House of Lords Business

Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement made by the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander on Twitter on 11 October that ‘I’ll do whatever it takes to stop these crossings’; whether legal advice was sought about that statement; and whether such statement accords with the law.  HL8999

Lord Adonis to ask Her Majesty's Government who operates the Twitter account of the Home Office @ukhomeoffice, and whether ministerial agreement is required for any content posted.  HL9000

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey following reports that Garo Paylan has been subjected to intimidation tactics including (1) threats to his safety, and (2) hate speech.  HL9001

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to respond to the letter relating to skeleton bills and skeleton provision sent to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Leader of the House of Commons by the Chairs of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the Constitution Committee and the Delegated Pow… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of human rights abuses on the Kakuzi farming estate in Kenya; and what plans they have to discuss these reports with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Marks and Spencer’s, who have all acquired avocado crops from Kakuzi, including regarding their obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 20… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have planned any events or activities to mark the UK Anti-Slavery Day 2020; and whether they will support the passage of the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill through Parliament.  HL9004

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the religious freedom of minorities in Laos; and what representations they have made to the government of Laos about its duty to uphold Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  HL9005

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 9 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.  HL9006

Lord Balfe to ask Her Majesty's Government, following the independent evaluation of the Union Learning Fund by Exeter University, Union Learning Survey 2018 Results, published in September 2018, whether the Department for Education undertook a further assessment of the Union Learning Fund; and if so, whether (1) that assessment demonstrated a decline in outcomes, and (2)… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Balfe to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consulted with (1) the Trades Union Congress, and (2) individual trade unions, prior to terminating the Union Learning Fund.  HL9008

Lord Balfe to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consulted with (1) employers, and (2) business and trade representative bodies, prior to terminating the Union Learning Fund.  HL9009

Lord Balfe to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consulted with (1) training providers, (2) Sector Skill Councils, and (3) further education organisations, prior to terminating the Union Learning Fund.  HL9010

Lord Balfe to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate a proportion of the National Skills Fund to projects that aim to directly engage learners in the workplace, replacing the current work undertaken by Union Learn, following the decision to cease funding for the Union Learning Fund.  HL9011

Lord Balfe to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the statement made by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer on 11 October that "we are at a tipping points similar to where we were in March", and (2) the efficacy of the measures they have taken since then to address the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL9012

Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of people waiting more than 12 months for hospital treatment.  HL9013

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on consultancy services by the Cabinet Office and its related agencies in the 2019/20 financial year; and what was the (1) cost of, and (2) reason for, each such contract.  HL9014

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on consultancy services by the Department for Transport and its related agencies in the 2019/20 financial year; and what was the (1) cost of, and (2) reason for, each such contract.  HL9015

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on consultancy services by the Home Office and its related agencies in the 2019/20 financial year; and what was the (1) cost of, and (2) reason for, each such contract.  HL9016

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on consultancy services by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and its related agencies in the 2019/20 financial year; and what was the (1) cost of, and (2) reason for, each such contract.  HL9017

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government what new customs IT systems have been identified by the Border and Protocol Delivery Group as being required from the end of the Brexit transition period; and if any such systems are required, (1) how many of those systems they expect to be fully operational and tested (a) now, (b) from 1 January 2021, and (c) after 1 January 2021; (2)… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Birt to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the research by Australia’s National Science Agency, published on 7 October, that the COVID-19 virus can survive on bank notes, phone screens and stainless steel for up to 28 days.  HL9019

Lord Birt to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of pheasants in the UK, and (2) their impact on other wildlife.  HL9020

Lord Colwyn to ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan (1) to confirm the funding, and (2) to announce the timing, of the next Adult Dental Health Survey.  HL9021

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on the status of Mubarak Bala.  HL9022

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 September (HL7966), what plans they have to support calls for the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate reported human rights abuses in Xinjiang.  HL9023

Baroness Cox 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 the import of all goods mined, produced, or manufactured in Xinjiang, unless there is evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labour.  HL9024

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the shelling of Shushi Cathedral by the Azerbaijan military; what representations they have made to the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey about this attack; and what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the involvement of the government of Turkey in the Nagorno-Karabakh confli… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals to give the Nagorno-Karabakh region independence; and what plans they have (1) to support these proposals, and (2) to ask the OSCE Minsk Group to take these proposals forward as a matter of urgency.  HL9026

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that foreign mercenaries and jihadist fighters have been deployed by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; and what discussions they have had with the government of Azerbaijan about the presence and role of these groups in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  HL9027

Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reached an agreement on the future funding of the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland; and if so, what funds they are making available to fund this office (1) in the current financial year, and (2) in subsequent years.  HL9028

Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government what costs have been occurred so far in this financial year as a result of any increase in the number of people arriving in the UK by boat in order to claim asylum.  HL9029

Lord Empey to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners about changing the criteria for eligibility to claim asylum in the UK.  HL9030

Baroness Goudie to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent landlords and vetting agents from discriminating against, and refusing to accept, tenants who are in receipt of benefit payments.  HL9031

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Prime Minister on 6 October where he referenced the “new wild belts” that will “mark the landscape” by 2030, (1) how much of the area of (a) England, (b) Scotland, and (c) Wales they expect that the wild belts will cover; (2) what processes will be used to create them; (3) to what extent will they be in (a)… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have allocated for the development of proposals for the replacement of Royal Preston Hospital and Lancaster Royal Infirmary; to which body has the money been allocated, and who will carry out the work; what are the terms of reference of the work, and to what extent may it take into consideration the sites and servi… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the reasons stated for the refusal of settled status or pre-settled status for the 16,600 applicants who have been refused to up to September; and how many failed applicants fall into each category of refusal used by the Home Office.  HL9034

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many of the persons who have been granted pre-settled status will become eligible for settled status by meeting the condition of five years residence, in each month between now and 30 June 2021; and how many would become eligible, in the absence of any disqualifying reasons, in each month following Ju… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Hay of Ballyore to ask Her Majesty's Government what additional support they plan to provide to homeowners after the mortgage payment holiday scheme ends.  HL9036

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.  HL9037

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts to ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to respond to the letter sent by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 31 July about making public funds available to the Royal Albert Hall; and when they plan to respond to the follow-up letters sent on 19 August, 9 September and 1 October.  … Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in response to the report by the Faculty of Dental Services of the Royal College of Surgeons A resumption of dental services?, published on 2 October.  HL9039

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commend the new liothyrine patient pathway agreed by the Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group to other Clinical Commissioning Groups in England.  HL9040

Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require think tanks who seek to influence government policy and the policy of registered political parties to publish the (1) source, and (2) amount, of donations they receive to fund their work.  HL9041

Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of donations made to think tanks to influence government policy and the policy of registered political parties, which are impermissible to be donated to registered political parties under the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.  HL9042

Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the levels at which donations to political parties are recordable and reportable.  HL9043

Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide support for adults to take up cycling, including for commuting to work.  HL9044

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Attorney General’s Office at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL9045

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Department for Education at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL9046

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Department for Work and Pensions at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL9047

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Department for Health and Social Care at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL9048

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL9049

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.  HL9050

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to change their policy on granting arms export licences to Turkey in the light of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.  HL9051

Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to set out changes to the UK points-based immigration system as it applies to sportspeople.  HL9052

Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain the Sportsperson visa (Tier 2) standard under the new Immigration Rules to be adopted from 1 January 2021.  HL9053

Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include (1) clergy, (2) sports players, and (3) sports coaches, instructors and officials, as classified under the Standard Occupational Codes system, in their new proposed definition of a skilled worker.  HL9054

Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the endorsement requirements published on the websites of sports’ governing bodies for visas under the points-based immigration system ensure that playing opportunities for (1) resident sportspeople, and (2) youth development, are protected as required under Immigration Rules.  HL9055

Lord Moynihan to ask Her Majesty's Government why the endorsement process for visa applicants for sports players, sports coaches, instructors and officials is operated exclusively by sports’ governing bodies and not sports clubs.  HL9056

Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that women are able to attend breast screening appointments, following reports from Breast Cancer Now that up to 986,000 women in the UK missed their mammograms due to breast screening programmes being paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL9057

Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the restricted access to teaching and part-time employment opportunities experienced by university students in areas affected by additional COVID-19 restrictions,what plans they have to limit the charges those universities operating within such areas can make on their students.  HL9058

Lord Porter of Spalding to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to finish the winter school term early in order to ensure that children can be isolated in their family groups, ahead of any extended family gatherings that may take place in line with social distancing regulations.  HL9059

Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of occasions where airlines have chosen to operate a flight contrary to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the impact on the rights of consumers or tour operators to receive a refund if they cancel thei… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty's Government what recent estimate they have made of the increase in air traffic over the next (1) 10 years, (2) 20 years, and (3) 30 years; what sources of information were used as the basis for any such forecasts; and what plans they have to revise those forecasts further to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL9061

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address racism.  HL9062

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Home Secretary at the Conservative Party Conference on 4 October, what assessment they have made of the actions of "do-gooders" and "leftie lawyers"; and what steps they intend to take in response.  HL9063

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of, immigration decisions were overturned on appeal in 2019.  HL9064

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for reforming immigration procedure; when they last reviewed those procedures; and what plans they have to undertake another such review.  HL9065

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain the £20 increase to the weekly standard allowance of Universal Credit, made during the COVID-19 pandemic, indefinitely.  HL9066

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of people awaiting a decision on their asylum claims.  HL9067

The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Advertising Standards Agency, Trends in exposure to TV ads during COVID-19, published on 8 October; and what steps they are taking to reduce young people’s exposure to gambling adverts.  HL9068

Lord Shinkwin to ask Her Majesty's Government whether social value requirements were (1) considered, and (2) taken into account, when awarding contracts for the Access for All programme; and if so, (a) what weighting was given to social value in each stage of the procurement process, and (b) what are the details of the social value that successful bidding organisations reported th… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Shinkwin to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of public sector bodies’ compliance with the Public Sector (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, now that the 23 September 2020 deadline has passed.  HL9070

Lord Smith of Finsbury to ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using the National Lottery Distribution Fund exclusively to support the arts, heritage and sports industries to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic over the next three years.  HL9071

Lord Smith of Finsbury to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the opening of the Varosi beachfront in Cyprus; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that UN Resolutions 550, 789, and 2537 are upheld.  HL9072

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the training provided as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee to those who have a level three qualification and have been made redundant during the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL9073

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the representation of BAME individuals in school governance roles.  HL9074

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that academic mentors are in schools by the end of the year.  HL9075

Lord Taylor of Warwick to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce Who is at risk? Work and automation in the time of COVID-19, published in October.  HL9076

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the reintroduction of beavers into the South West of England in order to encourage the use of natural solutions to improve flood management.  HL9077

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will fund the reintroduction of beavers into appropriate catchment areas of the South West of England in order (1) to improve local flood resilience, and (2) to promote biodiversity.  HL9078

Lord Teverson to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will classify the Eurasian beaver as a native species that can breed and live freely in Great Britain; and if so, (1) when, and (2) under what circumstances, they will do so.  HL9079

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they take to support victims of rape in India, and in particular, Dalit women in Uttar Pradesh.  HL9080

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 October (HL8342), what assessment they have made of the government of Israel's treatment of human rights in the Palestinian Occupied Territories; what representations they have made to that government about reports of attacks on mosques and Christian churches by Israeli ci… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that travel restrictions have been place on Palestinian mothers with new-born babies who want to travel abroad via Allenby Bridge unless such babies are registered with that government as well as by the authorities in Palestine.  HL9082

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that four Palestinians were injured by the Israel Defence Force during demonstrations in Kufur Qaddoum.  HL9083

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the detention of Maher al-Akhras.  HL9084

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the planned demolition of a Palestinian school that was built in Ras Al-Tin without planning permission from that government.  HL9085

Lord Turnberg to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Covid Recovery Commission Paper One: Levelling up communities, published on 11 October; and what metrics they have developed to judge the success of their ‘levelling-up’ agenda.  HL9086

Lord Turnberg to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase collaboration with Israel with regard to (1) medical devices, (2) remote care, and (3) cutting-edge medical technology, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL9087

Lord Wasserman to ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers have been recruited in England and Wales since 1 January; and of those, how many are (1) female, and (2) BAME.  HL9088

Lord Wasserman to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Metropolitan Police Service about (1) the number, and (2) the percentage, of police officers recruited since 1 January, who are (a) female, and (b) BAME.  HL9089

Lord Wasserman to ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are employed full-time at the College of Policing; and of those, how many are (1) female and (2) BAME.  HL9090

Lord Wasserman to ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are employed full-time by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services; and of those, how many are (1) female, and (2) BAME.  HL9091

Lord Wasserman to ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are employed full-time by the Independent Office for Police Conduct; and of those, how many are (1) female, and (2) BAME.  HL9092

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that ports in the UK (1) remain cost-effective destinations for global container shipping services, and (2) remain able to serve the needs of British exporters and importers, taking into consideration (a) any increase in the average size of container vessels, (b) shipping lines’ rationalisation… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the application of Commission Regulation (EC) No 906/2009, on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to certain categories of agreements, decisions and concerted practices between liner shipping companies, to shipping lines and services serving ports in the UK.  HL9094

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office development funding has been allocated to advance the Commonwealth Digital Connectivity Agenda for digital trade.  HL9095

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to embed gap analysis into the process of negotiating free trade agreements in order to identify (1) the amount, (2) the duration, and (3) the terms, of trade finance currently provided by the market compared to what is needed by SME exporters.  HL9096

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the application of the UK Global Tariff on the costs of UK (1) imports, and (2) exports.  HL9097

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are working on initiatives aimed at increasing intra-Commonwealth trade.  HL9098

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their confirmation that the public sector equality duty still applies in cases where roads have been closed under COVID-19 emergency legislation, whether this obliges local authorities to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment of their road closures.  HL9099

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich to ask Her Majesty's Government whether experimental road closures made under regulations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic require an Equality Impact Assessment, and if so, (1) whether the results of those Assessment must be published, (2) what the timeframe is for (a) completing and (b) publishing the Assessment, following the closures.  HL9100

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish regulations requiring (1) the assessment of the impact of experimental road closures on protected characteristic groups, and (2) the mitigating action in the event of an adverse impact on those groups.  HL9101

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich to ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authorities have any obligation to monitor the impact on air quality of road closures, whether experimental or permanent, including in adjacent roads to which traffic may be displaced.  HL9102

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich to ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how traffic congestion has been monitored in England, (2) what data they have collected, and (3) what data they have published, about such monitoring since 2015.  HL9103