharpston QC’s term at the European Court of Justice, which was not due to expire until October 2021.  HL4821

Lord Foster of Bath to ask Her Majesty's Government what statutory targets have been set for (1) renewable energy, and (2) carbon dioxide reduction; and why any such targets were set.  HL4822

Lord German to ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners have been tested for COVID-19 (1) in each of the last five weeks, and (2) in total up to 20 May.  HL4823

Lord German to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund matches the (1) money currently received by Wales from EU funding programmes, and (2) level of discretion the Welsh Government has over the use of such funds.  HL4824

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 May (HL4128), whether the work by Highways England on planned safety work on the Queensbury Tunnel will protect the tunnel for possible future use as a cycleway.  HL4825

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the daily figures for the numbers of people tested for the COVID-19 include the 100,000 people who are being tested by post in a random survey led by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and carried out by Ipsos MORI.  HL4826

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the COVID-19 testing kits that have been so far sent out in the post have been returned; and of those, what proportion have been (1) positive, (2) negative, (3) not indicative either way, (4) not able to be processed, (5) returned unused, and (6) not returned within the time period allotted.  HL4827

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the short- and long-term improvements to health resultant from the reduction in air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have to prevent levels of traffic and air pollution returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, particularly in cities, towns and other urban areas, and along major trans… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the protocols in relation to whistle-blowing in the NHS; and what plans they have to issue new guidance to prevent the victimisation of employees in the health and care sectors, including those employed by private companies, who highlight any unsafe, inadequate, inefficient or potentially corrupt practices during the COVID-19 p… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 May (HL4129), whether their plans include the return of public transport services, following the eventual ending of restrictions on movement, broadly to levels that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL4830

Baroness Greengross to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that public toilets reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL4831

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to participate in discussions with UNHCR about the relocation of unaccompanied refugee children now in Europe, in particular those in Greece; and if not, why not.  HL4832

Lord Jones of Cheltenham to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of exempting (1) NHS and care workers, and (2) all workers, from overseas and their families from the immigration health surcharge; and what plans they have to review their policy on that surcharge.  HL4833

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress made by the private sector to remediate the use of unsafe aluminium composite materials on high rise buildings.  HL4834

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the total cost of remediating all buildings within the scope of the Building Safety Fund.  HL4835

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total number of buildings that are eligible for funding from the Building Safety Fund.  HL4836

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to deal with buildings with cladding made from unsafe non-aluminium composite materials which are less than 18 metres in height.  HL4837

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of high-rise buildings both in the private and public sector with serious fire safety defects relating to compartmentation and fire stopping failures.  HL4838

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley to ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for setting and changing building regulations.  HL4839

Lord Lamont of Lerwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of (1) current social distancing measures on GDP, and (2) the impending recession referred to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Economic Affairs Committee on 19 May, on GDP. [T]  HL4840

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any new claimants of Universal Credit who are also claiming an ‘exempt benefit’ are not subject to the benefit cap because of the current three month pause in the assessment of entitlement to some exempt benefits.  HL4841

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the rationale for applying the benefit cap to Universal Credit claimants who have been furloughed, or whose working hours have reduced, but who do not qualify for the grace period when those in a similar situation but claiming working tax credit are still able to receive their full entitlement.  HL4842

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask Her Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants have been subject to increased repayments from their weekly benefit following the increase in the Universal Credit standard allowance announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and what proportion of all claimants making repayments that represents.  HL4843

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Public Health England's advice on year-round Vitamin D supplementation for care home residents and people from BAME communities is promoted widely during the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL4844

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to establish the Office for Tackling Injustices, created in July 2019; and what are that Office’s priorities.  HL4845

Baroness Lister of Burtersett to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current expected annual revenue from the immigration health surcharge; of that, how much is collected from (1) NHS workers, and (2) care workers; and in each case what proportion of the total NHS budget this represents. [T]  HL4846

The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, following World Bee Day on 20 May, to raise awareness of the (1) importance of bees in the survival of ecosystems, and (2) role they play in the process of pollination; and what impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the beekeeping sector.  HL4847

The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review their decision to reject Reading Council’s bid to convert HM Prison Reading into an art centre; and what consideration they gave to the preservation of the building as an arts venue.  HL4848

The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the current political situation in Burundi, following the presidential elections on 20 May, and (2) how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Burundi.  HL4849

The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Amnesty International Syria: 'Nowhere Is Safe For Us’: Unlawful Attacks And Mass Displacement In North-West Syria, published on 11 May, which states that Russia and Syria have deliberately hit hospitals on the UN ‘do not target’ list and that there is “strong evidence o… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the COVID-19 pandemic is progressing in Africa at a slower rate than they expected; and if so, what assessment they have made of why that is the case.  HL4851

The Marquess of Lothian to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are currently providing any security assistance and advice to the military in Tunisia.  HL4852

Lord Myners to ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) department, (2) executive agency, (3) board, (4) court, or (5) other body, is responsible for ensuring that the Bank of England’s independence is not compromised through the financing of UK Government debt.  HL4853

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne to ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place in (1) Government departments, and (2) Government-funded institutions, to ensure that no person is discriminated against on the grounds of (a) age, (b) disability, (c) marriage and civil partnership, (d) pregnancy and maternity, (e) race, (f) religion or belief, (g) sex, and (h) sexual or… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne to ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to (1) Government departments, and (2) Government-funded institutions, about providing services for those who (1) self-identify their gender, and (2) are protected under the characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010 that are not related to gender transition.  HL4855

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of public sector workers who have lost their jobs due to their views on the rights of people to self-identify their gender.  HL4856

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) amend the Equality Act 2010, and (2) introduce new legislation, to ensure that there is a clear legal definition of transgender discrimination.  HL4857

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the clarity of the language relating to transgender issues in their publications and guidance; and what plans they have to take steps to clarify that language where issues have been identified.  HL4858

Lord Pendry to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Tourism Society about establishing an inquiry into the support needed to protect jobs in the tourism industry in England from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have to consult with the Tourism Society on this issue.  HL4859

Lord Pickles to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a pre-action protocol for councils which would encourage the negotiation of affordable rent payment plans with tenants before seeking bailiff enforcement action following the end of the current moratorium on new evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL4860

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government when they will implement their strategy for individual contact tracing in respect of COVID-19.  HL4861

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the development of a vaccine for COVID-19.  HL4862

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate that the results of the investigation into the conduct of the Home Secretary will be published.  HL4863

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they took part in EU joint procurement programmes for personal protection equipment; and if not, why not.  HL4864

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the preparedness of the Civil Service and public services to respond to a pandemic prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.  HL4865

Baroness Sheehan to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.  HL4866

Baroness Sheehan to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the role of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan should be strengthened in response to the suspension of 2G mobile internet in Jammu and Kashmir on 6 May.  HL4867

Lord Strasburger to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 13 May (HL4448), whether they will publish the data sharing agreements held with all entities (1) working on, or (2) which will have access to data generated by, (a) the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app, and (b) human contact tracers; and if so, when.  HL4868

Baroness Thornton to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 5 May (HL3910), what was the (1) number, and (2) percentage, of returned home COVID-19 test kits that were void due to an inadequate self-swabbed sample.  HL4869

Baroness Thornton to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish finer-resolution data on hospital admissions statistics, to assist with understanding the optimal admission, treatment, and resource allocation strategies.  HL4870

Baroness Thornton to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that COVID-19 related fatalities of (1) NHS staff, (2) social workers, and (3) care workers, are accurately reported.  HL4871

Baroness Thornton to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the R number, the reproduction index for the COVID-19 virus, for each region of the UK. [T]  HL4872

Lord Touhig to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the issue of Commonwealth-born UK Armed Forces veterans facing financial difficulties and deportation due to a lack of awareness about how to regularise their immigration status following discharge.  HL4873

Lord Touhig to ask Her Majesty's Government how many Commonwealth citizens are currently serving in the UK Armed Forces.  HL4874

Lord Touhig to ask Her Majesty's Government what change there has been in the proportion of energy used by the Ministry of Defence that is drawn from renewable sources since 2010.  HL4875

Lord Touhig to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that low or zero carbon technologies are included in the (1) commissioning, and (2) construction, of Ministry of Defence buildings.  HL4876

Lord Touhig to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote sustainability in the supply chain during Ministry of Defence procurement.  HL4877

Lord Touhig to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative environmental impact of awarding procurement contracts to British businesses compared to foreign businesses.  HL4878

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States about the possible renewal of the New START Treaty next year.  HL4879

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to whether the government of China should be party to any future New START Treaty.  HL4880

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to try and establish confidence building measures between nuclear powers since the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.  HL4881

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the EU on access to Galileo as part of negotiations on the future UK–EU relationship.  HL4882

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain present planned levels of defence spending, as part of their commitment to NATO’s deterrence and defence capability.  HL4883

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, in particular with regard to the military enforcement of UN resolutions; and what assessment, if any, they have made of the military capability required by a permanent member of the UN Security Council.  HL4884