House of Lords Business

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on the wellbeing of imprisoned Hong Kong activist Andy Li; and whether they have asked the government of China (1) to allow access to Andy Li by family members and lawyers, and (2) to return him to Hong Kong.  HL8697

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Foreign Secretary's to South Korea and the demilitarised zone, what assessment they have made of the prospects for (1) the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and (2) an improvement in the protection of fundamental human rights in North Korea.  HL8698

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask the Leader of the House what plans there are to set aside time on currently non-sitting Fridays to debate (1) Select Committee reports, or (2) Questions for Short Debate, in the Chamber or in Grand Committee.  HL8699

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of Amnesty International's report As if expendable: the UK Government's failure to protect older people in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, published on 4 October.  HL8700

Lord Baker of Dorking to ask Her Majesty's Government how many students at (1) secondary schools, (2) sixth forms, and (3) University Technical Colleges, did not attend in the week ending 2 October because they were isolating or quarantined; and how many of those students had access to a computer and an internet connection to facilitate remote learning.  HL8701

Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to launch an inquiry into (1) the impact of the suspension of nurses and allied health professionals from taking calls to the NHS 111 COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service, and (2) related safety issues identified through call audits of that service.  HL8702

Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to increase the rate of legal aid fees paid to barristers, and (2) to reduce the backlog of cases in the magistrates' and Crown courts.  HL8703

Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they decided to reduce housebuilding in northern cities such as Newcastle and Liverpool; and what assessment they have made of how such a reduction will impact (1) house prices, and (2) rents, in affected areas.  HL8704

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the building sector, particularly small independent builders, to meet the Green Home Fund deadline for training and registering of companies and sole-traders, commissioning, completing and documenting works before the deadline of 31 March 2021; and whether they have c… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Birt to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent walkers on public footpaths being killed by cattle.  HL8706

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of low order deflagration to clear unexploded bombs from the seabed as a means of clearing bombs without damage to marine life.  HL8707

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of Confucius Institutes by the government of China.  HL8708

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill.  HL8709

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 September (HL7613), what challenges have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans, if any, they have to introduce legislation before 31 December to ensure that passengers are protected from losses resulting from flight cancellations after the transition p… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Bowness to ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK citizens will be able to enforce their rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 after 31 December without new domestic legislation.  HL8711

Lord Bradley to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to answer the Question for Written Answer (HL7617) tabled by Lord Bradley on 2 September.  HL8712

Lord Bradley to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to answer the Question for Written Answer (HL8019) tabled by Lord Bradley on 10 September.  HL8713

Lord Bradley to ask Her Majesty's Government what additional resources they will make available to UK Science and Discovery Centres in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL8714

Baroness Burt of Solihull to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safeguards which would be required for commercial independent celebrants to perform legally recognised marriages.  HL8715

Baroness Deech to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 1 October (HL Deb col 287), how they calculated the figure that 89 per cent of the population have telephones whose hardware and software is compatible with the NHS COVID-19 application; and what assessment they have made of the accuracy of this calculation in the light of (1) Office for Natio… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Desai to ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Law Commission to complete its current review of marriage law; and what plans they have to introduce legal recognition of humanist marriages after that review.  HL8717

Lord Desai to ask Her Majesty's Government, following the High Court judgement in R (Harrison and others) v Secretary of State for Justice [2020] EWHC 2096 (Admin), what plans they have to extend legal recognition to humanist marriages, after the current Law Commission review of marriages concludes.  HL8718

Lord Dobbs to ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of passengers arriving at UK airports are required to present a Passenger Locator Form; and how many of those required to present such a Form have subsequently been found to be suffering from COVID-19.  HL8719

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to advocate for an implementation mechanism to give greater meaning and effect to the Draft Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from Humanitarian Harm arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.  HL8720

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government whether non-use against civilians is a condition of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia.  HL8721

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current status of UK arms supply arrangements with Saudi Arabia; and whether changes have been made to these arrangements in the light of the ongoing conflict in Yemen.  HL8722

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Syrian opposition fighters have been killed in Azerbaijan; and what information they have received about (1) how any such fighters arrived in that country, and (2) who was paying them.  HL8723

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of Syrian fighters reportedly deployed to Libya by the government of Turkey.  HL8724

Lord Jones of Cheltenham to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 30 September (HL8064), whether they plan to provide guidance to the courts on how to handle cases where a defendant cites the United Kingdom Internal Market Act as a precedent for breaking the law in a specific and limited way which should be acquitted without pe… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulatory gap that would occur as a result of the Environment Bill not being enacted by 1 January 2021; and what steps they plan to take to ensure there is continuity in the transfer of EU protections into UK law during any such gap.  HL8726

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect that the Office for Environmental Protection will be fully operational; and what its budget allocation will be from 1 January 2021.  HL8727

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include legally binding targets to restore populations of wild species to a 1970’s baseline, including binding interim targets, in the forthcoming Environment Bill.  HL8728

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK–Norway Fisheries Framework Agreement includes a guarantee that neither country will fish above the minimum sustainable yield, as set by UK scientists, from year one of the agreement.  HL8729

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in reaching agreement between the devolved nations that Remote Electronic Monitoring will be enforced on all fishing fleets in UK waters.  HL8730

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that child victims of criminal exploitation are not excluded from school.  HL8731

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Just for Kids Law, Excluded, exploited, forgotten: Childhood criminal exploitation and school exclusions, published on 26 August; and what plans they have to include new provisions to protect children vulnerable to exploitation in their forthcoming guidance on exclusions.  HL8732

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking (1) unilaterally, and (2) multilaterally, to protect lower and middle income countries from adverse impacts of COVID-19 on literacy rates.  HL8733

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to propose urgent action nationwide to combat childhood obesity.  HL8734

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the findings of the report by Julian Glover Landscapes Review, published on 21 September 2019; and what assessment they have made of the response to those findings by civil society organisations.  HL8735

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what policies relating to National Parks are set out within their proposals for reform of the planning system in England.  HL8736

The Lord Bishop of London to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of visiting restrictions at care homes on the wellbeing of residents; and what plans they have to review their policy on visiting arrangement at care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL8737

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about COVID-19.  HL8738

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask Her Majesty's Government what further measures are being taken to protect members of the security forces from "vexatious claims" over actions related to the Troubles.  HL8739

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enact new laws designed to protect children who are at risk of sex abuse online.  HL8740

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people with special educational needs.  HL8741

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat level emanating from the New IRA terrorist group.  HL8742

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional funding to the Northern Ireland Executive for reducing the backlog in treatment of cancer patients.  HL8743

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court to ask Her Majesty's Government how much (1) has been spent to date, and (2) they estimate will be spent this financial year, on the NHS Test and Trace service.  HL8744

Baroness Meyer to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the scientific basis for their current rules on the maximum number of people allowed to attend (1) christenings, (2) weddings, and (3) funerals.  HL8745

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 30 September (HL8535), what assessment they have made of the consistency of that answer with the letter sent by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to Manchester City Council in August on planned 'smoke-free' pavement licences; and what plans the… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports (1) that state agents and Impala car rental in Zimbabwe colluded to abduct and torture political opponents, and (2) that Impala car rental has not complied with an order of the High Court in Bulawayo to hand over information about (a) the identity of those who hired the vehicle used to abduct Tawa… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their target for the number of operational hydrogen filling stations in the UK by 2025.  HL8748

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their target for the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles owned and in operation in the UK by 2025.  HL8749

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty's Government what is their target for the amount of green hydrogen to be produced from electrolysis by 2025.  HL8750

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of Australia and Japan about the production of hydrogen from lignite and the consequent CO2 emissions.  HL8751

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of firms owned by the government of China taking significant stakes in UK hydrogen technology companies.  HL8752

Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of flood mitigation measures installed on the course of the river Aller and its headwaters in Somerset.  HL8753

Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation banning all harvesting of peat; and if not, why not.  HL8754

Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resilience of the inter-island transport system in the Scilly Isles.  HL8755

Lord Patten to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to upgrade transport between islands in the Scillies to enable better access for children to get to school.  HL8756

Baroness Pinnock to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to honour the commitment made by the Local Government Minister on 18 October 2018 to amend section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972 to disbar persons required to sign the Sex Offenders Register from acquiring or holding public office as councillors or mayors.  HL8757

Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to announce the Comprehensive Spending Review; and what plans they have to put in place a programme of support to mitigate financial pressures on local authorities while that Review is undertaken.  HL8758

Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the programme of flu vaccinations is delivered successfully for this autumn and winter.  HL8759

Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the NHS has secure access to Priadel for the treatment of bipolar disorder.  HL8760

Lord Ramsbotham to ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to announce (1) the chair, (2) the timeframe, and (3) the terms of reference, for the Royal Commission on the Criminal Justice Process announced in the Queen's Speech 2019.  HL8761

Lord Ramsbotham to ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many adults in prison have been actively engaged in self-study, and (2) how many adults in prison have completed accredited qualifications and assessments, in the last six months; and what plans they have to provide self-study education to adults in prison in the immediate future.  HL8762

Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reconsider their decision not to give refunds or compensation to people unable to use railcards as a result of (1) the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) their advice to avoid public transport.  HL8763

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about future policies on agriculture and land-use that are designed to meet biodiversity and climate targets.  HL8764

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address child sexual abuse, including online abuse.  HL8765

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce an online harms bill.  HL8766

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address serious youth violence.  HL8767

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address county lines drug trafficking and safeguard children from being exploited by such crimes.  HL8768

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the Domestic Abuse Bill provides for community-based domestic abuse services.  HL8769

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are gambling machines in any British Army installations in the UK; and if so, (1) which categories these machines fall into in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005, and (2) whether these machines are operated by the Ministry of Defence or external contractors.  HL8770

Baroness Sherlock to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the portal through which joint claims for Universal Credit are made allows each partner to see all of the messages between the Department for Work and Pensions and either partner; and if so, what assessment they have made as to the potential impact of that access on the risk of domestic abuse.  HL8771

Baroness Sherlock to ask Her Majesty's Government whether a machine learning algorithm is used to calculate entitlement (1) to Universal Credit, and (2) to any other benefit; and if so, how that algorithm is used.  HL8772

Baroness Sherlock to ask Her Majesty's Government, following the ruling by the Court of Appeal in SSWP v Johnson & Others [2020] EWCA Civ 778, handed down on 22 June, what plans they have (1) to change the algorithm used to calculate Universal Credit entitlements, and (2) to compensate claimants whose payments were affected by that algorithm.  HL8773

Baroness Sherlock to ask Her Majesty's Government how many criminal gangs engaged in large-scale benefit fraud have been identified by the Department for Work and Pensions using artificial intelligence.  HL8774

Lord Suri to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 23 September (HL7967), what plans they have to introduce legislation to ban imports of all goods (1) mined, (2) produced, and (3) manufactured, in Xinjiang, unless proven by clear and convincing evidence that goods were not produced using forced labour.  HL8775

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research published in the Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Infections, Genetics and Evolution, A survey of genetic variants in SARS-CoV-2 interacting domains of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and TLR3/7/8 across populations, published on… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that students who have been impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns are offered partial tuition fee refunds.  HL8777

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional funding to schools to assist with costs resultant of the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL8778

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Teach First Missing Pages: Increasing racial diversity in the literature we teach, published on 30 September.  HL8779

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the floods in Sudan, what aid they have provided to support those affected.  HL8780

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of heavy metal residues from munitions in the environment on (1) foetal, and (2) subsequent child, development in Gaza; and what studies, if any, they have commissioned on this issue.  HL8781

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to prevent (1) the demolition of property, and (2) the levelling of land, owned by Palestinians by the Israel Defence Force for the expansion of any illegal settlements in the West Bank.  HL8782

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the rejection by the Knesset of a bill aimed at introducing equality for all Israeli citizens, what assessment they have made of the functioning of democracy in Israel.  HL8783

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the shooting of Abd al-Rahman Jabarah by police in that country.  HL8784

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that 23 Palestinians were abducted by the Israel Defence Force on 23 September in the West Bank.  HL8785

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what channels exist for organisations and stakeholders, who are not involved in the Trade Advisory Groups, to feed into trade negotiations and decision-making processes.  HL8786

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish country by country guides that will explain the key trading and administration changes for the countries that the UK (1) has concluded continuity trade agreements with, and (2) intends to conclude continuity trade agreements with.  HL8787

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish how trade agreements reached with other countries will benefit (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) Northern Ireland, (4) the north east of England, (5) the north west of England, (6) the Midlands and East Anglia, (7) the south east of England, (8) the south west of England, and (9) London.  HL8788

Lord Young of Cookham to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the letter sent by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to Manchester City Council in August on planned 'smoke-free' pavement licences was agreed in advance with the Department of Health and Social Care.  HL8789